# St Vincent Sambar Hunt



## no woryz

Got back today with a little luck and a great time.... I shot my Stag at 8 a.m. on Thursday..... The NWR folks weighed it @ 403 lbs dressed and estimated it to have been over 550 lbs whole... it was a beast to move and I couldn't be more proud.... I am going to get it mounted so I will soon be looking for a taxidermist.... Here are a few photos..... as of 11 a.m. Friday only 4 Sambar ( 3 Stag, 1 Hind )had been killed and two hogs.... 

I did run into fellow PFF'er Joebow09 " http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/f48/more-success-st-vincents-102957/ "

His buddy in the pic killed a nice stag ( a 4 point I think) as well and I hope Joebow got his either yesterday or today.... enjoy the pics and hopefully Joebow will be posting soon.....


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## archer-1

Congrets, its not as easy as everyone thinks to take a Samber! I like to be drawn again now that I know what to expect once there and better know what to take along....


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## Grassflatsfisher

Thats pretty awesome. Like the hat too!


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## no woryz

Thanks Guys...... WDE grassflats .... Archer you are dead on... its a lot of work to find and get one.... and a lot of luck as well.... a few more pics....


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## Firefishvideo

Dang Clint! What sort of MOOSE is that? ....just kidding, .....thats gonna be delicious!:thumbup:


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## scootman

Totally awesome. I am going to put in the the draw next year. If I get drawn, I will probably toss a lot of questions your way.

Scoots


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## Garbo

Dang.

Congrats, that is Incredible. 

Therefore....Dang.

.


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## bobinbusan

Nice work, guess you could this a baby look alike Elk, You did good!:thumbsup:


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## hsiF deR

Just plain awesome!


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## chodges

That looks like so much fun...I can't wait to get drawn for that....My cousin got drawn last year in his group drawing but forgot to put other names in it..He didn't want to go by himself so he canceled. You are the only person I have seen that was successful, now I know who to contact when I get drawn.


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## fromthedepths

awesome job,congrats!to me they taste like crap just not for me i guess.


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## PMACDIDDY

Incredible. Can't wait to get my chance to do the same. Nice work.


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## no woryz

Thanks for all the good words.... Its a great hunting opportunity.... My dad lives about 5 miles away from St Vincent on the Cape so we get to go to the island on a pretty regular basis... best advice to anybody is if you get drawn for the Sambar then go on the other hunts and use them to scout out your sambar... as far as taste it seems to be mixed on the big ones... some say good some say bad.... I killed a smaller sambar spike in 2008 and it tasted good, as good as a whitetail... it was considerably smaller though... I am sure that will make a difference.... on this trip, there were at least 2 other stags that were shot and lost.... I got my first Muzzle-loader pass through but this stag only went 20 yards from where he was shot....


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## GALSUN

*nice*

Congats nice looking stag


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## deersniper270

Where do you apply to get drawn for this hunt!? Awesome Samber! I've never even heard of this animal but I want to apply to hunt it.


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## grey ghost

didnt no they weighed that much on that island?? nice!!


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## k-p

Great job no woryz...that will make a great mount! Do you have any advice on getting a tag? I know its a random selection but I haven't been able to get one since I've been putting in the last few years and some people seem to get multiple tags. You're advice about scouting is spot on. The last time I bowhunted it, I had three stags feeding in front of me at 25 yards, would have been an easy shot with the bow. If there are any secrets to getting that tag, I sure would like to know.


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## no woryz

No secret to share its just luck all the way around, I met folks from Maine, Arkansas, Texas, Georgia, a lot from South Florida and so many places in between.... just getting drawn is lucky and getting a Sambar is luckier... Great experience and I will keep trying to get back... 200 tags issued every year buy they reported only 95 hunters this year. The NWR folks got me back b4 the "meat run" which starts at 10 a.m. and there was 6-8 hunters just milling around camp.... I thought that's a lot of work to not be hunting!!!!! I have always thought the "greenies" might be applying just to waste a tag... how else to explain less than 50% turnout? just keep applying and next year may be the one....


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## k-p

Yes, I'm going to keep trying. Thanks for the feedback. I remember the other folks there saying the same thing about the animal rights activists getting the tags. If there's an upside to it, that's probably good for the Sambars. It would be nice if they restricted the tags to FL residents but since it's federal maybe they can't do that. Hopefully next year will be the year. Let us know how it fares at the table when you get a chance and prepare some. Again, great Stag!!


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## baldona523

Dang No Woryz I didn't realize you were a PFF, I have been really busy the last 3 weeks for work and prepping for the trip and did not get on here much. But I was camping right next to you to the south and my dad and I talked to you for a sec on Wednesday on the road on the way to putting our stands in. I am not going to derail your thread but I got lucky and shot a smaller stag than you on Friday morning. It dressed at 225 pounds, but man it sure seemed bigger than that. My dad actually missed a really nice Stag twice the first day. When I left Saturday around 11 there were 4 stags and I believe 3 hinds killed, as well as about 7 hogs. A lot of guys were passing up hogs the first 2 days though.

