anyone out there hunt in this area?

Did once last year, saw a few does running then about five minutes later the guy that scared them walked by!

The wife and I went on opening weekend. Man was that a bad idea. We saw one mature doe and a lot of people. Needless to say I shot nothing. But there was alot of shooting

I'm planning on going to Caddo this weekend, probably Sunday morning. I have never been there. Hopefully it won't be too crowded this late in the season. Any suggestions on which unit is better, Bois D'Arc or Ladonia? From looking at Google Earth, I'm thinking Bois D'Arc...but without seeing it up close I'm not sure.

MojoTexas, if you wouldnt mind, could you post your experience next week to let us know how it goes. Im very interested in this caddo area not only for deer, but for spring eastern turkey....... i have never been up there but its not too far from the home which peaks the curiousity

92, which area did you guys go to, the ladonia unit or the other? any tips or suggestions for a new deer hunter here. did you just sit against a tree, pop up blind?

92, which area did you guys go to, the ladonia unit or the other? any tips or suggestions for a new deer hunter here. did you just sit against a tree, pop up blind?

I'm interested to know as well. I have a buddy that was thinking on hunting there next year.

There is deer there, you really have to work for them though. Some really pretty creek bottoms in there, awesome looking place. The turkey hunting sucks, don't waste time!

I will definitely let y'all know how it goes. I will probably just try to do some stalking and glassing, hoping to see a nice buck before he sees me.

I have been hunting the LBJ grasslands just north of decatur, I think it is great looking area.. I have seen a few, but no shooting opportunity..

Anybody know if there are many hogs in the Caddo/LBJ areas?

I'm mostly hunting for deer this weekend but I've been wanting to do some hog hunting too, especially once deer season is over.

I am inserted in this as well. I am headed out to Caddo on Monday or Wednesday and see what happens. I ill post what happens.

I am also interested in the hogs and one know where a good place to find them at Caddo is?

We hunted at Bois D Arch. This is my first year hunting on public land and on the weekend we went we saw some big does and the tail ends of some bucks but it was overly crowded and I think I will wait till bow season starts to go back. There is some nice topography there and plenty of signs of both deer and hogs. I seen some 6 and 8 pointers during scouting during bow season but didn't shoot anything during gun up there. Good luck to everyone as this was my last weekend hunting till next season. Happy holidays to everyone

I went to the Bois D'Arc unit of Caddo today. Got there right at sun-up, and did some stalk-hunting along the west side of Lake Crockett. I thought I heard some deer grunts, but it could've been another hunter or it could've been the wind making the trees creak. I didn't see anything, nor did I see any deer signs. I did, however, see lots of scuffed up leaves where hogs have been rooting for acorns.

There was a LOT of shooting early in the morning to the south-west. I don't think it was deer hunters. With deer hunters, you usually hear a single shot, occasionally two. This was more like, "BAM...BAM...BAMBAMBAM...BAM!" My guess is that it was either duck hunters, or someone just target shooting with their rifle or shotgun. It was definitely a semi-auto, because I don't know anybody that can work a pump or a bolt-action as fast as they were shooting. It pretty much stopped after a couple of hours.

About 11:00 am I bailed on the Lake Crockett area, and headed up to the northeast corner of the huntable area, down County Rd 2325. This area looked better to me, with the holy trinity of open ground, heavy cover, and water. I didn't see any deer but saw a few signs of hogs. Back in the woods, along the western boundary of that little area I found a box blind erected along the fence just on the other side of the property line, on private property. I couldn't tell if it was occupied so I moved on as quietly as could. It kind of bothered me a little...if you have private land, why do you need to hunt the public land too? The box blind is in a great spot, but if it's occupied by the private hunters it means that you can't really hunt that little area on the public side without conflict.

All in all it was a good day doing some "armed hiking" (as one of my hunting buddies calls it). Since it was my first time there, I was mostly wanting to scout out the area. This late in the season the area has received a lot of hunting pressure, so I'm reasonably sure the big bucks are mostly nocturnal there this late in the season. The fact that the wind was blowing pretty good didn't help either.

