Anyone hunt SHNF? Recently moved to area and looking for any suggestions. Can you site in rifle anywhere in forest or hunting only? Live near Conroe area. Also interested in multi use trails for ATVs.
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Sam Houston National Forest
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Last: 6 yr ago by JSKolache
I've hunted squirrels and ducks there. Lots of other hunters out there. That's all I can say about it.
Sighting a rifle in on pub land sounds like a bad idea
If it is allowed I'm sure I can find somewhere safe to sight a gun in. Place is like 165,000 acres.
From what I've read In the past you cannot Target practice or anything like that in the forest. You use to be able to but because people never cleaned up after themselves and took all sorts of junk out there to blast away they said no more.
About 4 years ago, I had a very stressful October & early November, so I took a day to recoup after Thanksgiving. Saturday morning between 7am and noon, I had planned a 15 mile hike across the Sam Houston National Forest. I was going to do the "balloon" trail, except bushwack a mile and then catch a different leg of the southwest loop to get back to my truck.
I was wearing a bright blue coat & was making no effort to conceal myself. About 8:15, I rounded a bend in the creek and found myself staring at a scoped rife held by an orange-clad deer hunter, about 25 or 30 yards away. I hit the deck. No rounds fired. He immediately called out a greeting & pointed the rifle in the air. At that time, I had NO idea that hunting was allowed in SHNF. He explained that my cadence & speed sounded like 3 or 4 does, following closely together. No harm, no foul.
As far as I know, it is still allowed. But be careful! Unlike private land where pedestrians would be tresspassers, in the forest pedestrians have as much right to be there as you.
I was wearing a bright blue coat & was making no effort to conceal myself. About 8:15, I rounded a bend in the creek and found myself staring at a scoped rife held by an orange-clad deer hunter, about 25 or 30 yards away. I hit the deck. No rounds fired. He immediately called out a greeting & pointed the rifle in the air. At that time, I had NO idea that hunting was allowed in SHNF. He explained that my cadence & speed sounded like 3 or 4 does, following closely together. No harm, no foul.
As far as I know, it is still allowed. But be careful! Unlike private land where pedestrians would be tresspassers, in the forest pedestrians have as much right to be there as you.
I have hunted there for over 15 years. There are good size deer in the area, but you have to find a spot where other hunters aren't willing to go if you want to find one. People pretty much shoot any legal buck out there no matter what age.
Be sure that you don't leave anything in the woods(game cams, climbing stands, etc.) overnight. I have had tons of stuff stolen from my spots recently. Years ago, I wouldn't think twice about leaving my climbing stand stashed in the brush after an evening hunt knowing I would be back for the morning hunt. That is no longer an option.
Be sure you wear your orange and don't be upset if hikers or folks on ATVs spoil your hunt. As stated above, they have just as much of a right to be there as you. I have had plenty walk/ride right under my stand while I was hunting. The look on their face is priceless when they realize there is a man with a gun in the tree above them.
Be sure that you don't leave anything in the woods(game cams, climbing stands, etc.) overnight. I have had tons of stuff stolen from my spots recently. Years ago, I wouldn't think twice about leaving my climbing stand stashed in the brush after an evening hunt knowing I would be back for the morning hunt. That is no longer an option.
Be sure you wear your orange and don't be upset if hikers or folks on ATVs spoil your hunt. As stated above, they have just as much of a right to be there as you. I have had plenty walk/ride right under my stand while I was hunting. The look on their face is priceless when they realize there is a man with a gun in the tree above them.
Keep in mind there's also a lot of private property scattered about in there but if they want it recognized it should be marked or fenced.
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Hunting there is nice on weekdays, these days I value my life too much to venture out there on the weekend during rifle season. As stated above the key is finding spots far enough from a road that nobody else bothers to go there.
They really oughta mark the trailheads better with "it's hunting season, you don't have to wear orange if you're not hunting...but you should"
They really oughta mark the trailheads better with "it's hunting season, you don't have to wear orange if you're not hunting...but you should"
Do you have to check in or just go out there and hunt?
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just go hunt, as long as you bought your annual public hunting permit with your license ($48 or thereabouts)
Very important to buy aph tag before hunting. They will mail you a booklet of all public land you can hunt in texas and the rules for each property
Need APH, must wear orange, & lots of rules to follow. Game wardens patrol like crazy near Houston/MoCo side.
There are massive threads on Texasbowhunter.com about the SHNF. Do some research there.
https://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=693014&highlight=SHNF
There are massive threads on Texasbowhunter.com about the SHNF. Do some research there.
https://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=693014&highlight=SHNF
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