Welcome to the Public Jungle,

I don’t know it’s just the adrenaline rush you get after a successful hunt on public land. This hunt started out just like every opening day public land hunt, big crowds, lots of partyers, loud music and hunters walking all over the place. This is what make the trip rewarding and wouldn’t have it any other way! Opening morning I and Nick decided to make a squirrel hunt, in order to get away from the pressure we brought bicycles and rode a mile before reaching the prime squirrel location. It was good to hunt without seeing another person, ended the hunt with 14 squirrels and one rabbit. My son is hard to keep up with shooting eight squirrels before I got started and staying miles ahead of me. That evening we decided on a hog hunt, I broke out the old trusty 22 mag and headed over a mile deep in the bottoms, it was windy but the woods came alive after the wind died down. Luckily I brought binoculars because the hogs were coming through right at dark and I was able verified with vortex vultures 8x56 before pulling the trigger. Long story short, ended the hunt with a 200lb Sal and quit an adventure getting out of the woods. GPS went haywire with low batteries, walked a mile through thick jungle in the wrong direction before figuring out the problem. It’s a must to carry two way radios for safety, my son was a mile away hunting by himself and able to call my other buddy to help finding the way out 10:30 pm. Next morning woke up late to recover the hog from the night before; stepped 100 yards in the woods and BAMMMM we each smoked a small 50 lb. hog. Love it when and plan and hard work comes together, my buddy Robert has some excellent video of a bear under his stand and I saw one cross the road. We will be back as soon as the turnaround work clears in 38 days, be safe and go prepared, never know what can happen in the public jungle.

nice hunt man,
I really like those two black foxes ya'll got. What part of LA are you guys in. I've been on the hunt for a black squirrel mount for a long time. I'm way south in Houma and the only area I know that holds any number of black squirrels is in morgan city near lake end park.

that is an excellent day in the woods, you guys are eating good now

Black squirrels are common in the Red River area, it is routinely that we see blacks squirrels on every hunt. Is my observation that they are located in premium timber close to the Mississippi River. The hard wood bottoms and low areas with big timber is what I recommend looking for black squirrels.

Thanks man, it took years to learn the pattern to be successful. On public land this usually means long walks and many hours of scouting. Sometimes I question what have I gotten myself into, but look back at the rewards of the hunts.

Great story, your boy is a hunter. Way to bring 'em up.

Met this guy and his son last weekend at Three Rivers. His son smoked a good sized hog about 50 yards in front of me on my way out of the woods. Honestly some of the nicest people I've met.