Somerville PHL 18-19

[JMKro]

Hey man, I'm not arguing for the guys who don't have any respect for your stand. I'm just saying there are occasionally folks who only get to start learning the land mid season. It is possible to scout respectfully and find your own spots during the season.

There you go. I think everyone on here is essentially saying the same thing, it's just being taken different ways. At the end of the day, it IS public land. Some people do things the "right" way, and some people don't give a ****. As far as I'm concerned, it is what it is. Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.

[ladybluearm]

My 2 cents worth....My husband and I used to hunt the Sam, many years ago, he put up a ladder stand for me to hunt, Saturday morning was fine, went to it Saturday afternoon and walked upon a man sitting in it, when my husband told him that it was our stand, he refused to exit the stand. Needless to say, it wasn't a quiet evening hunt for the man, we stood about 20 yards away and made as much noise as we could until he exited the stand, took it down and went back to camp. It is public land, but that was our stand, we scouted the area, he should have been respectful and moved on when he came upon our stand. And no, the stand was not there over the allotted time. Some people just don't have any respect what so ever!

[verter]

Let me start by saying that I am 100% in agreeance with you. My question is this. A buddy and I discussed going and hunting Sam Houston one weekend this season just to do something different. I wasn't going to scout but we were going to go in early just like a regular hunt and pick a spot according to what we saw on a map. Usually it's dark when you arrive so there's no way to really know if you are on top of someone else. If I saw any signs of another hunter being around I would move along. Is that really an issue?

I don't see it as an issue. You are hunting, not scouting. If some people think it's the same thing, it's not. When you have a spot to get to, you arrive early and try to do it very stealthy. When scouting, you arrive at your convenience and don't have stealth as a top priority.

[GD47]

Well my deer have left the county been out for a month due to pneumonia come hunt today and ghost town so far....

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[greenmonstah]

Well my deer have left the county been out for a month due to pneumonia come hunt today and ghost town so far....

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Same for me yesterday. Had deer on camera all week at all hours. A couple shooter bucks. Went out yesterday morning and ghosted. Bucks were on camera at midnight and didn't show back up until midnight last night. No moon so I thought we were in for a good hunt. Not so much.

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[2oddBucks]

Good Day Hunt!

Good Hunt Saturday! Never get in my stand late but did this day , 8:45 and at 11: 30 the work begun!

[GD47]

Good Hunt Saturday! Never get in my stand late but did this day , 8:45 and at 11: 30 the work begun!

What road is that?!.!.

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[verter]

Crap, looks like weather is going to screw up my hunting plans for does this week. 3 days of rain out of 4, super mad!!!

[Hoggwild]

What road is that?!.!.

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Box 5 or Nails


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[GD47]

Crap, looks like weather is going to screw up my hunting plans for does this week. 3 days of rain out of 4, super mad!!!

Screw it done had pneumonia once I'll take it again! Hahahha

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[CAP]

There's 2 separate issues here:

1 - respecting people's space while hunting - I think 99% of people agree and respect others. If you see someone actively hunting in a spot (i.e. physically there), move to a different area and disturb them as little as possible. If you are mid season scouting, keep in mind that others may be hunting, and be as respectful and stealthy as possible.

2 - (the more controversial subject) - the idea of people "claiming spots" because they scouted them earlier in the year. The reality is, it's public land and we all pay for it, so no one owns any spots regardless of how much effort they put into it. I think the majority of people understand this, but there's always a few people who think they own the forest and threaten to ruin others' hunts - which is both sad and illegal. Hunter Harassment Laws exist for a reason.

Here's what i wonder - those people that "claimed" 2 or 3 spots by scouting them earlier in the year - what do they do if those 2 or 3 spots don't pan out? By their rules - they should then end their season, because the rest of the forest is off limits because they didn't scout it. But i highly doubt they do that. They then mid season scout like everyone else.

[GD47]

There's 2 separate issues here:



1 - respecting people's space while hunting - I think 99% of people agree and respect others. If you see someone actively hunting in a spot (i.e. physically there), move to a different area and disturb them as little as possible. If you are mid season scouting, keep in mind that others may be hunting, and be as respectful and stealthy as possible.



2 - (the more controversial subject) - the idea of people "claiming spots" because they scouted them earlier in the year. The reality is, it's public land and we all pay for it, so no one owns any spots regardless of how much effort they put into it. I think the majority of people understand this, but there's always a few people who think they own the forest and threaten to ruin others' hunts - which is both sad and illegal. Hunter Harassment Laws exist for a reason.



