Hunting Virginia Public Land -- Skunked and Need Advice

I didn't know you could hunt sun up to sun down on mainside now! I might actually have to go watch the new video and pay my $20.00.

 

5. Legal Hunting Hours. Hunting hours begin ½ hour before sunrise and end ½ hour past sunset for all training areas, OCS, and Mainside with the following exceptions:
a. Dove hunting begins at 1200 (noon) from 4-10 September.
b. During spring gobbler season hunting ends at 1200 (noon).
c. On Thanksgiving Day, hunting ends at 1100.
d. Hunting hours for migratory birds ends at sunset in compliance with Federal regulations, except that Canada geese may be taken up to ½ hour past sunset during the resident early goose season, 4-19 September.
6. Mainside (Training Area 1). Hunting will be closed on Saturdays and holidays. Specific parking areas will be closed on weekdays as required to deconflict hunting with other scheduled events and Military Munitions Response Program operations.

You can also hunt TA's 1/2 hour past sunset, instead of to just sunset

 

FLMarine -
Thanks for the advice... I will definitely pickup a topo map when I'm there, and I appreciate your thoughts on the various TAs. I hope you have good luck hunting 15B today, and that you enjoy the conference. (My last conference in Orlando was a disaster, but that's a topic for a whole other thread...)

Shadow
That's great advice, but I didn't know you COULD enter and park to hunt the 17s from the top... my understanding was that you had to first stop at the check-in station off of I-95 to get your parking pass? I love the idea of a shorter drive... did I miss something?

Yep, I use a Garmin GPS... I've found it really helpful in scouting this season. I traded in my old eTrex for one of the new GPSMap 62s units, and I love it. Can add custom satellite imagery and custom maps and it's been a big help in scouting out a Phelps back in August/September. Sturdy build and a great screen in sunlight, too. (Sorry for the mini-commercial -- but it's a great unit.) I really appreciate your help and willingness to share your scouting notes with me!

And by the way -- the mapping advice you gave about using ACME Mapper is the best online tip I've gotten in a long time -- that application ROCKS!

Do you usually use a climbing stand when you hunt out there, or a ground blind, or still hunt? I'm guessing my climber would be OK?

Matthews:
I agree about Phelps being a tough place to hunt. The deer seem to be changing their patterns every day... I've found some excellent spots with recent sign, and then had zilch come around. Everyone I've talked to out there has had a similar story. I think the pressure from the bird / squirrel crowd is keeping them locked down. (Last week, I even came across a group of kids hiking and playing radios out there. Unfortunately, I didn't have a VA tag for radios, or I could have taken out a nice loud one that day.)

 

I've put a lot more effort into figuring these animals out this year. I've branched out and hunted some public land here just because I can. I have private land, but I wanted to show people I could get it done anywhere. So far, so good. I've taken deer, and bucks everywhere I've hunted. Including a public land buck with a bow this year.

Tell me this. Are you seeing does and just not bucks, or are you not seeing any deer period?

 

Shadow
That's great advice, but I didn't know you COULD enter and park to hunt the 17s from the top... my understanding was that you had to first stop at the check-in station off of I-95 to get your parking pass? I love the idea of a shorter drive... did I miss something?

I am sorry, yes you do need to stop and get the pass first. BUT, during times you are hunting consecutive days, you can get your passes the night before after you hunt, then in the morning you can enter in from outside the base.

Yep, I use a Garmin GPS... I've found it really helpful in scouting this season. I traded in my old eTrex for one of the new GPSMap 62s units, and I love it. Can add custom satellite imagery and custom maps and it's been a big help in scouting out a Phelps back in August/September. Sturdy build and a great screen in sunlight, too. (Sorry for the mini-commercial -- but it's a great unit.) I really appreciate your help and willingness to share your scouting notes with me!

Either tonight or tomorrow morning I will detail up a 17B map. It is best to hunt that spot now until the first week of November. After that, the gun hunters will be walking all over that spot scouting, then the guns kick of in Mid-November, making it tougher to hunt.

And by the way -- the mapping advice you gave about using ACME Mapper is the best online tip I've gotten in a long time -- that application ROCKS!

You are welcome, it really works well. I will send you a great map of 17's, with a topo overlay on an aerial. PM me your email address and I will send the maps for you to print out and use. I will also do that for any other area you choose to hunt on base.

Do you usually use a climbing stand when you hunt out there, or a ground blind, or still hunt? I'm guessing my climber would be OK?

Use a climber if possible when archery hunting. The deer can be spooky and sensitive. If you are going to gun hunt, you can get away with the ground blind or natural blind stuff, but with archery tackle I would highly suggest a climber.

[email protected] if you need anything else.

Brett

 

I know I am not seeing deer - period.

Since Oct 2 - in the woods. 2 Deer.

 

Same here... no deer. Nada. Nil.

Since opening day, I've seen a total of 2 deer (both does) while hunting, and jumped/saw another 2-3 during my after-dark hikes back to the parking lot (and 1 of those was actually IN the parking lot.)

Just seems like they've vanished during hunting hours for some reason. I know they are THERE because the signs are there, but this is the first season I've ever been skunked like this.

 

Guys, sometimes it can be rough on the public lands. I do not really get into what everyone else is seeing and killing, because frankly it does not effect me. I am going hunting no matter what anyone else is experiencing. But Sean can tell you that the deer kill on base is sloooow right now. Several thousand people hunted over a 6 day period last week only to kill 5-6 deer, over 45,000 acres. NOW that is sloooow. But, the deer are there and when the first major cold snap hits, the deer will begin to show themselves. I am hoping it rains a bit tomorrow when I get out in the woods.

 

Everyone I know hunting in VA has a similar story -- sloooooow hunting right now, even on private land. Agree 100% on the cold weather. It's just been too darn hot these first couple of weeks.

The way I look at it is this: if those several thousand guys includes all the part-time hunters and they all got skunked the first week, maybe they'll give up early this year. Leaves more deer for those of us that are religious about it and hunt the late season.

 

When you're scouting, what are you looking for? What kind of sign, if any, do you put more thought into? It looks as if you've got some great help as far as starting points go with terrain features, but they are just that, starting points.

 

Has anybody been out to Quantico recently? I just started hunting there, and am hoping to see something soon. I have had similar luck as TheDeuce this year on public land, and like him, I am looking just for some freezer meat. I am going to try getting out these next couple of days when the rain stops, and hope to go by the seat of my pants and hunt some of the recommended areas. Any tips/spots you can provide would be highly appreciated. My e-mail is [email protected] if you want to meet up soon or have any good locations, it would be cool to meet some other hunters.

 

I have had a crappy time so far... Lots of hunts/sits, 5 deer from a stand and the last three were as I was climbing down and they came up on me as I was tearing down.

I am going to hunt the PM this Sat, going to try for 2, 3 or 4 since I am working on base for the morning and can slide out by OCS pretty quickly.

I am running out of time to get a kill!

 

Public land hunting tips:

Hunt where others do not
Scout more than you hunt
Find terrain that lends itself to tremendous bedding areas
Make sure your entrance and exits to and from the stand do not bump any deer
Hunt specific spots at the right time of the year
Scout as much ground as you can so you can jump from place to place to keep things fresh
Hunt as much as you can as long as it does not negatively impact your hunting spots

KILL