has anybody ever hunted the Sam Houston National forest. i will be hunting there this fall as i have been drawn for an antlerless deer permit. i cant seem to find any real information about the actual hunting area. with the TPWD draw hunts they give pretty decent information like assigned compartment/ blind locations, or with orientations. but this seems like its just randomly walk in to the designated forest and hunt. i am still waiting to receive permit in the mail and maybe there is more info in there. does anybody have any experience hunting Sam Houston forest

Yes it is walk in and hunt On the Sam Houston. It’s very big and lots of land to cover. Most of it is thick but there is a lot of deer there. I drawn the doe permit as well this year.

There are also ample hogs in there as well.

From Huntsville to conroe you can find some forest land pretty close to anywhere. Big tracts without too many roads to really small tracts. It is well marked and open to hunt almost all of if⁰. Your map book will show you the specifics on that. Plenty of deer, but plenty of hunters. Pay your dues scouting if you want much success.

Being succesful in the Sam is about being prepared. Pick a location where you can walk down a road or trail at least a mile or so back in the woods. Find an area where the deer are moving through like pinch points, old growth forest or some active area. The prevailing wind is typicaly easterly so I set up accordingly but in the forest expect swirling winds. Once you find a good area make a ground blind. The day of the hunt make sure and be in your blind before shooting time starts. So make sure you can get to your spot in the dark. Typically I will sit till 10 am and that is when the actiion is typically over with. If you dont see any that day and wantto move then scout your way back to your vehicle making ground blinds for yourself depending on wind direction, I typically have one for a N-NW wind and E or SE wind. Repeat until you score. Or a tree blind if you want to carry that thing in. I prefer pig hunting more and so I dont deer hunt anymore, I have a different strategy for them,

I have hunted it several times and it is a difficult hunt. I agree with Bigfoot and his strategy. Take a compass too because it is easy to get lost in them woods.

Many good posts here... I was in Sam yesterday and saw more than 20 deer in total-ALL does, NO bucks, and 3 fawns. They were moving heavily between 2:30 and 4P. Why those hours? Who knows. There were far fewer hunters out yesterday than in all the previous years I have hunted Sam. Also, they have not cleared many/any of the trails this year. Most places I went yesterday were heavily over-grown and had I not known where my trails were, I would have found it hard to find them. The gates are still locked at the trail heads of most hunting areas as well. Maybe they will be unlocked for gun season?

The wind... Regardless of how you set up, or which way you face.. It's a crap shoot as the wind will literally change direction, and swirl multiple times over a single multiple hour hunt. I think you will have the most success hunting out of a climbing stand. These deer are AMPED up.. meaning if they are close enough for you to see, then they can see you.. Hunting from the ground where most of their predators reside is going to make for a tough hunt. If you even blink an eye, they will pick it up.. Best to be as scent free as possible. There are a LOT of mosquitoes as well so Pyrethrin protected hunting gear is a must.. Otherwise, you will be swatting mosquitoes out of your face-and the deer will pick you off and avoid you LONG BEFORE you ever see them. You must also cover yourself from head to toe with material that is Pyrethrin protected. Its been my experience that the second a deer steps out, and you see it, mother nature will immediately put 100+ mosquitoes right in your face. Sounds crazy, but that's how I know a deer is close by as mosquitoes will swarm your face and eyes as soon as the deer is near.. That's the give-a-way.. If you swat at, or blow on, the mosquitoes to shoo them away you will be rewarded with a deer blowing a warning to all other dear nearby, and see a nice white tail disappear into the distance. I use BOTH pyrethrin protected gear, and a Thermcell while in my climbing stand. I know some guys have been able to kill deer in Sam with a bow, but I can't imagine that it's a very high number. They can literally see a drop of sweat on your fore-head from 100 yards out. How you would draw a bow on them when they are within bow distance.. I just can't imagine it's possible. I've been rifle hunting and watching deer far out with binoculars and can tell you that they can see the straps on my binoculars move with the wind, and pick me off! How you gonna draw a bow on them... Maybe just get lucky and have a dumb, blind, deaf, deer roll by your stand? Maybe. It goes without saying that you must be STONE still.. Do not swivel your head around, do not swat at mosquitoes or bugs.. If you can get squirrels to come within a few feet of you, you are doing it right.. If you don't see, or hear, squirrels moving around you.. Then you are already busted and just move to another site. That's the other thing I use to tell me if I'm being still, and if there are deer around.. The squirrels.. When they are running around you playing, and chasing each other in the trees-you are good to go (if the wind is right). If no squirrels... No squirrels=no deer. The squirrels know where the corn feeders, and acorns, are... So let them tell you where you should be hunting.

Deer in Sam are also silent. They can walk right up on you and unless you SEE them.. You will not know they are there. I've been in a climbing stand watching a doe come down a trail and closed my eyes just to listen.. It was not until she was almost under my tree stand that I could hear a faint leaf or two... It was eery how quiet they are... Like they are floating on air. If I had not seen her, I would have thought it was just a squirrel or something on the ground beneath me.

