Anybody hunt down there recently? Grew up hunting there but haven't hunted it in 17 years. How is the hunting now? Thinking about checking it out again.

It is decent hunting in some areas some very tough you have to find the better spots. I haven’t hunted it in 4 years but plan to make a few hunts next year.

I hunted there 3 times this year. I only saw two deer and one was on the back of a truck.

I have heard the hunting has gone downhill over the past decade or so. We used to do really good down there but several people have told me it sucks just like you did.

For as much as they restrict doe harvest, plant food plots, and burn the timber, you'd think the hunting would be stellar. It's not. It sucks. You will be lucky to see a deer and when you do it probably won't even be a buck. Lots of folks have lived around there for a long time and know all the hot spot honey holes just over the WMA line. They keep the herd thinned out for sure.

It's kind of concerning when you think about. 44,000 acres of completely managed timber and deer, by the book management actually, and it's terrible hunting. I wonder what that means for the rest of the state as a whole going forward.

My best spot was clearcut several years back. Maybe they have thinned the woods too much.

Hmmmm. They restrict the doe harvest, and when you see deer it's a doe.
Reckon why?

My best morning i saw 21 deer 3 or 4 of those were bucks. That was right before they went to limiting the does days and the next summer they cut most of my best areas.

Wow, that would have been something to see. What year?

Can't speak for turkey neck but my hunting down there peaked around 1998 to 2002. Moved after that and have only been a couple times since then. Back then would see 2 or 3 big shooter bucks per year.

13 or 14 is when I saw all them and most were bumped to me by other hunters and the rest were chased by bucks. That was by far my best morning and never had one close to that good before or after. I normally did see 3-5 per morning but only ever saw a handful of deer in the afternoon all the years I hunted it.

I'm thinking about doing some hunting down there. I was in a club in that area and we had a great deer population. If you ever want to go down there to do some scouting, I'll tag along

First time I ever hunted there, 4 bucks were killed by other hunters within roughly 200 yes of my location. The next time I went to a different location and saw 6 does and a lone buck. Then I had a dry spell for 3 years, none seen at all (8 or 9 trips)
That place is luck of the draw, gotta be in the right place at the right time and hope another hunter pushes one your way.

That clearcut may have the best food if they would wait 3-5 years before they spray that brush killer on it.

They don’t spray them after the first year if they even spray them then.

I have been watching them over the years I can assure you they spray right after clearcutting just as soon as it sprouts up. Usually first year and then 4 or 5 after that it seems. The more browse the more they spray. The deer really need the browse some years when they kill it out. Hard to grow deer and pine trees. Look up how much one deer needs to eat in a year and they don't eat tree bark and pine needles.
Had a nice spot picked out one year on another public tract that had a good 8 and another nice deer on it in September loaded with browse. When if came opening week the place had been sprayed and trees planted. No food then and of course no deer on it. So much food and then nothing.