Featherbuster had a great idea to get together a tradgang member hog hunt. Sounds like a good idea to me ! I figured I would go ahead and start a thread and see if we can get something going. I live in Oxford and Lafayette county has a huge amount of public land (with hogs ). We could do it here or if like Featherbuster said there are some farmers in the delta that would like for us to hunt there , that would work to. What ya think ?
Sounds good to me too!
Don
That could get interesting. No shortage of hogs in Lafayette County, in the river bottoms, but it's tough cover to get a shot in. I've never tried it with a bow; would you spot/stalk or what?
Mike
I prefer spot and stalk but if you could find a wallow to sit over that works too.
Dahomey NWR just west of Cleveland has a population of hogs and are huntable during the scheduled hunting season.
Sounds like a plan,when do you have in mind?
well if we are on public land we'll have to wait until October , but if someone has a piece of private land we can do it anytime. Whatever works best, let's give it a day or so and we can start narrowing down a time.
Sounds good to me.
FlyFixer do you know a spot on public land for hogs ? I am going to start scouting next week.
Count me in--I love to hunt hogs! The few times I've been was spot-and-stalk. We've got them not far from here (on the Tenn-Tom waterway), but I haven't been able to find anyone that will let me hunt private land, and dog hunters keep them chased way back on the public land. I've travelled to GA and SC for hogs--sure would be nice to do a hunt closer to home!
Chad
Hogdancer, I used to live in Saltillo and shoot alot in your area. Is Phil Boatrite still around?
He may be around but I don't know him.
Hunting public land provides a guaranteed opportunity to hunt, but is only by seasons and the purchase of a permit. Dahomey charges $12.50 for a annual permit to hunt there. If a hog hunt was to be held there and more than 10 people involved in the hunt I would think it would be necessary to coordinate the hunt with the refuge manager and possibly send different groups of hunters to different areas on the refuge. With Dahomey being a federal refuge I would think that for management purposes it would be environmentally necessary to do a census on the hogs occupying the refuge and to monitor their movements during the year. That information would be of great assistance in deciding what regions to hunt on the refuge. As far as state lands I am not sure how the permit system works. Would a different permit be required for hunting on differenct WMAs'? As far as private lands in this region I don't think some of the farmers would have a problem with four or five people hunting their lands, but more than that they might object to hunting their land. Would have to ask and see what their position would be. These are just my thoughts on the subject.
A guarantee to hunt, that works for me. With the WMAs I beleive all that is needed is the wma stamp on your liscence and I always include that when I buy my hunting liscencs it's onlt $5 or something like that.
We may want to look at the WMA's or Corps land along the Tenn-Tom. Last year the game warden told one of my partners to please take all the hogs they could because they have been destroying crops and habitat for other game. They reproduce like bunnies and have few natural predators anymore.
Count me in. I agree with RonD about dahomey, has plenty of hogs to hunt. I will check with all of my farmers to see how many spots to hunt. I know i have one place about 3000 acres to hunt of private ground and its pretty much all in one block, and is slam full of hogs.
Now your talkin !
I'm interested. It would be a little drive for me but nothing that I couldn't handle. I am real busy the next few weeks so I would need to see if the dates will work. I have never taken anything with my recurve and this would be a great opportunity to meet and hunt with other Trad ganger's.
I dont think i would be able to do anything the next few weeks with harvest of soybeans and corn and then i am leaving for wyoming for 2 weeks in septmeber. we will have to come up with some dates later than that.
sounds good , it will be cooler then too , I am headed to New Mexico in Sept as well.
Onehair, I used to shoot with Phil occasionally, but all the clubs around here seem to have faded away. I haven't shot 3D in a decade or more. I'm completely out of touch, except for Tradgang!
Hogdancer, Upper Sardis WMA has hogs along the river bottoms and on the island between the Tallahatchie and the canal. You can only hunt during any open season on the WMA with weapons legal for the open season.
FlyFixer, do you know anything about the forks of the Tippah and Tallahatchie? You get to it off the road from Potts Camp to Cornersville. Years ago it was my favorite duck hunting area. Now there's a state boat launching ramp there. It would be a good way to access the area and get the pig out. You can get to the Tallahatchie canal through there.
