Anybody else headed for the hunt period starting tomorrow?

Anybody been on one of the earlier ones willing to share a report?

On a squirrel hunt alone some years ago, I decided to
use my Contender for some sport. Can't remember if
I used the 22 or 410 barrel. Single shot pistol either way.
On the south part on the west side of the road between
the one lake and the "Y" north of the main entrance,
probably midway between the road and the west boundary
fence I topped a rise and there were probably a dozen
feral dogs laying where they had probably bedded down.
Luckily I didn't have to shoot, but we had a very long long
stare down before they quit growling and slowly went away.

Don't hunt there alone and carry a slow loading single
shot handgun
Lots of fat tree rats to be had, or there was a decade
or more ago

Fairly enjoyable place if there's no methheads there.

Good Luck

The wild dogs. Man, that sucks. “Back in the day” my (much older than me) stepbrother and his friends used to bait and spotlight packs of feral dogs. This was in the early 90’s, in what you would call a suburb of Dallas and technically within the city limits. But the feral dogs were vicious and sometimes did not even growl, they would just sneak out of the shadows and bite you at night. They can be vicious, you got lucky.

Walking at night in a semi rural trailer park you always carry a good sized rock.

Thanks for the response. To follow up. No squirrels seen, but I did not go back after the first day. I ended up duck hunting someplace else. The big freeze year, same one that hurt the dove population, really hurt the squirrel population. They are recovering, but not back to what they were yet. It also seems to be a bit more overgrown than I remember it. I wonder if they are doing less controlled burns. Places I had found lots of squirrels pre freeze had none the day I was there. But I got some good scouting in for other stuff and my dog had fun. I have been hunting there for different game since the early 1980s and find new areas in there every time I go. No methheads seen either. They keep the gate closed during the hunt and give you the combination.

Squirrels this time of year are scarce anyways. All the ones left over at this point have some smarts. Me and my oldest daughter only saw one squirrel today and he was bounding in the opposite direction out of a little patch of soybeans about 200 yards away.

Earlier in the fall the young dumb ones still let you get in shotgun range before they run off. But the dumb ones have all been killed by now, the ones leftover have been stalked by everything from us to owls to coyotes and farming equipment. All God’s creatures are wary by now.

Does anyone know if the campground off of 473 fills up before the May opener?

Opening weekend it may have a little crowd. But I doubt it will fill up. If you go after opening weekend I doubt you will be anybody there.

Do you have a report Sniper John? Did you go on the Drawn Hunt? I’d like to know what the process was like and if anyone had any success. I started my small-game hunting journey in earnest a year-and-a-half ago at Gus Engeling but I haven’t been back.

I put in for it because I was doing some unrelated hunting in the same area that week and wanted it for a backup plan. I did go the first day. There was also a drawn duck hunt concurrent so one could have put in standby for both if they wanted. I saw no squirrels the first day. Only rabbits. And did not go back. I covered a lot of ground with dog. Much of the squirrel population took a huge hit during the extended freeze two or three winters ago. The population has not fully recovered yet.

Thanks for the update. Was your dog busting the rabbits? Or did you just see them as you were looking for squacks? I squirrel hunt by myself 30-40 days a year, mostly stalk-see-stand hunt, and I’m trying to get better at rabbit hunting. It’s been very humbling. I’ve got a pretty good idea of how to get on the squirrels, but the rabbits have mostly eluded me. I didn’t really grow up hunting, so I don’t have a lot of experience to draw on.

I’m looking for a WMA to take my oldest son out to do some East Texas small-game hunting in May. Maybe I should pick somewhere other than Gus. I’ll post a question in a separate thread.