# Ossabaw P/W Hunt



## 119bowhunter (Sep 7, 2016)

Hey all, I was drawn for the primitive weapons hunt on Ossabaw this fall with my good friend and his dad, the 3 of us went on the hog hunt there in January this year and had a great time so we know the general information about the hunt.

My question is what to expect in early November as opposed to January? I heard several people talking about rattlesnakes so are snake boots a good idea? what kind of weather can we expect? and are bugs usually a big concern this early?

Can't wait to go back and hope to meet some new people down there!


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## jkp (Sep 8, 2016)

Been a few times on gun, pw, and hog hunts, and got drawn again (we will be there too) 
Snake boots-Yes,yes and yes again
Weather past two times 70's close to 80, very very humid everything will be wet in the morning
They don't make enough bug spray or thermocell's for this hunt. LOL take a thermocell and twice as many refills as you think you need.
Water and more water to pack in.
Meat spoils fast we always bring a cheese cloth for game we kill and cut it as fast as possible.

It is a good hunt, great if we get a cold snap, but the numbers will not be near as high as the Jan or Feb hunt on hogs.  There will be snakes and alligators very active but that's most of the hunts anyway.  Send me a pm if you have any questions, and we will see you there!!
J


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## 119bowhunter (Sep 8, 2016)

Well after reading your reply this morning my new snake boots are on their way! haha...been wanting a pair anyway but this will be a good way to talk the wife into it...do you mean the harvest numbers won't be as high as January or February? Due to the warm weather? I assume these hunts are much more well attended than the hog only hunts, I think we had something like 44 people show up in January


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## futbolwest (Sep 11, 2016)

I wear snake chaps and last year I think all three days of the hunt were in the mid eighties. It was miserable!
 The mosquitoes on the area I hunted were the worst I have ever seen despite having sprayed with permethrin and spraying several times during each hunt with40% Deet. I vowed to never go back to Ossabaw without a Thermacell.


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## Danny Leigh (Sep 14, 2016)

We'll have a group down there as well on the PW hunt. We were there last year on the PW with futbolwest and man was it hot. 

The hog numbers are lower on the earlier hunts for a variety of reasons. If it's warm the hogs may just not move much. Also, many guys are there just for deer and don't bother shooting hogs. 

We saw a couple of snakes last year and they were all a type of rat snake. We've heard of guys seeing diamondbacks but never personally seen them.


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## jkp (Sep 14, 2016)

Hunter numbers are not a lot higher usually about 50-70 show up and between those who don't hunt in the heat and the anti hunters that draw tags just so we can't go use up the rest of the quota.  Good move on the boots and I agree again with the Thermocell I will be buying a brand new one for this trip again just to make sure.
J


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## Blackston (Sep 21, 2016)

Parent child hunt was our thanksgiving when I was a boy    Family friend was a man named Mr Parker game warden on the island (in the early 90s ) he always took us to the north end of the island almost to Bradley pt. I've never seen more animals in my life   I can remember when hog hunting was strictly forbidden on the island   Me and daddy walkin through palmettos and literally stepping over sleeping hogs      Awesome place   If ya go up Newell creek past the dock back around the island used to be a trout drop I remember me and my uncle catchin 4    25 trout limits in two days  after killin my first buck and doe at beginning of hunt.         OSSABAW WHAT A PLACE


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## Danny Leigh (Sep 22, 2016)

Blackston said:


> Family friend was a man named Mr Parker game warden on the island (in the early 90s ) he always took us to the north end of the island almost to Bradley pt.



We got to meet Stanfield Parker just as he was retiring from the island in 2000.


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## Blackston (Sep 23, 2016)

He had a bulldog named sport that he used to trail a deer my bro shot   To hear my brother tell that story he still gets excited and that was 25 years ago. Good times


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## jkp (Sep 28, 2016)

Yea but he gets to hunt Harry Hammock we don't.  Like shooting in a barrel after the first hunt over there.  Run out of ammo before you run out of pigs, wish we could have a few hours on that little pc of hunting paradise.
J


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## Blackston (Sep 28, 2016)

Up Bradley river left into camp creek     Welcome to paradise


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## jkp (Sep 29, 2016)

Yep, too bad you can't hunt it during the hunts or I would surely boat right over.
J


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## OldCrowkiller (Oct 10, 2016)

It was hot last year during the pw hunt. Snake boots were on my feet at all times, but I never saw a snake. A friend who went on the first rifle hunt saw plenty.
I forgot my thermacell last year and had to apply deet every hour. I had a cloud of mosquitoes that hovered at about 3 inches, but at the hour mark they would start to land.

I'm wondering how the island did in the storm. I'm going on the February hog hunt, so I'll be watching the hunt reports.


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## Russdaddy (Oct 10, 2016)

nearly stepped on a huge rattler last time I was there, never made a sound, very lucky I saw him move just a little


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## jkp (Oct 11, 2016)

I'd like to know about the island too if anyone has any info.  They reported sustained 52.9mph wind for over 2hrs with gusts over 75.  Those old growth trees haven't seen a storm in long long time, and the new building hasn't had a test.  I do know for sure they got a little over 12in of rain during the storm from the data collector on the island.  Hope all is well, I suspect in a few days we will get some info with hunts about to start.  
J


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## Preston00 (Oct 14, 2016)

Here is what I know so far from the Ossabaw Island Foundation. I don't know if the hunts are still on or not. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has sent out notices stating that the hunts were cancelled on Wassaw and Blackbeard. I assume that the conditions are the same on Ossabaw -- but have not seen a statement from the DNR WRD yet.      
                                                                                          The Ossabaw Island Foundation has postponed indefinitely the Ossabaw Island Pig Roast & Art Auction scheduled for this Saturday, October 15.  This is due to the impacts of Hurricane Matthew on Savannah and Ossabaw Island.

