Just checkin to see if anyone here has hunted these WMA's. I never hunted a WMA and was wondering how it works. Do I Just drive down a road and park, then enter the woods? etc...I hear the hunting is excellent there and I hoping to make a trip there this year. :turkey2:
I do!! ft Polk is where it's at man. Peason too!
I'll tell u like I tell my buddies who ask me about where the deer and turkeys are out there...anywhere. That's not a sarcastic answer it's just the truth. I've worked on the base for 5 years and have been in them woods on ft Polk and Peason more times than you could imagine. Simply no shortage of game
That sounds awesome! Thanks for the reply. Is it as simple as just riding down one of the roads, pulling over and entering the woods? (after you get your permit and stuff of course). Do you ever run into any other turkey hunters?
Polk and Peason both have good populations of turkey's. But if you are driving from far not the best places to hunt. The areas that are open are normally marked a week in advance but can change daily. The website is updated fairly often but not always.
You have to check the maps at the check stations. You don't want to be in the wrong area.
And no you can't just walk in woods without scouting.
Or you can and maybe get lucky but it's not that easy.
You will run into other hunters, and yes areas can close over night. Always check the board at the sign in stations. m not trying to argue about the scouting but I work in them woods and I'm telling you that you will not pick a road that don't have turkeys or deer on them. Granted some areas are better than others but none are bad
I've spent 2 weeks-3weeks a month for the last 5 years in the woods of Ft Polk mostly and Peason a great bit too. A lot of people ask me where to hunt and it's not a lie to say anywhere. Vernon Parish is the #1 parish in the state for turkeys killed evey year and it nearly always doubles the 2nd place parish. It's reported every year through the tagging system. The main reason is ft Polk, Peason, clear creek, and kisatchie offering so much public land. Out of the 4 ft Polk and Peason is the best two. I've heard others down play them but I know where I see their trucks. They don't like the idea of new hunters hunting their spots but I'm not that way. I'm not accusing anyone on here of that! I'm just telling you go to ft Polk or peason spend a weekend and you will see
Thanks for this info! I'm up in North LA and hunted Bodcau last year without much success (I did see 6 hens over 4 days, but no toms and heard no gobbles). I might have to try out Ft. Polk this year.
Not to hijack, but has anyone had success up in Caddo/Bossier/DeSoto parishes?
A little further south in natchitoches parish check out red dirt and kisatchie national forest. A little more hills to climb but great hunting
awesome info guys. Thanks. I think Im going to go on a 4-6 day trip and hit up both ft. polk and Peason. Im pumped! :z-guntootsmiley:
Quote from: turkey buster on January 28, 2015, 06:11:03 PM
A little further south in natchitoches parish check out red dirt and kisatchie national forest. A little more hills to climb but great hunting
Thanks! I'll definitely make a trip down there. Good Luck this season fellow coonasses!
As Crawl said, you have to check the website to make sure that there are open areas in Ft Polk and Peason. The whole WMA can actually be closed to hunting. I can actually be closed for dang near the whole season... Check before you plan your hunt, and don't get caught in a closed area, especially by a bomb!!!!
http://www.jrtc-polk.army.mil/Hunt2/Hunt/default.htm
Since Ft. Polk and Peason Ridge are both federal venues, do not under any circumstances hunt in an area that is closed that day for military maneuvers or you might end up in federal court which can be much worse than state court. Check the closed areas daily at check-in and know where you and the closed areas are.
Some of the very best turkey hunting in Louisiana can be found on Ft Polk/Peason Ridge. It can also be said that the world's most fanatical turkey hunters live near the same area. As an example, I was running my tank battalion through live fire exercises on what is called the Range 40 complex... a series of tank and machine gun ranges on the eastern side of Ft Polk. One of the observers saw an odd blurb through his night vision scope at about 0500. After a second look, we determined that the blurb was a human crawling across the hot fire zone. We shut down the range and sent soldiers forward to see what this person was doing. And sure enough, it was a turkey hunter trying to cut across the range to get to a draw where he had roosted birds in the past. LOL. Now, that is wanting to kill a turkey awful bad. But, if you follow the rules and keep track of what areas are open or closed, you will find some terrific turkey hunting at Ft Polk/Peason Ridge.
If you try what that idiot did, you can also find yourself in Federal Court.
Guys the federal court thing is not true. I work out there and I'm friends with a game warden. For a civilian who gets a ticket out there you see the magistrate,which is an army judge, and pay a fine. The fines are NOT high and generally under $200. Some offenses will cost your hunting privileges for 6 months on Ft Polk/Peason only and some are a permenet band, like night hunting. I'll provide a link of the fine sheet for out there
http://www.jrtc-polk.army.mil/Hunt2/Hunt/Reg210-18.pd
The fines start around page 13 and a lot say 1 year but like I said I know guys and that's generally reduced to 6 months or none at all pending if it was accidental or purpose in regards to closed areas and such
Now I'm not condoning illegal hunting out there, and feel like if you do you should have gun, truck, and all taken. But it don't happen out there. Ft Polk hunters are very funny about others being out there and love to tell unaware people crazy things to scare them off. I've heard every rumor and false statements made about getting in trouble out there.
One of my favorites are turkeys are federal. They are not a federal bird.
Another one is maps change last second, which does happen, but not large areas generally unless it's rotational training which it would've been closed anyway. I have showed up and a spot shown open the day before be closed but not the entire map
I was assuming that since the base is federal that a violation would get you in Federal Court like a speeding ticket on the Natchez Trace. However, the primary purpose of the base is military training and no one should enter a closed unit when it is so easy to find out which areas are closed.
No they shouldn't. Never know when it's a live fire exercise with real ammo or when it's just blanks. Either way it's dangerous and effects our men and women who keep us safe from receiving good training that might save their lives