I'm taking the time to do this with new hunters in mind. I try to explain the thoughts and decisions behind a successful scout,hang,hunt. I see trucks parked and think to myself now why is that guy parked there...I try to explain. The setting is the first 3 day quota hunt on a 9k acre wma. 60 people and they are allowed 1 guest. I showed up to the check in station around 3 on the 2nd day of the hunt and talked with the guy working and he let me know most of the hunters checked in that night were talking about going up to the north end of the property, which is normally where I hunt. Purple roads u allowed to drive and the rest are walk in only.
Showed up to the blue dot and parked 3:45-4. I haven't hunted this part of the wma before. Wind out of the east and my point of interest was that finger of trees running N/S. I thought those transition lines between trees to palmetto looked good and those flag ponds dotted around in there on the west of the road were gonna get scouted if the woods didn't look any good. I figured the animal movement (if any) was gonna be N/S.
Walked the yellow dotted line and saw 1 other set of boot tracks but they turned back about half way there....once I showed up and as I entered the woods I noticed scrapes and rubs and some poopy. I picked a shoulder width tree with a big live oak growing right next door and the big oak limbs would break up my outline. Quietly set up 12-14 foot up facing east/northeast...true east was at my weak side 2oclock and the wind stayed pretty consistent all evening. I think I started up the tree around 5
north view
East view
I ended up being totally wrong and all the animal movement was E/W. Withing an hour 2 pigs trotted by at a quick pace outside of bow range heading east...the green dotted line. As it started getting dark a doe came into (white dotted lines) the clearing from the east out of bow range. She was sticking her head inside the palmetto clumps and my guess is she was eating palmetto berries. Couple minutes later a 2nd walked in and the 1st walked over and said hi and they started eating the acorns. Waited patiently and somewhere behind me, somewhere around that green X, a deer started blowing....over and over maybe 10-15 times. The 2 deer I was watching never reacted and kept feeding without ever looking in that direction. Waited patiently and it came together.at the red dot... But the pics and write ups are about everything leading up to that point.
This is public land and if u hunt northeast Florida and recognize the spot...feel free to hunt it....be advised it's a long walk
Showed up to the blue dot and parked 3:45-4. I haven't hunted this part of the wma before. Wind out of the east and my point of interest was that finger of trees running N/S. I thought those transition lines between trees to palmetto looked good and those flag ponds dotted around in there on the west of the road were gonna get scouted if the woods didn't look any good. I figured the animal movement (if any) was gonna be N/S.
Walked the yellow dotted line and saw 1 other set of boot tracks but they turned back about half way there....once I showed up and as I entered the woods I noticed scrapes and rubs and some poopy. I picked a shoulder width tree with a big live oak growing right next door and the big oak limbs would break up my outline. Quietly set up 12-14 foot up facing east/northeast...true east was at my weak side 2oclock and the wind stayed pretty consistent all evening. I think I started up the tree around 5
north viewEast view
I ended up being totally wrong and all the animal movement was E/W. Withing an hour 2 pigs trotted by at a quick pace outside of bow range heading east...the green dotted line. As it started getting dark a doe came into (white dotted lines) the clearing from the east out of bow range. She was sticking her head inside the palmetto clumps and my guess is she was eating palmetto berries. Couple minutes later a 2nd walked in and the 1st walked over and said hi and they started eating the acorns. Waited patiently and somewhere behind me, somewhere around that green X, a deer started blowing....over and over maybe 10-15 times. The 2 deer I was watching never reacted and kept feeding without ever looking in that direction. Waited patiently and it came together.at the red dot... But the pics and write ups are about everything leading up to that point.
This is public land and if u hunt northeast Florida and recognize the spot...feel free to hunt it....be advised it's a long walk
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