A couple tips to answer guys questions: I have heard that they give a preference to guys who apply in a group, but obviously plenty of guys get drawn individually. But I would really recommend going with a group, this is a very tough hunt. 

As No Woryz said, as tough as a hunt as this is just to get drawn and then get to the island, most guys hunted close to camp and came back well before they were required to stop hunting.

As few Sambar that are killed, I feel like this is still a hunt everyone has a good chance at. I worked my butt off for mine by going on the archery hunt this year and also the tour of the island given by the volunteers. Sambar sign is incredible, the hunt is worth just seeing it. If you put in some work scouting it is easy to find the Sambar sign and get a good chance at seeing one IMO. 

Again, congrats No Woryz that is a nice one.


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## Kingfish880

Very cool. Congrats!


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## no woryz

Hey Baldona, congrats on your kill....lemme see them pic's, just keep this thread going or start a new one if you wish.. I know Joebow from the PFF was there and should be posting soon.......Looks like the PFF represented on St Vincent... I do remember talking with you .... were you hunting behind me as well on S side of road? , I think I talked to your dad Thur morning after he jumped it after the shot... did he lose his or miss it? sorry about your dad's bad luck... its heartbreaking... my dad has lost a Sambar as well and it eats him alive still.... Congrats on your success...


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## JoeZ

Very cool both of y'all got one. Five years entering and I have to be drawn. Might try a group next year and see how that goes. 
It's incredible to have such an exotic, rugged trip so close to the backyard. 
Congrats.


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## k-p

If anybody wants to go in on a group hunt, count me in--feel free to PM or contact me. I've been trying to get a tag for some time now but hopefully with Boldona's and No Worryz tips, it will come through. I'll probably start another thread for this a few weeks before the quota comes open so I don't step on this post anymore. Boldona congrats to you as well, hopefully you have some pics as well!


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## duckhunter

Congrats. Great pics thanks for sharing. How were the misquitoes? I have gone oncr fantastic hunt. The bugs were as bad i have ever seen in My life. Prethermacell days. I apply every year now


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## baldona523

No Woryz, there was another guy about my age who got one he said was similar in size to mine and his dad hit one and never found it, they were somewhere next to the eagle nesting area. I was north of B. I will PM you later someone shot 1st thing Thursday Morning about 200 yards south of me it may of been you. My dad cleanly missed the best we could tell. I will get pics up tonight.

That makes a lot of sense for a couple guys on here to go in as a group together, I have been told that FWC prefers groups but I don't know how true it is. But that does make sense because this really is a hunt you want to be in a group. I biked in 3.7 miles and then walked in another 0.75 miles from there. It would of sucked to be that far by myself. Plus it is a primitive hunt on an island you have to take a boat to, all of it is much easier with help from friends. Given, I think No Woryz was there by himself buy it sounds like he knows the island well. If I remember right, one person applies as the group leader and then sends a link to everyone else in the group. 

First day the lows were in the low 30s and second day lows were mid 40s, and surprisingly Saturday it was warmer and the bugs were not bad at all. On the Archery hunt when it warmed up the bugs did get bad. When I did the tour the Mosquitos were horrible. I didn't see any snakes but it was cold, but I know there are there.


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## baldona523

My dad and I got there later Wednesday than we wanted, and when we went out to put our stands in and save spots someone was already where I wanted to go. But we scouted around the rest of the marshy/lake area and ended up north of that area in the best spot I have seen on the island. There were 6 or 8 scrapes almost 6 feet wide, a bunch of sambar rubs, and 2 trails and an old road with a ton of fresh tracks all within 100 yards of each other. This hunt certainly takes luck, but I can't imagine being in a spot with better sign. We got really lucky finding it. Going on the archery hunt and the tour by the volunteers really taught me the island, the areas I wanted to key in on, and where the animals tend to move from and to. As few Sambars as they say are on the island, their sign is so much bigger that they seem easier to key in on than whitetail. Once you are used to seeing the Sambar rubs, it makes you laugh when you see whitetail rubs. This was the most rewarding hunts I have been on, but my entire body still hates me Monday morning and I didn't even hunt Saturday. I will get pics up tonight.


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## tripleblessing

Wow I need to start applying for that hunt


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## Heller High Water

Awesome stuff, congrats!


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## k-p

Any opinions on what boat is the best to get over and stay there? Seen pontoons, jons, mullet boats, you name it... Just getting there is half the fun itself if that bay doesn't wreak havoc on your ride.


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## chodges

k-p said:


> Any opinions on what boat is the best to get over and stay there? Seen pontoons, jons, mullet boats, you name it... Just getting there is half the fun itself if that bay doesn't wreak havoc on your ride.