Here's what i wonder - those people that "claimed" 2 or 3 spots by scouting them earlier in the year - what do they do if those 2 or 3 spots don't pan out? By their rules - they should then end their season, because the rest of the forest is off limits because they didn't scout it. But i highly doubt they do that. They then mid season scout like everyone else.

Listen most of have met or have talked on here for many years claiming spot we all know doesnt happen if a stands there no ones in it hunt it.....its there for a reason.....if your in my stand when I walk up and your a *** and wont get out I'll remove the legs and you can stay you have 72 hours to "remove" the stand but most of us hunt couple times a week so the 72 hr mark never is a concern... now you want to set up 50 yrds away on the trail I wont harrass you but will get on my phone and call 100 people and talk as loud as I feel cause ya know its public land we all pay for it.....

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[mdoug1076]

Good Hunt Saturday! Never get in my stand late but did this day , 8:45 and at 11: 30 the work begun!

Very nice buck! Congratulations!

[mdoug1076]

There's 2 separate issues here:

1 - respecting people's space while hunting - I think 99% of people agree and respect others. If you see someone actively hunting in a spot (i.e. physically there), move to a different area and disturb them as little as possible. If you are mid season scouting, keep in mind that others may be hunting, and be as respectful and stealthy as possible.

2 - (the more controversial subject) - the idea of people "claiming spots" because they scouted them earlier in the year. The reality is, it's public land and we all pay for it, so no one owns any spots regardless of how much effort they put into it. I think the majority of people understand this, but there's always a few people who think they own the forest and threaten to ruin others' hunts - which is both sad and illegal. Hunter Harassment Laws exist for a reason.

Here's what i wonder - those people that "claimed" 2 or 3 spots by scouting them earlier in the year - what do they do if those 2 or 3 spots don't pan out? By their rules - they should then end their season, because the rest of the forest is off limits because they didn't scout it. But i highly doubt they do that. They then mid season scout like everyone else.

1. I agree 100% on what you said you should do regarding scouting and respecting hunter’s space. Sadly, I have to disagree and say that there are still a lot of hunters out there each year that have no respect when I am hunting. I’m friendly and will wave, whistle, etc. and they just keep walking right into the area I’m obviously hunting, but it’s public land so I pack my portable setup and move. I’ve had hunters walking with the wind, and walk towards me, I’d like to tell them they will definitely never “stalk” a deer or hog walking in the same direction as the wind. They can smell you from way out. I’ve had people walk up and talk to me and ask me if I seen anything while hunting in my stand. I’ve had people setup portable ground blinds that I can see from a 100 yards away near me. If I see it, a mature buck does too and he will stay away.

2. I’ll never claim a spot. I have a portable setup and take it out with me within 72 hours every time. Also, I have no issue with people putting up permanent stands and leaving them year round(as long as they will be hunting it the upcoming deer season), it lets me know when I’m pre-season scouting to respect that hunter and stay away from that area during the season. Trust me, it’s better to have a hunter with a permanent location than a new hunter scouting and smelling up the entire woods looking for a spot. I’ll never ruin someone’s hunt unless they are in the stand I put up and then we will have major ****ing issues because that is my property and I am following the WMA rules. My hunt has been ruined many times whether intentional or not intentional by others. And I might get upset inside, but I just get out and move my stand.

3. I scout every year, from the time season ends until about one month before season begins. I don’t claim any spots since it’s public land, but since hunters, like myself, have put in all that time scouting during the off season(when you should scout in my opinion versus the rut/deer season when people hunt all day), then most of us will have more than 2 or 3 spots trust me. I have scouted from each entrance of that place, and I have trees/spots picked out at from each entrance(even some of the several not-known entrances). The good thing about scouting during off season, you learn where permanent stands are and you stay away. Also, if the day before opening morning comes and that awesome spot I wanted to hunt is taken by some guy in a ground blind or whatever, then I just go to the next spot I scouted and keep moving down the list. I hunted numerous previously scouted spots this year, before I killed my buck, and I never once walked in on a hunter or hunted close to anyone because I scouted pre-season and I know what “areas” to avoid. Sometimes, I had my stand packed and ready to go in and saw one truck just at a gate and decided “no I won’t mess up there hunt just in case I happen to go near them, I’ll keep moving until I see zero trucks then setup in another spot I scouted”. Also, I just recently started talking on here a year or two ago when a fellow hunter recommended the website, but I will tell you the guys on here that do a lot of the conversations on here are truly great guys. Most of us pre-season have talked to one another because we trust each other and know where we typically hunt, so we respect each other. There are too many people reading this thread wanting to jump on another person’s spot because they killed an animal there and that’s why some of us are very cautious about helping others.

