Laguna Atascosa 2021

[SneakyPhil]

If it's wet might as well leave the bikes at home.

[TXOUTLAW]

I am just north of the north end of unit 4 and there are tons of nilgai up here. Don’t know if it’s worth the haul though. It’s pretty swampy out here.

Good job, definitely well earned trophies


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[Tiburon1]

Good job, definitely well earned trophies


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Just so everyone is on the same page, I am not on Laguna Atascosa this weekend. I’m on a private ranch just to the north of Unit 4.

[TXOUTLAW]

Just so everyone is on the same page, I am not on Laguna Atascosa this weekend. I’m on a private ranch just to the north of Unit 4.

[emoji1303] still a fine trophy


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[Huntindad]

It is some kind of windy. Saw one cow and a bobcat today..

Next year I don't think they are keeping non hunters out of the refuge during hunts.

[SneakyPhil]

It is some kind of windy. Saw one cow and a bobcat today..

Next year I don't think they are keeping non hunters out of the refuge during hunts.

I think they have closed the units open for hunting to the non hunting public. I know they made an announcement on their Facebook page.

[ppeeks59]

Hey, about tactics in these wet conditions -- was it still possible to get your tripods into the reserve? Does it even make sense to sit in the stand in these conditions? I'm thinking about leaving the stand at home and hunting strictly on the ground, maybe just carrying a chair and 10 yards of camo netting (which worked fairly well last year in Bahia Grande once I figured out where the regular "nilgai highways" were. On the other hand, if there's water everywhere, maybe there's no dry ground for a chair either. Just how extensive is the standing water?

[HuntorFish]

Well unfortunately I got to head back to Houston today for work tomorrow. Scouting day I saw 10 nilgai and a nice buck and a few doe. Friday saw a couple small deer and had one cow at about 60 yards before getting busted. Saturday and today I saw nothing. Seemed to really slow down after the first day. It’s wetter than normal out here but plenty of dry ground and you can still get around on the roads and trails via bike pretty easily. I put in quite a bit of mileage on the bike and hiking around. Saw no alligators, snakes, or ticks. Mosquitoes we’re also not as bad as I expected. Overall had a good time and looking forward to January when I come back for rifle.

[HuntorFish]

As of 11am today

[osochuck]

Thanks for the report


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[Jtalley81]

We only saw 1 bull, quite a few cows, and 2 WT bucks in unit 8. It wasn't as wet as we expected, but there definitely some places where the mud was slick and deep. The main trails were great. We didn't even get a thorn in a tire. We set up a pop up, but obviously nilgai don't like those, lesson learned. We had a decent sized 6 or 8 point peek around a bush about 5 yards away, saw us, and bolted before I could draw. We didn't harvest anything, but learned a lot for our first public land hunt. Met a bunch of really nice people, and 1 guy that wasn't happy about us parking our bikes and walking, guess he shouldn't have set up so close to the road.

[ppeeks59]

good reports, keep 'em coming, and thanks. Glad to hear it isn't as completely wet as feared/expected. Unit 8 is always a good producer but you have to get away from the roads, not only in 8 but everywhere. And nilgai don't like ANYTHING they can see -- they're not like WTD who stand there and look back at you. The majority of nilgai I've seen were running past my hide after being spooked by other hunters. I'm hoping to improve on my only one time successfully lying in wait for a small family group to walk within range of my hide. And I'm also hoping for my first successful stalk on which I take a shot without getting busted. Last year I got busted at 26 yards -- my first shot opportunity on a larger family group of cows and young ones being trailed by a humongous old bull -- it was so frustrating but breathlessly exciting, too.

[TXOUTLAW]

We only saw 1 bull, quite a few cows, and 2 WT bucks in unit 8. It wasn't as wet as we expected, but there definitely some places where the mud was slick and deep. The main trails were great. We didn't even get a thorn in a tire. We set up a pop up, but obviously nilgai don't like those, lesson learned. We had a decent sized 6 or 8 point peek around a bush about 5 yards away, saw us, and bolted before I could draw. We didn't harvest anything, but learned a lot for our first public land hunt. Met a bunch of really nice people, and 1 guy that wasn't happy about us parking our bikes and walking, guess he shouldn't have set up so close to the road.

Glad you enjoyed it, that’s one of the toughest places to hunt, especially for your first public hunt


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[jkelbe]

pretty cool to see unit 4 on the board. That's a lot of effort for a doe. Hope they are staying at RV park and have a short canoe ride across.

[Tiburon1]

Does anyone know if they are going to allow hunts on Unit 4 for the rifle hunts or is this a call the office question? I'm sure we will find out prior to orientation.