Meat Hunt(s)

[LousyResident]

Never been to south Florida, but I'd guess there is public land down there somewhere that is full of pigs. Also check west TN. Unless it has changed I know there are areas there a few years ago you could kill 3 does a day. Met a guy from east TN that had done it in an weekend.

Unfortunately you would be mistaken about the public land and pigs. The largest, closest place to me is Big Cypress WMA at something like 720,000 acres. 1 pig shot in each 2016 & 2017. None last year. A more productive place is JW Corbett WMA (+/- 60,000 acres) where 177 pigs were killed in 2018. But it was an average of 1 pig per +/- 45 hunter days so not exactly a sure thing. Wild pigs certainly exist down here (and much more the further north you go it seems), but it's largely a myth that they are everywhere. They are too valuable to the private land guys who run feeders constantly and can sell hunts 24/7 all year long.

 

[JTHOMP]

Unfortunately you would be mistaken about the public land and pigs. The largest, closest place to me is Big Cypress WMA at something like 720,000 acres. 1 pig shot in each 2016 & 2017. None last year. A more productive place is JW Corbett WMA (+/- 60,000 acres) where 177 pigs were killed in 2018. But it was an average of 1 pig per +/- 45 hunter days so not exactly a sure thing. Wild pigs certainly exist down here (and much more the further north you go it seems), but it's largely a myth that they are everywhere. They are too valuable to the private land guys who run feeders constantly and can sell hunts 24/7 all year long.

Well in that case to add to the list of a cheap meat hunt, I'll throw in pig hunting on Louisiana public land using a small game licenses. Limited to using shotgun with BB or smaller or rimfire rifle .22 caliber or smaller but it's doable. There are a couple tracks of land in the state if you walk enough in a day you will see a pig at some point. Similar places in MS although I've never hunted there myself. NR small game in LA is $100. In MS they give you the option for cheaper 7 day licenses for $30-40.

By no means are the public lands here as a whole are over run with pigs, but a few tracts have high populations. If you hunt hard enough you will find them.

 

[VikingsGuy]

They are not too bad, I had one for 20 years. Leased directly from a former President.

I didn't know that Obama had land in Georgia

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I didn't know that Obama had land in Georgia

Hey you leave Carter alone, I like my IPAs

 

[VikingsGuy]

I didn't know that Obama had land in Georgia

Or was it GW?

 

[Fullquiver]

Here in my part of MI I can buy 10 antlerless tags and could fill them all along with my 2 antlered deer tags if i desired.. Last year I shot 4 and gave 3 of them to widows nearby me.. My 3 sons shot 6 more and I gave away 1 of those and I also brought home an antelope from WY along with my sons Antelope, they are long gone.. I also put a hog in the freezer last fall as well as a 2 year old Hereford steer this spring. No shortage of meat around here..

 

[mtmuley]

I have 5 acres in Montana. My landscaping is pounded by deer and elk. I knew it would be an issue living where I do. So, I use some antlerless tags to mitigate the cost of landscape loss. Win win situation. mtmuley

 

[sharpshooter97]

We unfortunetly don’t have the numbers to support a meat hunt here in ND anymore. There used to be OTC leftover antlerless tags and rifle season sounded like a war zone. Now in some units it’s hard to draw a rifle tag every year. You guys in WY and MT sure got it good. Hopefully we can have some decent winters for the next few years to get the numbers back up.

 

[bushman13]

Obama is a big hog hunter, loves that pork.

Or was it GW?

 

[PrairieHunter]

Unfortunately you would be mistaken about the public land and pigs. The largest, closest place to me is Big Cypress WMA at something like 720,000 acres. 1 pig shot in each 2016 & 2017. None last year. A more productive place is JW Corbett WMA (+/- 60,000 acres) where 177 pigs were killed in 2018. But it was an average of 1 pig per +/- 45 hunter days so not exactly a sure thing. Wild pigs certainly exist down here (and much more the further north you go it seems), but it's largely a myth that they are everywhere. They are too valuable to the private land guys who run feeders constantly and can sell hunts 24/7 all year long.

Look for COE land around bodies of water. In Texas that is some of the best public land hunting around but many don't know about it. Likely the same in the South.

https://www.sam.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Recreation/Hunting/

 

[Smokedhog]

Wife's family has a hill farm in North central Arkansas. If my son isn't with me it's pretty much a guarantee to kill at least 1 doe. I've never seen a buck there that would make me happy to shoot.