You sound like a good respectful hunter and I wish you good luck truly. Just be cautious there are many out there that aren’t. I’m at Somerville year round. Fishing Yegua and Nails creeks for whites with my little girls, kayaking the creeks with friends, boating/fishing Lake Somerville with family, and camping with the family at Nails state park, and of course scouting in the off season. Some of us take pride in this public land, and we don’t like stands and trash just left out there by someone who comes for a weekend or two but too lazy to remove their stuff. It’s ALL of our public land and we need to keep it clean and enjoy the Great Outdoors and be respectful hunters to one another.

[Hoggwild]

1. I agree 100% on what you said you should do regarding scouting and respecting hunter’s space. Sadly, I have to disagree and say that there are still a lot of hunters out there each year that have no respect when I am hunting. I’m friendly and will wave, whistle, etc. and they just keep walking right into the area I’m obviously hunting, but it’s public land so I pack my portable setup and move. I’ve had hunters walking with the wind, and walk towards me, I’d like to tell them they will definitely never “stalk” a deer or hog walking in the same direction as the wind. They can smell you from way out. I’ve had people walk up and talk to me and ask me if I seen anything while hunting in my stand. I’ve had people setup portable ground blinds that I can see from a 100 yards away near me. If I see it, a mature buck does too and he will stay away.



2. I’ll never claim a spot. I have a portable setup and take it out with me within 72 hours every time. Also, I have no issue with people putting up permanent stands and leaving them year round(as long as they will be hunting it the upcoming deer season), it lets me know when I’m pre-season scouting to respect that hunter and stay away from that area during the season. Trust me, it’s better to have a hunter with a permanent location than a new hunter scouting and smelling up the entire woods looking for a spot. I’ll never ruin someone’s hunt unless they are in the stand I put up and then we will have major ****ing issues because that is my property and I am following the WMA rules. My hunt has been ruined many times whether intentional or not intentional by others. And I might get upset inside, but I just get out and move my stand.



3. I scout every year, from the time season ends until about one month before season begins. I don’t claim any spots since it’s public land, but since hunters, like myself, have put in all that time scouting during the off season(when you should scout in my opinion versus the rut/deer season when people hunt all day), then most of us will have more than 2 or 3 spots trust me. I have scouted from each entrance of that place, and I have trees/spots picked out at from each entrance(even some of the several not-known entrances). The good thing about scouting during off season, you learn where permanent stands are and you stay away. Also, if the day before opening morning comes and that awesome spot I wanted to hunt is taken by some guy in a ground blind or whatever, then I just go to the next spot I scouted and keep moving down the list. I hunted numerous previously scouted spots this year, before I killed my buck, and I never once walked in on a hunter or hunted close to anyone because I scouted pre-season and I know what “areas” to avoid. Sometimes, I had my stand packed and ready to go in and saw one truck just at a gate and decided “no I won’t mess up there hunt just in case I happen to go near them, I’ll keep moving until I see zero trucks then setup in another spot I scouted”. Also, I just recently started talking on here a year or two ago when a fellow hunter recommended the website, but I will tell you the guys on here that do a lot of the conversations on here are truly great guys. Most of us pre-season have talked to one another because we trust each other and know where we typically hunt, so we respect each other. There are too many people reading this thread wanting to jump on another person’s spot because they killed an animal there and that’s why some of us are very cautious about helping others.



You sound like a good respectful hunter and I wish you good luck truly. Just be cautious there are many out there that aren’t. I’m at Somerville year round. Fishing Yegua and Nails creeks for whites with my little girls, kayaking the creeks with friends, boating/fishing Lake Somerville with family, and camping with the family at Nails state park, and of course scouting in the off season. Some of us take pride in this public land, and we don’t like stands and trash just left out there by someone who comes for a weekend or two but too lazy to remove their stuff. It’s ALL of our public land and we need to keep it clean and enjoy the Great Outdoors and be respectful hunters to one another.

Stay off my creeks- them whitebass are mine. I scouted them years ago. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji1677][emoji1683]


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