"Official" SOMERVILLE 2015-2016 Hunting Thread

[Champlaya7]

I was out there Sunday evening and had quite a bit of ragweed up to my knees and thighs walking through Yegua. Not too bad, but it ain't all dead. Certainly not 10 foot tall though! Where the ground was once sopping wet back in late June now has big ole cracks in it. Looks it it never even rained

Somerville State Park website says they'll be closed til at least Sept. 31st so I guess the creeks are expected to be nice n full for a while

[Champlaya7]

[Limbwalker]

That's going to be different alright. I hope it can't grow more than chest high by the time it stops growing, but I suspect it will be as high as usual and we'll be walking through ragweed forests again come October.

Might make scouting easier though, and I'm all for that!

[JHoss]

I went out scouting Wednesday. Water levels in the creeks are back to normal, being about half full. It looks like almost the whole place was underwater back during the rains. The ragweed is about the same as last year and the mosquitoes and chiggers are thick!

On a bad note, someone stole my game camera I had out there. It stinks having to spend the money on a new one but I think I am more upset at not being able to get the pictures I had on it or see the new ones.

All in all a good day trudging around the woods!

[Limbwalker]

Glad you were able to get out. Sorry about the camera. I won't leave one out there I can't afford to replace, for that reason.

Got some initial scouting in today. Hot, hot, hot! But I expected that and brought plenty to drink.

The place looks quite different. All the standing water really held down the ragweed in many places I usually hunt, so it was pretty wide open where last year you couldn't see a thing. Another thing I noticed was a lot of dead trees. I'm sure it's a result of the drought from years ago. More and more big trees are falling out there, which is a shame since there aren't that many in the first place.

Like JHoss said, water in all the creeks and sloughs for now, but if we don't get much rain between now and October, things will be plenty dry. The uplands look burned out already. ZERO water in the smaller drainages.

This is the first time I've seen the place look like this. Usually it's much more lush, but the combination of high standing water for months, and then a hot and dry month, has really nuked the vegetation and many older trees.

If you have a "favorite tree" for your stand, you may want to go out and check to see if it's still alive. I found one of mine dead today. Darn shame too, since I've shot 2 deer from that tree in the past 5 years.

[BURTONboy]

In on this. I am hopefully going to go look this Sunday for my first time and see how the public land looks out there.

I am curious, how crowded is it really? Is it less crowded near Dime Box compared to closer to Nails?

[BURTONboy]

Just by driving over the dam yesterday it looks like the lake is coming down pretty quick. I bet those creeks will be down to normal level in no time. Hopefully we get some rain to keep them around normal level after they do get down.

[Hoggwild]

Any updates?

Seen where lake has dropped down to about 5 1/5 ft above pool still. Anyone scouted lately?

[Limbwalker]

Made it out to check some trail cam's today and ran across a couple really nice guys who were getting ready for the season to begin. We'd been hunting the same area for a few years and didn't even know it. That's the mark of a good public land hunter - that you can hunt in the same area, have success, and leave little sign for anyone else to find.

Nice to know there are a few other veterans that "get it" out there - no endless trails of flagging, no permanent stands and no doing it the easy way. Just good, thoughtful hard work and putting in the time to learn how to be successful.

The place looked good. I did check in with the staff at Nails to see when the park might re-open, but they really don't know yet. The high water really slammed them. Hope they get back on their feet real soon.

Both Yegua and Nails looked pretty normal to me. Lots of water in the creeks, but otherwise, back to normal.

[Limbwalker]

In on this. I am hopefully going to go look this Sunday for my first time and see how the public land looks out there.

I am curious, how crowded is it really? Is it less crowded near Dime Box compared to closer to Nails?

Nails or Yegua, it doesn't really matter. Usually, during bow season, you'll find 2 or 3 other vehicles in nearly every parking area. But don't let that bother you. Those deer are darn smart, but they aren't leaving the place. They get as much pressure (or more) from outside the hunt area as they do from inside.

Just put in your time, find a spot where nobody else is, and go enjoy REAL hunting.

[BURTONboy]

Nails or Yegua, it doesn't really matter. Usually, during bow season, you'll find 2 or 3 other vehicles in nearly every parking area. But don't let that bother you. Those deer are darn smart, but they aren't leaving the place. They get as much pressure (or more) from outside the hunt area as they do from inside.

Just put in your time, find a spot where nobody else is, and go enjoy REAL hunting.

I do fully intend to give it a try this year. Not sure when ill have the time, but when I do I want to give it a try. I like a good challenge when it comes to hunting and out there should really give me one.

[Frivas]

Yegua??

Man, I hunted the public lands a few years back, but I went way up north of the lake! I guess I didn't realize there was land closer to the water... I rifle hunt Navasota River bottom, family land, but we're not allowed to bow hunt there. What is some of the closest public land to Brenham? I drove about an hour to get to where I went before, is there any land on the south side of the lake? Thanks for any advice,

[Duckthwacker]

Good to see you out there again and getting ready for another Somerville adventure. I will be sticking close to this feed this year and wish good luck

[Limbwalker]

Good to see you out there again and getting ready for another Somerville adventure. I will be sticking close to this feed this year and wish good luck

Same here Duck. You'd cut your hair so I didn't recognize you at first. LOL. Like I always say, the good hunters always find the same spots on public land. Hope you two have a great season. My 2nd camera I checked after seeing you two was promising, so I have a good idea where I'll be opening day. But hey, that place always keeps you on your toes, and I never finish the season in the same stand I start it in.

You gotta be flexible to hunt S'ville, and constantly adapt to what the deer are doing. It's a thinking man's game, and I enjoy it. Any deer I shoot there is a trophy to me.

[Limbwalker]

Man, I hunted the public lands a few years back, but I went way up north of the lake! I guess I didn't realize there was land closer to the water... I rifle hunt Navasota River bottom, family land, but we're not allowed to bow hunt there. What is some of the closest public land to Brenham? I drove about an hour to get to where I went before, is there any land on the south side of the lake? Thanks for any advice,

Truthfully, if I was in Brenham, I'd hunt the Sam Houston NF. The only reason I go to S'ville is that it's a good 45 min. closer to me than the Sam. S'ville is good at times, esp. if you really do your homework, but it's very small and crowded and the SHNF has a LOT more room to roam.

IMO, the SHNF is also easier to hunt. Those open pine stands really make the deer funnel into the creek drainages and they are far more predictable there than they are at S'ville.