I have some ag land 12 miles from work that I could kill about every other trip. Only shoot does there if I need to balance the herd. Tons of smaller bucks and since I've started working with the owners on managing the land we are beginning to see some nicer 3.5-5.5+ bucks. Varies between 0-4 bucks per year killed on 1500 acres.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Wife's family has a hill farm in North central Arkansas. If my son isn't with me it's pretty much a guarantee to kill at least 1 doe. I've never seen a buck there that would make me happy to shoot.

I have some ag land 12 miles from work that I could kill about every other trip. Only shoot does there if I need to balance the herd. Tons of smaller bucks and since I've started working with the owners on managing the land we are beginning to see some nicer 3.5-5.5+ bucks. Varies between 0-4 bucks per year killed on 1500 acres.

Welcome to HT!

 

[LousyResident]

Wife's family has a hill farm in North central Arkansas. If my son isn't with me it's pretty much a guarantee to kill at least 1 doe. I've never seen a buck there that would make me happy to shoot.

I have some ag land 12 miles from work that I could kill about every other trip. Only shoot does there if I need to balance the herd. Tons of smaller bucks and since I've started working with the owners on managing the land we are beginning to see some nicer 3.5-5.5+ bucks. Varies between 0-4 bucks per year killed on 1500 acres.

Heck of a first (or second?) post! Welcome and thanks for contributing.

 

[coleslaw]

Hunting a Wisconsin wooded draw, in between 2 corn fields, has to be the closest thing to a 1 day slam dunk I can think of. If you are a brown is down guy you should be out by lunch on opening day without much trouble.

Yep. Farm country makes it easy

Years ago when I was stationed in Missouri, I hunted Ft Leonard Wood almost exclusively and had to learn how to hunt without access to agricultural fields. Turned out to be some of the easiest and most fun
type of hunting I've ever done. Not sure how it is now, but the county I hunted in allowed unlimited doe tags on an archer's license. Found the draws and "hollers" nobody else was willing to hike to (this is the Ozarks) and stacked the deer up.

 

[shootbrownelk]

Obama is a big hog hunter, loves that pork.

I didn't think Muslims were allowed to eat pork.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I didn't think Muslims were allowed to eat pork.

 

[bushman13]

It's a funny visual though, Obama leasing land in S Georgia to hunters. My dad would roll over in his grave

The lease was from Jimmy Carter. One evening I was sitting in a tree stand on the largest peanut field and 3 black SUV's pull onto the field. An old man and lady, get out and start looking at the crops. My dumbass didn't make the connection immediately, so I go back to camp and tell my uncle about the this strange occurrence. He is like "ya you just saw Jimmy Carter". That was the only time I ever saw him. He did throw barbecues for all the lease holders, but I never went. My dad and brother went to a couple just to say they did it. I heard he still likes to turkey hunt in the area.

I didn't think Muslims were allowed to eat pork.

 

[FLS]

Here in SC we (5 lease members) get 50 ADQP (doe tags) a year. We fill our freezers and then some. We donate a lot of deer to charities. It was a great opportunity to shoot different calibers and loads to see how they performed.
Before I had that lease I would go on a deer control hunt at Pinckney Island NWR near Hilton Head. In 2000 I killed 5 , an 8 pt, a 6pt and 3 does by 9: AM.
Shotgun and slugs. That year 57 hunters killed 200 deer by noon.
I hunted it with my oldest son and cousin in 2017. Hurricane Matthew had devastated the landscape and we only saw a handful of deer. We each killed a doe. And less than 20 were killed total.

 

[LousyResident]

Here in SC we (5 lease members) get 50 ADQP (doe tags) a year. We fill our freezers and then some. We donate a lot of deer to charities. It was a great opportunity to shoot different calibers and loads to see how they performed.
Before I had that lease I would go on a deer control hunt at Pinckney Island NWR near Hilton Head. In 2000 I killed 5 , an 8 pt, a 6pt and 3 does by 9: AM.
Shotgun and slugs. That year 57 hunters killed 200 deer by noon.
I hunted it with my oldest son and cousin in 2017. Hurricane Matthew had devastated the landscape and we only saw a handful of deer. We each killed a doe. And less than 20 were killed total.

That deer control hunt is interesting. I'm sure they don't have anything like that down here, but that would be awesome as a freezer filler at the beginning or end of season. You're going to have me looking into non-resident SC hunting lol.

 

[FLS]

Look into the Savanna River Site (bomb plant) hunts. It’s a deer control hunt on the Dept of Energy site. It’s a deer drive with hounds. Standers are dropped off for a morning and evening hunt and shoot deer being driven past them with shotguns and buckshot. They kill a lot of deer and hogs and a few nice ones. They’re strict with the rules and regs, but it’s a fun hunt if you draw a good stand.

SRS - Deer Hunt Information