I think I might try going back out after the end of deer season and seeing if I can find some of the hogs in the area. As far as the deer go...I'm going to wait until archery season next year and try my luck before it gets all the pressure from rifle season. I saw plenty of good spots for a climbing tree-stand.

Happy holidays to everyone!

I hunted Caddo after high school from 1999 - 2006 before I had the money to get on a lease. It is tough hunting. We generally hunted Bois D' Arc area but we always went in at gate 19 near Monkstown. You can generally stay away from the crowds in that area, but it is primitive camping. All in all we took a buck, a doe, and probably 10-15 hogs. I know a guy who killed a 200+ on private land near Caddo a few years back. A 182 double drop double split brow buck was taken near the Ladonia unit this November by a neighbor of a friend. We always hunted the BoisDArc creek bottom. There are several stands of cane on the creek bank that the hogs love.

I've hunted Caddo on and off since the 80's. It gets lots of pressure, and there are some good deer. TYou just have to put in the time scouting and lots of hiking to find the good ones. Last time I was there, which was last year, I saw a lot of hogs and heard several turkeys. However, I only saw one buck that may, may not have been a shooter. It was really too close to call, so I passed. It's not the same since they closed all the roads off, like at gate 19. Used to, you could drive back in the woods as far as you could, and the hunting was better.

Good Luck hunting in that area. Way too much pressure and small population of deer. Hogs are abundant though. Do your homework before you go.

"Armed hiking",that's a good one! I usually refer to my hunting trips as "glorified birdwatching".

Thanks Swampthang! I had another good day of armed hiking today, this time at the Ladonia unit. Same song, second verse. Got there shortly after sun-up, and did some still-hunting against the wind.

I saw even more hog signs this time...fresh tracks and rooting areas, but no live animals. Didn't see any deer or deer signs. I may give it a month or so until deer season is well over, and then go back out there to try to get some feral hogs.

Still it was a great day in God's Country (TEXAS) away from traffic and people and noise. Saw some hawks, some turkey vultures, and lots of smaller birds. I got some much-needed peace and quiet in nature after a couple of days of chaotic family for Christmas.

God bless you all...and happy new year!

A friend of mine is trying to sell me 2 lots that back up to unit 14 at caddo grasslands west side of Crockett
Anyone know how's the hunting and pressure this area has

I was just up there in the Caddo this past weekend. There was nothing not even a squirrel. I did however run into a few old guys who were up at the unit 19 that were just camping. They told me that they haven't seen anything in a long time and they have been hunting there for to dang long. lol Anyone else know of a unit that has better luck for a first time deer hunter. I would really like the opportunity to put something in the freezer for the family. Any imput would be great. Thanks.

We saw some deer at the Ladonia unit a couple of years ago, but I think it was because someone on an adjoining property was running feeders. I hunted out there quite a bit last season and didn't see squat. I've given up on Caddo for deer.

Im not gonna give up on it. I just need to do some more scouting and get out deeper. I was kind of being a chicken about getting out deeper due to the fact that there is no cell service up there. I didn't want to get injured and not get rescued. Next time I go up there I am going to make sure to take a gps with me and mark my trails. I saw some hog rooting and whalers but no pigs. I know they are there just need to pinpoint them. I just wish someone would be able to guide me in the right direction and what units are doing better than others.

I do a lot of hunting by myself, and after I nearly got my 4WD truck stuck on a back road with no cell coverage, I went out and bought myself one of those Spot GPS messengers.

They aren't cheap, and you have to buy the service plan, but it lets you basically communicate via satellite. When I'm hunting, I use it to send an "Everything is okay and this is where I am" message to my wife, and I also have the option to basically send a SOS message if I get injured and need the cavalry.

I've never really NEEDED it, but it gives me peace of mind.

This is what I have, I think:
http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=102