2020-2021 LBJ Grasslands !!

[hogman$]

Due to the continued rise in costs associated with hunting on private property, leased or owned, a large number of people are being forced into hunting public. The internet as a whole, not just a single Facebook page, has made finding info on public lands extremely accessible. There is a large influx of hunters on LBJ because the surrounding areas are some of the largest growing areas in the state. As people continue to move into those areas over the coming years LBJ will continue to see more traffic. If anything, the Facebook group has helped spread good hunter etiquette making LBJ a better place. The group has even gone as far as setting up kind of a “how to hunt public land” class and also put a group together help out with the annual clean up day. I know several of the guys that run that group and they are great individuals that want nothing more than to improve the experience on LBJ and provide a place for people to share their experiences. It is designed to be more of an online deer camp and less of a place for internet scouting. Having met a lot of hunters from this group, with a few even becoming good friends and hunting buddies, I take exception to when others attempt to place sole blame on the group for things they don’t like on LBJ.

Yea I think social media has something to do with it but not much I also think people are getting bored sitting in front of feeders I know I do me personally I hunt public not because it’s free but more because I can hunt for a week straight and not hunt the same place twice


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[Jeremy7306]

Due to the continued rise in costs associated with hunting on private property, leased or owned, a large number of people are being forced into hunting public. The internet as a whole, not just a single Facebook page, has made finding info on public lands extremely accessible. There is a large influx of hunters on LBJ because the surrounding areas are some of the largest growing areas in the state. As people continue to move into those areas over the coming years LBJ will continue to see more traffic. If anything, the Facebook group has helped spread good hunter etiquette making LBJ a better place. The group has even gone as far as setting up kind of a “how to hunt public land” class and also put a group together help out with the annual clean up day. I know several of the guys that run that group and they are great individuals that want nothing more than to improve the experience on LBJ and provide a place for people to share their experiences. It is designed to be more of an online deer camp and less of a place for internet scouting. Having met a lot of hunters from this group, with a few even becoming good friends and hunting buddies, I take exception to when others attempt to place sole blame on the group for things they don’t like on LBJ.

Agreed 100!


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[Jeremy7306]

Yea I think social media has something to do with it but not much I also think people are getting bored sitting in front of feeders I know I do me personally I hunt public not because it’s free but more because I can hunt for a week straight and not hunt the same place twice


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Yeah! I concur sir.


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[jnd1959]

A big part of my switch was not just driving to the same stand on the same lease with the same feeder. I miss the deer camp though. We lost our cabin in the big Caddo fire of 07. Bounced around to some not so good leases and finally our group just drifted apart as some found spots, some quit hunting altogether and some of us switched to public. It took me a few years to make the move, and, a big part of it was and is the new youtube hunting shows and podcasts. The reality is we need landowners making money off of hunting leases. We also need more public access in Texas. Hopefully we can figure out how to have both. The possibilities are that, with more public land pressure, there's more pressure to increase access. We're going to have to figure out how to pay for it though. If we're going to push for more access, we need to come to the table with TPWD with ideas and a way to generate revenue to pay for it. Maybe a super APH permit that gives more access to more places. But that only works if there's more actual access and not raising fees for the same public ground. Surveys are clear. The top two reasons people stop hunting are access and time. More access means more revenue which should translate to more access. Public land will always be crowded at peak times, but there are ways to improve that. None of them are free or without limitations. We just need to decide what path is best for Texas.

[troy_w_7]

I kind of stumbled into public hunting after I had a bow given to me and got drawn at Grapevine lake which is very close to my house. After that year, I was hooked. Prior, all of my hunting experience was feeder hunting with rifles in the Hill Country. I shot a lot of deer but knew nothing about woodsmanship, deer movement, etc. I had heard about LBJ but never looked up where it was. I had someone point it out, I tried it out and killed a doe on my first sit ever at LBJ and have been here ever since.

I'm actually really thankful I'm hunting public land because it's made me such a better hunter. LBJ is tough and I don't personally think it's a target rich environment (comparably) but there are plenty of nice bucks out there for the masses. I hunt a lot of the smaller parcels and don't run into a lot of other hunters. There have been a number of facebook group members complaining about it this year but I can't really relate. Plus, I have quite a few different spots I feel confident in that I can move to if one place gets crowded.

[Jeremy7306]

I kind of stumbled into public hunting after I had a bow given to me and got drawn at Grapevine lake which is very close to my house. After that year, I was hooked. Prior, all of my hunting experience was feeder hunting with rifles in the Hill Country. I shot a lot of deer but knew nothing about woodsmanship, deer movement, etc. I had heard about LBJ but never looked up where it was. I had someone point it out, I tried it out and killed a doe on my first sit ever at LBJ and have been here ever since.

