Laguna Atascosa 2020

[Clay6x45]

Congrats on the bull. The work definitely starts after they are down.

[SoTXAg06]

Congrats Whalerboy67!


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[BigThicket Luke]

For the ones who have gone in the rifle hunt I have a question maybe you can help me with. Are you using 1 rifle to shoot both nilgai and deer or carrying 2 rifles for deer and nilgai? I have been setting up my bike and cart and my backpack has a rifle sling that I can put one rifle 7mag(nilgai) and I can carry my 30-30 or 243,270,30-06 for deer I see that maybe some close calls can happen on either deer or nilgai but if a good shot presents itself <200yds will one rifle be sufficient? I don’t want to be under gunned but don’t want to be held down because of weight either I’m packing minimal for my sits and think ive got it covered just the rifle part lol

One rifle in the field is all you need, but I would bring a back up just encase you have a problem with your main gun. Bring the 7mm mag thats just about right I think. Lighter guns are better in general I think but be prepared to shoot 200 to 400 yards in bad light. You might get alot closer shot but you just never know where they will step out. Bring good shooting sticks or rests you will need those even more.

[Zjesse22]

One rifle in the field is all you need, but I would bring a back up just encase you have a problem with your main gun. Bring the 7mm mag thats just about right I think. Lighter guns are better in general I think but be prepared to shoot 200 to 400 yards in bad light. You might get alot closer shot but you just never know where they will step out. Bring good shooting sticks or rests you will need those even more.

I will be using some swagger bipod sticks that I picked up at bucees but haven’t really tested them out, 7 mag is what I am leaning towards too but my .243 is dead on at 200yds and for a nilgai I’m a little hesitant on a show that far with it, I’ve taken nilgai within 100yds using the 243 in the past, also I was thinking of the 30/30 as my brush gun for shots under 150yds or so but I’m thinking of ruling out the 2 rifles and just using 1 while out in the field

[CentralTXHunter]

Just now getting caught up. Great write ups fellas! Congrats on the kill Whalerboy! That place gets in your blood and I was reliving every moment through the write ups.


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[BigThicket Luke]

Just wanted to post a follow up for guys that might be doing this hunt in the future to clarify a few things I did not know as a first timer there:

The Cops: So I am not a cop lover like many here are I have never had much use for a bunch of bottom third intellects trying to lord over me in black uniforms. That being said I met 4 of the warden/USFW service guys out there and let me tell you they are all the very best kind of men. They were professional, friendly, and very smart. Everyone of them were life long hunters and I just could not say enough about how pleasently I was surprised by that. That being said these guys are not there to be your friend they are there to do a hard job so respect that and don't make their job any harder. I rate law out there a 10/10 if you can't get along with them you are the A-hole.

The roads: Road access is no issue at least when it's dry and 2 wheel drive would get in and out with ease. It takes an hour to get from Port Izzy to reserve where you park to hunt along the CR on the east side. All the little towns around there are speed Traps too so be super careful to follow the speed laws. Overall though easy place to get into and out of we actually rented a mini van to haul our stuff and it did great. Although one of the wardens saw it and stopped us on the way in one day thinking we were lost birders and then we all had a good laugh after he checked out our permits.

The rules: The rules are pretty easy to follow and strait forward but I will say a few things that were easy to overlook. Wear your hunter orange for the minute you get in there to the time you leave. That means head and body in the field, in your stand, on the access road everywhere including scouting day, thats the rules. Bring 2 or 3 pieces of hunter orange gear for hot or cold weather. You dont want to have to wear a full HO coat in 80 degree temps or a mesh trucker hat when its 45. Don't hunt too close to any boundary area. They mention it in the video but it's much more important in the real world out there that you CAN NOT DO ANY HUNTING WITHIN 150 yards of the edge of the reserve. That means the access road the north side or any area at the edge of the park boundaries.
That means don't wait to be picked up by the gate with a loaded rifle just stay in the field until your party comes to pick you up. Other than that it's real easy to follow all the rules so do it and make sure we take care of this awesome place to hunt.

Things I wish I had brought in the field: A bag chair, a stick with a mirror on the end, less ammo, more food, a saw horse to shoot off of, more hunter orange gear to change with the weather, a lightweight rain poncho and a sketch pad. Theres probably more but you will figure it out.

Game habits and hunting spots: I know this is a sensitive topic and I am not here to tell you where to go but I will say a few things to help others in the future. There is without a doubt Trophy Deer and Nilgai in EVERY unit so don't get hung up to much on going to one "honey Hole" They don't exist the animals move constantly and if they want to go around you they will just hug the fence line and there is nothing you can do. Pick a spot you can see along way if you are rifle hunting. If your bow hunting pick a crossing spot up wind and set up the ambush. The whole place is game trails everywhere. By and large the Game animals seem to move north and south up and down the reserve/coast but there are a few major east west trails too. Timing is everything, strategy is second fiddle. The animals are incredibly used to humans and they are DUMB! You don't need to be super stealthy at rifle ranges so don't worry to much about wind direction or binds I don't think they would even care at 200 yards.

Recovery: I did not shoot anything but I am sure getting it out would be a real chore, be ready for it in every way. Game cart, game bags, tarp, lots of sharp knives, gallon baggies and water. If you shoot one late and can get it to the road the wardens will help you load it up and go to the skinning shack if they are available to do so but hey are not required to do anything to help you so assume you will be on your own. Gut all animals in the field all you want to bring to the check station is the field dressed animal or meat and proof of sex. All hides you want to take off the reserve MUST be treated or frozen for 24 hours.