Good Question! I was wondering the same thing..When my group gets drawn, we are planning on taking a 23ft center council fishing boat..Will this work or should we also bring along our jon boat for hunting purposes.


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## no woryz

The bay is shallow, reeeaaaallllll shallow, some decide to travel by gulf... Gotta know your way around either way to avoid trouble... Many oyster bars on the bay route but that's the way we go. We used a 17' key west this trip... Everybody should bring waders and 2 anchors and always check you boat.. Only saw 1 sink this year but they did get it back up and running. If your heavy on gear maybe 2 boats and there are always charters as well. Heard the going rate was $150 roundtrip.


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## no woryz

Can't hunt from the boat at all... Once you get there its all foot traffic and bicycles.. You can't use the boat during the hunt except for leaving the island..


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## k-p

The hardest part I saw was that there is no protected areas for a boat. I'm thinking about finding a big enough jon boat that can be pulled up on shore. I was hesitant about using two anchors since the waves can change direction so much and you have to be far enough from shore to keep the boat from beating on the bottom. A little boat like a key west does seem like about the best fit though for there. Do the charters run on the east camp side?


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## bchadcherry

way cool, congrats


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## joebow09

nice Stag, seen it in person!!! best boat ride is someone elses!! we pay to get dropped off and picked up when needed.if you want contact info give me a pm and ill be happy to give it t ya!!


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## baldona523

I would take at least a 17 ft bay boat. Any center console will work though, if you aren't comfortable crossing Pensacola or Choctaw bay in the worst conditions you've seen them in in your boat don't use that boat in App bay for this hunt. I went on the archery hunt and 4 boats on the West side sunk and as No Woryz said one boat on this sunk. Mostly from a bad job anchoring and they filled with water. All boats were recovered. App bay is shallow, but I saw guys crossing it in 24 ft CCs without an issue you just gotta know the bay. There are definitely multiple 1 ft oyster bars in the middle of the bay. I would NOT recommend a john boat, bring a bigger boat and waders. A pontoon boat would be better than a bay boat, but that bay does get choppy.

As said, there are local guys with Bay boats who will take you over for $100 for 2 or $150 for a single round trip I think. If you don't have a decent boat, I would go that route well before taking a john boat. This hunt is only $25 quota permit so that $100 bucks is well worth it.


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## baldona523

Some pics. Not trying to take over your post No Woryz, just figured I'd be better to keep this all together.


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## baldona523

A couple more of the sign.


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## no woryz

Hey Baldona, very nice stag.....congrats on your success..that's look's like the perfect boat setup... ours was that full as well. that's a good looking area your hunting.... how far was your shot?


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## k-p

That's a great stag Baldona! You should be proud on connecting with one and there's not too many people that can claim one of those for the wall. Great to see the pics. I saw a couple of pine trees that were rubbed last time (like the size you could put your treestand on). Unbelievable how much stuff they can tear up.


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## Bone Yard

Great job!!! It's a small percentage that get to kill a Stag. Congrats!! did you kill it around Jungle Road. I killed one there years ago. This brings back memories.


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## Imhuntingok

*Sambar Hunt This Year*

Did you get drawn this year? My son and I camped next to you the last 2 years. I got drawn this year by myself. Just curious if you were interested in hunting together. (you might remember me, when we were putting out stands, we went to the same spot, I got there just a few minutes before you did) Cheers!


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## Gulf Coast Outfitters

Two of us got drawn this year, hit me up, Steve


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## Imhuntingok

Hey Weatherman,

I was actually trying to get in touch with No Woryz but good to hear from someone else that got drawn. I'm an amateur on this forum so wasn't exactly sure how to get in touch with specific individuals. Have you hunted Sambar before? Since my son didn't get drawn, I'm looking to hook up with someone this year. Let me know if you are interested, I have 2 hunts under my belt on that island so I have some experience. Cheers!


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## Gulf Coast Outfitters

Sure thing, hit me on the PM.


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## lastcast

weatherman said:


> Sure thing, hit me on the PM.


Not sure new members can send PM's.


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## OTTE*DA*WORM

Great job, Clint! That is a nice looking stag. How long were you out for? Thanks for posting up and sharing with us. Makes that much more hungry for the season to kick off! O*D*W


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## Gulf Coast Outfitters

Good catch Skip, thanks, will save a steak for ya if we whack one.


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## KayakMacGyver

Imhuntingok, I too am hunting alone this year. I had a group of guys that backed out and I'd really like to link up with someone else, mostly for safety and sharing ideas/stories. Shoot, I wouldn't mind sharing equipment either if it saves you some hassle if your coming from a long distance. I live only about an hour from the island and plan to spend some good scouting time out there in the coming weeks/months. My e-mail is [email protected]. Get in touch if your interested linking up.

Justin


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