Just talked to a staff member to confirm my check in time for tomorrow morning , and get an update of last weeks harvest....10 hunters scored 2 Axis last week.

The nice lady also gave me an update for the weather that is almost enough to make me abandon this Hunt, with the Harvest report or bring some Bermuda Shorts to go with my rain suit and Muk Luk's . But I've already spent the money getting prepped so with no expectations of any kind of success .... I'll make the 8+ hour trip this evening to arrive by 10 am tomorrow for Check In On Time

She also said they have a very restrictive policy on Deer Corn, primarily to protect the Turkey population with no apparent concern for the 4 footed crowd's needs...so I've already got couple hunnert pounds of corn loaded in the truck I'll probably bring home, and donate to the new Neches River project next week.

Classic Case of "Best Laid Plans of Mice & Men" BS...IMO

Gonna have to stop putting in for these way out of the way Glamour Hunts for sure. FYI I'd put in for 6 previous Hunts @ SLRSP starting in late November at SLRSP before this Last Hunt of the season where I got drawn on the 2nd Round and will not put in for any of the Hunts anywhere the 2nd Half of the season, like this years last time any more, could it be something to the "cubing" program ??? dunno

Mebbe some lot's smarter than I am THF'er could explain the "cubing program" where I could understand it.

Ya'll have a nice Day...YaHear.
Ron

Get there early and stay late. what is their policy on corn?

Something about the corn's tag needed to state that it was safe, with a 60 billion rating for a chemical that is dangerous to turkeys, but not dangerous to EXO's or Wt's.
I told her that the corn I'd bought was from the primary source of Farm animal food in Anderson County, and that the biologist for Gus Engeling WMA who lives 3 doors from me I feel certain would have made an issue about it at Engling that would have made the local Newspaper like everything else that happens at Gus does, and I've never heard of the problem with anyone who's ever hunted Gus.
She said the 60 billion thing was a firm policy of SLRSP, as care of the turkeys was the SP's prime interest and we hung up when I said I'll see you in the morning at Check in at 10am.

Got an 8-10 hour drive tonite, and am loading the truck right now, will get some dinner shortly for a 6pm departure.
Ron

From the hunt description. "Assigned Blind; Corn must be in original container, and marked as having 30 ppb aflotoxin or less."
She probably reminded you of the corn having 30ppb or less aflotoxin. Any bagged corn that has the label on it will have the aflotoxin level listed and will be below that. Just don't remove the label. You should be able to use your corn as long as the label shows less than 30ppb on it.

Cubed points means for example if you have 10 loyalty points. 10x10x10 = 1000 points. You will now have 1000 drops in the hat.

Stay with it. Should be some good game movement between the rain storms. And if your still there a day or two before the front hits, expect game movement as the barometer starts to change.

Since it is assigned blind, be sure to take a cushion or two to sit on to make it more comfortable to stay longer or to use to adjust your sitting height to the windows of the blind. Some of these types of assigned blind type drawn hunts, there is just a plastic lawn chair or folding metal chair.

Good luck. I'm rooting for you to have a successful hunt.

Got the seating thing covered so's I can sleep in the blind if necessary. I am minutes away from departure and the poor old Ford Super Crew looks like it was the Joads goin to Cali instead of me goin to the Hill Country ... The BH is worrid I ain't comin back too LOLOL . After 50+ years she knows me toooo well.
Ron

Hey Ron,

Were waiting for an update on your hunt.

I got home about 3 hours ago in anticipation of a very heavy rain event and have been unloading the truck before the real rain hits...as it is sprinkling already when the weather guesser's had said was not due until 9PM'ish here in Dogwood City. I started for home very early this morning , and left Junction a little after 5 am via 1-10 east bound in a dense fog that I thought was reminicent of my days living in North & Central Florida & running I -95 in heavy fog almost every week.

