[currupt4130]

So I've been hunting some WMA land down the road from me. I'm just outside the city, but the WMA doesn't see much traffic. I'm not out for monster bucks, just some meat in the freezer, so I've hiked around during off season periods (SC has breaks in their season) and found some areas where deer are coming in and out and look to be milling around. For the past couple days I've gone out and seen not a damn thing. I'm in way before the sun and out after it sets, usually leaving and coming back from 10am-3pm.

This morning I located a small section along a gravel road that looked like deer have been moving across from one section of woods to another. Lots of prints in the mud and a clear trail across about 15 yds of field. I'm going to get in early tomorrow and set up about a 100yds away and wait.

I'm hunting from the ground, trying to conceal myself with brush/grass/natural cover for now.


Does anyone have any good advice on scoring deer on WMAs?

 

[brianBFD]

Does anyone have any good advice on scoring deer on WMAs?

WMA deer tend to get a lot of pressure and typically become nocturnal after the season starts. There are exceptions however. You are not the only one leaving for the middle part of the day for lunch/nap and deer tend to pattern us just like we do them. They get it, 4 wheelers, trucks, human scent goes away mid-day, time to move.
I have had really good luck by waiting until 9:00AM to get set up and stay through the middle part of the day. This especially works well during the rut.
Not saying that all deer on all WMA's are the same, but this has worked for me here.

 

[Earl_of_Burl]

Not sure which WMA you are hunting in York county, but how does the small game population look?

 

[Doc Holiday13]

WMA deer tend to get a lot of pressure and typically become nocturnal after the season starts. There are exceptions however. You are not the only one leaving for the middle part of the day for lunch/nap and deer tend to pattern us just like we do them. They get it, 4 wheelers, trucks, human scent goes away mid-day, time to move.
I have had really good luck by waiting until 9:00AM to get set up and stay through the middle part of the day. This especially works well during the rut.
Not saying that all deer on all WMA's are the same, but this has worked for me here.

x2


Also stop falling asleep and you'll see more :flipoff2:

 

[currupt4130]

Not sure which WMA you are hunting in York county, but how does the small game population look?

Hunting at the Draper WMA, it's 10 miles from my house. Saw several squirrels today and bumped up a rabbit on the way in this morning. Doves were flying like crazy yesterday, but they don't come back in for a few weeks.

 

[5spd]

Pull up your WMA on google maps/satellite pics and then you can look for feed funnels & other spots from above and the lay of creeks etc.

 

[1992xj]

In the Southeast corner of the property there looks to be a significant tree line that runs east to west on the east side of the powerline cut. Looks like 2 dirt roads lead down to each end of it. Dead in the center of the end of the roads on that tree line looks nice and thick for late season SC deer. Thats one place I would check out. Also, in the Southwest corner west of the powerline the property lines runs just inisde the tree line from a farmers field. I would check out the travel routes from the thick woods on the Draper property that borders that large field and get back about 100 yards from the field. Deer should hit that field right at dark. They will get up and mill around in the thick hardwoods finding the last of teh acorns before heading to that field. Sit there in the afternoon with either an East or North wind and catch them in the woods before hitting the field. And one last spot I would check would be the long straight property line on the east. Looks to be about 100-200 east of a dirt road and lots of hard woods. Check it for acorns. Also, think about hunting mid day. I've killed most of my December SC deer just south of you from noon to 2.

edit: if there are others hunting it and putting pressure on the bigs woods think about the very North finger, north of the most north pond right where the dirt roads turns off of Brattonsville rd, Looks to be a nice 50+ acres between that pond and the road with a nice farmers field to the west. Alot of my late season midday deer have come from the main gate area of our lease where everyone drives in and no one thinks to hunt there because its the beginning of the property and by a black top road.

 

[250f4life]

Late season hunting here in SC is some of if not the hardest hunting in the country when it comes to public land. By now most of the activity is at night, it's along season hiding from guys perched up in the clouds that can kill you from a couple hundred yards away. I come thru Landrum, Catawba, then cross the river and head towards Monroe on trains. I've never seen alot of deer in that area. Down near the Bowater plant I see I'm but on the other side of a 10' fence that surrounds the plant.

 

[YJfreak]

Every time i have hunted public land i always pull up an arial map of the WMA online and look for the area that is the absolute farthest way away from any roads possible and the hardest to get to. Then find the thickest, nastiest cover you can and hunt on the edge of it.

 

[currupt4130]

Thanks for the input ya'll.