donnieballgame
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- May 31, 2017
- Messages
- 1,872
***ATTENTION SADDLE NATION!!***
Sikapalooza will take place 5-8 October 2018 in Maryland in the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge and the Fishing Bay Wildlife Management Area.
Hunting
Blackwater Wildlife Refuge(BWR), I’m hoping they will let me pick up these for the group as they can only be picked up during normal working hours, which could shorten your first hunt significantly.
20 dollar permit
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Blackwater/
Fishing Bay is a pretty large(by Maryland standards) WMA south of BWR, it is marshy and has large Sika numbers, or so I’m told. No extra fee, just the required state tags.
http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/publiclands/eastern/fishingbay.aspx
If I had spoken to you already about this Sika hunt you probably thought we were going to VA, well the VA season dates do not cover any holiday weekend that also doesn’t interfere with the Whitetail rut and after talking with a few folks the Sika herds seem to be thinner on Assateague/Chincoteague so for those reasons we are targeting Maryland for Columbus Holiday Weekend. It will be buggy but I’ve been told the Sika will be bugling so it should be an awesome experience. It is worth noting that the Sika rut is the 3rd week of October and if I fail to get anything on this trip will hopefully be coming back for a day or two, fingers crossed(Pending Boss Hen approval).
Fishing/Crabbing
I am planning on doing some fishing/crabbing on my day off from hunting Sika, we will be able to crab and the campground is right on the Chesapeake. A non-resident fishing license is about 20 bucks and the non-resident crabbing license is 10 bucks.
http://dnr.maryland.gov/Pages/service_fishing_license.aspx
http://www.eregulations.com/maryland/fishing/blue-crabs/
Camping
Not a lot of options here and I want to stay as close to the good hunting as I can. Everything I’ve learned leads me to the BWR and Fishing Bay for Sika, and there are only 2 campgrounds and one doesn’t allow tents. I’ve got up to 10 tents and one RV spot(for me) reserved for the weekend, if we have more than 10 tents we might have to get creative. Although I think if we can make it work I doubt they will care. We have a section back in the woods, so…..
https://goo.gl/maps/XWhMrsQ3Ys32
Basic cost break down: 19/night/tent, 1 week =70per tent, 25/night +3/day for electric or 115/week +electric
Saddle Demo
It wouldn’t be a Saddlehunter.com event without a legit Saddle Demo. We can’t hunt on Sunday, so I plan to have folks sign up for certain demos beforehand, so we can reduce required gear but more importantly so I can schedule stuff so you can see the demo’s you care about, if you want to sign up for something please make a note on the signup sheet in the Google drive folder.
Climbing Competition
I’m also planning on a tree climbing competition on Sunday, climbers will be timed on everything from the moment they walk up to the tree until they get to a predetermined height and setup. I really want to see @huck72417 take off his spikes at “eye level”. I will also belay everyone so no-one gets hurt, hopefully, it won’t interfere too much with the climber, but I think we can all agree that safety is important, especially if folks are rushing up a tree. Also, I will have a neutral judge to keep everyone honest with the noise generated, because let's be honest, if we can’t do it quiet we aren’t going to do it! @Erniepowers, I told you I was going to call you out! Guess you have to come now. If anyone has suggestions/comments don’t hold back, I wanna hear em!
Cornhole Competition
Obviously, we need to have a cornhole competition, none of this we won 875 games but you won the last one so you are the champion. Hopefully, we get enough teams to make a bracket and if we have enough sponsors a prize for the champs!
Meals
I’m planning dinner for each night(Fri-Sun) just like our famous g2 did for Saddlepalooza and lunch on Sunday, you will be on your own for Breakfast and Lunch, I recommend packing a cooler as there really isn’t much out there that I can see from the Google.
Hunter Safety
Required to have with you by Marland, will also need it to get your hunting license.
Cost
Maryland Hunting Regulations and License Fees
Non-Resident Hunting 130
Non-Resident Archery Tag 25
Maryland does not have a 3-day pass for “big game”
Blackwater Wildlife Refuge Permit 20(Optional there is WMA not far)
Hunt Cost: $90-$120 - Keep in mind this will include campground/lodging fees, meals and incidentals (plates, cups, napkins, drinks, trash etc.), and firewood for the entire weekend.
This is a Saddlehunter community hunt, I will not be making a profit, the cost is just to cover the expenses. I hope to keep the costs as low as possible to encourage participation.
Raffle/Sponsors
Tetherd Nation has agreed to sponsor SikaPalooza!!! Which is totally awesome, I don’t have a whole lot more information, so you’ll just have to show up and find out! I will post updates as we get closer so keep an eye on this thread!
I’m also hoping to get a T-Shirt made up so if anyone wants to help w/ ideas/designs/artwork, please hit me up!
Gear
-Boats, I think this entire hunt is probably best with some sort of boat access. I’m seriously thinking about renting a boat for the trip as I think my little rowboat won’t cut it. If you have one I recommend bringing it! Lets see all of those Nucanoe’s in action that I keep hearing about!
-Knee Boots - I’m told this is a must
-Waist High Waders - I will definitely be getting a pair for this hunt!
-Thermacell - Also told this is a must, anyone that hunts Maryland marshes in early season care to comment?
-Archery only, a crossbow is ok.
Schedule
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1JGLhb1M9YJ3A5igEo3jUj7crNhYrHIS8jhGyNjM0BTM
Sign-up Sheet
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qod9Vs8_xiH_lsLjg_BkTFVUzEdsBObCJorZZSKWQkU
Google Drive Folder
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ILAqy6gacUtMqV4fpDRBpKn3TLXL20Ua?usp=sharing
Extra Links:
Sika Info
http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/SikaDeer.aspx
Blackwater Wildlife Refuge
https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/R...lex/Blackwater/Deer_Hunt_Brochure_2015-16.pdf
Fishing Bay
http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/publiclands/eastern/fishingbay.aspx
http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/fishingbaymap.pdf