So Here Go's
Yes there is still active construction going on in the Park but IMO those guys are doing a tolerable job while the Hunt activities take place apparently without any issues between everybody. The Host's are new...Bob & Dorie Bruce, "Volunteers/ Park Hosts" is what the business card title sez, and were the best surprise of the trip kinda delightful folks who were never more appreciated by everyone I saw, who had any conversation or need for any thing...a very very unusual thing at a number of TPW Hunts I've participated at over the years ...I would be happy to entertain these folks in my home or any where else any time.

I hunted 2 days at Blind #12 , "in the middle Valley" where it is super brushy and heavily forested... Most of the action seemed to be up north where 1 Axis was taken on the 1st day & to my knowledge possibly the only Axis taken, but I did hear a reference to a 2nd Axis taken from Bob, while we were wrestling with the hog, , but cannot confirm this.

I did take a decent sized Hog ...Bob and I guessed him at around 150lb's or a tad more when we put him the bed of my truck in the garden cart I'd brought for just that purpose. Yesterday late I had an opportunity at 3 mature WT Does ...very Big Girls with 5-6 fawns tagging along. But with the weather becoming more of a factor to get one of them processed the later the day got... and the possibility/probability of the little guys starving to death without Mama, I passed at taking a couple 75 yard gimme shots and let the the Girls eat their fill on the pile of corn I'd put out in peace. Both the hog & the WT's had passed on corn that I'd scattered lightly the evening before, but came readily to a couple inch+ deep "football" shaped piles I put out yesterday morning. Knowing my wife would & WILL NOT eat Wild Hog for love or money, I gave it to Bob to distribute as he would.


Speaking of Corn...I'm guessing it was the Park Manager, wearing a 45ACP and in uniform, at the end of the orientation who inspected everyone's corn, looking for info about an ingredient level I'd never heard having a mandatory min/max level, and refused my corn that did not have the necessary information printed on the tag or anywhere on the bag . The ? was asked why ,and answered with what they were looking for was a certain level of a certain chemical to protect the Turkey population, that Walter Buck, the original owner of the property, was so proud of his success with establishing a viable Wild Turkey population , therefore in his Honor TPW would protect the Turkey population like he had.

I brought the corn I'd bought here in Palestine, home with me and will offer it to the guy running the new Neches project asap.

Am I satisfied with this Hunt?...too many issues to give this Hunt a fair shake or opinion, but I will continue to put in for this Hunt or any other "Quality Hunt as aggressively as I did to win this Hunt...or anywhere else Bob & Dorie land. I just won't put in for Hunts anywhere at the very end of the season again. You "buy" an education. South Llano River State Park IMO is still a premier location for any out door activities, regardless of how many critters you bring home. I feel like I'm at home and at peace there. Not many places of any kind do that for me.
Ron

'Glad you're home. 'Sorry you didn't get an axis. I need some of that corn that kills turkeys. 'Wish there was a MLD program for 'em. A sneaky member on here that was at my place counted 100, again, at one of my blinds 2 weeks ago. I'm, I'd guess, about 25 miles NNW of the park.

Glad to hear you made it back home before weather got bad. Sorry to hear you didn't get an exotic on your hunt, but glad you got the hog and saw white tails. Will get with you after weather clears up ref bullets.

SLRSP is one of my bucket list hunt destinations. Sorry you didnt get a chance at an axis. As far as the corn requirements, it's pretty standard for all TPWD hunts and is listed in the hunt description.

Nice

Salth2o, thanks for pointing that corn notation out as I had never noticed it before. No where else in the TPW system I've hunted has this mandatory law on corn. My feed store here in Palestine who furnish's corn for half a dozen TPW Hunts in his service area will I'm sure will have a strong comment. As far a being as a place on your bucket list, I wish you all the best in the world.

I hunted SLRSP 23/25? years ago for the 1st time and I was the only hunter who scored an Axis on that hunt with I think with a few more than the 10 hunters max this latest Hunt allowed. It has only taken 21 years of App's per year for me to win this latest Entry I finally scored. But I'd rather go there than any other Hunt in the system.