I'm actually really thankful I'm hunting public land because it's made me such a better hunter. LBJ is tough and I don't personally think it's a target rich environment (comparably) but there are plenty of nice bucks out there for the masses. I hunt a lot of the smaller parcels and don't run into a lot of other hunters. There have been a number of facebook group members complaining about it this year but I can't really relate. Plus, I have quite a few different spots I feel confident in that I can move to if one place gets crowded.

I think people complain just to complain.


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[Texas Grown]

I think people complain just to complain.


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I agree. If something ain't like they like it, they always blame something else.

To many variables to lay blame in one place. [emoji16]

The fish are biting, and there's hogs to be kill-t. Gotta go!

[RShockley]

i agree. If something ain't like they like it, they always blame something else. :d

to many variables to lay blame in one place. [emoji16]

the fish are biting, and there's hogs to be kill-t. Gotta go!

100%

[TheSchwartz]

Still haven't gotten my buck this year, but I've actually been pleasantly surprised by my first year at LBJ. After reading so much of that complaining I expected the worst....crowds, trash, no deer, etc. I haven't experienced much of that at all. It's tough hunting, but there are plenty of deer around. During archery-only I pulled up to the unit I've been hunting and there were 11 trucks there. Even still, I had an area to myself and got a chance at a doe. Nowadays when I head out there, I MIGHT see one or possibly two other trucks (this is a medium-large unit). Everyone I've run into is very pleasant and helpful. I think most of the complaining stems from it being difficult hunting. When you're used to selecting the biggest deer from under your feeder, it can be very frustrating to work so hard and possibly not even encounter a deer some days. I sympathize because I've experienced that frustration. It'll be pretty sweet when I finally get one. It will continue to get more crowded, but there's still 30k acres to share and plenty of deer.

[TradHunter]

Still haven't gotten my buck this year, but I've actually been pleasantly surprised by my first year at LBJ. After reading so much of that complaining I expected the worst....crowds, trash, no deer, etc. I haven't experienced much of that at all. It's tough hunting, but there are plenty of deer around. During archery-only I pulled up to the unit I've been hunting and there were 11 trucks there. Even still, I had an area to myself and got a chance at a doe. Nowadays when I head out there, I MIGHT see one or possibly two other trucks (this is a medium-large unit). Everyone I've run into is very pleasant and helpful. I think most of the complaining stems from it being difficult hunting. When you're used to selecting the biggest deer from under your feeder, it can be very frustrating to work so hard and possibly not even encounter a deer some days. I sympathize because I've experienced that frustration. It'll be pretty sweet when I finally get one. It will continue to get more crowded, but there's still 30k acres to share and plenty of deer.

Keep at it. Don’t be afraid to go to another unit and be aggressive. Think about what the average hunter is doing and do the opposite. Harvested my first buck doing just that after one year public hunting. One of my secrets is if I see a truck parked, even just one, I move on to the next unit. There is plenty of units to hunt at lbj to feel all alone. Good luck.

[RShockley]

Keep at it. Don’t be afraid to go to another unit and be aggressive. Think about what the average hunter is doing and do the opposite. Harvested my first buck doing just that after one year public hunting. One of my secrets is if I see a truck parked, even just one, I move on to the next unit. There is plenty of units to hunt at lbj to feel all alone. Good luck.

I do the same. I typically won’t hunt a unit if even a single car is parked there. This has allowed me to find huntable areas on just about every unit out there at this point. I almost always have a spot I can be confident in when sitting there. That is how I got the deer in my profile pic. Went to a new unit, scouted a new spot, setup a makeshift ground blind, and shot that nice 8 point about 30 minutes later.

[Jeremy7306]

I do the same. I typically won’t hunt a unit if even a single car is parked there. This has allowed me to find huntable areas on just about every unit out there at this point. I almost always have a spot I can be confident in when sitting there. That is how I got the deer in my profile pic. Went to a new unit, scouted a new spot, setup a makeshift ground blind, and shot that nice 8 point about 30 minutes later.

Same here. I’m getting my spots, but still do lots of scouting around looking for new spots.


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[TheSchwartz]

I do the same. I typically won’t hunt a unit if even a single car is parked there. This has allowed me to find huntable areas on just about every unit out there at this point. I almost always have a spot I can be confident in when sitting there. That is how I got the deer in my profile pic. Went to a new unit, scouted a new spot, setup a makeshift ground blind, and shot that nice 8 point about 30 minutes later.

Yeah I definitely need to branch out a little more.

[Mister Sir]

Has anyone heard anything about the shotgun question of legal means. Rifled vs smooth bore? Thought I heard they were possibly ending rifle bore. I know this is archery site but thought someone might know. Thanks

[Froggy]

Has anyone heard anything about the shotgun question of legal means. Rifled vs smooth bore? Thought I heard they were possibly ending rifle bore. I know this is archery site but thought someone might know. Thanks

No word yet from the Forest Service.