Don, I put in at the ramp in the WMA. I think it is called Graham Lake waterfowl area. The ramp is very close to where the river and canal merge. It is easy access. I see you are in New Albany. I just joined a hunting club in Dumas. It looks like good deer hunting in that area. I guess I will find out in about 54 days!
I would love to hunt some hogs. There is not any on the corp land along the Ten-Tom around Columbus that I know of.
Flyfixer, Graham Lake is on the other side of the river from the forks.
Did you join Tallahatchie Stillhunting Club? Or perhaps Pinhook? I used to be in both. Have my own land now, but I'm thinking of getting back in somewhere for the fellowship. I hunt by myself around here.
Don, I joined Tallahatchie Still Hunting Club. Seems to be a good group of people. I am going up there tomorrow to do some scouting. It is going to take some time to learn that place, it is spread out.
Hogdancer, I could be talked into this if the roster can handle it and the time is right. Let me know. Grant
They don't call him the Hogdancer for nothing. he can flat put a hog hunt together>>>>--------->
joebuck you said you were in and had a place for us. I was counting on you , you would'nt let us fellow Ms. boys down would ya'
I can't swing it ..i will probably be at an Obama rally or something
Hey Thomas, that sounds like tons of fun. Consider me in provided the dates work out!!
Great Ronnie , we have some time to try and make schedules work.
If this hunt is going to materialize isn't it time some of the more important decisions to the plan were put into motion? If everyone is interested I am willing to contact the Refuge Manager at Dahomey NWR and see if they can provide us with data on the hog population there and on their movements on the refuge. If the manager does a hog census and monitors their movements with regularity we can determine where to send groups of hunters on the refuge. If private land is desired I will leave that to Featherbuster and his farming contacts. If the interest is in hunting the hogs in some other location in the state, then others will have to do the leg work in bringing the plans together.
Ha,finally some hog hunting that isn`t always " You have to pay to get the opportunity".
I may be in TN in October and would like to see MS. Never been there yet. The drive isn`t too bad either and it may be something else than killing deer :-) I guess it will be humid and hot??
Roland
RonD, that's a great idea and it would be great for you to take the lead on this and put a plan in motion, I don't know anything about Dahomey NWR . your experiance I am sure will help out.
There are a few questions that I need to ask and I am sure the refuge manager will want to know the answers as well. 1. How many people will be attending the hunt? 2. Will the hunt be on a weekend or weekdays? 3. How many days will we be hunting the refuge? It would help to know how many people are planning on attending and how many are certain they will be attending the hunt. We do need to determine whether we wiil be hunting on the weekend or weekdays. Are we going to hunt Saturday and Sunday or what day of the weekend or how many days during the week will we be hunting? My experience has been that very few people hunt Dahmoney on weekdays. I don't know about the weekends. We need to remember that we will be sharing the refuge with other hunters and the refuge personnel will not give us any special concessions as a group. We will have to hunt just like everyone else. The only special help I am hoping to get from the refuge manager is information on the hog populations and their movements on the refuge. That will aid us in deciding where different groups can begin their hunts. If there are other questions that you think are important for our consideration please post them.
I am in NE Arkansas and would be interested in coming to the hunt.
What month do we want to hold this hunt? October or sometime during the first two weeks of November? After the second week of November the gun season begins. I will be raisiing questions as we go along and as necessity dictates. I appreciate your cooperation.
I currently have three people signed up for the hunt. For those interested in camping the only camping area near Dahmomey NWR is the Great River Road State Park in Rosedale, MS. The Park is about 10 to 15 miles northwest of Dahomey off of the west side of Highway 1. I will have to check the fees they charge for camping and the type of camping they allow. We still need to vote on the other issues of: When to hunt (weekends or weekdays), the number of days we want to hunt (1,2, or 3 days), and What month to hunt (October or November archery season)? Haven't heard anything from Featherbuster regarding the possibility of hunting private land, but it takes time to check with the local farmers in this area. The only problem I see with hunting private land is the issue of liability on the part of the consenting farmer and whether they are willing to accept that responsibility. After everyone votes on the above issues I will be able to set the date for the hunt and contact the refuge manager and coordinate the hunt with him, including the purchase of the refuge hunting permits. Is there anything I have left out????
Great River Road Park is listed as closed due to flooding on MDWFP web page.