Would I do it again? Yeah probably but it took me 6 years to draw tags and 2 other groups told me it took them 5 so it might be awhile. The bow tags seem like a low percentage play but I am sure it would still be fun. It felt crowded to me even with 35 people so I am sure its a zoo with 230 better get there early and stake out an escape route if you go with a bow tag.

The Ocelots and the future of the place: After seeing it fist hand I can say without a doubt the Ocelots are doomed. Theres alot of reasons for this I will touch on a few. First despite low speed limits in the reserve there are major highways running all through the habitat around the reserve that are 60MPH and drunk locals drive 80 on them. Ocelots cross all the time and will continue to get hit. The reserve it's self is cut off from the main population of Ocelots in Mexico/Central America, so there will never be any fresh genetics come in from outside the 80 animals on the "island" thus inbreeding is going to be rampant. Lastly the actual plan to manage the reserve is stupid. I saw 2 bobcats and 2 coyotes and heard alot more. *** are there competitors to Ocelots doing on the reserve? Why would you not start by killing off ALLLLLLL the Bobcats and coyotes? Why can't hunters shoot at least coyotes? Where is all the habitat creation for Rodentia? I saw a few sad little doghouse sized brush piles. They need massive wood rat super apartments. Lastly I think the Nilgai are a real problem for the Ocelots because they create new pathways into thick brush and that lets in the coyotes and bobcats to kill all the young ocelots and eat their food. Basically though unless you kill the other predators off the Ocelots don't have a chance. Some panty waste anti hunter cat lover probably came up with the management plan though and it sucks. I personally could have rid the place of 4 predators if I had the green light, instead they all walked to go on killing the thing the place is there to save. I think the chances are good they will just rename it once the Ocelots are extinct and cover up any history of their failed management there and make it a bird based sanctuary. Hopefully hunting will continue and expand there since other than birding thats what the place is ideal for.

A big personal thank you to everyone who helped me both here and in real life. A big thank you to the wardens for getting up at 4:00 to come let us in and keep things safe. A big thank you to the hunting gods for letting me go on this awesome trip. Hopefully it won't be my last.

[Mr. Public]

I had to force myself to continue reading some parts of that[emoji849]. Thanks for your profound advice and knowledge, Luke.[emoji848]

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[Mr. Public]

Just got caught up myself.

Huge congrats Whalerboy! Bravo dude! Way to go! It is a tremendous task to retrieve a nilgai on that place. Glad it all worked out for you. I bet you could have got more than 1 bull down, but you were smart and wise to not shoot again knowing the 3rd bull was not with the others.

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[jronning77]

Congratulations on the kills. To what luke said I've never seen so many coyotes before especially in the daylight. Asked #SuperWardenWill about it and he said that he would be bringing it up to the biologists, and try to get a predator hunt going. He had noticed what seem like a large number of predators as well. I know one morning it felt like that movie the grey but with coyotes all round me in the fog. I saw 2-4 every day not counting all the ones running through the park.

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[Whalerboy67]

Thanks everyone. Thank you for the insight HighwayHunter. And thanks for the clairvoyance Bludau. I am very glad I did not take a second shot. One animal is all I needed. There was plenty of meat for the whole family, and more. I can only hope the resource is protected so we can keep on enjoying it for years to come. I accomplished my 2nd goal for this hunt. My 1st goal was not to get shot. Which was a possibility the way some hunters set up on the refuge. Next year cannot come too soon. Getting one with an arrow will be a greater challenge.

[FlyGuyy]

Did anyone get a pic of the final board?

[HighwayHunter]

Thanks everyone. Thank you for the insight HighwayHunter. And thanks for the clairvoyance Bludau. I am very glad I did not take a second shot. One animal is all I needed. There was plenty of meat for the whole family, and more. I can only hope the resource is protected so we can keep on enjoying it for years to come. I accomplished my 2nd goal for this hunt. My 1st goal was not to get shot. Which was a possibility the way some hunters set up on the refuge. Next year cannot come too soon. Getting one with an arrow will be a greater challenge.

Glad you got it done buddy. Hopefully next year I draw the rifle hunt, or the early December bow hunt! We bow hunted in 95 degree weather. Talk about a weekend full of bugs and sweat!


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[caalexander4]

I am real confused about guys sitting on roads or right on top of roads and then getting mad about other hunters walking past them. I found a nilgai path during archery season right off a road to a field. I had nilgai walk past me but couldnt make the shot. I also had guys walking 200 yards from me but I knew to expect that and not cry about it. Got it done in the rifle hunt a few weeks later and that was super easy due to scouting in archery season.

[Huntindad]

Do the rifle hunters sit on roads? that sounds dangerous. I'll be down there in a few weeks rifle hunting them.

was wondering if folks were walking on top of each other towards the north end. I have a couple places targeted to sit away from the crowds.

[Zjesse22]

I plan to hunt away from the roads as to avoid hunters and just to be safe in case a shot presents itself, sitting down in tall grasses and mesquites is sketchy even though we will be wearing hunter orange I’ll be out there for the rifle hunt Jan. 15-17. If anyone needs help I will be out there and willing to give a hand