OSSABAW Island Hunters (Tips For The Ignorant )

Beta Tau789

Senior Member
Thanks for posing the questions swampfoxoutdoors. I was selected for the first firearms hunt (Oct 9-11), and had many of the same questions as you. If you don't mind, I'll add a few more to list:

(1) Should I take a climber, or plan to hunt from the ground?
(2) How should I go about selecting a good hunt zone? Are certain areas of the island better than others? Better terrain to look for such as wetland, savannah's, hammocks?
(3) If looking for mast, what kind of trees am I searching for?
(4) Will a therma-cell (or two) do the trick or do I need to plan for head nets, speciality clothing etc, to keep the bugs at bay?
(5) Should I be hunting the tides? Do the deer/hogs move with the tides?
(6) Any other random advise for a island newbie?

Certainly looking forward to any responses. Thanks in advance, and I hope to see some of you folks on the island.
I'll see you there!
 

CharrDad

Senior Member
Thanks for the detailed responses tlee22. One quick follow up question; you suggested that you prefer to hunt from the ground and that you walk a lot. Are you suggesting that it takes a lot of time/walking to find a good spot, or rather that you are spotting/stalking and therefore staying on the move? I love the idea of not hauling around a climber in the Oct heat, just trying to understand the tactical options available to me.
 

tlee22

Senior Member
CharrDad I stalk and walk a lot at a slow speed. I always walk with the wind in my favor. These pigs are blind as a bat but they can smell you from a mile away. The only time I will really stop and sit is if I run into a genetic trail or something that looks good. I hope this answers your questions.
 

CharrDad

Senior Member
It sure does, thanks a bunch! Good luck on the adult/child hunt.
 

Swampfoxoutdoors

Senior Member
On Sapelo island we took climbers and we all killed our limit plus hogs. I did see alot of guy sitting on the ground and most if not all of them on our trailer did not see anything or kill anything.

And I know some guys are saying they walk and stalk which I highly suggest you NOT doing. For one reason the DNR ranger on the island specifically ask people to not do that. Second you are not on the island alone. Their are 75 other people on the island some experienced hunters and some that do not have a clue and can be trigger happy. On our last trip to Sapelo island I had to get very very ugly with 2 men trying to work up a hog with a 22" machete. They almost cut my but cheek and thigh off and slung blood and guts all over me. These guys had to be the Dumbest people in the state of Georgia. Now imagine those same people walking around with a 30-06 while your "Stalking". I can assure you that noting good will come of it. And you have got to remember some people get slop drunk in camp the night before the hunt. So how sober they are the next morning while hunting is questionable. I wish the state did not allow any drinking at all on the island.

So in other words take a climber and scout and find a good place to hunt. Wear some good orange and watch who is hunting around you and make sure they are not slop drunk.
 

snuffy

Senior Member
On Sapelo island we took climbers and we all killed our limit plus hogs. I did see alot of guy sitting on the ground and most if not all of them on our trailer did not see anything or kill anything.

And I know some guys are saying they walk and stalk which I highly suggest you NOT doing. For one reason the DNR ranger on the island specifically ask people to not do that. Second you are not on the island alone. Their are 75 other people on the island some experienced hunters and some that do not have a clue and can be trigger happy. On our last trip to Sapelo island I had to get very very ugly with 2 men trying to work up a hog with a 22" machete. They almost cut my but cheek and thigh off and slung blood and guts all over me. These guys had to be the Dumbest people in the state of Georgia. Now imagine those same people walking around with a 30-06 while your "Stalking". I can assure you that noting good will come of it. And you have got to remember some people get slop drunk in camp the night before the hunt. So how sober they are the next morning while hunting is questionable. I wish the state did not allow any drinking at all on the island.

So in other words take a climber and scout and find a good place to hunt. Wear some good orange and watch who is hunting around you and make sure they are not slop drunk.

I have only been on the Ossabaw P/W hunts, but have been on three of them. I have never seen this. Also never been to Sapelo. Most of the hunters stay in their area. Never seen anyone drunk anywhere on the island. Maybe we have just been lucky. We always hunt on the ground.



We are going again this your and I won't be carrying a stand.
 

tlee22

Senior Member
I have only been on the Ossabaw P/W hunts, but have been on three of them. I have never seen this. Also never been to Sapelo. Most of the hunters stay in their area. Never seen anyone drunk anywhere on the island. Maybe we have just been lucky. We always hunt on the ground.



We are going again this your and I won't be carrying a stand.

Same here with Snuffy. I have never had a problem with someone getting in my area on an Ossabaw hunt and I have been going for years. They have a very detail map with boundary of the area you will be hunting. Most of the area have marsh or water or some type of land mark that would keep you from walking into someone else area.

