Originally posted by GBludau
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Alright. I'll go ahead and be the first to admit it. Aransas NWR is the absolutely most miserable and nasty place I've experienced. Encountered mosquitos like you'd never understand, Alligators and cotton mouth snakes all within steps distance.
I was there about 15 years ago as a boy. The place is even more indescribable than I could recall. ITS ABSOULTELY A MISERABLE JUNGLE. What a challenge!
Myself and a couple of my partners drove the refuge Friday afternoon, the auto tour loop, which was no where that I initially intended to hunt. We all 4 scouted Saturday, arrived at 6:30 am, the refuge did not open scouting until 7:30. I was 5th in line. Thumper, you were right behind me, I heard the officer call you by name and put 2 and 2 together.
We drove ALL the way to the very back south end, until you couldn't go any further. Satellite scouting doesn't do this place a lick of justice. It was all WAY different than expected. I knew before applying, ARANSAS was a miserable place. I did not expect this. 30'' of rain in the last 2 weeks, EVERYTHING IS UNDERWATER! If you don't have a 4WD, stay on the main road. If you don't have hip waders, your boots will get filled with water, you might as well where shoes and just accept getting soaked up to thigh deep. The mosquitos will wipe you out. We all carried OFF to continually apply, wore FROG TOGS to keep skeeters off, and took a mosquito tent and cut it up to wear over our heads. STILL, mosquitos hoarded us ALL DAY. We each covered over 40 miles in 3 trucks touring the refuge Saturday morning, NO DRY LAND FOUND until 4pm. Let that "SOAK" in. The end of Saturday, resulted in setting 4 tripods in areas that we found without water, we were at our ends with the place, didn't really care anymore, fully exhausted, near heat stroke conditions. F**K that place.
I made myself go back Sunday. I got on foot and covered MILES! If I wasn't in water, I was taking steps over vines, position ivy, and weeds that were up to my chest. I want you to imagine lifting your feet waist high just to get ONE step in, or else you couldn't walk. Now imagine, getting into a spot off the road, in the dark, quietly. You still don't have an idea.
Over 2.5 days, I encountered 3 bucks and 1 hog while driving. Nothing on foot. I estimate that I put in nearly 60+ miles of driving.
We are still coming for the archery hunt, BUT I'm on the fence about paying for the gun hunt, it is a difficult hunt, and I'm for these hunts, but to allow myself more time at ANWR, it isn't really worth it for what else I could be doing. Im going to let luck determine it all, tomorrow right before the deadline, I'm flipping a coin as to whether I pay for the gun hunt, HEADS= PAY / Tails= NOT.
Also, if you aren't in shape in the slightest bit. Go ahead and save yourself some money, time and frustration. Its not going to be a cake walk.
I was there about 15 years ago as a boy. The place is even more indescribable than I could recall. ITS ABSOULTELY A MISERABLE JUNGLE. What a challenge!
Myself and a couple of my partners drove the refuge Friday afternoon, the auto tour loop, which was no where that I initially intended to hunt. We all 4 scouted Saturday, arrived at 6:30 am, the refuge did not open scouting until 7:30. I was 5th in line. Thumper, you were right behind me, I heard the officer call you by name and put 2 and 2 together.
We drove ALL the way to the very back south end, until you couldn't go any further. Satellite scouting doesn't do this place a lick of justice. It was all WAY different than expected. I knew before applying, ARANSAS was a miserable place. I did not expect this. 30'' of rain in the last 2 weeks, EVERYTHING IS UNDERWATER! If you don't have a 4WD, stay on the main road. If you don't have hip waders, your boots will get filled with water, you might as well where shoes and just accept getting soaked up to thigh deep. The mosquitos will wipe you out. We all carried OFF to continually apply, wore FROG TOGS to keep skeeters off, and took a mosquito tent and cut it up to wear over our heads. STILL, mosquitos hoarded us ALL DAY. We each covered over 40 miles in 3 trucks touring the refuge Saturday morning, NO DRY LAND FOUND until 4pm. Let that "SOAK" in. The end of Saturday, resulted in setting 4 tripods in areas that we found without water, we were at our ends with the place, didn't really care anymore, fully exhausted, near heat stroke conditions. F**K that place.
I made myself go back Sunday. I got on foot and covered MILES! If I wasn't in water, I was taking steps over vines, position ivy, and weeds that were up to my chest. I want you to imagine lifting your feet waist high just to get ONE step in, or else you couldn't walk. Now imagine, getting into a spot off the road, in the dark, quietly. You still don't have an idea.
Over 2.5 days, I encountered 3 bucks and 1 hog while driving. Nothing on foot. I estimate that I put in nearly 60+ miles of driving.
We are still coming for the archery hunt, BUT I'm on the fence about paying for the gun hunt, it is a difficult hunt, and I'm for these hunts, but to allow myself more time at ANWR, it isn't really worth it for what else I could be doing. Im going to let luck determine it all, tomorrow right before the deadline, I'm flipping a coin as to whether I pay for the gun hunt, HEADS= PAY / Tails= NOT.
Also, if you aren't in shape in the slightest bit. Go ahead and save yourself some money, time and frustration. Its not going to be a cake walk.
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