re: Any of you baws hunt Thistlethwaite WMA?

Mentioned on the list for biggest deer a few times.

I’m gonna go ride around and check it out, but gonna wear flip flops to ensure I don’t go in the woods yet haha.

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Ville Platte baws

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The worst baws (generally speaking) to have to hunt around

If it’s anything like where i hunt, then IF you could get left alone, even not too much traffic when u not there, then you could probably kill the bigger ones.

It’s not the land, it’s the people disturbance factor. A place like TW, it sounds like pretty much a hope hunt for the big ones. You could factor in your sign , but alot of folks saw it too. If you kill one, thats good. It’s just a different hunt when you can really put the puzzle together on public, and not have people disturbance. And kill one that you knew about.

When the beans are green you’ll see plenty of deer just off the LeBeau exit, having a feast in the early morning or late evening.

The most I’ve seen at one time is 14.

TW is loaded with hogs. And it’s flat out scary walking in early morning with just a little light and a bow and walk up on a group of them. They are loud as all get out and you can’t see because the palmettos are taller than you. There’s no way to be quiet walking to your stand. I just take off full go ahead

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There's probably a state record walking around in there right now but you won't be able to see him.

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I am not a "horn" hunter, but a big rack is nice. Thistlethwaite has always had big body deer, probably because of the bean fields and having lots of oak trees.

I hunted there back in the late 80's for a couple of years. I was new to hunting and did lots of scouting. I never saw any Copperheads, but saw lots of Cotton mouths. In fact the main reason I stopped hunting there was because of how many Cotton mouths I saw. One trip I saw 5 big ones in just 30 minutes of walking. I am not afraid of them once I see them, but only smelling them and not seeing them is scary.

First year I hunted, on opening gun hunt day, there was several trucks parked where I had seen deer several times. I drove back around a bend in the road and walked in there. I found a tree and started to climb when I saw a truck drive by. I had walked in a circle and was back near the bend of the road.

I then moved a good ways deeper into the woods as it was getting light. Two hours later I hear a deer running through the Palms. It looked like a rabbit running through tall grass. I knew where the deer was but could knot see it until it finally passed a small opening. This was a 140 lb doe.

The next year, again there was a lot of hunters and I walked until no hunters shinned a light at me. Mid morning I killed a 4 pt that weighed 160 lbs. When I walked out, I was less than 100 yards from the road and my car was about 1/4 mile down the road.

Speaking of big deer at Thistlethwaite, About 1990, in mid November, there was a buck killed there that weighed about 325 lbs [I don't remember the exact weight]. Four guys went in to haul it out and I was told they struggled to get it out of the woods.

I helped my hunting buddy haul out a buck that was killed right at dark and it weighed close to 300 lbs. About half the way was floating down a ditch and then on a pipeline. When we started dragging, I said we need to gut this deer to lighten the load for the last 1/4 mile drag. That buck was a 7 point and had lots of fat. This was on public land but the pictures and location have never been disclosed.

I did way back when. As others have stated it was thick! There are/were some big bucks in there.

before phones and handheld gps thistlewaite was a tough place to hunt because it was so easy to get lost.

I went hunt squirrels one time in the evening and got turned around. luckily I went the right direction and ended up just coming out about 1/2 mile away from my truck. I thought I was gonna be spending the night in the woods.

Does anyone know when did the extensive tree cutting take place?

When I hunted there back in the late '80's, there were several "trails" [about 5 feet wide] there which helped getting back to places far off the roads. There were lots of white oaks [mostly Cow oaks] all over a lot of the property. Walking almost anywhere was not too hard, just had to get around or through the palm plants. Under brush was not very thick.

They probably trying to hold him back from excelling, so as to be equal.