# Need Help with BF Grant



## dwparker99 (Nov 18, 2007)

I plan on hunting the Primitive Weapons hunt 13-15 Dec.  I plan on coming down to scout in the next couple of weeks.  I've never hunted this area so I would appreciate a little help with the following questions:

Are any of the backroads gated?  Do I need to bring a bike?

Are snakes, chiggers, or skitters a problem this time of year?

Any good sporting goods store close by?

How is the buck/doe ratio?  Do the does need thinned?

Any help you could give this ole retired sailor will be greatly appreciated.

Derrell Parker
Summerville,  GA


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## Coltsmoke (Nov 29, 2007)

*B.F. Grant*

I've hunted B.F. Grant for about 6 years. I will try to help you and answer your Questions.
1. Most of the roads will be open. I don't know about a bike there is usually mud holes on the roads. There is a pond on the left side of the road about a mile before you get to the check-in station. On the right side of the road across from the pond is a little road that stays gated, you can go at least a mile back in there, lot of roads going in different directions.This would be a place to ride a bike into. This is a place to go deep and get away from the crowd also, a good place for a new guy to start.
2. Snakes and chig,sket. That will depend on the temp.I killed a rattlesnake scouting for bow season once, about 3' long. Usually don't see any on the p.w. hunt it has cooled off by then.
3. The only store close by is Wal-Mart in Madison,they are limited on what they have. You could pick up a bottle of scent or rain suit,rubber boots. You would be lucky to find the right ammo you need. There might be one on down 441 headed South, I don't know.
4. A lot more does than bucks. We need to clean out some does. They have now started doe days on the 2nd gun hunt, it was just doe days on the P.W. hunt.

 B.F. Grant is my favorite place to hunt, and I like the P.W. hunt best of all. On the P.W. hunt I've found that the small pine thickets are the key to success.There is a lot of them on B.F. and the deer really use them to hide in during the day. If you want to kill a buck on this hunt, remember they have allready been hunted twice, and the rut is over. The buck you are after is 3 and half or 4 and half years old, this is not his first rodeo. You have two choices, go way back where everyone else is not, or use the crowd to run them to the thicket where you are waiting. I do the 2nd one.Example: Everyone parks and walks down to the river bottom and swamp to hunt, there is a pine thicket about 4 acres in size with pines about 20' tall, full of briars and honey suckle. I hunt where everyone parks at the edge of this thicket, when everyone walks in the riverbottom the deer circle them and head back behind them to the thicket, automatic deer drive. Happens again at lunch time when they all walk out of the river bottom. Sometimes around 2 or 2:30 someone after lunch walks into the thicket scouting around, automatic deer drive again. There are a lot more people on this hunt compared to the Quota Hunts, but you can still get off to your self with a little walking. If you see a deer in the big pretty open hardwoods they will be moving on headed for a thicket somewhere, it will be a tuff shot. If you want to hunt the hardwoods on this hunt, find some that are thick with small saplings joining a pine thicket, they will ease around the edges feeding on green leaves and twigs.

I have a friend that hunts in the pines, there is a small pine thicket on his right and another on his left. He is in the middle in the big pines and catching them crossing from one thicket to the other. He has a wall full of 140 and 150 class bucks.

I have hunted the second quota hunt and it was dead. The rut is over and not as many people to move them around.

I like the first quota hunt, the bucks are starting to chase the does, and the hardwoods are still thick with cover with pleanty of food.

Most does will be in groups of 2 to 6 and headed for cover. Beware of the deer by it's self, I have found a lot of these to be small bucks, and can be easily shot for a doe, not what you want to do at B.F. Grant, it will not be a pleasant experience. If you see a buck and you have to think about the size of the rack, let it go, he is not the one. When you see the right one you will not even have to think about it. The main beams will be 18' to 20" long and the spread will be 15" to about 18" wide. 

I let three legal bucks walk last year, two during the P.W. hunt, one was a 10 point, so there are still nice bucks that make it thru the 2 Quota hunts.

Here is what I do in a nutshell. Use the crowd to run the deer to you by hunting the thickets. Stay in the stand all day, or return as fast as you can. I love to camp, but I don't to avoid the camp fire smoke and smells, stay in a motel room so you can clean up. B.F. hunts are hard to come by, this is the best chance I have to take a trophy and I don't want to blow it.

Maybe this helps, good luck and be safe, you might want to paint that bike orange, I'm just playing!


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## Mac (Nov 29, 2007)

Coltsmoke that was very good advice for any WMA hunt.


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## robertyb (Nov 29, 2007)

Eatonton has Walmart for hunting supplies and many places to eat, motels, etc.

Other guy gave execellent advice on hunting it.

Here is an area map:

http://www.georgiaoutdoors.com/hunting/WMAmaps/bfgrant.pdf


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## Dr. Phil (Nov 29, 2007)

*BF Grant*

Coltsmoke, that's a great post.  I'm not going to be hunting there, but Thanks for taking the time to share so much information!


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## dwparker99 (Nov 30, 2007)

Coltsmoke, thanks for the info.  I appreciate the length you went to to ensure my first hunt at BFG was a good one.  I will take your advice and hope it pays big dividends.  Hope to see you there.

Derrell Parker


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## GA DAWG (Nov 30, 2007)

Now if coltsmoke would tell us how to find his or his buudy's stand LOL!!! I'll be there as well. Also they had the first gun hunt all doe days but not that many were killed. May have been enough killed between the 2 gun hunts to show alittle difference on the primitive weapons hunt. Dont know. Do know that the pines will be the key on that hunt. Just like he said.


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## Coltsmoke (Dec 1, 2007)

Glad to help, if you find one of these magical places, you better be quiet about it. The next thing you know one of your buddies will be hunting the year that you don't get drawn on, and guess where he will be hunting.


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