St. Marys State Park

[navy_hower]

I moved to MD in April and have discovered St. Mary's State park along Indian Bridge Road near where I live. If anyone has hunted in there, do you know if the whole thing is open for hunting? Ive done quite a few miles worth of hiking and scouting in there and am just curious if the whole thing is open to hunting. Thanks in advance for any input anyone has.

 

[navy_hower]

I moved to MD in April and have discovered St. Mary's State park along Indian Bridge Road near where I live. If anyone has hunted in there, do you know if the whole thing is open for hunting? Ive done quite a few miles worth of hiking and scouting in there and am just curious if the whole thing is open to hunting. Thanks in advance for any input anyone has.

Also, does anyone know if it gets way crowded with hunters in there???

 

[hooknline]

Also, does anyone know if it gets way crowded with hunters in there???

It is good hunting and many deer hang out near the power lines. there are several (4) entrances to the hunting area. two on Indian Bridge RD. (my favorite) and one behind Kmart a few miles down that road and one on a old farm road off chancelors run. It does get crowded from time to time although the chancellors is probably the least used. happy hunting.

 

[hooknline]

I moved to MD in April and have discovered St. Mary's State park along Indian Bridge Road near where I live. If anyone has hunted in there, do you know if the whole thing is open for hunting? Ive done quite a few miles worth of hiking and scouting in there and am just curious if the whole thing is open to hunting. Thanks in advance for any input anyone has.

Hunting on base is also good both Pax and Dalgren if you want a drive and get the VA license.

 

[navy_hower]

It is good hunting and many deer hang out near the power lines. there are several (4) entrances to the hunting area. two on Indian Bridge RD. (my favorite) and one behind Kmart a few miles down that road and one on a old farm road off chancelors run. It does get crowded from time to time although the chancellors is probably the least used. happy hunting.

Thanks for the info guys. I havent looked at the parking area over on the other side by kmart yet. But I walked from Indian Bridge all the way up just about that far following the power line or just going in the woods anyway. It'll be a long long drag but thats ok. Also, hopefully during archery season, even if theres other people in there, I won't see them. There's lots of woods and most people will be sitting tight anyway. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[bulldog]

Thanks for the info guys. I havent looked at the parking area over on the other side by kmart yet. But I walked from Indian Bridge all the way up just about that far following the power line or just going in the woods anyway. It'll be a long long drag but thats ok. Also, hopefully during archery season, even if theres other people in there, I won't see them. There's lots of woods and most people will be sitting tight anyway. Thanks for the help guys!

Bow season is not bad. A lot of folks tend to hunt as close as they can to the parking areas so the deeper you are willing to go, the better your chances. Sure, makes for a longer drag, but hey, it's hunting.
Gun season seems to pack the parking lots and I would stay clear if you have any other options at all.
Good luck.

 

[navy_hower]

Bow season is not bad. A lot of folks tend to hunt as close as they can to the parking areas so the deeper you are willing to go, the better your chances. Sure, makes for a longer drag, but hey, it's hunting.
Gun season seems to pack the parking lots and I would stay clear if you have any other options at all.
Good luck.

I just got done finally with my hunting course today and got my license. I drove by the parking areas Saturday morning just to see what kind of cars were there and it wasnt bad at all. I drove by at about 845 am and I already saw one guy at his vehicle taking off his camo. As far as the walking, on my GPS I was about 1.5 miles from my truck so hopefully thats far enough to keep things quiet. Thanks for all the comments tho.

 

[hooknline]

I just got done finally with my hunting course today and got my license. I drove by the parking areas Saturday morning just to see what kind of cars were there and it wasnt bad at all. I drove by at about 845 am and I already saw one guy at his vehicle taking off his camo. As far as the walking, on my GPS I was about 1.5 miles from my truck so hopefully thats far enough to keep things quiet. Thanks for all the comments tho.

just a heads up sounds like you are new to hunting from what you typed so just wanted to let you know to always take a good compass into the woods along with your GPS. You need to be careful relying on GPS in the woods and expecially tracking your bloodtrail at night because they will give you false readings due to foliage. I have been lost in heavy woods due to GPS and if it wasn't for my compass, I would probably still be there (just wondering and a-cussin those dang thick trees). Also, if you go to staples and purchase thumbtacks and pin on trees at eye level every 30-50 feet on your tracks to your spot it will help you find your way in the dark. I have used tacks and it works very well because alot of times it will shine with just moonlight instead of "quick burst" flash from flashlight. I then remove my tacks when done with that spot and re-use at new location.

 

[bulldog]

just a heads up sounds like you are new to hunting from what you typed so just wanted to let you know to always take a good compass into the woods along with your GPS. You need to be careful relying on GPS in the woods and expecially tracking your bloodtrail at night because they will give you false readings due to foliage. I have been lost in heavy woods due to GPS and if it wasn't for my compass, I would probably still be there (just wondering and a-cussin those dang thick trees). Also, if you go to staples and purchase thumbtacks and pin on trees at eye level every 30-50 feet on your tracks to your spot it will help you find your way in the dark. I have used tacks and it works very well because alot of times it will shine with just moonlight instead of "quick burst" flash from flashlight. I then remove my tacks when done with that spot and re-use at new location.

Toilet paper works well too. Of course you should always have some with you so when blood trailing, I'll take a square of paper and place it on a twig, a foot or so off the ground wherever I find blood. Serves two purposes; you can look back and get a general idea as to the "line" the deer was taking and you can also use it to easily find your way back to where you started. If you happen to miss picking up a piece on your way back, it will degrade and not hurt a thing.

 

[hooknline]

Toilet paper works well too. Of course you should always have some with you so when blood trailing, I'll take a square of paper and place it on a twig, a foot or so off the ground wherever I find blood. Serves two purposes; you can look back and get a general idea as to the "line" the deer was taking and you can also use it to easily find your way back to where you started. If you happen to miss picking up a piece on your way back, it will degrade and not hurt a thing.

OK Bulldog, I thought you were heading in a different direction with the toilet paper issue

 

[navy_hower]

OK Bulldog, I thought you were heading in a different direction with the toilet paper issue

Thanks for all the good ideas guys. I am not new to hunting. I am new to hunting maryland. Have been hunting for about 20 yrs. I started when I was 12 in PA. Have hunted in NY, Maine, and South Carolina. Not in the military anymore and when I went to get a hunting license, MD didn't honor the fact that I had a license from another state. They wanted me to have their safety course. No big deal, the law is the law. So thats what I was talking about when I was mentioning my hunters safety course. Thanks though for the tips and I do carry a compass with my GPS, and I also use TP for tracking if needed. TP because like was mentioned, if I miss a piece or it blows away, it will biodegrade quick.