If you want some ideas on trails that you can hunt, let me know. I can put you on some trails and I can guarantee that you will see DOES.. If you are quiet, and perfectly still, and have NO SCENT, and the wind is right.. and unicorns are dancing.. you see where I'm going with this. I've been to many other properties that have deer and have been able to literally stalk up to within 50 yards of them and the deer did not know. In Sam Houston.... You won't get ANYWHERE near them without them knowing you are there. They are literally the sharpest, keenest, deer I have ever experienced. It might be because of all the hunting pressure. All I know is that any deer killed in Sam is a TROPHY because they are just so darned difficult to get on top of. Yes, you can see them-I do, every time I go out.. But killing one is a challenge. I'm heading out there now.. OP, I sent you my phone # in a message. Call me if you want some places you can go in Sam.

I can give you a good guess.
When I used to hunt NF and public quite a bit, if you'd stay put, you can hear all the trucks
crank up around 9:30- 10:00- 10:30 and the deer know when all the humans are leaving
to go back to camp. If you have a good stand that you can more or less camp out in all
day, you'll see more deer on public ground. They can hear you and smell you and see you
on public and keep 100 yards of brush between you and them.

Good Luck to everybody

Here are some pics from SHNF. This blind ground did very well for me one year. I had several mornings where I sat there and wtched a ton of deer come through. I was lucky enough to have it up a hill part way and no ground clutter in front of me so I had 200 to 500 yards of visibilty which is tough to find in the woods. The ground blind was just some large branches that i pulled in towards me as I sat up against the tree. I always kept a homemade shooting stick that I would make while sitting there that first morning. I would just leave it in the pile and reuse it when I came back.

Bigfoot-NICE PIG!

Another update... I went back to Sam this past weekend. Had my bow with me this time. I sat up against a tree, over-looking a spot where 3 deer trails came together. Fresh tracks, and leaves all cleared indicating it's being used. I had found this trail 2 weekends ago and built a mini-blind where I could watch it. I then snuck back into that spot this past weekend. Wind in my face. Along about 5:37PM I'm falling asleep, but think I hear something behind me.. I sit perfectly still so as not to scare whatever it is... After about 10 minutes, and me not hearing anything anymore I thought it might be a squirrel.. I had my phone in my left hand on my left knee facing down.. All i did was flip my phone over so that the screen was facing me so I could see the time (how I knew it was 5:47P exactly) and all heck broke loose.. When I flipped that phone over-the doe must have been standing a mere 5 yards behind, and to my right, of me. She began blowing instantly and I swear I got deer snot on the right side of my face she was so close. Keep in mind she approached me from DOWN wind.. I'm COVERED in OFF insect repellent, Pyrethrin, and running a Thermacell. I only had branches piled up in FRONT of me so I was easily exposed from the rear by anyone/anything approaching me from that direction. How she did not catch my scent.. I don't know. All I know is I was as stone still as a mannequin until I flipped that phone over to check time. If I had not moved, would she have walked past me? Who knows. Why she came from that side when ALL of the deer trails were 20 yards in front of me... Who knows. Could I have drawn my bow had she walked out in front of me without her busting me-NOPE!

After she ran off, and I could still hear her blowing off in the distance for over 1/2 mile... I figured the hunt was over.. I got up to walk behind me to see if there was a trail she used to approach me... I find that another hunter has found my small ground blind set up and taken a DUMP within 10 yards of my tree. they were kind enough to put some of their poo stained napkins on a branch right in front of my tree. I saw that on my way out.. Whoever you are that did that.. THANK YOU.. whatever you have been eating brought that deer right up behind me.. Also, you need to see a Dr. as whatever you have been eating is going to KILL you.. and I'm okay with that.. What kind of hunter poo's by another hunters blind.. My guess is he wanted to scare away the deer.. Bad news my corn eating friend.. it did not work. I hope next time you are out you forget your napkins and have to wipe with poison oak you disgusting pig. This is one of the dark sides of public land hunting.. A-holes with nothing better to do.

I'll be back out today.. climbing stand this time, and back behind that stand a little further. Maybe I'll spot the elusive stand-poo-pig and get a shot at him with a dull field tip...

And one final thing.. I suspect the stand-poo-pig also lost one of his arrows on his walk out... I found that arrow. Along with that expensive broad-head. Karma? You poo'ed at my stand, and lost at least $20 between the carbon arrow, and the expandable broad-head. If you want the arrow back... Just know I will be using it to kill a deer at the very stand you poo'ed at.

what an a hole to say the least. probably a democrat!!!!

The fathead may not even have known your blind was there. Lots of piles of brush in the Sam. Neat place I think.

Deer will slip up on a smell to figure it out. I've had old does trail me from my truck until they found me. Then stand there blowing for half an hour.