Laguna Atascosa 2013/14

[CTD2011]

Any Nilgai killed???
Can someone post pics from head quarters cooler

Last I checked only one nilgai had been killed the whole hunt so far.

[chancito1]

Our normal nilgai hot spot the last 4 years was bare of tracks and sign. It was covered up in the past but we didn't see one fresh sign when we went in to set stands up. We looked on 2, 3 and six but sign was scarce. We finally found good sign on a new area in 2 but that night my son got sick and I had to go home. Need a bike to get there and out at reasonable time.

[gemini2759]

Gun hunts cleaned up on nilgais as some hunters had multiple kills. Hunted until 1 today in section 8 and didn't see a thing except a small pile of corn puke. Someone being naughty. Got very windy. A south and southwest wind suck. Tomorrow wind changing to north with a small front. Hit it hard every1. Last chance to dance.

[SneakyPhil]

I take it the last days were tough? Looking at what the weather did I would think so. Had many of hunts like that out there. I guess thats why its called hunting and not killing.

[gemini2759]

Look for some changes next year. Registration is suppose to be all online, possible earn a buck, antler restrictions... Word is too many bucks, not enough does taken. If I had seen a doe in either hunt, I would have taken her. Complaints on small deer taken.

[SneakyPhil]

Look for some changes next year. Registration is suppose to be all online, possible earn a buck, antler restrictions... Word is too many bucks, not enough does taken. If I had seen a doe in either hunt, I would have taken her. Complaints on small deer taken.

Wow! So success rates are going to be even lower. I understand but do you guys actually think those smaller bucks are shot cause people are just wanting to shoot a buck. I know I passed up many a small bucks waiting on bigger ones I know are out there. I would definitely doe if I was presented a shot. I think many hunters on this hunt are shooting any legal animal. Thing is if you cant feed then you have to really hunt. It isnt as if you can sit there and take your pick of any animal under a feeder. You get an opertunity and you quickly have to decide to take the shot or not. I can see people ground checking bucks and letting them lay if they dont meet antler restrictions. We shall see.

[SOTXBOWHUNTER]

I hunted all day every day and I only saw 3 deer the whole week. Tough hunting does anyone know when refuge is going to announce the changes?

[onthetake]

I hope the antler restrictions are put in place. I'm sure that a few people will choose to ground check small bucks that don't make the restrictions but I'm sure a lot more responsible hunters will pass on bucks that are questionable or obviously don't meet restrictions. I also see it helping with doe harvest. Some of the hunters I know regularly choose to shoot the young fork horn that is chasing the doe rather than shooting the doe. I think the antler restrictions would force them to shoot the doe instead. I personally passed several young bucks, including a young 8 pt, and even more does this hunt. I will shoot the does under the right circumstances but pass on them if I'm to far from the road or its to close to dark just because it's to much work for a doe.
The biologist said 1 in 7 deer taken during the hunts this year were fawns. That should stand out as wrong in any responsible hunters mind. I look forward to having a lot more and larger bucks running around the refuge in a few years.

[gemini2759]

I am sure if anyone has input to share, they can email the folks at friendsofsouthtexasrefuges.org. If they want more does taken, I and others would certainly oblige. Maybe they can take select hunters to the closed bayside section where lots of the does head to once bow hunting starts. I agree with most here that the shooting of fawns has to stop.

[chancito1]

I'm guilty of not shooting does I've hunted there every year since 87. I have alway seen a decent number of deer and have shot only one small buck there that being my first deer with a bow. I can't begin to remember how many times I've missed the opportunity or flat missed a nice mature buck on the refuge. I have also shot majority of my nice bucks at the refuge. I have seen shooters each of the last 4 years including last week. It's a hard hunt no doubt about it. But shooting these little fawns is something we have seen every single year and something we have complained about. At some point in time it had to start dropping the numbers. I would say we probably do see fewer deer compared to 10 years ago. The earn a buck rule is senseless they will shoot a doe and turn right around and shoot a young buck I would really rather see them go to an ar system. The other fact is hunters from the valley know this is a hell hole, ticks and misquotes by the millions, every bush has thorns on it, rattle bugs and the humidity are pretty rough. I can't tell you how many people found this refuge online and mailed their check in for their permit and left the second day of the hunt. It's not for everyone. There was nobody there after the second day this last hunt so the numbers would be lower. We hunted 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 and never ran into another hunter in the field after the second day. If you didn't get there early you couldn't find a spot to park a few years ago and that lasted all week.

[BigRed323]

I don't agree with the online registration system, I don't have anything against people coming from a ways out if they are gonna actually do the entire hunt. I just don't like when someone from hours away takes a permit and only does the first couple of days of a week long hunt and takes a permit away from local guys that would actually hunt the entire week. Just the way I see it.

[onthetake]

I don't agree with the online registration system, I don't have anything against people coming from a ways out if they are gonna actually do the entire hunt. I just don't like when someone from hours away takes a permit and only does the first couple of days of a week long hunt and takes a permit away from local guys that would actually hunt the entire week. Just the way I see it.

Strange I always thought it was the other way around. Seems like to me that the guys coming from a long ways away stayed most of the hunt and the locals were there mostly on the weekends and some evenings if they got off work early enough. It sure is a long ways and a lot of work for an out of town guy to just show up for the 1st couple days. For me personally I have always hunted the entire week until recently and have only cut my hunt short because I'm bringing my son and would rather him not miss an entire week of school. I think if they stick with the reduced number of permits available like it was this year then getting a permit is going to become an issue in the near future and this "online registration" is just the first step to making the archery hunts a lottery system.

[Monster Buck]

Iv hunted here for 4 years and have stayed the whole time except this year and I only skipped out on Saturday , and hunted every day. 6.5 hours is not a trip to hunt only weekend.

[SneakyPhil]

Dont understand the online registration. I dont see how the way its done now is broke so if it aint broke then dont try to fix it. If they go to a lottery system then people that only get to hunt the refuge are going to get screwed some years.

Back to the restrictions just like Chancito said killing of young deer has gone on for a long time out there. My dad hunted out there back in the 80's and he saw it then. Some people may atribute not seeing any game to the takeing of young deer. Just cause you have been seeing deer consistently in one area for a few years and you come back the next and dont see any doesnt mean that there are fewer deer. Ive hunted out there long enough to see this happen. Where you were seeing chingos of deer one year and see none the next happend to me and my father several times over the year. We simply move. Hell when they started having the two hunts in a year we would see tons durring the first hunt and none the second hunting the same spots.

All you have to do is look at the harvest numbers each year. Look at how many animals were taken on 48,000 acers. I find it hard to belive that the success rate has that much of an impact on the herd. No one has mentioned the extreme drought we had in south Texas that lasted several years. Ill bet that had more of and impact than hunting. I hope the refuge bases their decisions on facts not emotions.

[CTD2011]

Strange I always thought it was the other way around. Seems like to me that the guys coming from a long ways away stayed most of the hunt and the locals were there mostly on the weekends and some evenings if they got off work early enough. It sure is a long ways and a lot of work for an out of town guy to just show up for the 1st couple days. For me personally I have always hunted the entire week until recently and have only cut my hunt short because I'm bringing my son and would rather him not miss an entire week of school. I think if they stick with the reduced number of permits available like it was this year then getting a permit is going to become an issue in the near future and this "online registration" is just the first step to making the archery hunts a lottery system.

Ya I drive 6.5 hours and I stay the whole time. Everyone I hunted with (6 different hunters) that lives down there left after the 2nd day.