# Sam Houston National Forest



## RED_FISH_BAKER

Well don't have a deer lease this year so im going to Bow hunt the SHNF this year. Anyone hunt the National Forest I have read all the rules just never done it


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## capt mullet

I just started hunting it 5 or 6 years ago for hogs and last year I finally decided to go hunt deer and I saw a lot of deer and after my 7th trip I finally harvested one. I hunt from the ground and that puts me at a big disadvantage. I definitely suggest you hunt out of a tree stand. My early success the first year of deer hunting was because I had been hogging out there for a few years so I had at least 30 to 40 good full hunting days where I learned a lot about those woods and where to go. I also walked 60 to 80 miles in those amount of trips or more. So it isnt that easy especially with no baiting allowed. I had a few years of scouting to put me in the exact right spot.

I have never hunted during the weekend but I hear it can be crowded in the good areas. I am in a popular area and I always hunt during the week and there are always cars parked on the road where I park. I have never seen a hunter in the field and that is because I usually walk the farthest in. My trip back in is about 1.75 miles which sux because no matter what when I get to my ground blind I am always sweating. I hunt the lowlands near creek bottoms where acorns are prevalent. My area has a natural funnel made by contours and hills that push the animals down what it seems like a highway or major travel lane. It is amzing how many animals I have seen in this corridor over the years. Last year my first few trips were in the afternoons and I never saw a deer. Once I switched to mornings I was seeing deer daily and up to 10-12 sometimes. Usually by 10 or 11 am it is done and they are gone again.

I didnt see any hogs last deer season at all. But I usually see them in the last 30 minutes of legal shooting time in the afternoons. When I hunt hogs it is always the afternoons. Hope that helps!


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## UnclePoPo

I have never hunted the National Forest but have a good friend that hunted there for many years. He has since quit hunting there due to the amount of hunters. He usually hunted weekends and said there were people everywhere. Said he had several run ins with A-holes that didn't seem very safe. I am not sure how much bow hunting he did there though.


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## Sgrem

Try the Aransas wildlife refuge bowhunt. There are some giants in there that live and die without seeing a man.

Get the public lands permit and study those maps. Find some of the more obscure areas. 

SHNF can be great or miserable depending on your expectations. But there are many many National Forestlands and Texas public land opportunities are actually very good.

I have three Pope and Young bucks shot off of public lands. A 140" 10pt, a 150" 11 pt bruiser, and a 160" 15pt. They were aged at 9, 8, and 8. And consider this. The first one i just happen to get lucky i think. I made some good guesses for the area and got in on him.

The other two i was very calculating. I hunted each of them for at least three years. I just kind of knew they were there. I knew i was in a giant bucks area....hunted them for three years and never saw them until the day i drew blood. 

I have never owned a trail camera or feeder....its actual hunting.

And for what its worth shot one around thaksgiving and the other two around Christmas time....all with my bow.....during rifle season.....


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## capt mullet

That is a very impressive list of big bucks off of public land. Those are TRUE TROPHIES in every sense of the word.


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## Mr. Saltwater

sgrem said:


> Try the Aransas wildlife refuge bowhunt. There are some giants in there that live and die without seeing a man.
> 
> Get the public lands permit and study those maps. Find some of the more obscure areas.
> 
> SHNF can be great or miserable depending on your expectations. But there are many many National Forestlands and Texas public land opportunities are actually very good.
> 
> I have three Pope and Young bucks shot off of public lands. A 140" 10pt, a 150" 11 pt bruiser, and a 160" 15pt. They were aged at 9, 8, and 8. And consider this. The first one i just happen to get lucky i think. I made some good guesses for the area and got in on him.
> 
> The other two i was very calculating. I hunted each of them for at least three years. I just kind of knew they were there. I knew i was in a giant bucks area....hunted them for three years and never saw them until the day i drew blood.
> 
> I have never owned a trail camera or feeder....its actual hunting.
> 
> And for what its worth shot one around thaksgiving and the other two around Christmas time....all with my bow.....during rifle season.....


Three trophies like that with a bow on heavily hunted public land is quite an accomplishment!!


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## RED_FISH_BAKER

Thanks yall for your input I really appreciate it...I have been trying to study the land on the north end of Conroe and spoke to GW last week and was told it is legal to transport a deer by boat so I think to try to avoid all the people as much as I can im going to get to some spots with my john boat. If I killed one deer this year I would feel accomplished doe or buck, because like yall said no feeder or game cam is true hunting in my opinion.


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## Tails-Up

Not a monster, but I shot this buck last year on the Sam.


