Big Slough Wilderness

[Nitro1970]

Anyone here hunting this area this year?

[SARSpecialist]

I have hunted there for 10 years off and on.. took a "old 4pnt" before AR, and two 8 pnts, and a few spikes.. LOTS of deer.. I am hunting near Ratcliff now (bow) but go back to the that side of D.C. during gun season.

[Nitro1970]

Can you say if it gets crowded during general season or do you think most people hang around Alabama Creek?

[SARSpecialist]

Realy it depends... 2 yrs ago.. ORANGE everywhere.. Last Year.. saw one other hunter opening day..on the road.. he went lewft I went right... did not see a soul the whole weekend in my area.

The current economic situation will probably have allot more people hunting NF.. its always a toss up.. you never know till you get there.. but DCNF is a Huge place so.. you stand a good chance you may not have much competetion in your area...

Have you hunted public land before ??

[Nitro1970]

Have you hunted public land before ??

No sir but I'm surrounded by it so I figured I'd give it a try and give my backyard a break if I can get some decent (light weight) gear together.

Not sure I'd make it that far North either cause can leave work and be parked and in the woods in about 2 min but I read it was mostly hardwoods which sounds good to me.

[SARSpecialist]

Yes Sir its allot of Pines and Hardwoods.. good hunting when you get to the right place.

[GarGuy]

The Big Slough offers an opportunity right now that has never in my life been available. With the drought, Mcclure lake has gone DRY! You can cross all the sloughs dry footed. Whay is typically a long island between the slough and river can be acessed dry footed right now for the first time in my 47 years. Thats where all the big bucks go when the pressure is on. TaKE A buddy and a pack tho.

[Nitro1970]

Let me ask this, which has probably been ask a thousand times, if you could only have ONE type stand would it be a climber or hang on?

[SARSpecialist]

I personaly use a climber, I dont have any experiance with a hang on.. I would be afraid to leave a stand as it may walk off; With that being said.. I have NEVER had anything stolen in the last 15 years and I left my camp 3 days due to a emergency 3 years ago and returned and it was all there.

I would say that a climber is easy to walk in and out where a hang on may be harder to move.

But thats just my opinion.

[Nitro1970]

Thanks for the info. I've been tossing the stand thing around for awhile and still can't decide LOL. I figured if I went the hang on route, I'd just take the sticks in and out and leave the stand up.

Thanks again.

[Limbwalker]

That's a good strategy. Hard to beat hang-ons if you don't know exactly which tree you'll be in when you go in.

Incidentally, the biggest buck I've ever had the opportunity to shoot was in that wilderness area about 1993 or 94. A real chocolate-antlered stud of a deer that was chasing does through the bottoms early one frigid, drizzly morning. Had him at 80 yards with my 30-30, but just as I was about to shoot the doe in front of him saw me move and blew and they all took off. Man do I remember that hunt. Biggest deer I've ever seen in Texas by a longshot.

But I walked WAY in to get to that spot. Way past any other hunters. And I was only 24 years old too. ha, ha.

John

[Nitro1970]

That's a good strategy. Hard to beat hang-ons if you don't know exactly which tree you'll be in when you go in.

It did till I looked at the price of some of them light weight sticks by Lone Wolf and Muddy!!! Lol

[..Ambush..]

Slough Bound

me and some buddies will be up there this Thursday til Sunday.. we usually hunt at the end of 517 as well. normally go in early October but pushed it back this year trying to catch cooler weather and more rut activity. seen a few gooduns in years past just never put one on the ground. anyhow we'll be up there so gimme a text and we can compare notes 936.689.0311 Brad

[Limbwalker]

Won't be there this year, but I can tell you that the biggest buck, without a doubt, I've ever raised a rifle at, was on the Big Slough Wilderness in the mid-90's.

I remember that morning like it was yesterday. I went out on a FREEZING cold and wet December morning and sat next to a tree overlooking a portion of bottom that I could see 100-200 yards through. A line of does came right by me, about 40 yards, followed by an absolute monster buck. This was at first light, and they were silhouetted against the East sky on a small ridge. The buck stopped and when I raised my rifle to shoot him, one of the lead does saw me, snorted, and they all took off running. I was having trouble seeing my iron sights on my 30-30, otherwise I would have shot before she saw me move.

That hunt still haunts me. That buck's rack looked like a rocking chair on his head.

Saw him one more time at 120 yards, walking quickly through some brush, but never got a shot. That's one morning where a scope would have made all the difference.

I'm sure some of that buck's great, great, great grandchildren are running all around that wilderness area now. I wouldn't be surprised if a monster buck was lurking in the big slough. It's just that kind of place. Thank God we still have places like that in Texas.

[..Ambush..]

yessir gotta love it... such a nice area, may not see a ton of deer but the opportunity at a shonuff Monster is there..

cant get a straight answer from anyone.. can you shoot does in Big Slough during archery season or not?? they should be more clear about this and stay away from all the legalese and word trickery!