Chincoteague NWR

[6pt-sika]

A buddy and I are leaving for Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in about an hour ! It takes maybe 5-6 hours to drive there from central Virginia !

We have an orientation today at 10AM for Sika Deer then we can scout and hang stands in our area . Thursday and friday we get to hunt an area with no one else inside ! Happens to be a "Shotgun , muzzleloader and pistol area" . So I have packed a Savage 210F 12 gauge bolt action rifled slug gun , a Savage 220F 20 gauge bolt action slug gun , a Browning BPS 10 gauge for buckshot , a Remington 1100 smoothbore rifle sighted slugger for Foster slugs and buckshot and finally a Remington Sparten 12 gauge SxS with 20" barrels , screw in chokes and a single selective trigger also for buckshot !

We can take 5 Sika per person per day ! Of which only two can be stags . Theoretically we could take 20 Sika in two days but the likelyhood of that is slimmer then none and besides I don't wanna mess with that many deer in 2 days !

I will post some pics in the next couple days !

[Hobie]

I love to see pics and hear about these hunts. Hope you had good luck!

[76/444]

Yup +1

[alnitak]

Wow! I didn't know one count hunt on the island. What's the deal there? I'd like to do that next year.

Thanks for the info.

[dr walker]

Good luck, I look forward to reading about your hunt.

[Dave James]

al contact the refuge its a premit system

[86er]

Good Luck - 6 pt. The contact info on how to hunt Sika in MD is in my book.

[alnitak]

al contact the refuge its a premit system

Will do. Wonder how difficult it is to get a permit? Lottery? What kind of odds?

[Noah Zark]

Theoretically, the buggered gnats, skeeters, and sand fleas should be holed up in mid-Jan.

Chincoteague, Assateague, and Wallops Island are MURDER for them bugs in spring, summer and fall!

Noah

[TedH]

Got a report yet?

[6pt-sika]

Sorry it took so long but I forgot I posted here !

We did not see and Sika in our area either day !

When we arrived on wednesday we rode around a bit before the orientation and the little salt water coves were frozen over for the most part . All the brackish water in our area was frozen SOLID ! And to top that off it snowed thursday night !

There were a bunch of waterfowlers in the room beside ours in the hotel who were having a grand time !

But the Sika hunters took it on the chin as the total when we were leaving frinday night was 7 Sika checked in two days !

Where as the first week of the Sika season they took well over 100 and the 2 day archery season in october they took 40 in 2 days with bow and arrow !

I think next year I may try for an earlier slot !

I think they claim there are usually 5 times the applications for hunt areas avaiable during the entire hunt period !

[6pt-sika]

Wednesday when we arrived !











The water where the ducks and geese are is actual coves off the Atlantic that are frozen except for the spots the waterfowl are floating ! Let me reiterrate she was COLD that day !

The pic in the woods of water is frozen solid and looked like crystal !

[6pt-sika]

Pics from thursday from my treestand !











Again not the water thats frozen SOLID !

[6pt-sika]

And here are pics from Friday with the snow !







I've had much better success in the Blackwater NWR , but Chincoteague NWR was the first place I ever chased the little Sika deer !

So rest assured I will try and get drawn again so I can return !

FWIW this was the 7th time I've hunted here since 1992 .Put in every year but only got drawn 6 times and got in on standby once .

[6pt-sika]

Theoretically, the buggered gnats, skeeters, and sand fleas should be holed up in mid-Jan.

Chincoteague, Assateague, and Wallops Island are MURDER for them bugs in spring, summer and fall!

Noah

You wanna get into little buzzing biting flying things head to the Blackwater NWR for the early archery and ML seasons !

If you don't have a "Thermacell" those little ***'s will literally eat you alive !

I actually am not sure how we survived when we had a camp up there before the Thermacell came out ! Of course I was saturated with 90% Deet bug spray most of the time then !