Deer hunting Tuckahoe?

Anyone hunting Tuckahoe State Park with a straight walled cartridge rifle? If so any luck?

Finding does is really easy. Bucks are hard on public, very hard.
Are you new to hunting?

TAstro said:

Finding does is really easy. Bucks are hard on public, very hard.
Are you new to hunting?

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Not new, just asking if anyone doing good there with new rules.

The kids and I squirrel hunted the 3 weekends prior to the firearm opener. 4 people, 3 days in the woods only saw one deer... pretty sure it was a doe. It was running so I couldnt be sure.

Saw some tracks, but the population seemed fairly lower compared to my expectations. There was an abundance of joggers and hikers however lol

In my opinion, it’s pretty accessible from all over the perimeter. I haven’t been there in 2 years but I didn’t make much plans to go back

And I will say- when I was there, I heard something coming, readied my muzzle loader, then had a jogger come running down the hill (not necessarily on a posted path). I think this was opener Saturday of late muzzle loader.

I prefer to find land that I can get way back

Think I’ll give it a shot during late ML, hopefully not many joggers then.

I haven’t hunted there in a couple years, but my experience in the past was weekends were awful (and crowded); weekdays not as bad. I didn’t ever have much luck there, but come to think of it the last couple years I was there was right after a pretty big blue tongue outbreak. The Caroline County side isn’t limited to straight wall (or at least wasn’t prior to this season; I haven’t planned to go so I didn’t pay attention to whether the rules for Caroline changed).

TAstro said:

And I will say- when I was there, I heard something coming, readied my muzzle loader, then had a jogger come running down the hill (not necessarily on a posted path). I think this was opener Saturday of late muzzle loader.

I prefer to find land that I can get way back

Click to expand...

Sounds a little like Frederick City Watershed. Most times I've been there (never been during early gun, but I have late gun and ML seasons as well as during archery, hunting squirrels).

Ton of bikers, hikers and joggers. Don't go to Gathland (well plenty go there also), they got to the watershed. They are mostly in one main part of the watershed where there is a huge parking lot, but even during the week I'd say there could be an easy 20-30 people biking, hiking, dog walking and jogging in there, mostly near the parking area, not in further reaches of the park. On a weekend there can be an easy 70-100 people biking, hiking, etc.

About the only time it is pretty much hunters only is in bad weather. That said, a couple years ago I was there when we had that deep cold snap and it was -2F out, snowing and blowing. Heard some sounds and thought I might get lucky (and freeze my fingers off field dressing an ice cube). Nope, crazy ass biker comes barreling down the deer trail. Funnier part is, I didn't recognize him at the time, but it was a friend of mine.

IIRC that was the last time I hunted there. can be steep in places, but I like the setup. But it gets heavy mixed use and during late gun season and ML season on a weekend, those 70-100 people mix using it are joined by scores of hunters. So I'd certainly never hunt it on a weekend.

Off the couple of main trails it isn't too bad, well except for hunters on a Saturday. But you'll still every once in awhile run in to a jogger, biker, hiker or dog walker (half the time not on a leash...) who decides they want to try getting off the beaten path and head down that deer trail and right under your stand.

I have heard in early gun season there is a lot less mixed use because at least some of the brighter bulbs realize its a pumpkin patch and a bit less safe to go jogging in the woods (still see plenty of people not wearing a scrap of orange walking and jogging in gun season there).

Earlier season has more mixed use than later with the cold. Might be a really nice place for a late season archery or primitive season hunt or squirrel or turkey hunting in the winter.