Anyone Hunting Pedernales Falls GDA next week?

[jctex81]

Got drawn for Pedernales Falls GDA December 4th - 6th...curios if anyone else will be out...

[jctex81]

Bump

[HUNTING_COACH]

I will probably go on standby. Just dont know yet. I have hunted out there before. Let me know if you want any information.

[jctex81]

Any direction I can get from someone who has hunted out there would be greatly appreciated.

-I live in Austin, if I go out there this week can they tell me where I will hunt and can I scout?

-Will there be a place to clean deer, other than field dressing?

-What kind of luck have you had with corn?

-Sit all day I assume?

any details of your hunts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[HUNTING_COACH]

Any direction I can get from someone who has hunted out there would be greatly appreciated.

-I live in Austin, if I go out there this week can they tell me where I will hunt and can I scout?

-Will there be a place to clean deer, other than field dressing?

-What kind of luck have you had with corn?

-Sit all day I assume?

any details of your hunts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

You cannot pre-scout, or at least you could not when I went. They usually draw for spots to hunt, just depending on how many people show up. They do have an "A-frame" to skin and quarter your deer. It has a water hose and all that. It is not that big, but it gets the job done. You can gut it in the field, or take it back to camp to gut it at the A-frame. Corn is good. The deer and aoudad came to the corn that I had put out. I was there for two hunts, and I killed two does and missed a good aoudad. You can sit all day, but you dont have to. I killed mine in the morning and was done by 11 am. There are some good bucks out there and the park backs up to an exotic ranch. Some animals have escaped, and when I was there, one guy killed a NICE sika.

If you get to choose your spot, then I would choose between these two, but I doubt they will let you choose, because you draw for numbers, then either draw again for spots or depending on your number, you get to pick your spot.

1.) If you have a 4 wheel drive truck, ask them if you can go across the river. It is a tight trail, but that is where I saw and missed the aoudad. The guy will take you across with his 4 wheeler and show you the brush blind. Park away from the blind and walk to it. Throw some corn out about 100 yards to the right of the blind and wait. The aoudad came out about 40 yards away and surprised the heck out of me. Be ready, and be camoflauged. Take your own chair or stool. They give you a bench, but it is crap. Your shot will be anywhere from 30 yards to 100 yards. It backs up to the river, and is real thick, so occasionally look behind you, at the river and see if anything is coming up the hill. This is the best spot to kill an exotic.

2.) There is a tripod that is right by the road, hidden in a cedar thicket, about 1/2 mile away from the check station, on your way to the camp station. It is right past the big looping, downhill curve on the way to the camp station. It is right by some telephone lines. They have two "senderos" cut out. The one on the right is about 200-250 yards long, and the one in front is about 100 yards long, with a bunch of tall grass. I shot my two does in the sendero on the right. Put out some corn about 50 yards, 100 yards, and at the end of the sendero. You dont know where they will come out. Also, put some corn out in front of you, past the telephone poles. It is about 75-100 yards. Be ready and make sure you secure your gun to the tripod, when you are not using it, or hold onto it tight. The tripod is steady, but it does wobble a little. I rotated on the chair, thought I had my gun secure, but I did not, and it fell to the ground. Scared the **** out of me. I was the only one that killed any does on this hunt. This is the best place, in my opinion, to kill a doe or spike.

I would stay away from what they call the "pipeline". It is anywhere from a 100-400 yard shot, and you are set up in a small brush blind, on the side of the hill. The terrain almost makes a "V" shape. You start up tall, by the road, walk down a hill to your blind, get to the bottom, then have to start walking back up a hill, if you kill something. Also, it is a long haul to drag an animal, if you do kill one. I sat all day, and did not see anything. That is when I requested a new spot, and they moved me across the river. Also, stay away from the spot where you have to go back out the gate, and then turn to the left of the park. I dont know what it is called, but I did not have any luck there either, along with the other guys that were in that "unit".

Get in good with the park ranger, Josh, if he is still there. He is a younger guy, probably about 26 or 27. He will put you in the best spot, if it is available.

This information is based on when I was there two years ago. I dont think they had a hunt in this category last year, so things might have changed, but just go ahead and ask or they will tell you in the orientation. Take two guns, just in case one falls, like mine. Make sure you take your orange and wear it when walking. They will ruin your hunt if they see you in the field and you do not have your orange on. Also, make sure you sign in and out, every day. Again, if you dont, they will ruin your hunt, and might ban you from coming back. Dont shoot anything that you are not supposed to shoot, because you will get a ticket, and being in a state park, it is expensive.

It is a fun hunt and you get to see a lot of cool terrain. Let me know if there is anything else you need or want to know. Hopefully I covered it all. Good luck and maybe I will see you there.

[jctex81]

Man....what a HUGE help....I just hated to go into this so blindly. This really gives me a good picture. I went out there yesterday and they gave me a list of last years blinds. I went across trammel crossing to the other side of the river and walked around. I didnt have a lot of time so I wasnt able to find the blinds off the trail. I assume this is where you said you saw the exotics. The water was barely trickling over the road so it is pretty crossable. I know pretty much where and what the pipeline area looks like. The rangers I spoke to did mention a few blinds near the station but I have not found them. The girl that was working told me "i better be nice to her cause she would be the one checking me in" wink wink...but the guy that coordinates the hunt was not in. Im debating whether to go up there one more time since it is only 35 miles from my house to talk to the rangers again and maybe get put across the river if i can swing it. So you think take 2 guns? Did you actually park at the station or park near your blind?