More public land rookies this year?

[str8in]

hunted LBJ grasslands about four years ago and my son and I would back up in a spot at night and hang out there until morning and go again.One night we'd been to town for something to eat and were sitting in that spot when a guy in a truck came flyin down the road and slid to a stop and got out and started pointing at us and yelling There they are,that's them right there.Right behind them were the game warden and sheriff andtwo more truckloads of buddies all confirming that we were them.The game warden started asking a bunch of questions and eventually asked if we wanted to claim that illegal eight point back behind our truck in the trees.After telling him we didn't know of any deer back in the trees the questioning got way more intense and then he started questioning my sixteen year old and in his youth apparently he wasn't ansering questions to their satisfaction and so they made it a little personal by throwing in a couple of personl jabs to him and the atmosphere changed dramatically.All the while these good 'ol boys who we'd seen drinking all weekend in camp and in the woods were putting in their two cents worth.After the game warden asked my son how he'd like to spend the night in county jail with the real men and think about his answers it got really serious.He came back to me and said I see you carry.Where is your weapon?I told him flat out that while he was being professional it was in one place but since he'd made it personal with my son that now it's somewhere else.The sheriff back there calm and quiet just grinned.He was enjoying all this and I'm pretty sure had a handle on it all thank goodness.Turns out unbeknownst to the accusers, who had been approached by the law that they had an eyewitness report on those good 'ol boys shooting and dragging a buck over a fence from private land to public land.Since the guys had seen us parked at night in the same place they dumped it to come back to later,we were accused and they said we were there now.What they also didn't know was that I had a buddy hunting on a tall hill behind a cedar tree right whre they dumped it.He saw them do it and he saw one of these guys come back with a skinning set and go back there and look at it and when the guy came out to check and make sure noone was watching he happened to look up and see my friend sitting there and asked if he'd seen anything today and how long he'd been sitting there! Long enough he said.I only knew he had hunted there but not that he'd seen that.He'd already headed home and I told the game warden why don't you call my buddy and ask him if he saw anything,he hunted here all day and you could see all those guys' jaws drop.They didn't know we were friends and came there at the same time.After a few minutes on the phone with him and a second call after talking to them again he told them to go back to their camp and wait that he had it all figured out.The eyewitness report at the private property and my friends remembering a name that had been said and the fact that they had alreay taken some does that had obviously been hauled to the spot they were cleaning them earlier in the day,minutes later got several of them arrested for poaching and several other things.So if approached with something like that,keep your cool as much and long as possible because they can't tell you everything.They're just doing their job and hopefully it will all work out.We got lucky.If you see something strange,for your own sake,don't blow it off.At least make a mental note of what it was,when it was and what it was and where you were at the time.Forty eight dollars is a good deal.Most of the time

[buckarooboy]

I am hoping to be able to come to Texas and hunt sometime. I'm sure it will be public land, trying to learn some from this forum. Thanks.

[dwsmith]

I enjoy hunting public land. I first got into when I was stationed in MD with the Navy, I had to teach my self to bow hunt and then to hunt public land without the use of bait and it was such a challenge I really enjoyed it,I saw a good deal of deer and decent size bucks at least in MD. I am a rookie to Texas public land I have not hunted as of yet no time with work and the family, very anxious to get out there.

I agree with most of you trying to hunt a lease is too expensive, these days when I was a kid my favorite memories were at the lease with my Dad and all the guys that was back when it was a reasonable price and we didn't have to factor all the other costs in.

[TravisJones86]

Wow, str8in that was a crazy story. At first i saw the post and how long it was and wasn't going to read it but then got hooked! Glad everything worked out for you! Definitely the economy pushing people to hunt public. I hunted on a 3000 acre lease when I was a kid paid by my grandfather but I just got out of the Marines and can't afford that this year. Hopefully soon my family will find a lease and us all be able to pitch in but for now I will be trying my luck at LBJ. It is my understanding that you dont even have to have the public land permit for LBJ though. I might look into the $48 next year to hunt on other public land.

[littlettam]

Getting into bow hunting and for me its a money thing like everyone's sayin.

[homegrown]

For me it's cause of days like today when I get the chance at the last minute to go. Throw some camo and my bow in the truck and haul arse 45 min south and get ur pick of where to hunt on roughly 10,000 acres of COE land. I passed by several other access points on my way down and most were completely empty.

HG

[Roamer]

Second time for me this weekend. I ran into 2 very helpful hunters who helped make my hunt alot more enjoyable. It was like a mini deer camp getaway minus the camp fire and beer. For me it is a money thing. I got tired of paying rediculous amounts of money. Plus the public land is 30 minutes away. I save on gas,feeders ,travel trailers, &corn. Because out of that list the only 1 I have to use on public land is to buy gas to get there. Plus I like the unexepected & you definitely get that with public land.