Great River Road (http://home.mdwfp.com/parks.aspx)
Magnum, it is my understanding that the park is open again since the high water receded. By October the park should be back to a normal operation. However, I will double check just to be sure. If you would like to attend that would be great. Let me know if you do and what your vote is on the questions I raised in my earlier posts.
RonD, I could probably make it for a three day weekend in October.
There're casinos about an hour's drive north, for those who don't want to rough it. :)
Ron, you are being very thorough. I suspect that a weekend will be the best time for those of us who have jobs that require our attention during the week. Later in the season would probably be better relative to pressure from deer hunters. Also, cooler weather would be better relative to care of the meat.
Having said that, I'm ready now! I hope someone comes through with some private land so we don't have to wait.
Ok Flyfixer, I recorded your vote for 3 days on a weekend. Be glad to have you come and hunt.
Ok Don, I recorded your vote and put your name on the list. Whether it will be hotter in October rather than November I don't know, so I record your vote for November and a weekend two day hunt. Thanks Don.
Everyone who plans to attend needs to vote on the number of days to hunt(2 or three), weekdays or weekend, and October or November. Remember I need to know this so I can place yout name on the list, set a date for the hunt, and coordinate it with the Refuge Manager at Dahomey. If you plan to stay at a motel in Cleveland I recommend you stay at one of the motels north of Hwy 8. I am working on the Great River Road campsite availability and what needs to be done to assure you a reservation at the State Park.
I would like to make a 3day weekend hunt. Things have been busy at work lately and will have to check to see if I can get off when the hunt is scheduled .
Got room for another MS boy? ;) .
Blue Moose we have plenty of room for you. What are you votes concerning the number of days to hunt, weekdays or weekend, and Month (October or November)?
Thanks.
I'd vote 2-3 days, weekend, no preference on month. Kudos on putting this thing together.
TM
I will vote for 3 days. I prefer weekdays, next weekday tied into the weekend, lastly weekends. Anytime in October or November sounds good to me. Probably the 2nd half of October would be better than the first half. But in a nutshell, any combination would suit me...
Thanks
Ronny, you arte now on the list and your votes have been recorded.
You guys want to photos of the caliber of hog at Dahomey go to:
http://www.mdwfp.com/forums/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=31
Go to the thread Mississippi Hog Hunt at Dahomey NWR
I'm easy--whatever works for the crowd will work for me.
Chad
Just want to keep you posted on where the hunt stands at this point. It is pretty much the consensus that the hunt be held in October. Most of use want to be in the woods deer hunting on opening day and the week after the season opens. So right now we are looking at one of the weekends in the last two weeks of October. I have the motel data collected and post it once I get everything else together. I am still workinig on the campsite information and haven't been able to get the management at the Great River Road State Park on the telephone. The State Parks phone number in Jackson is said to no longer be in service. As soon as I get the campsite information I will post it along with everything else. I think it is important that we have plenty of time before the hunt to establish personal schedules. If there is anyhing I have left out please let me know. So far we have 9 to 10 people listed for the hunt. Thank you for your cooperation in accomplishing these tasks. RonD
I have been working on the plans for the hog hunt at Dahomey NWR most of today and have come to the conclusion that the idea of everybody getting together for a hunt and to meet new people is in general a good idea, but a two or three day hunt may be logistically unrealistic. We can still have the hunt if you choose to and I am more than willing to do the legwork and data gathering for you, but I think you need to know the cost factors that will affect the decision to hold such a hunt. For someone coming from out-of-state the cost at a minimum for a two day hunt would be around $427.50 with $141.79 going for a 3-day nonresident hunting license and refuge permit. The least expensive lodging at a local motel was $129.71 for a Friday evening to 8 a.m. on Sunday morning. Now those costs do not include the cost of food, gasoline, and incidentals. Include those in the cost of the hunt and for the out-of-state hunter the total cost would be close, if not more than $600. For a Mississippi resident the total cost could run as high as $300 plus. The reason I included local motel lodging in the cost analysis is due to the fact that the Great River Road State Park is closed due to the floodwater earlier this year that damaged their electrical system. I spoke with the State Parks people at the Jackson headquarters yesterday and asked if the repairs to the electrical systems would be done by October 24, and they could only say that it was their hope to have it done by then but could not guarantee that it would be open to camping. To my way of thinking I could spend that kind of money on something more important, my family, and spend even less by hunting close to home. What I think we need to do if the Tradgang people are serious about holding the hog hunt at Dahomey would be to reduce the hunt to a one-day affair, preferably on a Saturday. If we did that the cost could be reduced substantially to the purchase of gasoline to and from home for each person attending the hunt, and maybe the cost of a few incidentals. For out-of-state people the cost would still be high considering the high cost of the nonresident hunting license, but it would be cheaper than the two day hunt plan. Based on the costs outlined above it is each person's decision as to what they choose to do. It could be reduced to a one-day hunt and whether one comes on Friday and spends the night is entirely their decision. Even if they came on Friday and stay until Sunday before returning home it would still be their decision to make. In such a case I would help them with a continuation of the two-day hunt. Most of us do not own nor have access to private land to hunt so we look to the public resources for our opportunities. Lawyers, lobbyists, and legislators have made it almost impossible for private landowners to open up their land for hunting due to the potential for lawsuits and liabilities associated with such practices. The good old days of asking a farmer for permission to hunt his land are gone and more than likely will never return. An entire hunting industry has emerged from this lack of opportunity for the non-land owner to hunt and has had a profound impact on us as hunters as well as wildlife in general.
