[Surviving Suburbia]

All my hunting experience so far has been on public WMAs, and never for more than several hours at a time. I'd like to do a multi-day camping-hunting-fishing trip on a WMA, which I think is allowed on certain WMAs in my area.

Any advice for a first-timer camping-hunting on public land? Any considerations that would weigh against doing it?

My main concern is that I'm in the Southeast, which as everyone knows is far more densely populated than out West, where hunting trips have a certain mythos attached to them (at least in my mind). I don't really hear of people doing this down here in the southeast, which makes me wonder if there's a reason beyond just that it's not as great of an experience as doing it out West.

 

[charliemeyer007]

Run a clean camp. Clean up after yourself and your dog. Be mindful of fires and the danger of it getting away. Keep your noise level down if there are other people around. Not everyone wants to hear your crappy music, barking dog and the hooting & hollering around the camp fire until o'dark 30.

Go practice shooting elsewhere from camp at a good safe spot during mid day less hunting prime time like dawn and dusk.

 

[Cornly2]

A couple of weeks ago I went hunting/camping in East Texas near a WMA. We camped in and hunted The Sabine National Forest. The Moore Plantation WMA was nearby but be didn't want to hunt there due to all their regulations.

If you're curious here's the exact campground.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/3...:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d31.2645206!4d-93.8122773?hl=en

Before we went we had to do lots of research and make several phone calls to find out all the rules and regs. For whatever reason the National Forest, the WMA's and the State of Texas all use different resources to give info. On top of that they all seem to have different rules.

For example to kill a doe on the WMA you had to enter a lottery for a special permit. On National Forest land however you just had to use the Texas doe tag that comes with your hunting lic. There are many more examples but the point is do a bit of research for the different types of public lands you are considering.

The camping was great btw. We had the entire area to ourselves. We only saw a few other hunters in the entire region. Now, this was during black powder season so maybe no-one is into that sort of thing around here.

 

[Surviving Suburbia]

Run a clean camp. Clean up after yourself and your dog. Be mindful of fires and the danger of it getting away. Keep your noise level down if there are other people around. Not everyone wants to hear your crappy music, barking dog and the hooting & hollering around the camp fire until o'dark 30.

Go practice shooting elsewhere from camp at a good safe spot during mid day less hunting prime time like dawn and dusk.

Thanks... Timing my shooting practice is good advice. Hadn't thought of that.

I'm already pretty familiar with camping, though. I've just never combined it with hunting before. And yeah, people who bring entertainment electronics on a camping trip baffle and annoy me, too. Isn't the purpose to get away from all that?

 

[fragout]

All my hunting experience so far has been on public WMAs, and never for more than several hours at a time. I'd like to do a multi-day camping-hunting-fishing trip on a WMA, which I think is allowed on certain WMAs in my area.

Any advice for a first-timer camping-hunting on public land? Any considerations that would weigh against doing it?

My main concern is that I'm in the Southeast, which as everyone knows is far more densely populated than out West, where hunting trips have a certain mythos attached to them (at least in my mind). I don't really hear of people doing this down here in the southeast, which makes me wonder if there's a reason beyond just that it's not as great of an experience as doing it out West.

I used to hunt/ camp in the southeast as well as the west and out state further to the north.

A few suggestions while hunting/ camping in the SE. .....

1. Know the hunting regulations in the area you want to hunt in. This should go without saying, but it is important, and covers things you may not be aware of such as hunting proximity to others who are also camping.

2. Know what is behind your target while hunting. ( Back drop). If your unsure, don't take the shot.

3. Bring enough gun. Not only for reasons of legality, but putting down your critter with a well placed bullet designed for hunting said critter will save you possible frustrations later. 1000 ft lbs of energy vs bambi is a debated topic, but it is also plenty ( with the right bullet), to do the job with one shot and then some. No reason to " minimize " / " compromise in current time.

4. As with camping, prepare for the environment while your out hunting in that time of year.

5. The real work begins after your critter is in the dirt. Keep your knife sharp!

6. If your camping/ hunting in a remote area, plan accordingly in regards to any additional equipment you need for transporting and preserving that critter meat so it does not spoil. ( Spare cooler with ice for example.)
You just might get your critter early on but still wish to remain at your campsite a bit longer...for another example.

7. If your camping and hunting, be aware that others may be doing the same thing. I always choose a " campsite location" with this in mind . ( Could go into more detail, but " accidently being shot by another hunter" is the hint...

8. If anyone else is coming along with you to camp and/ or hunt, HAVE A SOLID PLAN.

Good luck and be/ stay safe.


11B

 

[Sailorsam]

Run a clean camp. Clean up after yourself and your dog. Be mindful of fires and the danger of it getting away. Keep your noise level down if there are other people around. Not everyone wants to hear your crappy music, barking dog and the hooting & hollering around the camp fire until o'dark 30.

Go practice shooting elsewhere from camp at a good safe spot during mid day less hunting prime time like dawn and dusk.

good advice in ANY camping situation :thumb:

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