We hope to reschedule the Pig Roast in November, but that decision is several days away.  We do not yet have a tentative date.

Island conditions:  The initial report  is that all of the buildings on the North End (including the Main House, the Club House and the Boarding House) received little or no damage.  There is damage reported to some of the roads and causeways and too many trees down to count.  There is no power or running water.  We do not expect Ossabaw to be a high priority for reconnecting power.

Sandy West:  Sandy West and other residents of her assisted living facility evacuated to an Augusta assisted living facility on Thursday night. Sandy had visitors there on Saturday.  On Sunday, Robin Gunn visited her in Augusta and assisted her as she and other residents boarded a charter bus to return to their Savannah home.  Sandy was alert and justifiably cranky, and eager to be reunited with her dog Toby, who stayed behind in Ardsley Park with Sandy's friend Lisa White.  Sandy arrived back in Savannah on Sunday night; the facility's power is on and they are resuming normal life as best as possible.

Updates to come:  We will let you know as soon as we can what the plan is for the Pig Roast.  Hopefully we will know something by Monday, October 17.

All of our Ossabaw  friends are safe.  We hope and pray that all of you are safe as well.  We look forward to seeing each of you safe and sound and happy in the weeks ahead. 

  Thank you for your support of Ossabaw Island, and of each other.

Sincerely, 

Elizabeth DuBose                                                  
Ossabaw Island Foundation                                                  
ossabawisland.org
912-233-5104


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## jkp (Oct 14, 2016)

Thanks Preston.  You would think DNR would let the guys scheduled for next week know something.  A lot of vacations, plans, and money have already been spent, not to mention waiting for priority points to get drawn.  Not sure DNR will be able to fix this ( They can't control Mother Nature) guess we might have to wait 4 years instead of 2 to go, patiently waiting to see.  Don't take much from the Island foundation letter, as those are city folks and the people coming to that are city folks so not really the same.
J


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## Preston00 (Oct 14, 2016)

I sent an e-mail to the DNR. Maybe they will post something soon. It may be too early to tell for the November hunts. Maybe they will allow volunteers with chain saws to come over and help clear the roads. What's ironic is that these are primitive hunts where people use their primitive skills. The indians never cancelled a hunt due to the weather -- but the government has because of liability, manning, and impassable roads. If everything was controlled by the government we would starve for sure!


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## jkp (Oct 14, 2016)

I hear ya.  In saying that though I have been on a couple Island hunts were I swear if you didn't zone it off and drop people in their spots some of those fools would end up shooting someone. It is much better now and a lot of the same folks on the same hunts but back a few years ago I could have seen it being a real big issue.  
J


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## Preston00 (Oct 14, 2016)

Here are a few pictures from Ossabaw


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## jkp (Oct 14, 2016)

I bet the hunting end might look worse in places.  Those are all from one spot *&^ pine trees.  Maybe the oaks did better not as many pines on the south end.  Fingers Crossed.


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## Danny Leigh (Oct 14, 2016)

It does look like the pines fared worse than the oaks and there are plenty of pines on the south end. Just north of the camp parts of the walk-in area are primarily pines.

Hopefully the causeways are not too bad. The 2nd one out of camp on the south beach rd has been notorious for washing out. There used to be a big pipe in the marsh at least half a mile away from the causeway (may still be there) and I always wondered what kind of storm would take it that far. Hopefully the pipes didn't move during Matthew.


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## jkp (Oct 14, 2016)

I know what ya mean Danny.  This isn't looking good for us either.
J


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## Danny Leigh (Oct 14, 2016)

jkp said:


> I know what ya mean Danny.  This isn't looking good for us either.
> J



I imagine they are working pretty hard to fix the roads and if the archery hunt is canceled (which it sounds like it might be) then that gives them another 4 days of work. 

Fingers crossed we'll get the PW in.


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## Preston00 (Oct 14, 2016)

You can zoom in with this link to see what the coast looks like from the air after the storm.

http://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/matthew/index.html


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## Preston00 (Oct 25, 2016)

I just received a response to a message on facebook from Wildlife Resources Division - Georgia DNR. Nothing firm yet -- but they are working very hard to get the necessary roads cleared and they are optimistic that the hunt will be on as scheduled. They say some areas may be inaccessible but think that the hunt will still be held. I'm excited -- I'll be getting my stuff ready! https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeResourcesDivisionGADNR/


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## snuffy (Oct 25, 2016)

Preston00 said:


> I just received a response to a message on facebook from Wildlife Resources Division - Georgia DNR. Nothing firm yet -- but they are working very hard to get the necessary roads cleared and they are optimistic that the hunt will be on as scheduled. They say some areas may be inaccessible but think that the hunt will still be held. I'm excited -- I'll be getting my stuff ready! https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeResourcesDivisionGADNR/



Good news and good luck!


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## jkp (Oct 25, 2016)

Thanks for the update Preston, I have also heard that we may have to hunt 2 to an area because the end sections may be unavailable all the 60's and possibly the upper 40's only about 40 areas total. Getting ready as well just wish they would give a firm yes or no.
J


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