Laguna Atascosa 2021

[Tiburon1]

I live in Houston, so a bit closer. But I was hooked on that place the first time I hunted it, this November will be my third time drawn, plus I was in the first group to go into the Bahia Grande Unit last February. I will put in for LANWR for as long as I'm physically able to do that hunt -- it definitely is not for everyone -- and will go every time I get drawn.

My tips: (1) pack in and hide a good supply of water and energy drinks to your hunting spot -- you'll go through all of whatever you carry in, and carrying out the empties is easy; (2) some guys talk about "crowds" -- the place is VAST, just go farther in to get away from other humans because most guys won't go too far in; (3) you MUST treat all of your clothes and gear with Permethrin and then use your preferred repellent on exposed skin, and use a Thermacell too -- the bugs will literally eat you alive if you skip any of these things (last November a poor soul said that his clothes and body harbored a thousand ticks after the first day -- he might not have been exaggerating); and (4) watch out for gators near water, and absolutely huge rattlesnakes on dry ground -- and if the animals don't get you, the needle-sharp plants will -- nowhere is safe, actually, and I get bloodied every day to some extent, usually stab wounds from mesquite, cacti, and yucca or whatever they are. Oh yeah, and swarming Africanized bees -- avoid them, too; a moving swarm passed within 20 yards of me three years ago -- it was terrifying being so completely helpless.

Also, there are a healthy population of Brown Recluse and scorpions. Another item of note, besides the ticks are chiggers. The Permethrin should take care of them but I would avoid rubbing up to trees or bushes on warm days. If they get on you will have itching bites all over your body. Speaking from experience, it sucks. Other than all of this, the place is awesome!

[RichExotics10]

Permitherin and spray didn’t help me out one morning. The bugs were relentless!!


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[Choward113]

Lol ****. I'm not sure if your telling me it's a good idea or trying to steer me away. Haha. Everything wants to kill you I'd what yall are telling me. I'm thinking about it. How are the deer? High population?

[ppeeks59]

Lol ****. I'm not sure if your telling me it's a good idea or trying to steer me away. Haha. Everything wants to kill you I'd what yall are telling me. I'm thinking about it. How are the deer? High population?

Yes, pretty much everything there is trying to kill you. It is AWESOME.

[ppeeks59]

[RichExotics10]

Hahaha I mean take it as you want but I’ll be there gain for the 3rd year in a row com November!!


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[BigThicket Luke]

Lol ****. I'm not sure if your telling me it's a good idea or trying to steer me away. Haha. Everything wants to kill you I'd what yall are telling me. I'm thinking about it. How are the deer? High population?

Tough but fun for sure. If you stay out of the really thick stuff the bugs were not as bad for me but I was there in December and even then ticks and Mosquitoes were still plentiful. Deer populations are high Nilgai are there in good numbers too but I only saw any on scouting day and the first day of hunting. So they are not behind every bush. It's like all Public hunting, fun, challenging and at times frustrating and rewarding. Really just comes down to how much you value time outdoors in a truly wild place and paying money to chase animals around with pointy sticks lol.

[Tiburon1]

Lol ****. I'm not sure if your telling me it's a good idea or trying to steer me away. Haha. Everything wants to kill you I'd what yall are telling me. I'm thinking about it. How are the deer? High population?

It's worth it. Invest in a good pair of snake boots, break them in, get the permethrin and spray it on all access points (top of boots, belt line, sleeves, and neck line, and do your best to get as far away from the roads as you are willing to pack something out with. There are good deer in there and Nilgai will be where people are not. They are not like deer which will run to the closest brush area and hide. The majority of time when a Nilgai is spooked, it will run for miles.

[Txfire409]

For those that have been drawn in the past and used bikes would you recommend tubeless tires or liners w/ sealant.

Neither! Ive used slime and another product that was better and still got flats. This year I'll be using these on my bike. Last year I put them in the tires on my cart and never got another flat with them.

https://www.stopaflatusa.com/

[peterp63]

Neither! Ive used slime and another product that was better and still got flats. This year I'll be using these on my bike. Last year I put them in the tires on my cart and never got another flat with them.

https://www.stopaflatusa.com/

Thanks, sir! These look good... I wonder how they ride being an airless tire. Though I would take a rougher ride over constant inner tube changes any day!

[BRW]

Picked for Archery 11/5-9. Stoked to go back. Lots of good info on these posts, so thanks guys. Learning from my mistakes on past hunts.


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[ppeeks59]

It's worth it. Invest in a good pair of snake boots, break them in, get the permethrin and spray it on all access points (top of boots, belt line, sleeves, and neck line, and do your best to get as far away from the roads as you are willing to pack something out with. There are good deer in there and Nilgai will be where people are not. They are not like deer which will run to the closest brush area and hide. The majority of time when a Nilgai is spooked, it will run for miles.

And they can see you from miles away and will run those miles in the opposite direction before you even know they were there. To say you need to be stealthy is a gross understatement.

[Huntindad]

Neither! Ive used slime and another product that was better and still got flats. This year I'll be using these on my bike. Last year I put them in the tires on my cart and never got another flat with them.

https://www.stopaflatusa.com/

I looked at the 20" tubes for my cart...my luck, they out. Oh well, I'll bring spares.

[peterp63]

Speaking of carts, what type is everyone using? The Google shows a range of hunting type carts and obviously I like the $400+ one:

[ppeeks59]

simply cannot figure out how to post a photo from imgur here.