Are any of you hunting LBL this Season ?

[nate17]

Because there's nothing habitat-wise to concentrate their movement.

I've had the most success just sitting in a tree and watching deer. When you see several deer do the same thing then you start to notice these subtle vegetation or terrain changes that are influencing movement that you may have never picked up on otherwise. Then you can take that knowledge and attempt to replicate those successful spots in new areas. You also have to be willing to accept that there will be lots of pressure, especially on the draw hunts. I have spent draw hunts sitting within a couple hundred yards of other people all day and never moved because I knew they were in the wrong place and wouldn't be the one getting a shot. I killed the droptine buck with a guy sitting on the ground within 100 yards of me smoking a cigarette. (Disclaimer… I would never walk in on someone and hunt that beat me to a spot, but for some reason it seems to be an acceptable practice for others.).

 

[Rackseeker]

I have had some great times at LBL over the years. I love scouting up there because of the size of the areas. I don't know if I will ever put in for a gun hunt up there again but might bow hunt it some. 2021 was the last year we put in for a gun hunt. I have always done the scouting for our group. I had 3 excellent spots marked. One where I have taken a couple good bucks over the years. And knew whoever hunted it would probably be the one to kill the first morning. Two of my cousins flipped for the spot so the day before our hunt I carried them in there to hang there stands. They would be hunting about 250 yds apart. They have never hunted anywhere but around home. It was about 1.5 mile back in there but not a hard area to find via a hiking trail and old logging road. I got them set up and they would walk in together the next morning. To make a long story short, they got turned around and got into an argument about which direction they needed to go on the old logging road. They finally found their stands. Luck would have it somebody else set up about 60 yds from one of their stands. But once he found his stand he was scared to leave it in fear of getting lost. So he said he just laid on the ground next to his stand. He said once it started getting light he could see the other hunter in the tree about 60 yards from him. Then he heard something break a stick and seen it was a buck working a scrape about 50 yards on the other side of him. He shot it and it dropped. He was scared to move in fear of the other hunter being mad. Later in the morning he went to the deer and got turned around again trying to get it to an old logging road. They drug the deer by the other hunter twice before finding the old road bed. They said the other hunter never said anything. So if you read this and was the other hunter that morning I apologize for those two idiots that morning. LoL...

 

[Rackseeker]

I have had some great times at LBL over the years. I love scouting up there because of the size of the areas. I don't know if I will ever put in for a gun hunt up there again but might bow hunt it some. 2021 was the last year we put in for a gun hunt. I have always done the scouting for our group. I had 3 excellent spots marked. One where I have taken a couple good bucks over the years. And knew whoever hunted it would probably be the one to kill the first morning. Two of my cousins flipped for the spot so the day before our hunt I carried them in there to hang there stands. They would be hunting about 250 yds apart. They have never hunted anywhere but around home. It was about 1.5 mile back in there but not a hard area to find via a hiking trail and old logging road. I got them set up and they would walk in together the next morning. To make a long story short, they got turned around and got into an argument about which direction they needed to go on the old logging road. They finally found their stands. Luck would have it somebody else set up about 60 yds from one of their stands. But once he found his stand he was scared to leave it in fear of getting lost. So he said he just laid on the ground next to his stand. He said once it started getting light he could see the other hunter in the tree about 60 yards from him. Then he heard something break a stick and seen it was a buck working a scrape about 50 yards on the other side of him. He shot it and it dropped. He was scared to move in fear of the other hunter being mad. Later in the morning he went to the deer and got turned around again trying to get it to an old logging road. They drug the deer by the other hunter twice before finding the old road bed. They said the other hunter never said anything. So if you read this and was the other hunter that morning I apologize for those two idiots that morning. LoL...

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I'm hoping to draw it this year. We need people to start posting some pictures of dinks.

Awesome bucks. I love reading these stories and seeing the deer that goes with them. It gets me fired up for deer season. Thanks for posting.