At the present time I do not know how many of the nine people who are on the list to attend the hunt are serious about having such a hunt. There is really no point in having a hunt if people are not going to follow through with the plan. And of course plans can be difficult to carry out, especially when people feel like they are becoming more work than fun. The only way I know to determine if people are serious about an activity is by whether or not they show up and experience has taught me that people more often than not do not show up. So, it's kind of a frustrating situation that I find myself in when putting this hunt together. As of today I have not had the opportunity to speak with the Refuge Manager concerning information about the hog population and their movements on the refuge. Should we seriously decide to hold the hunt we will probably have to find the hogs by finding the fields in which they root, the trails to and from the fields, waterholes, wallows, bedding areas, rubs, and other hog sign. For all I know the refuge management may not keep a census on the hog population nor monitor their movements on the refuge. If we do hold the hunt I will do my best to get that information from the refuge manager and pass it on to you by the first of October. It is my opinion, and only my opinion, that we hold the hunt on Saturday, October 25, 2008 and try to be in the field by 8 a.m. I think most people would like to have the first two weeks of the opening of the season to hunt deer in their usual haunts close to home with family and friends. For those who will be attending the hunt it is your responsibility to contact the refuge manager and obtain the required hunting permit, his e-mail address is alejandro_galvan@fws.gov.
Like I said at the outset, the idea of getting together out of friendship is a good idea, but the organizational complexity of such an activity only complicates the endeavor. For medical reasons I am unable to draw a bow and will not be able to participate in the hunt itself, however, I would still like to meet the people whose posts I read on the Tradgang forum. SO! If people still want to have the hunt and reduce it to a one-day affair, or for that matter continue with a two day hunt, give me some of your suggestions in making this event really happen and be a success based on what we originally set out to accomplish ....simply getting together and having fun? In effect I am putting the primary decision-making responsibility for the hunt in your hands where it should have been from the very beginning. We still have a little less than two months to put everything together and finalize it. What say you lads of the bow?
Ron Dodge (RonD)
Some things to know about hunting at Dahomey NWR:
Hunter Orange required- 500 square inches unbroken minimum for all hunts.
NO dogs for any reason.
NO 4-wheelers, not even on a trailer.
NO handguns, any time.
Each hunter must obtain a permit, and in addition fill out a "User Information Card" daily.
Everyone who plans to hunt should definitely go to the Dahomey web site http://www.fws.gov/dahomey/ and read all of the hunting regulations.
Don
Don, all public lands are highly regulated by the state or federal government and for good reason .... the destructiveness of some people and the fact that most systems are multiple use systems requiring rules for safety and environmental protection purposes. The private land owner has trespass laws to the protect the habitat and wildlife on their land. The NWR and WMA have their rules protecting habitat and wildlife under their care. It all balances out. All of the Tradgang members who have signed up for the hunt have been notified by e-mail of the dates, time, lodging availability, and requirements for attending the hunt. If I have missed anyone, please e-mail me and I will put you on the list and send you the information you will need for the hunt.