Home made if possible but if not I'm not picky.  Ha. Ha.  I need to consult "the boss" but let me see what I have coming up.  I could probably break away for a day to familiarize my self with the area or areas.  I can be to most of those places in an hour and a half or less.

I talked to the hunting coordinator at Blackwater NWR and found him very helpful.  His name and number are on the website.  Ditto the comments about blood trailing.  I made a good shot on one from a treestand and saw him go down in the marsh, but if I hadn't seen him go down, I don't know that I would have found him.  The thick coat and the marsh make for terrible blood trailing.

blood trailing is a no go in the water an once they hit the fragmite it is a real job. when they run through it they dont even leave a hole.

Keefer you in for breakfast we aint that far from Kbetts may we can come up with a meeting spot

Drive bestpitch ferry road in the evening and look for tracks where deer go through the ditch and cross the road.  There is a band of woods between the road and the marsh that holds a lot of deer. There is thick cover and phrag in there. You could also park in the state boat launch on bestpitch and walk the edge of the woods around there. Chesapeake forestlands at henry's crossroads would be good too. You can do a lot of scouting on google earth. I'd be happy to help how I can, but my time is pretty tight. If you are considering this for 2010, a few days on either side of October 15th is usually peak rut. There is still plenty of time left this year too.  Feel free to pm me if you want more info. This is a very doable DIY hunt. The deer are ubiquitous and there is virtually no where you don't have a chance of seeing one. If you use a canoe keep in mind the wind and tides and be prepared to paddle in the dark.

For following a sika after a shot in deeper water, they leave a trail of bubbles from the methane gas in the mud. Also, cloudy water usually stays around until drier ground is reached and blood can be seen on a leaf or pine needle.

I have found good hunting at Fishing Bay before and after the gun seasons. There may be snow in January but it usually doesn't last more than a day or two. They move a good bit then and are easier to see them before being seen.

Ditch crossings may seem too obvious to hunt but they have been fairly reliable for me. My favorite place to hunt out of a stand is at a ditch where the sikas are moving to or from the marsh and higher ground. The next time I see a forecast for a higher than usual tide, I'm calling off work and going to that ditch!

Cambridge Diner on Rt 50 has good food at cheap prices during the week.  Good place to meet and centrally located.

Quit tempted to do it in the future. Especially if I can get someone here to carpool with me.  It looks to be about an 7 or 8 hour drive.

Charlie

Ed(plumber)I got your pm but I'm on a holiday in Sky Valley GA and for some reason I couldn't reply to the PM on my Blackberry. Email me at joe@deangelisagency.com.   My email is working...thanks!

hello the gang ! in 2005 i was lucky enough to shoot a sika ! that was my very first traditionnal harvest.



In some Hills of south of france there are living free on public land with some quota to shoot ...

i was not hunting them and it's just a pure hasard ... but i'm thinking to try again and very interested by "bugling" during the rut, what instrument do you use please ?

thank you

Kib

Someone else is going to have to answer this one.  I'm still a newbie to this.  I believe they are made locally by a few.

there is only one  call I use an it is a doug wigfield .I may have the last name off by a letter or to But its real close. they run anywhere from 35-50 dollars.

This is one hunt I wish I would have done when I lived close by -- 500 miles.  Now that I am 4,000 miles, well, I dunno!??!?!

From an   Outdoor Life article  :

QuoteFrom cow talk to bugles, Wigfield's "Sika Seducer" is an open-reed call capable of reproducing all the sounds you're likely to hear in sika country. ($34.95, plus $5.95 shipping and handling; includes instructional CD; 410-742-1445)  

thank's you ! i'm looking forward now with those informations

Assuming you scouted an area this year and found good sign and activity, would that spot still be a decent bet next year or do they tend to move to different areas year to year? If they do move from area to area, or if some areas can go hot or cold, what time of year next year, would be a good time to scout for a 2010 hunt?

These deer like a very certain terain wet, thick an wet " O " an did mention thick.I guess they relocate from time to time but for the most part they stay in a genral area. some of my buddys have leased land since the 1970 an they always have the deer there.I have heard that if they get alot of pressure.they will leave.but I dont think under normal hunting conditions this will happen.we set out trail cameras an always kill or see the bucks we have on film.