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## pelochas

2nd year there. yesterday friend invited to go early morning hog hunting. didnt see any hogs. did find some good tracks, persimmons, and muscadines on the floor, deer were just there.


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## RED_FISH_BAKER

Tails-Up said:


> Not a monster, but I shot this buck last year on the Sam.


That's a pretty nice buck I would sure be pretty proud of myself I shot something like that the first year I was out there...I am hoping sine I getting to the NF by boat that I'll have a better chance of shooting a decent deer and not running into a hole lot of people.


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## capt mullet

That is an awesome buck Tailsup and a true trophy!!!

I am impressed!


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## troutsupport

Tails-Up said:


> Not a monster, but I shot this buck last year on the Sam.


Congrats! Actually that's a really good buck for that area. Good work.

SGREM and Mullet are dead on. If you spend your time scouting and put in the effort then you'll see deer. I hunt DCNF (Crocket, Tx) and I see deer every hunt. I also talk to tons of hunters that just walk in anywhere and never see deer at all... have to put boots on the ground and do your scouting. Get with Grem (Steve Grems Guide Service) and have him take you scouting.


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## RED_FISH_BAKER

Well headed out tmrw morning to do some scouting...


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## cva34

*tru LOL*

A friend Hunting at Refuge..AransasWLR..pulled up behind a PU parked on side of road with 3 guys standing talkin stradegy at 3 in afternoon...Don got out of his PU said Hi and grabbed BOW and took off ..about 75y down trail he heard something in brush stopped got ready and out stepped a 9pt beauty..shot and it fell within sight..He grabbed it drug back to PU (this all was in a time span of maybe 10-15minutes..Where the 3 guys were still talking (Wow where you get that ???) Don said about 75y down there..That was the end of Stradegy session they gabbed thet Bows and were gone...

True STORY from prob 40y ago


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## RED_FISH_BAKER

cva34 said:


> A friend Hunting at Refuge..AransasWLR..pulled up behind a PU parked on side of road with 3 guys standing talkin stradegy at 3 in afternoon...Don got out of his PU said Hi and grabbed BOW and took off ..about 75y down trail he heard something in brush stopped got ready and out stepped a 9pt beauty..shot and it fell within sight..He grabbed it drug back to PU (this all was in a time span of maybe 10-15minutes..Where the 3 guys were still talking (Wow where you get that ???) Don said about 75y down there..That was the end of Stradegy session they gabbed thet Bows and were gone...
> 
> True STORY from prob 40y ago


That's awesome will see what happens im headed out in the morning on my boat hopefully I find some good tracks to set up on


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## rubberducky

I hunted Davey Crockett last year with my rifle..... won't ever do that again......ever..... my buddy spent his year on one of the bow only WMA and did amazing. Seen deer every hunt including some huge bucks. So this year we spent the long summer scouting and learning that WMA. We walked mile after mile after mile in the woods and found some great spots. 
I know think about where the deer are going to go when the woods feel up with people. Look for the thick stuff and crawl in there if you have to. Once your in there you will find spots where the deer are bedding and feeding. 
Pm me if you want to talk more. 
James

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## RED_FISH_BAKER

Well I have been scouting for the last 2 weeks and I am feeling pretty confident that I will see deer don't really care if its a buck or a doe just want to see some deer. I am headed out in the morning and bringing the GOPRO so hopefully come Monday morning ill have something to show and also try to figure out how to get on here...


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## tpool

Awesome RED_FISH_BAKER! Look forward to your report. I too am going to hunt DCNF this year in Bow season (starting a little late around October 14 due to prior commitments). I'll report back too.

Thanks,
T-BONE
(tpool)


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## RED_FISH_BAKER

Well I didn't get anything this past weekend but I did see I nice 6 point but he wasn't legal but at least I saw something...I am headed to the hill country to do some work at me parents property so hopefully I can get at least one hunt in and ill be back to my spot in in the N.F. in 2 weeks


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## pelochas

i did not even see a hog or deer but i got in late morning. need to get up at 3 or 4 am just to get to SHNF by 5 am. maybe i just to start camping out there on the camping grounds the night before. 
im getting a lil tired of scouting and seeing deer tracks and activity by the creeks


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## tpool

Thanks for the report fellers - I will return the favor on the 16th after that weekend in the DCNF near Groveton.

Thanks,
T-BONE
(tpool)


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## tpool

Well I hunted my buddies place about 1/4 mile from the nat'l forest. He didn't have anyone else hunting so I stayed on his 25 acres. I took a doe Sunday morning from 34 yards. Once gun season starts I'll slip into the nat'l forest and report back!

Thanks,
T-BONE
(tpool)


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