gonna give it a try

[vinnieb]

i first started thinking about going sika hunting last january when i first found this sight. i have tried to plan a public land hunt but things just hadn't worked out in the past. this year i am definetly going to go. i thought about muddy marsh but i haven't been able to get in contact with anyone there so i decided i would like to try public land. i was thinking either blackwater or assateague island. just wondered kind of expectations should i have for a trip like this. i know i probaly won't go and shoot one my first try, but is it likely that i would be able to see some sika while hunting. also should i expect to see everyone and their brother at one of these places or will be able to have some space to myself.

thanks

[BuckMaster]

Thats Awesome! You will love Sika hunting!

Check out this thread from last year
www.buckwild2006.proboards101.com/index.cgi?board=se&action=display&thread=1159641802

TheDeerHunter and I went to Blackwater for the first time and he got a nice 4pt stag! I happens.

Taylors Island is also a great public land spot for sikas and is right by Blackwater. If you want to hunt Blackwater you need to mail in for a permit. Check this board for more info.

[vinnieb]

that's awesome. what was the dates of you guys hunt and how long did you go for.

[osprey]

Hopefully you're talking about bowhunting. If that's the case you won't likely see anybody else, espcecially if you can go during the week. Gun and early BP seasons can get hectic, but with some work you can still get away from people. That's the biggest key for big stags on public ground - get to a spot they haven't been pressured and aren't expecting to see people.

[vinnieb]

thanks osprey and yes i'm talking about bowhunting. i was gonna try to hunt a couple of days during october. i was thinking a thursday, friday, and saturday. probaly the first or second week of october.

[Hardcorehunter]

I am the wrong person to answer this. I have been five or six times and seen only one sika while hunting. Your timing is perfect though, right in the middle of their rut.

[THE DEER HUNTER]

As was said before, archery is your best bet for not seeing anybody. Buckmaster & I went on opening day of archery last year on public land & saw only 4 other people in an area that covers over 1,100 acres.

GOOD LUCK!

[BIG FOX]

how come i always get left out of that trip i heloped drag that sdeer out too you peckers..

[osprey]

I think they're trying to tell you something Fox!!!

[vinnieb]

any advice on what equipment to bring. i know i need a thermacell but is there anything else. i know i need hip boots/knee highs and the other obvious things like my bow, rangefinders etc. what kind of camo works best in sika country.

i like to hunt on the ground,but is this possible out in the marsh or would i be bette off in a tree.

thanks.

[osprey]

Vinnie, I do 90% of my whitetail hunting on the ground, but 90% of my sika hunting in trees. It's awful thick in sika habitat to bowhunt on the ground, most of ground sika hunting is either with gun way out in the marsh or stalking and calling with bow If I'm waiting in a spot for bowhunting I try to get up a tree. I use a good climbing stand - can stay mobile and it's mostly all straight pines that are easy to climb.

Plus you'll get away from lots of the skeeters if you're in the air.

I'd suggest a call, at least for cow mews, and a small set of binocs for picking apart cover. And use your ears, often they'll be very close but all you'll hear is water dropping off a hoof. Hunt like you're always about to step on one or have one bedded within 10 yards, 'cause it's true at least half the time.

[vinnieb]

thanks osprey. i have a climber i can take and i was planning on picking up a sika seducer at the southern maryland hunting expo.

one more thing. what kind of shots should i practice to prepare for a trip like this and what kind of ranges can i expect to shoot.

[osprey]

Kinda rare to get long shots or open shots for sika because of the cover. Practice shooting through branch openings and straight down.

[vinnieb]

thanks alot. i was also worried about wether or not i would be able to get one into range of my stickbow if i took that, but it sounds like i should be able too.

[THE DEER HUNTER]

Like Osprey said, the cover there is VERY thick. My shot on the stag last year was at about 4 yards & through a little opening in the undergrowth.