 

[knightrider]

I'm hoping to draw it this year. We need people to start posting some pictures of dinks.

Awesome bucks. I love reading these stories and seeing the deer that goes with them. It gets me fired up for deer season. Thanks for posting.

 

[Red Talon]

Are any of you planning on hunting LBL this season ? I work in LBL and thought I would give some advice and answer some questions that seem to come up each season. Hopefully this can help to answer some simple and basic questions some of you may have about LBL.

How big is LBL and what is the terrain like ? LBL is 170,000 acres of land that is about 90 % covered by forest and ridges.

Are there big Bucks in LBL ? Yes, but they are often scattered out over a large amount of land so patterning them can take time and patience.

How is the Deer population in LBL ? The LBL Deer population is down from what it used to be, mostly as a result of maturing forest and a increased coyote population. However there are still decent deer numbers in certain areas. It's important to remember LBL is mostly a large forested ecosystem. Typically large forested ecosystems simply do not support high deer densities. In some areas it is common to hunt 2 days straight and never see a deer, however in other places you may see deer daily.

What hunting areas are best ? The truth is every single hunting area/unit in LBL is mostly forest and ridges. So every hunting area/unit basically offers the same type of habitat and terrain to hunt. Some areas do however have more crops than other areas which can be seen on maps of LBL.

Which is better the KY side or the TN side of LBL ? Both sides have good areas and bad areas for deer hunting. The KY side generally receives more hunting pressure especially from Non Resident hunters. The TN side has more undeveloped land, and larger tracts of land in between roads. Both sides are capable of producing large Bucks.

Are there wild hogs in LBL ? Yes, back several years ago most were found in the northern end of LBL in area 1. However, in recent years there have been numerous wild hog sightings in the Tennessee portion of LBL.

Are there venomous Snakes in LBL ? Yes. There are Pigmy Rattlesnakes, Timber Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, and Cottonmouths present in LBL. Timber Rattlesnakes, and Copperheads have been confirmed in every single hunting area/unit. Pigmy Rattlensakes, and Cottonmouths are much more rare in LBL.

After hunting LBL for 50 years, I have some good advice for anyone planning to hunt LBL. Invest in a good pair of snake boots. I saw the biggest cottonmouth that I have ever seen in my life at LBL. Of course, it stands to reason that it would be full of snakes, being a wooded, non-developed area between two major river systems. That is the places snakes call home. I love hunting at LBL, but you won't ever see me there without my snake boots on, before Thanksgiving. Usually, after Thanksgiving, it is cold enough to leave your snake boots at home. However, with global warming that might not be the case for long. Good Luck hunting LBL, hopefully I'll see you there.

 

[rickyk280]

After hunting LBL for 50 years, I have some good advice for anyone planning to hunt LBL. Invest in a good pair of snake boots. I saw the biggest cottonmouth that I have ever seen in my life at LBL. Of course, it stands to reason that it would be full of snakes, being a wooded, non-developed area between two major river systems. That is the places snakes call home. I love hunting at LBL, but you won't ever see me there without my snake boots on, before Thanksgiving. Usually, after Thanksgiving, it is cold enough to leave your snake boots at home. However, with global warming that might not be the case for long. Good Luck hunting LBL, hopefully I'll see you there.

I was born and raised in LBL, Golden Pond Area, the snakes have just got thicker since all of us were forced out. It would be very wise to have snake boots on. We was over at the family cemetery in the early spring a cool day, this pretty good size timber rattler was enjoying the warm pavement.

 

[BSK]

After hunting LBL for 50 years, I have some good advice for anyone planning to hunt LBL. Invest in a good pair of snake boots. I saw the biggest cottonmouth that I have ever seen in my life at LBL. Of course, it stands to reason that it would be full of snakes, being a wooded, non-developed area between two major river systems. That is the places snakes call home. I love hunting at LBL, but you won't ever see me there without my snake boots on, before Thanksgiving. Usually, after Thanksgiving, it is cold enough to leave your snake boots at home. However, with global warming that might not be the case for long. Good Luck hunting LBL, hopefully I'll see you there.

