Aransas Rifle #1

[Static1968]

Tough hunt as usual. The Mosquitoes are always horrible, but this hunt they were as bad as I have ever seen. Gave up on the Thermacell's after the Sunday morning hunt and just dowsed down with Deep woods off.
Had a buck surprise me at 20 yards, came out of an Oak mott that did not even look like a trail was there and we had a staring contest for about 2 minutes as I tried to slowly turn and get the gun up. He was not having any of it and bounded off thru the Waist high grass into another Oak Mott. seen a couple of does with no shot opportunities.
The new Federal warden officer West seems like a good fella. This year you have to write your permit # on each piece of flagging you put out and it made a world of difference. I noticed that this cut down on the mass flagging of every viable trail out there. Wed. morning on our way out the only Visible flagging I seen was where a truck was parked.
The tally board is back, but was not updated after the Sunday hunt (Probably because the harvest log only showed 3 deer and 1 hog brought in after that thru Wed. morning.). It was just basic showing the number of Bucks/Does/Hogs. It did not show how many hunters were in the refuge each day like the old board did.
As of Wed. Morning 10 AM only 10 Bucks / 9 Does / 3 hogs were in the harvest log. We never seen a Hog while in the stand and only (1) crossing the road on our way out for lunch.
(1) hunter killed 2 bucks and 2 hogs.

[osochuck]

Thanks you for report and good news about the flagging off areas.

Jr wants to go, so we might do standby…what’s another $130.00 each

[Mr. Public]

Aransas Rifle # 2

Any TBHers hunting it?

[SwampBuck]

We drew but I decided not to go. My buddy and his some went. His son got a nice doe this weekend before he had to leave. Buddy is still there but he said it’s quiet

[ppeeks59]

We're going in for Rifle 3. Awful skeeters (and too many gators for my comfort in some areas) but I've had good luck there.

[ppeeks59]

Wow, just home after Rifle 3. Slow is an understatement. I'd be surprised if a dozen animals were taken over 5 days by the entire group of however many of the 82 hunters with tags showed up, plus any stand-bys. We saw at least one deer or pig every day, but never in shooting range or for long enough to get off an ethical shot, which is A LOT MORE than most other guys we spoke to saw. (We do not launch bullets 450 yards in 20mph+ and gusting wind -- with no good idea where they will go.) A pair of guys not too far from us saw exactly 1 animal in 4 days and then had to leave to go back to work yesterday. We heard ONE rifle shot on Day 5, ONE rifle shot on Day 4, maybe three rifles shots on Day 3, maybe two or three on each of Days 2 and 1. No idea why, but it was extremely windy for half the hunt, and we had a ridiculous temperature swing of 70 on Saturday morning, 28 on Sunday morning, then back in the 50s and 60s in mornings the rest of the hunt. Yesterday was mostly cloudy with a passing shower or too, but nothing really too terrible except the wind. The last time I hunted the same area I shot a pig and buck on Day 2 of the hunt, and saw other bucks, pigs, and a bobcat. The skeeters were UNBELIEVABLY HORRIBLE, worst I've ever experienced there, and it is always bad.

[Static1968]

Wow, just home after Rifle 3. Slow is an understatement. I'd be surprised if a dozen animals were taken over 5 days by the entire group of however many of the 82 hunters with tags showed up, plus any stand-bys. We saw at least one deer or pig every day, but never in shooting range or for long enough to get off an ethical shot, which is A LOT MORE than most other guys we spoke to saw. (We do not launch bullets 450 yards in 20mph+ and gusting wind -- with no good idea where they will go.) A pair of guys not too far from us saw exactly 1 animal in 4 days and then had to leave to go back to work yesterday. We heard ONE rifle shot on Day 5, ONE rifle shot on Day 4, maybe three rifles shots on Day 3, maybe two or three on each of Days 2 and 1. No idea why, but it was extremely windy for half the hunt, and we had a ridiculous temperature swing of 70 on Saturday morning, 28 on Sunday morning, then back in the 50s and 60s in mornings the rest of the hunt. Yesterday was mostly cloudy with a passing shower or too, but nothing really too terrible except the wind. The last time I hunted the same area I shot a pig and buck on Day 2 of the hunt, and saw other bucks, pigs, and a bobcat. The skeeters were UNBELIEVABLY HORRIBLE, worst I've ever experienced there, and it is always bad.

last night when I left there were only 2 Does, 1 Spike, 1 eight pt. and one hog in the log book, but I know there was something killed Wed. morning as driving out there were Vultures on a gut pile on side of the road and was not logged in the book. I shot the Boar first thing on the first day and did not see anything else until Tuesday evening and shot another hog that bailed into some thick brush and was unable to get in and recover it. Shortly after that a small buck seen me before i seen him and he hauled butt.
Very slow overall.