"Official" Sam Houston Natl. Forest 11/12

[huntinfool]

I had to pick my son up in the Woodlands, so I had to get down early. Maybe next week.

[txbowhunter31]

Well my plans changed at the last minute and I did not make it out there!
Just as I was pulling out of the driveway last night heading to the forest my friend called me and told me he found a lower unit for my boat.(lower unit shredded a couple of weeks ago)So I went to pick it up this morning.
And put it on today.
Hopefully I will make it out there next weekend. I still have a doe permit in my wallet to use.
and my son can still shoot a buck and he has a doe permit also.
Good luck to everyone hunting tomorrow.
one of these days I will get to meet ya'll at Waverly House

[BuckSmasher]

Too windy and warm... no deer movement where I was.

[BuckSmasher]

Back at it again.... Weather is nice for hunting!

[scooter1982]

Thanks Scooter. Hope all is well your way to. Have you gotten to take the boat out yet? Getting on any fish?

Boat is in and running great! Electronics will be delivered on 12/6... then I'll be able to better locate everything. Should be be ready to put you on some grouper by new years. And on calm days I will be able to go offshore. I live 4 miles from the coral reef. Come down anytime, we have a spare bedroom now...

[jfman]

Well ive been out in the shnf all weekend starting sat morning to sunday morning.... I saw a couple of does... Sunday it was raining like crazy and looked like a good day was out on a tree by 5 am, at 9 am some ******* decides to ride his dirt bike with his buddies, never left ... my hunting spot is about 2 miles away from my truck also... i left somewhat ****** and soaking wet.. i guess thats the downside of public land.... Its my 2nd year at the shnf and at first i would try and ask everyone one i saw for advice ( i know i know) but no one ever did tell me anything... Im happy they didnt. I put the leg work, searched online and scouted. and now i think im ok, currently hunting a spot with some fresh scrapes and lots of other signs of a big buck..... but just like everyone else i learned my lesson of giving up info to other ppl early this season....

bad karma: that monster you got out in eagle pass is awesome!!!!

ps: mosquitos have been horrible lately

[manwitaplan]

Well ive been out in the shnf all weekend starting sat morning to sunday morning.... I saw a couple of does... Sunday it was raining like crazy and looked like a good day was out on a tree by 5 am, at 9 am some ******* decides to ride his dirt bike with his buddies, never left ... my hunting spot is about 2 miles away from my truck also... i left somewhat ****** and soaking wet.. i guess thats the downside of public land.... Its my 2nd year at the shnf and at first i would try and ask everyone one i saw for advice ( i know i know) but no one ever did tell me anything... Im happy they didnt. I put the leg work, searched online and scouted. and now i think im ok, currently hunting a spot with some fresh scrapes and lots of other signs of a big buck..... but just like everyone else i learned my lesson of giving up info to other ppl early this season....

bad karma: that monster you got out in eagle pass is awesome!!!!

ps: mosquitos have been horrible lately

Good luck this year. Hey you realize there are plenty of other area's where there are no Motorcycles allowed. The forrest has designated area's for riding out there.

I talked to an older guy years ago that would load his stuff up on his 4 wheeler and thats how he went to and from his stand.

Thanks for posting.

Manwitaplan

[tjkshaw]

IMPORTANT!! Please wear hunters orange!

Hey everyone, I know most everyone knows, but sometimes you may forget it, or whatever and think its ok to walk out in the woods without hunters orange.

Story time:
I was out in SHNF this past Wed the 30th, thru Sat the 3rd. Me and a buddy were focusing on one area in paticular that we found Food and Water and were seeing tons of tracks on multipule trails heading from heavy cover to this area were food and water exist.