The DNR does a good job talking with everyone before they get on the trailer to make sure no one smells drunk.

I hunted from a climber the first year I ever hunted Ossabaw. The first day I hunted from it after that I left it in camp the rest of the week. On the Feb pig hunt last year out of the 43 hunters that showed up I only saw 1 guy that brought a climber. On the deer hunts I would say 1 out 4 hunters will bring a climber. If your not sure if you want to bring one or not I would say go ahead and bring one just in case.
 

CharrDad

Senior Member
Thanks tlee22. Sounds like a climber is totally optional. I'll have to let the total packing weight/bulk determine whether or not I try to bring it along for the trip.

Concerning the other comments about booze and hunting - I've heard nothing but great things about the staff at Ossabaw and the professionalism of both the LEO's and the hunters in general. I'm counting on a great trip!! Hope to see some of you guys there.
 

Semi-Pro

Full-Pro
I was at Sapelo last year as well. And I agree there was excessive drinking and cussing and drunkeness till about 3 am. on 2 nights, Wardens were no were to be seen. Also saw the guys hacking up a hog with a machete.
 

Biggeer

Member
I got drawn for the Nov archery hunt and am going solo. I've never been before, but I'm looking forward to it.

Assuming I'm lucky enough to harvest a hog or deer, do you think another group would take the meat? I'd prefer to donate it to someone who wants some extra venison rather than me having to lug it off the island solo. Thoughts appreciated?
 

snuffy

Senior Member
If you see these two shady characters say hello. It is my son and I on Ossabaw in 2009
 

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SakoL61R

Senior Member
I know it's a bit of a hoof from the camp, but Harry Hammock seems to have quite a few hogs most all the time I'm over it in the skytruck.
I'll prolly be out this Thursday (9th) around noonish. I'll slow way down around the camping area.:D (above 500')
 

Boar Hunter

Senior Member
Hunting Ossabaw Island

I have hunted Ossabaw several times and it is a very fun hunt. To me, all of the coastal islands are magical places. I hunted all of them, except Cumberland, with my lifelong friend. Sadly my friend and hunting partner of 40 years passed away on July 25th. I have so many memories and photos of the hunts. I don't know if I'll ever be able to return to the islands, at least not for a while. It just won't be the same. Enough of that, here are my suggestions for a fun and comfortable hunt:

Take a cot or inflatable bed. You can't hunt effectively if you can't sleep.

Leave the alcohol alone, at least until the last night after the hunt. Nobody wants to hear your loud voice bragging about all your deer kills all night.

Do take a climbing stand. If you don't, you will severely limit where you can hunt and the bugs will tear you up.

Take a thermacell and plenty of refills. Especially for the early hunts. It will become a life support system, trust me on this.

Pick your area and DO NOT walk around! Even in your own area. Scout it, find some stand sites and hunt them.

Leave the stupid cell phone at camp.

Take light weight rain gear.

I suggest packing food and staying out all day. You don't have to sit on the stand all day, but the rides take up a lot of time.

Take plenty of food. Freeze precooked meats, stews, chili, etc. This will make meal preparation faster and easier. Take some extra canned food for reserve, you don't want to run out.

Take bottled water to drink.

Have a great trip!
 

SakoL61R

Senior Member
Campground looked packed this afternoon on the flyby. Good luck to all!
 

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nick220

Senior Member
I just got back from the first gun hunt on ossabaw island and had a great time. There were like 76 hunters and approximately 76 deer were killed. There were not that many hogs killed maybe 30. I only shot on spike and my father shot two small does. three other people in our group did not get a deer or hog. I did not see as many deer like I use to since I have been going for sixteen years. Part of the problem was the weather, 90 degrees with a full moon.

my personal opinion and some others on the island, they are shooting more than hogs since we found a lot of old deer, hogs carcasses right off of the road and in the woods.
 

HOGDOG76

Senior Member
I just got back from the first gun hunt on ossabaw island and had a great time. There were like 76 hunters and approximately 76 deer were killed. There were not that many hogs killed maybe 30. I only shot on spike and my father shot two small does. three other people in our group did not get a deer or hog. I did not see as many deer like I use to since I have been going for sixteen years. Part of the problem was the weather, 90 degrees with a full moon.

my personal opinion and some others on the island, they are shooting more than hogs since we found a lot of old deer, hogs carcasses right off of the road and in the woods.
I dont have the final harvest numbers yet but yall did way better than we did on Sapelo. I dont think we got more than 15 deer on the whole hunt!
 

Thunderbeard

Senior Member
My nephew, cousin and I had a great time we ended up with four deer and two hogs. It was hot and moon full.
 
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