I drew Lake Mineral Wells SP for a December hunt. I read some old post that were positive, just curious if anyone has had any recent experience there. Thanks

I hunted there the last year it wss a GDA only Hunt...ummm 5-6 years ago.

Tightly controlled SP that backs up to a Prison. With umm 10 hunters I think we had a 75=85% succes rate. Most every one that scored took multiple does. My 1st blind was next to a guy 400 yards away that shot a box of 30-30's in the 1st afternoon session and couldn't hit nuthin...with his food plot 50-60 yards in front of him. I sat my same blind in the 1st AM Hunt next morning, after offering to fix his scope that was loose in the mounts - had tools and boresighter with me as always...and he sez I'll do it myself...and shot another 8-10 rounds the next morning...and I asked to be moved, and got a blind that had already tagged out with 3 deer in the 1st 2 Hunt periods.

I scored a nice mature spike - 8 3/4"s & 9"'s - late that afternoon that had 8-10 deer in his mob, and a mature dry doe on the final morning hunt that was the largest of the 6-7 does she was with. Biggest problem both times was getting a clean shot for all the other critters milling around, as these were all in small herd groups. Never saw singles/doubles wandering around by them selves.

Not big deer at LMW, but I saw a stud I almost thought about taking early in that 1st PM Hunt, and later had a big spike make me in the flimsy 3 sided 4x8 sheets of plywood blinds when stepped out from the bush mext to me he dang near put his nose on the end of my gun trying to figure me out....and eased off confused, disappering into the nearby brush line & later saw him again feeding with a herd 400+ yards out...I'd really liked to have taken him as I like knobby knarly looking bigger mature bucks where there is no arguments whether or not he was gonna make a good shooter next year. Oh, take your own chair and a camo drape for the blind....and some corn too.

I donated my left over corn when I checked out. Staff is great to work with, and committed to your safety and having a successful Hunt.

The staff will put you out & pick you up, with about 5-6 hour morning hunt & a 4/5+ hour PM hunt...which is a good thing as they drive you thru the heavily fenced & gated old live fire zones that still has unexpoded ordinance found every time it rains... and is still used by the Nat'l Guard troops too, I think.

This is a very easy meat hunt, almost in town & drive thru the Ft Wolters Main Gate, with the food plots corned regularly by staff, who also allow you to sweeten the Plot, which I did & both of my deer came from those Sweet spots.

I've put in for this hunt every year since then, and will continue to as long as I can see to pull the trigger better than that old hyper determined geezer.

FWIW those initial blinds were around on the far back side of the SP property & mine had a 3-400 yard view looking n'west from a mesquite tree line, surrounded on 3 sides by hard hunted & fed private property ..and where the stud I saw was headed for when he jumped the SP's fence, then moseyed around in the brush lines and went back over the fence. I counted him as a 10 pt middle aged critter 4-6 years old, no Roman Nose guy, but already a little sway backed and paunchy at the 175/200 yards he stopped at to look at me....and made me nervous to watch any more - The Hunt Mgr was a Commissioned TPW Cop and carry's an AR as well as his side arm. The other blinds I saw as we put out other hunters, were all 150 yard max shots & the avg kill shot was an easy peasy 75-100 yards.

It's a "real thrill" driving in behind the prison to get to the SP's Service Area that is the Hunt HQ location...under the watchful eye's of the guard towers with guys carrying AR's looking you over at under 300 yards....in the dark every morning & evening.
Ron

The prison is no more. Just an empty building.

That's GTK, as I was really a little spooked couple times in the way in & out.

The Hunt Mgr agreed that the SP had enough deer to offer a GDE Hunt, but wanted that Hunt to go to a Youth Hunt, and then mebbe a GDA depending on remaining herd size..or do something I liked, in gotta take a Doe 1st before being allowed to take a Buck. Sez his biggest problem with a GDE was no one was taking does around them, and they were eat up most years with left over Does from the surrounding Lease's, where the Buck only harvest was overwhelming the SP's carrying capacity.
Ron

Deer eat the prisoners ??? Raise more deer !!!

Thanks for the information WC. Very appreciated.

I lived in Mineral Wells for several yrs and guided for Wounded Warrior Project. There are plenty of does and some really nice bucks on the base.

I'd say 90% sucess rate on does. There are a whole lot of scrub bucks, Palo Pinto is an AR County.

I've seen some decent bucks taken and one Hoss that still stands out in my mind. A typical 8 with awesome mass.

Good luck