I was trying to get a little help and advice as I’m not a very experienced hunter. I hunted a few times as a child with family friends for deer and turkey and it has always been an interest of mine. I do a lot of fishing and enjoy the outdoors. I finally have the means to start hunting now even though it is a late start in life. I have my license and permits already and planning on trying out in Francis Marion. I will be using a Marlin 336 30-30 I got from my grandfather when I was younger so I know my range is limited. No tree stand for now.
I need to get out and start scouting. My quickest access to FM is 52 to 17A. Bethera rd is as far down 17A I went. My question is how far in do I need to go to make sure I’m clear from housing? I don’t mind going farther, I just need to get out and start exploring. Forrest also seems pretty dense so that should make dragging a deer pretty fun.
All pointers are appreciated and by no means do I want anyone’s spot. That’s also why I’m looking for some help because I want to be respectful to the other people out there.
No love huh?
Well planning on making sure the gun is sighted in and heading out in a few days. I guess I’ll have to call DNR to answer my questions. Trying to figure out how FM is divided into its different WMA areas. Hellhole doesn’t open for gun until Nov 1 according to what I found. On their site. All I can find is hellhole bay but no dividing lines on a map.
i wanna say i remember seeing a map of the specific wmas at wal mart in the sporting goods section last year but not 100%. youre new to the forum and the same sorta happened to me when i 1st joined and was asking about francis marion so def pm me if you need more help. a lot of people wont post a whole lot of info on finding places in public land since the site has a lot of stalkers that dont post but def look for a free handout of information someone else already did the work to find out for them and tons of people hunt fm, giving it the potential to ruin a good spot very quickly whether its the woods or water. the terrain in fm can make dragging a deer interesting but it can be done. i dont know where youre from but if youre used to bigger deer up north then you wont have any trouble with southern deer. not meaning to degrade hunting the south has to offer by any means…theyre just not as big as corn gorged northern deer. a hog on the other hand is usually 100-200lbs but can get well over 300. although a big boar wont be worth eating a 300+ pound sow still tastes great but have fun dragging that if you get one!
I have never hunted the FM, or any other WMA, always on private land…
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Go on the DNR site and you’ll find some info. I hunt the FMNF - it’s not easy hunting by any means, but there is game out there - just have to put in lots of time and effort to find the right areas…really need to be scouting well before season opens…and I would recommend walking the woods after season ends as well - will be able to see sign, game trails, old rubs and scrapes and locate some potential hunting spots without worrying about pushing deer - or getting in the way of other hunters, which can be dangerous on public lands (be sure to wear some orange when in the FMNF)
My best advice would be to go as deep in and as far away from main roads and trails as you can (which is where the hard work and scouting comes in)…and when you find that honey hole, don’t post the location on here as it won’t be long before it’s no longer “your spot”
Good luck, and safe hunting.
Spent a while out there friday. Saw a buck but he was moving pretty fast through a really dense area of forest and didn’t have a shot. Went to the same spot saturday morning and sat until about 10am and saw nothing. Grabbed lunch and then went driving around out there and found another spot that looked more promising (acorns, tracks and a few spots of water in a somewhat dried up creek bed). Sat there a few hours and saw nothing but I probably left too early (5:30pm). I was tired and ready to head home. Looking to try that spot again this week and if nothing, then I’ll try somewhere else and venture off deep into the forest.
My main issue is that with being new, majority of the forest looks the same from the road so I don’t really know where to just park and start walking.
Have seen plenty of hens though so hopefully turkey season will turn out good.
if you saw a buck already that may be a decent spot to try again. you can try whistling at the deer to see if you can stop it (ive had that work a couple times) and maybe get a shot but it doesnt always work. finding deer is step 1 and you figured that part out quickly. keep at it! a word of advice if/when you get one is dont post pics of deer in your spot so you dont have any unwanted visitors next time you go out. i either took pics in my yard or drove a mile or 2 away to throw anyone trying to take my spot off. i never really saw anything huge out there but plenty of basket racks up to about 8 points i saw regularly. heres the 7 i shot out of there a couple years back theres def some nice ones there.
You can get a map of the FM from the USFS office on Steed Creek Rd or from Dennis Center in Bonneau. It will clearly show the dividing lines for the different units. I think you can view them online from the dnr website. You can also find them at Ft. Johnson on James Island.
quote:
Originally posted by livinthedream
You can get a map of the FM from the USFS office on Steed Creek Rd or from Dennis Center in Bonneau. It will clearly show the dividing lines for the different units. I think you can view them online from the dnr website. You can also find them at Ft. Johnson on James Island.
I found it already. Thanks.