Ft Stewart Roads

Hey folks, I just got my pass and permit completed last week and am thinking of heading up Friday to try and arrow a pig. Wondering what the road conditions are as I am in a 2wd pickup. Any areas to especially avoid? Generally ok? Recent rains an issue?

Planning to hunt B and E areas. Thanks a bunch!

Roads are powder dry. Sandy stretches might give you trouble in some areas. Area boundary roads are usually road graded.

PS: Update. Rain fell last night in parts of Stewart. Roads will be okay most likely by week's end depending on military traffic. Judging from the open areas through Thursday, looks like heavy training going on. Those MRAPs can tear up roads. Not much open this week and might be the same Sat/Sun. Check areas Thursday afternoon.

Thanks GLS. I will plan to stay on the main boundary roads until I get a feel for the area a little bit. I take a similar approach on most WMAs.

Your statement on the open areas is making me think I have been reading the area status sheets wrong. Are open areas listed on the sheet? or left blank? All the areas listed seem to have a code (I or E) which I assumed to mean that those areas were closed. I was assuming that unlisted areas were open. Do I have that backwards?

DaveLB said:

Thanks GLS. I will plan to stay on the main boundary roads until I get a feel for the area a little bit. I take a similar approach on most WMAs.

Your statement on the open areas is making me think I have been reading the area status sheets wrong. Are open areas listed on the sheet? or left blank? All the areas listed seem to have a code (I or E) which I assumed to mean that those areas were closed. I was assuming that unlisted areas were open. Do I have that backwards?

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Yes, you're reading it backwards. The ones listed are open for the most part. Even if it is listed, it still may be closed due to burning (B next to it), but may be released for opening later that day. If it isn't listed, it is closed.
Not much is open now due to the national guard training that is going on. Some of the areas that are open still can't be hunted. Per FT. Stewart regs you can't drive between two closed areas, with the exception of a few areas.
I recommend reading the hunting SOP.
I will be going tomorrow as well.

Ok, got it. Steep learning curve on this property! Thanks Chain. What about IE codes? Can you hunt when those are present on an area?

And yes on the SOP. Read it cover to cover twice. Apparently my comprehension is down a bit since I have been out of school for 20 years.

DaveLB said:

Ok, got it. Steep learning curve on this property! Thanks Chain. What about IE codes? Can you hunt when those are present on an area?

And yes on the SOP. Read it cover to cover twice. Apparently my comprehension is down a bit since I have been out of school for 20 years.

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Yup, you can hunt I and E. Those just mean that (I) inventories and (E) environmental surveys COULD be happening. For the time I've been here I haven't seen anything closed for those reasons, maybe others have. The meanings, if you haven't seen them on there, are listed on the bottom of the status sheet.
If you ever need anyone to get you on the right track hit me up. I'm not a pig pro, but I kill my fair share. Lol.

I ran into a USMC unit training at Stewart. They were rolling around looking like fish out of water in their AAV's with no beaches around. Spoke to a few of the officers and they liked training at Stewart and were amazed at its acreage. Gil

ChainReactionGC said:

Yup, you can hunt I and E. Those just mean that (I) inventories and (E) environmental surveys COULD be happening. For the time I've been here I haven't seen anything closed for those reasons, maybe others have. The meanings, if you haven't seen them on there, are listed on the bottom of the status sheet.
If you ever need anyone to get you on the right track hit me up. I'm not a pig pro, but I kill my fair share. Lol.

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Thanks Chain. I will take any advice you care to give. I am a newbie to this game. I'll send you a PM.

Here's a link to the policy letter and SOP regarding recreation on Stewart. Pay attention to ammo and gun transportation and hunting near roads.
http://www.stewart.army.mil/540/docs/sop_final_sept_2016.pdf

Thanks for the tips all. Tom, thanks for the assistance with the log in system early friday morn! Much appreciated.

Wound up walking a few miles in the morning on Friday. Jumped a deer and saw some hog sign. Nothing to get too fired up about. Found a spot or two that might be a good place to hang a stand in the fall. I went over to the base to grab my firearm registration around noon and got some lunch in town.

I found a shady spot and took a nap in the truck till about 530p and then headed out in a different area. Found a good dried out muddy creek bottom with lots of sign and took a seat. About 45 min into that sit I hear some crashing thru the brush. An approx 100lb boar pops out about 40 yds ahead of me. He quickly disappears behind the root ball of a downed large oak and I hear lots of splashing. (I am hunting with my bow since I only just got the gun reg.) So, I crept up to get a closer look and hopefully a shot. I believed him to be on the far side of the root ball, so I just kept rolling along slow and steady. I had the wind in my face and the mud was quiet to walk, so I thought I was good. I got to within about 10 yards and was about to make my way around to look on the other side when he explodes up out of a mud hole right in front of me. He was on the near side of the root ball the whole time in a wallow. Must have just had his head sticking out. Probably watched me the whole time. I was left with an arrow in my hand and the need for a new set of boxers. I didn't have time to get off a shot before he disappeared.

Didn't see anything else on the rest of that sit. Good fun though. And I learned something. Be sure of where your quarry is before you start your stalk. Key ingredient for sure. Next time with my .308 I think/hope the outcome will be different. Can't wait to get back out.