Was just looking at the Hagerman hunt info and there are 46 permits for each hunt period. I measured out the units being hunted this year and it is somewhere around 2700-2800 acres total for all 3 units. So basically 1 hunter for every 60 acres. I've never hunted there but used to do a lot of hiking and some photography mainly in the Big Mineral unit back when I lived in the area. Anyway, 1 hunter for every 60 acres seems very crowded to me. Has it always been like this where they just try to pack as many hunters as possible in there? I understand every property hunts differently but everywhere I've hunted on draw hunts seems to have been more like 1 hunter per 200+ acres.
-
-
Some of those 2800 acres are not huntable; roads, well pads, water, open plowed fields, etc. so it’s more like 50 acres per hunter.
That’s why you need to scout out at least 5 different spots across all 3 open areas to hunt because it’s likely your fellow hunters saw the same rub line you saw in the month before the hunt. -
It also looks like first hunt moved to Saturday thru Monday to accommodate crossbow hunters for the first day.Comment
-
Oh wow, i did not know there was such a thing now. Gonna be interesting to see how it all works out since the last few years have been rough.Originally posted by gemini2759 View PostComment
-
Is Hagerman even a “thing”anymore? My buddy in Dallas says that it’s been done for awhileComment
-
.Comment
-
Looks like they also moved the hog hunt into Jan. and only one weekend. Having it before helicopter shoots should be good, but puting that many permits into one weekend might get crowdedComment
-
sounds like we need a #MakeHagermanGreatAgain campaign.
Seems like opening the whole place up to hunting during each hunt and give everyone 3x more room and keep the same number of hunters instead of rotating units every year would be a better option. From a management standpoint they accomplish the same thing and they make it a more enjoyable experience for everyone with better chances of success. Seems like all you do by flooding that many people onto a property all at once is push everything off to private land where there's a guy in a box blind every few hundred yards around the perimeter.
either way I won't be applying with the current setup. I'd rather try to get picked for a chance at a nilgai in south texas.Comment
-
If this POs someone, oh well.
sounds like we need a #MakeHagermanGreatAgain campaign. I agree, back to the way it was prior to 2021 with the refuge managing the hunt, no crossbows unless a Dr's note, go back to the qualifier, at least you were guaranteed to draw every few years.
Seems like opening the whole place up to hunting during each hunt and give everyone 3x more room and keep the same number of hunters instead of rotating units every year would be a better option. I could go for same number of hunters, and opening a fourth unit per year, remaining on the rotational basis. That said, in my 5 times drawn, never had any issues with hunter density. Only one year I wanted to move, and shot my largest archery buck the next morning. Objective is knowing where everyone is, and as previously mentioned- have several stand locations picked out.
From a management standpoint they accomplish the same thing and they make it a more enjoyable experience for everyone with better chances of success. Seems like all you do by flooding that many people onto a property all at once is push everything off to private land where there's a guy in a box blind every few hundred yards around the perimeter.
either way I won't be applying with the current setup. I'd rather try to get picked for a chance at a nilgai in south texas. Not meaning to be an ars, but you not applying give me a slight better chance of being drawn.
I'd also add, it's not being hunted now with the TPWD draw as it was before. Prior to 2021, it was a "coveted draw" with several hours/days/trips to get to know the area, both prior to season and after season, now it's just a "lets see if we can get drawn" and utilize the stand setup day to scout and mess up guys/gals that spent their time scouting.
Your mileage may vary.Comment
-
Phorizt, how many days have you spent hunting Hagerman, and how many days have you spent scouting Hagerman? Just a question.Comment
-
I have not hunted it. I've followed the Hagerman threads on here for as long as I've been a member but I really only started bowhunting again about 5 years ago which is about the same time I started applying for draw hunts. I used to go up there and go hiking a lot during the offseason and started doing some wildlife photography for a little while and took some trips up there a few times for that. Maybe 10-12 trips up there and that was probably 8-12 years ago. I've done a half dozen or so other draw hunts and all of them had a much lower hunter density so that just caught my attention when I was looking at what hunts to apply for.Originally posted by Razorback01 View Post
I totally understand your last point. I put in a lot of time/miles scouting when I draw a hunt if it is allowed.
Comment
-
It has been DONE for awhile. Didn't apply to the H for the first time in 18 years.Originally posted by Phorizt View Post
Comment
-
Well darn. I put in for the draw the first time this year based off a friend's input.Comment
-
I understand people saying the H isn’t what it used to be but it’s still better than 99% of the public land available in Texas. Much like the Chap, things may have declined over the years but there is still a chance of a monster walking out. I drew last year and had emergency surgery the week before my hunt. The staff at Hag generously let me move it to this year so I’m excited to see what walks by, haven’t hunted there in 5 yearsLast edited by hooligan; 08-22-2023, 05:38 PM.Comment
-
Mattle, PM sent.Comment
Comment