It was the last evening before it was time to go home, and I had seen doe all weekend and the day prior a very brief glimse of a Buck that was clearly outside his ears. So the next day Im set up near a few of his scraps, there is heave brush behind me so I just laid down with my feild jacket under me an was watching the low lying area, and could see a good ways left right and in front of me. Laid there from about 1pm - 4pm and didnt see much but 1 doe come through. Then about 4:30 I hear something creeping through a small clearing about 30yrds behind me directly on the opposite side of this heavy dead brush. I slowly get to a crouching position and turned around. Its still about 30 yrds away moving quietly and stoping. Through a very small hole I catch a glimse of a tan colored something. and it looks about the height of a deer, I listen and determine it has 4 legs. I find a slightly larger hole through the brush that its heading toward. Aim and steady my breathing, It comes to the hole in line of sight, I sniff real loud one time, it stops. I thumb off the saftey and have my finger on the trigger. However I know I will hit it, just not sure of my target so I decide not to shoot. I thought that hole was big enough to identify it but it wasnt to I dont shoot. It starts moving again and walks out into the clearing im watching about 40yrds down, And its two hunters in Tan and whiteish looking camo.

I yelled out where the F is your Hunters orange do you know one of you almost got shot through this brush back there. One of you is very lucky I identify my target prior to shooting, there are alot of hunters out here that if they dont see orange will shoot and identify it later. They both said Sorry, One turned his beanie inside out to show some orange and they toke off through woods in the direction I was hunting. Too ****** to tell them anything else (not to walk that way, your going to mess up my hunting) I just got up and walked back to the truck and waited for my buddy.


I was angry and disgusted at the same time. I was zeroed in on a person with the saftey off, I mean I realise everything was ok as I identified my target prior to shooting, but my saftey was off since it was so close I toke it off when I heard it creeping. 2nd, what would have happened if I would have accidently hit the trigger or some of the brush was to hang on it. I realise it wouldnt have been entirely my fault, but I would have had to live with the fact that I killed someone, due to his ignorance or disregard to the rules of public hunting.


PLEASE WEAR YOUR HUNTERS ORANGE PEOPLE!

[TripleThreat]

Man that's scary stuff right there.

[tomkat]

Hey everyone, I know most everyone knows, but sometimes you may forget it, or whatever and think its ok to walk out in the woods without hunters orange.

Story time:
I was out in SHNF this past Wed the 30th, thru Sat the 3rd. Me and a buddy were focusing on one area in paticular that we found Food and Water and were seeing tons of tracks on multipule trails heading from heavy cover to this area were food and water exist.

It was the last evening before it was time to go home, and I had seen doe all weekend and the day prior a very brief glimse of a Buck that was clearly outside his ears. So the next day Im set up near a few of his scraps, there is heave brush behind me so I just laid down with my feild jacket under me an was watching the low lying area, and could see a good ways left right and in front of me. Laid there from about 1pm - 4pm and didnt see much but 1 doe come through. Then about 4:30 I hear something creeping through a small clearing about 30yrds behind me directly on the opposite side of this heavy dead brush. I slowly get to a crouching position and turned around. Its still about 30 yrds away moving quietly and stoping. Through a very small hole I catch a glimse of a tan colored something. and it looks about the height of a deer, I listen and determine it has 4 legs. I find a slightly larger hole through the brush that its heading toward. Aim and steady my breathing, It comes to the hole in line of sight, I sniff real loud one time, it stops. I thumb off the saftey and have my finger on the trigger. However I know I will hit it, just not sure of my target so I decide not to shoot. I thought that hole was big enough to identify it but it wasnt to I dont shoot. It starts moving again and walks out into the clearing im watching about 40yrds down, And its two hunters in Tan and whiteish looking camo.

I yelled out where the F is your Hunters orange do you know one of you almost got shot through this brush back there. One of you is very lucky I identify my target prior to shooting, there are alot of hunters out here that if they dont see orange will shoot and identify it later. They both said Sorry, One turned his beanie inside out to show some orange and they toke off through woods in the direction I was hunting. Too ****** to tell them anything else (not to walk that way, your going to mess up my hunting) I just got up and walked back to the truck and waited for my buddy.


I was angry and disgusted at the same time. I was zeroed in on a person with the saftey off, I mean I realise everything was ok as I identified my target prior to shooting, but my saftey was off since it was so close I toke it off when I heard it creeping. 2nd, what would have happened if I would have accidently hit the trigger or some of the brush was to hang on it. I realise it wouldnt have been entirely my fault, but I would have had to live with the fact that I killed someone, due to his ignorance or disregard to the rules of public hunting.


