Is anyone having success hunting WMA lands for deer and hogs? What works for you and where?
Andy Newton
Ha,ha,ha…good luck getting the “where” out of folks. Da woods is where they are at…ha,ha,ha. I have not been in WMA’s for deer in a long time. My pop killed a beautiful 10 point a few years back in the WMA though. There are plenty of deer out there, but you have to put the time in scouting to do well. I would start close to water sources…small long creeks and smaller swamp bottoms with hardwoods.
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
Listen to Skeeter…his name says it all! The Francis Marion National Forest is known for growing trees and skeeters! Good Lord the growth on them skeeters after October’s flood had some real birds flying around. The effort that it takes to harvest deer from the WMA can be painstaking. Long walk / bike ride in and even longer haul out once you harvest any of the game that you are seeking. It is still peaceful to go but hunting in areas that others are in especially dog hunters usually equals stolen or tampered with tree stands. Had others in the past even start using my stands since they were locked on and couldn’t be stolen or removed and thrown over into a thicket. Deer and hogs are there and google earth can become your best scouting tool if you don’t have the gas money nor the time to spend countless hours out there hoping to figure out some sort of pattern.
“If you can’t fix a woman, chase some tail with fins and fur!!!”
2008 Sea Pro 1900cc w/115
(2) Daughters that make the boys cry
(1) wife that makes her husband take the kids outdoors to chase their dreams!
The FM will either make you a good hunter or make you take up bowling. I kill my limit in the FM every year. Deer are edge animals. They can be patterned. Undisturbed, they do the same thing over and over. If you find tall woods next to grass or swamp scout it and look for trails with lots of tracks from lots of deer and find a way to hunt it with the wind in your favor. It may take lots of trips - but you’ll figure them out. Feral hogs are easier. They have a good nose and if they scent you they will be long gone before you see them. Stalk into the wind, and be aware of an odor that is much like a sewer explosion. Slow down and listen for the grunts and splashes as they wallow. They don’t have the greatest vision and sometimes you can walk right up to a group of hogs . They cover themselves with mud. They can be difficult to see with mud and leaves and all over them. . Forget the food plots. they get too much pressure. But if you carefully examine a food plot and find where the deer/hogs enter , and set up well down the trail , observing the wind. Lots of work! Or you could take up bowling!
quote:
Originally posted by natureboyLots of work!
</font id=“quote”></blockquote id=“quote”>YUP! And a bit of luck helps too! SCDNR has plenty of maps for your to research and cross reference with Google Earth… Then, you will just have to burn some gas to check out spots you have identified. Not much different than an approach to fishing a new place.
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
I myself do quite well in FM last deer season limited out on all my does and bucks all you have to do is some home work and boot time in the woods…I also seen a few of those bucks skeeter killed as he was dropping them off at the processor you had a great year also…hoping the deer angels will look out for us this year
I thank you all for some good information. I have had good results learning to hunt the WMA properties in the mid state. These WMA woods will make you or break you as you say. There has been a lot of leg work and hours put into it to make it happen. These pine wood WMA properties do develop over time and are thinned and logged periodically so you get to develop as well. I have looked over the area of FM near Twin Ponds Rifle Range. What I saw there was a lot of wet swampy area but I have yet to get in quality boot time because I live in the Camden area. Does anyone suggest a better starting area for still hunting or spot and stalk in the FM?
Andy Newton
Twin ponds is so easy to reach that it gets lots of pressure. Go up the Kinsey motorway and you will find several swampy areas. There are also several edges of tall trees next to low bush that you will see. Find some places where you can pull off the road and don’t see lots of tire tracks. Scout your way in until you don’t see cigarette butt and beer cans and find some deer trails. In the FM the places nobody hunts have the best deer! This is tree climber country.