Blue Rock State Park

[hickslawns]

My foreman is heading to Blue Rock State Park next weekend to hunt for a week. I am trying to get him as much info as I can prior to his hunt. No guides, camping in an old camper, and doing it on a tight budget with 3 other people. He is a good guy and doesn't get many opportunities like this, so I want to help him out as much as possible.

I hate to even ask this but this is a guy that deserves a get away and I would love to send him off with a starting place. I got online and searched as much as I could. Not a lot of info to go on. I was able to pull up some topo maps finally and some aerial pics. Printed them off for him. I am going to use the info you guys gave me in regards to terrain and such in the hills. Hopefully between this and the info I learned reading "Mapping Trophy Bucks" half dozen times will get him started in the right direction.

If there is any other info you guys can think of or a place to direct me where I can find info myself I would appreciate it. Not looking for secret hunting spots. Not trying to suck up any Obama handouts. Just hoping some of you may have another source where I can get info on the area. There is just not much out there coming up from my searches.

Anyone live close to there that can add anything else? Anyone hunt there in the past?

 

[Milo]

i see lots of non residents there especially in novenmber

 

[hickslawns]

Thanks Milo. Any place I can do some digging for maps to give him? For example, I can find topographical maps of the area, but it is tough to say where the huntable state land starts and stops.

 

[Milo]

i don't hunt there but drive by it and there is many people there especially gun season and the rut. lots of North carolina guys. I will see if i can find some more info for you

 

[jagermeister]

Thanks Milo. Any place I can do some digging for maps to give him? For example, I can find topographical maps of the area, but it is tough to say where the huntable state land starts and stops.

Usually the State parks will have maps of their properties on hand, which will show where hunting is and isn't allowable. Maybe call or send an email to someone at the state park and request an electronic copy.

 

[Mountaineer]

They need to spend the first day scouting. They need to look for edges of habitat. Pines vs open hardwoods... Thick vs open.. Field edges..bench edges. If they can find edges they will find deer. Once that's been established, they need to sit there from daylight till dark every single day. They will get a crack at a dandy buck.

Once I figure out where I'm going to hunt on my publicland, I'll sit there from dark to dark.. 5 days strait. It takes about 25 seconds for it to
Happen.. The problem is no one knows when those 25 seconds will occur. That's why I will sit there days on end.

GL

 

[ohio mossy oak]

I might be a rookie but i might be able to help Phil..Pm me if you want

 

[camofry]

http://ohiodnr.com/?TabId=715

this has a map of the park, the trails and the camp sites. Dont know if it helps.

 

[hickslawns]

Thanks Camofry. I had found that one and a couple others. Not bad, but tough to figure out where the hunting boundaries start/stop. I did my best to print off some aerials and topographical maps for him. Hopefully it helps him and when he gets there he can learn some more. I think scouting the first day was the plan. He is heading down with his uncle and a couple friends.

 

[Mountaineer]

Hicks,

The best way to find the boundaries of State forests or the wayne is to use a GPS. Here's what I do: Find a website with topo maps..Goto the area of intrest..It will show on the USGS 7.5 minute quads the boundaries and corners of state and fed land. Take your curser and put it on corners and get the GPS coordinates...Keep doing that at each corner until you have your entire area mapped out with GPS corners. Ok. once thats done take those coordinates and put them in your GPS. This will give you an idea where you are in real time when your in the woods.

Im a Forester and Im using my GPS just about everyday. Its a useful tool for publicland hunters.

GL

Here's an example of what im talking about: Its a small peice of the Wayne. I put the flag icons at each corner and then put them in my GPS. Now..when in the woods..Ill know exactly where im am at all times in relation to the wayne and privateland.

 

[Gern186]

I tried using my GPS last weekend in hill country and I could only acquire 2 satellites.......not enough to get tracking on my location. What a waste of time.

I had to revert to the old way of scouting.....

 

[Mountaineer]

Gern,
What GPS do you have? I have the garmin oregan 450t..I never have sat. issues. It will hook up inside my house.

As far as scouting, My gps is really of little use..I use it mostly for Boundary line layouts between public and private.

The publicland im hunting is 10's of thousands of acres...What ill do is take a full day of scouting my first day there and map out my area for the best possible spots. Ill take GPS waypoints all day long at scrapes..good sign..benches..funnels..heavy trails..etc etc..When i have all that info..Ill then study it and try to figure out the best spot that will give me the best chances. Im looking for a spot that i think will offer me a crack at a dandy if i sit for 5 days strait..dark to dark. Im headed out the 26th of October. Ill spend 27th hiking all day gathering info..

This method will almost garuntee me a crack at a dandy publicland buck.

 

[Gern186]

It's a Magellan GPS.....probably about 12 years old....one of the first handheld models they came out with. It worked beautifully driving down the road, but when I got to where I really wanted to use it it was worthless....maybe the leaf cover messed it up?

 

[jagermeister]

A good quality "newer" handheld unit should allow you to upload topo maps right onto it, then your receiver will tell you exactly where you're at. Using a GPS unit in big woods hill country can be frustrating. Combine the hills with the thick canopy and it makes it tough to get a good signal sometimes.

 

[Mountaineer]

Gern,

Thats considered an old GPS. They are far more advanced today with much stronger signals and better accuracy. I can put topo maps, arial maps in my GPS. Like i said, I can be in my house and it will hook up. My GPS unhooking from satillites is not an issue. Unless some little punk at the pentagon decides to screw with eveyone and push a few red buttons, you should not have any issues with todays GPS's

 

[hickslawns]

Wont be a great option for my foreman. He doesn't have GPS, and I don't have one to loan him. He doesn't even have a computer. Pretty old school so I am going to try to get the aerials to him combined with topo's and point him off in the right direction. Probably not the best plan, because i am FAR from an expert in this area.

 

[jagermeister]

Wont be a great option for my foreman. He doesn't have GPS, and I don't have one to loan him. He doesn't even have a computer. Pretty old school so I am going to try to get the aerials to him combined with topo's and point him off in the right direction. Probably not the best plan, because i am FAR from an expert in this area.

Some topo maps and aerial photos are certainly better than nothing, Phil. At least it'll be a good starting point for him.

 

[ImpalaSSpeed96]

Phil, whatever happened with this hunt?

Milo, I have to disagree with your suggestion of hunters, at least during November. I never gun hunt it so I can't say, but I continue to go back to Blue Rock because I almost have 4500 acres to myself.

Blue Rock is a beast to hunt. The deer numbers are low and it's a tough woods to figure out. 3 years and I still haven't figured it out.

 

["J"]

Last time I hunted there, a tornado had made its way thru the area and there was tons of twisted trees and tree tops laying down so the deer had plenty of cover....

 

[hickslawns]

Tim- He set up a ground blind and ended up having 2 hunters within 20-50yds of him. Saw very little deer activity. Those in his hunting party had very limited deer sightings as well. Not sure exactly, but I think one of them ended up taking a small doe on one of the last days. It was a tough hunt for him.