PLEASE WEAR YOUR HUNTERS ORANGE PEOPLE!

I usually see hunters every year without their hunters orange on.

[stickm]

I saw one without it also this year, my guess is that he came from private land and did not expect to see anyone where we were. How stupid do you have to be to not wear the orange ? My own wife's gradfather killed his best friend thinking he saw a deer in the brush. I have killed just as many deer with the orange on than the full head to toe turkey getups that I used to think I needed to kill deer. I have an idea for the guy's walking around with no orange, why not try to sit still instead of walking all over the woods trying to stumble onto a deer.

[HotRod Hunter]

WOW !!!!!!
Yes it would of been entirely your fault. You should know better than to take your safety off until you have positively identified your target. What if the guy did have an orange vest and cap on and you were only seeing his tan on his legs because of the thick brush. Hikers , bird watchers and GEO cashers are all over the forest and are notorious for not wearing orange at all most of them are not even aware hunters are in the woods deer hunting.So it is up to us to positively identify our targets before taking the saftey off and taking our deep breath before squeezing the trigger. It is people like you that don't obey saftey rules or that get over excited that cause hunting accidents. I JUST HOPE YOU HUNT NO WHERE NEAR ME !!!!! Have you ever taken the "HUNTERS EDUCATION SAFTEY COURSE" . Are you aware you need a doe tag and we have the AR rules. WOW Thats scary !!!!!! And I'm afraid there are alot of hunters out there that are that careless !!!!!!!!

[eagles405]

tjkshaw, First welcome to TBH! thanks for the reminder about safety and hopefully everybody in the situation has learned something. The hunter who almost got shot need to wear their hunter orange and that everybody should make sure of there target and behind it before taking there safety off. Good luck this season and stay safe!

eagles 405

[tjkshaw]

Excuse me? Hotrod.

When a deer, is getting closer, close enough that taking your saftey off will scare them.
one leaf crack, one hard breath will set them on edge and have them staring you down.
stomping and snorting, then eventually running off on the chance they just get scared.

Yes when in that situation, hearing 4 foot steps, seeing waist/stomach height and no orange with the view I had thinking when It came in the small hole through the brush (window of time) I had that I could identify it, and if I could have identified it in that hole, that may have been the only chance I had with the direction it was heading. And yes I know I need a doe tag. Didnt I say I had seen doe's the previous day and watched one come through prior that afternoon? Are you reading the post?

I find it hard to believe you did or that you understood what you read.

So yes me taking the saftey off was warranted, what disgusted me was once I saw them, they were hunters, oh and your reading ability that scared me too.

The senario I was in, yes taking the saftey off based on the information I was gathering:
Hearing 4 feet, very quiet on the leaves, not like a human. and only seeing one object pass, direction the thing was heading (not for the openning they turned to, field of view, Yes taking the saftey off was right for the senario, until I saw them.

I did my job and identifed my target, the reason i didnt shoot was cause I couldnt identify and am on here as a reminder to people to wear orange. An you have the nerve to come after me.

I have alot of gun saftely, and yes I have my hunters ed coarse
overseas with 2-4 (Marine) during operation Desert Fox.
I currently have my CHL, yes I carry in the forest too.
I'm 32 now and been hunting since I was 12.

I know that you should only point at what you intend to kill, but 99% of hunters point their rifle to scan an area far away like using binoculars, and when in the senario I was in with the information I had think most hunters would have done the same.


Oh an about who's fault it would be? My Uncle was killed on public land, the hunter that shot him testified that he didnt have any hunters orange on and that he thought it was a Pig. And my uncle was wearing dark blue jeans and a black jacket. He left the courtroom that day a free man, and I still have a dead uncle. My aunt recieves flowers every year from the hunter.

[BuckSmasher]

Y'all come down. Us NF hunters are a brotherhood within a brotherhood.

I'm glad you didn't shoot tjkshaw, but you probably need to invest in a nice pair of lightweight binocs and one of those shoulder harness to carry them. I have that setup and I love it! You should never point a rifle at something you haven't identified already and wait to make identification through the scope. I used to do that until I found out how much better binoculars are!