Going to Ossabaw

[Mac]

Just got notice, my Son and I got drawn for the archery hunt. That is during his fall break, only quota hunt during that time. We wagered two points.


Anyone else going during this hunt?
I have been over a dozen times and it will be my son's second trip.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Even though I can see Ossabaw from my work, I have little interest in doing a quota hunt there.

I’m saving my points for gator.

 

[jth678]

I got drawn this will be my first time! Whats the in and outs? Do I need to bring a boat to get over there or is there a ferry that will take us?

 

[Mac]

Do a Ossabaw search on here lots of threads.

 

[Mac]

Even though I can see Ossabaw from my work, I have little interest in doing a quota hunt there.

I’m saving my points for gator.

For each his own, I love the island for a neat camping trip.
plus the deer quota has nothing to do with gator quota points!

 

[Preston00]

Just got notice, my Son and I got drawn for the archery hunt. That is during his fall break, only quota hunt during that time. We wagered two points.


Anyone else going during this hunt?
I have been over a dozen times and it will be my son's second trip.

I got the firearms hunt - Nov 3-5. I wagered 3 points and they took 2. This will be my second trip. First trip was muzzleloader hunt in 2018. I dropped 2 8 points on day 1 and my bag was filled!

 

[Preston00]

I got drawn this will be my first time! Whats the in and outs? Do I need to bring a boat to get over there or is there a ferry that will take us?

I have been 1 time. In 2018 a ferry service was offered from Kilkenny Marina. (912)-727-2215. I received something in the mail about the ferry and pricing. You can bring your own boat - but may need to anchor because dock space is limited. You can arrive on the island as early as Tuesday at noon. Wednesday at 9AM you check in and select a hunting area. People put their chairs ‘in line’ at the check station to hold their spot while they set up camp. There is a walk-in area adjacent to camp. There are 3 wagons that take people to their chosen hunting areas. There is a morning and afternoon wagon run - they will give you the times at the meeting. You may stay in your area all day if you want to. There are also some all day only areas at the north end of the island. You have to stay in your area. There is a shower house which now has hot water. There is also a cooler to hang deer and hogs, and power to charge your phone and stuff. Hunting is Thursday - Saturday. You can stay Saturday night and leave by noon on Sunday. Let me know if you need more information.

 

[Preston00]

I have been 1 time. In 2018 a ferry service was offered from Kilkenny Marina. (912)-727-2215. I received something in the mail about the ferry and pricing. You can bring your own boat - but may need to anchor because dock space is limited. You can arrive on the island as early as Tuesday at noon. Wednesday at 9AM you check in and select a hunting area. People put their chairs ‘in line’ at the check station to hold their spot while they set up camp. There is a walk-in area adjacent to camp. There are 3 wagons that take people to their chosen hunting areas. There is a morning and afternoon wagon run - they will give you the times at the meeting. You may stay in your area all day if you want to. There are also some all day only areas at the north end of the island. You have to stay in your area. There is a shower house which now has hot water. There is also a cooler to hang deer and hogs, and power to charge your phone and stuff. Hunting is Thursday - Saturday. You can stay Saturday night and leave by noon on Sunday. Let me know if you need more information.

 

[jth678]

Awesome thanks for the map!

 

[j_seph]

We got drawn for the 2nd hunt PW. Question is where is the good fishing at around the island from shore also?

 

[antharper]

Even though I can see Ossabaw from my work, I have little interest in doing a quota hunt there.

I’m saving my points for gator.

I’m pretty sure gator and deer quota points are totally different , just didn’t want you to be disappointed .

 

[Danny Leigh]

We got drawn for the 2nd hunt PW. Question is where is the good fishing at around the island from shore also?

Our group of 3 will be there as well.

 

[Redman54]

I got drawn this will be my first time! Whats the in and outs? Do I need to bring a boat to get over there or is there a ferry that will take us?

I always take my own boat over, it's a lot easier. Last year we took my boat and my dad's boat. In all the years I've been, I've never seen the dock full. I heard some folks saying that Kilkenny went up on their rates for ferry service, parking and boat lift.

 

[jth678]

Yes I got my letter for Kilkenny it’s 100$ to use them now

 

[Danny Leigh]

In all the years I've been, I've never seen the dock full.

We've seen some years where it wasn't full, but we've also seen it where there have been boats 2 and even 3 across.

 

[Redman54]

We got drawn for the 2nd hunt PW. Question is where is the good fishing at around the island from shore also?

You can walk Tuesday afternoon and Wed before the hunt starts. These are some good spots to catch redfish, trout and flounder. It's a hike to two of them.

 

[oldfatbubba]

Was anyone here drawn for the Nov 3rd firearm hunt? If so, how was the weather and did you find it crowded? It seems that more people who were drawn actually attended compared to prior years. It also seems that the harvest was slightly below average.

 

[Danny Leigh]

A buddy and his son went on this hunt last year which was cut short due to a storm and they also went this year. Last year they shot a bunch of hogs and a deer. This year the warm weather during the hunt didn't help and he said the animals just weren't moving. They saw a couple of hogs and no deer.

He did say at least one of routes was full the first day. You just may not get the area you initially wanted, but there are enough areas to sign up for. There's always a decent amount of folks that like to hunt the walk-in area.

From your graph 2017 and especially 2018 were lower success rates than average for the island for this same hunt. Hurricane Matthew hit in 2016 which cancelled the archery and PW hunts. Hurricane Irma hit in 2017 and might have affected the population for a couple of years.

As always, great information you provide on public land!