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Time to start my Louisiana season

Headed to my favorite WMA Friday to do a little scouting and set out cameras to prepare for the rut which should be getting cranked up late next month. I will be looking and setting cameras in areas that have proven to have rut action in past years. Also will be picking out a spot/spots to sit for the Thanksgiving weekend either sex firearms hunt. I love seeing people's faces when I pull up with a bowkilled deer during the firearms hunts.

I've been getting all my gear ready, researching WMA's, talking to WMA personnel and doing some practice with my crossbow. I haven't been shooting my compound due to shoulder issues. My friends in CT have taken a few good bucks in the last few weeks, so I am pumped and ready to get started hunting here in Louisiana.

This past weekend was a complete bust. Saw 1 doe fawn in 3 days of hunting. Crazy thing is, had several deer at all my camera locations and each one indicated daily activity during daylight hours at all hours during the day. I guess a memo went out and they all laid low for the weekend.

Finally got out on Saturday and saw 2 does which did not offer a shot. I did find one fresh looking rub and a few good looking trails thru some thick stuff. I have them dialed in on my GPS and plan on going back either Friday or Saturday. Maybe set up a trial cam while I am out there.

Gonna make a trip Saturday morning to check cameras on that Area 6 WMA and to put out a couple more. Hoping to find some prerut scrapes that I can set a couple cameras on. The others I have in pinch points to and from feeding and bedding locations. Hope to see some promising bucks starting to cruise through these locations so that my late January trip can be successful.

Checked cameras and was able to locate 1 buck that is worthy of chasing. Hope he survives the orange army invasion the next few weeks. Time will tell. Did find scrapes popping up so the rut is ramping up.

I went out yesterday and saw my first wild hogs and my first cottonmouth. I could not get a shot at those hogs and I gave the snake a wide berth.

hello Gene, Olga and I are finally in Florida full time as of December 17th. My boss has got us set up on an 1100 acre lease for next year !!! So far my walks in the woods have been close to the house. Lots of small critters but so far no snakes. I bought a pair of snake boots I suggest you do the same. It at least gives me peace of mind as I was always looking down instead of ahead on my walks. So far some trail pics of small deer but also lots of bears on the camera. There is also an alligator in one of the ponds!! This sure is going to be some different than CT---Kent

Kent, Great to hear from you. I hope that your move went smoothly and that you are settling in OK. It sounds like you have some hunting property to get into right a way and that's great. I have been hunting on a Wildlife Management Area which is over 35,000 acres and there is some hunting pressure but nothing crazy. The change from hunting in New England and here has been interesting to say the least. Let's keep in touch.

For sure to keep in touch. My CT season was two sits but one was extremely cool with my son. He finally found it possible to let the does walk while taking the famous boot pic with the at the bottom of his stand!!!!! 31 years old and makes me proud, plus we didn't have to do the seek and drag in the dark on a work night !!! When it wasn't needed !!

Gonna make a quick trip to my Area 6 WMA Friday and Saturday to try to capitalize on some peak rut activity in that area. I will be battling the orange army, but this is typically the time of the season when some of the bigger deer are killed. Happy New Year everyone!

Bowonly, happy new year to you and all bowsiters. Good luck on your outing this coming weekend. I am going out maybe Friday, for sure Saturday, or both. I know this is Bowsite but I am going to be taking out a muzzleloader for a change. I am looking forward to checking a trial cam that I set out on Christmas eve. Always interesting to see what has been moving around.

I ended up seeing several does. I passed on a small spike that was running a doe pretty hard and stopped 30 yds in front of me. Saw a decent buck midday Saturday but he was moving through too quickly for me to get a good look at him. Checked all my cams and activity and numbers of deer looked good. Just waiting on my vacation hunt the last week of January.

Sounds like you had a couple of good outings. I have been hunting in Pearl River and when I got there Saturday it was pretty flooded so I did not even try get back to my trail camera. I did go over to the rifle range with the muzzle loader and did some shooting. This weekend is definitely a wash for me.

All this rain and flooding actually helps me in the fact that it concentrates the deer and deters other hunters from hunting. If it keeps this up all this week(the rain), being the final week of any firearms hunting, the place should receive very little pressure and should be primed for my archery trip. Really getting pumped.

Short story, came home empty handed from my final hunting trip. Weather was miserable. Sightings were down from previous years. Had a couple opportunities but didn't capitalize. Did not see a single buck in 9 days of hunting. Only does. Time to start planning for next season.

I had been hunting in Pearl River WMA and had my season cut short due to high water closure of the area. I did see a few deer and hogs but never had a shot opportunity. Took my kayak and fishing gear to Maurepas Swamp last weekend to look around and since archery is open there until Feb 15, I may go back there with the crossbow on the 14th or 15th just for the hell of it.

Good luck Gene !!! Sounds like a plan

Never did make it out for that last day as work got in the way. I am now looking forward to doing some hog hunting with a friend here and retrieving my trail cam from Pearl River whenever the water level goes down and and the area is opened up for access.

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