Working outdoors, I wear snakeboots all year around. The time they saved me was in January (cottonmouth).

 

[BigAl]

After hunting LBL for 50 years, I have some good advice for anyone planning to hunt LBL. Invest in a good pair of snake boots. .

I've sat on 2 different snakes at LBL. One was harmless the other a copperhead.

 

[BSK]

I've sat on 2 different snakes at LBL. One was harmless the other a copperhead.

I bet that was a pain in the ass.

 

[Big Gun]

After hunting LBL for 50 years, I have some good advice for anyone planning to hunt LBL. Invest in a good pair of snake boots. I saw the biggest cottonmouth that I have ever seen in my life at LBL. Of course, it stands to reason that it would be full of snakes, being a wooded, non-developed area between two major river systems. That is the places snakes call home. I love hunting at LBL, but you won't ever see me there without my snake boots on, before Thanksgiving. Usually, after Thanksgiving, it is cold enough to leave your snake boots at home. However, with global warming that might not be the case for long. Good Luck hunting LBL, hopefully I'll see you there.

I've seen 3 rattlesnakes in my life, all 3 were at LBL.

 

[rickyk280]

Anyone on here ever encountered the smaller Pigmy Rattler , I have seen 2 in LBL and 2 on the west side of Ky Lake in all my years of living in LBL and and on the west side of KY Lake.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

This thread is finally headed in the right direction; pictures of dinks and talk of poisonous snakes. Maybe now would be a good time to let everyone know that the feds will be starting a grizzly bear reintroduction there just before deer season. They'll be using captured problems bears from the Yellowstone area. Hunt at your own risk.

 

[rickyk280]

This thread is finally headed in the right direction; pictures of dinks and talk of poisonous snakes. Maybe now would be a good time to let everyone know that the feds will be starting a grizzly bear reintroduction there just before deer season. They'll be using captured problems bears from the Yellowstone area. Hunt at your own risk.

Simple solution, If your that scared stay home!!

 

[Apostolic Outdoors]

View attachment 231782

Raise!!

 

[knightrider]

Raise!!

View attachment 231925

Match

 

[Lost Lake]

Anyone on here ever encountered the smaller Pigmy Rattler , I have seen 2 in LBL and 2 on the west side of Ky Lake in all my years of living in LBL and and on the west side of KY Lake.

I saw a dead one on a backroad in Erin (Houston county) years ago. Haven't seen one since.

 

[00bucshot]

I saw a dead one on a backroad in Erin (Houston county) years ago. Haven't seen one since.

I lived in Florida for many years, those little buggers were common as sand. One one bow hunting day back around 1980, my buddy tried to catch one. He ended up with a bite on the index finger and spent two days in the local ICU. That resulted in about a $10,000 hospital bill !! They are potent little rascals !!

 

[BSK]

I lived in Florida for many years, those little buggers were common as sand. One one bow hunting day back around 1980, my buddy tried to catch one. He ended up with a bite on the index finger and spent two days in the local ICU. That resulted in about a $10,000 hospital bill !! They are potent little rascals !!

My brother is an ER Doc in the desert Southwest (New Mexico). The VAST majority of the rattlesnake bites he treats (and it's at least one a week) are on the hand because the person was trying to catch the snake!

 

[Headhunter]

Dang That Post was 9 years old! but still to this day I've seen 1 hog on LBL. I killed my 8th deer at LBL last year other was my dads 5th.View attachment 231492

I would say that within an hour, I could show you hogs. I have hunted a spot dead in middle of Area 15, long walk no matter where you park. Used to walk in and the area was covered in deer sign. Tracks, trails, rubs, scrapes, so much sign even a blind man could have seen it, and jumped deer every single time I walked in to it. Killed a couple good ones in there. Last 3 times, no deer sign, none. Hogs everywhere, saw them walking in and out and especially all over the area I hunted.