I wish I could hunt the ranch behind the Blue Hole again, but my BiL who was the lease holder I was a guest of, has passed...he was who introduced me to SLRSP as we drove past it coming or going to Houston or Dallas.

The reports on Garner are tickling my interest again, after I promised myself that I'd never allow myself to be treated that way again...Old Promises & Habits are hard to change.
Ron

Glad you got home safe. Sounds like you had a good time and that’s all that matters.

You bet.

My son hunted Garner and there is a new ranger there now. He is a great guy. totally different experience than in years past.

[b][/b]

Gonna put in for every hunt date in every SP that mentions EXO's available... So ....is Sambar good to eat? dang those things are HUGE! or Nilghi steaks good to eat?

I know Axis are what it's all about for keeper freezer space....but what about Sika and Fallow? I'd luv to put a big Fallow head on the wall...but freezer food comes first

Even the BH who used to whine about eating the dead things I brought home, is on board ...she must be gettting really old ... or is just getting me outta the house hmmmm? Might look at putting game camera's around the house???? With both of us gonna be 78 next deer season you can't be too careful or stay away too long....or she cash's MY SS checks.
Ron

Ron, I see your still fired up to hunt.
Sambar are good to eat. Less gamey than whitetail IMO. Mine was a little tough, but that may be more related to it being an older stag. Sausage made from it was great. Because it is one of the most popular hunts TPWD has, the odds to draw this one are not good. Over 80 people show up just to try for standby spots. In the EXO category, you will be down to one point now since you drew the Llano this year. When I drew Powderhorn I had 27 points cubed and did not draw it the year before with 26 points cubed. I don't think Axis are real plentiful on that one. No one on my hunt saw one, but I do see pictures of them on the Powderhorn Facebook page. I suspect they come and go and spend most of the time in a different area of the WMA than the Sambar.

Know that the draws that have Nilgai are Federal areas that are not in the TPWD draw system. They have a lot of people on those hunt and might be run a little different. Be sure to search up old posts on here and other Texas based hunting forums to know what your getting into with those. Yes, I hear Nilgai are good to eat.

Also know that unfortunately with some of those deer drawn hunts that just because they list exotics as legal game, it does not mean there is much of a huntable population of exotics there. If that is what your after be sure to read online articles about those WMAs and old forum posts from those who have been there, as well as checking prior year drawn hunt harvest statistics so you can get an idea if they are really present or only added just in case someone sees that needle in a haystack animal.

Good luck next season. We got a whole year to wait now.

My son was on a hunt just south of SLRSP this weekend. He killed an axis doe and a whitetail doe. We saw two axis crossing the highway near the park entrance.

It's a bucket list hunt destination for me.

If I could find the owner of the pasture around the corner from the Leon County gun range I use...I might be able to just BUY some Axis...there is almost always a sizable herd inside that high fence of his that backs up to the RR track.
Ron

SJ...yes I am fired up to be able to hunt again after VA Dallas cost me the usability of my right shoulder, and being a cripple for over 10 years....to quote the PT lady who did the electro stimulus test in Bonham and said after an hour + of probing with the 2 electric leads...all you've got is non stretchable shoe leather for tendons & mush for muscles Get used to being a cripple".

About 2 years ago this spring the local VA CBOC doc said I've got a new PA tech guy on board who says he might be able to help your condition with a steroid shot he says works. I let the PA give me the shot that day, and it worked to clear up the left over bone spurs from the last surgery that VA Dallas had botched in removing a 23 oz tumor off the side of my neck and extracting the roots from around my spinal cord . 10 minutes after the steroid shot I could lift my hand to full extension over my head for the first time in 9+ years, and reach full extension to the side. Then I asked him a ? about how often can I have another shot...he said every 3-6 months...and I've never had to have another one so far. Every year since then my strength & tolerance for joint pain has improved, wrestling Antique furniture.

As I am gonna be 78 years old this fall, I'm going to the rifle range as often as possible, and looking for hunting opportunities whenever & wherever possible. All those wasted years that Dallas VA cost me haunt's me every day.
Ron