# Sambar Deer - St. Vincent Island



## Ringo Redux

Hey all,

Had to share this and solicit some advice - I drew a Sambar Deer tag for this year on St. Vincent Island. Completely blew me away. First time I've ever entered, and I pull a tag. My dad is so excited - it'll mean he and I get to do a fishing trip and a hunting trip in the same year for targets neither one of us have ever harvested. 

Has anyone ever hunted on St. Vincent Island? If so, what are some things I need to know or look out for?

-R.


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## Duke S

take mosquito repellant, head net, and a bug proof tent.


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## lastcast

http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/search.php?searchid=2100746


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## Ringo Redux

Duke - this sounds like solid advice. Thank you.

LC - thanks for the link. I bragged a little over there, too.


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## J rod

PM me and I might be able to point you in a good direction just have to be willing to walk, and i mean WALK!


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## scootman

Ringo,

I was successful in my tag submission as well. I hope we can meet out there. This was my 1st year applying also and I've never stepped foot on that island. I'm a bit nervous about being un-prepared, but I'm stoked about the opportunity ahead. I will be hunting with another forum member altough I've never met him in person. 

Best of luck to you and your Dad,
Scoots


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## GROUPERKING

Take firewood ,big ice chests plenty of ice {sambars are hugh} Hire a local fishing guide to drop you off and pick you up . You have to stay on the far end of the island , unless things have changed . Buy some chest waters to unload the boat they can get you close but still waste deep especially if it"s ruff ! I"m not kidding about the firewood , buy those little bundles wraped in plastic with the handle on it ,lots of little stuff on the island to burn not much big stuff . Have fun ! & enjoy your hunt ,I had a blast when I got drawn several years ago


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## hurricanes1

Good luck with the hunt. This is my third year applying and I didnt get picked. My brother applied last year and he was drawn but got sick and couldnt go. Oh well I didnt draw a Sambar tag or gator tag hopefully I will draw quota permits for Perdido.


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## Robin

There's alot of Sanbar near the camp area,they're pushed by hunters.Also by the lakeshore flats.Good luck..............


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## Kgaut

*new to the forum*

Hey guys new to this forum I was doing asearch on Sanbar deer and found this link. i also drew a tag this year and was looking for any advice from someone who had been there before.


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## Ringo Redux

Welcome to the clueless club, Kgaut. I'm gleaning what I can from the veterans here. Maybe we can turn this into an 'Advice on St. Vincent Island,' thread


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## archer-1

Snakes....plenty of snakes. Keep your tent zipped up and your crap off the floor as much as you can!


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## J rod

dido on the waders!! and extra socks your feet get sweaty, i actually where sneakers on the walk then put my boots on when i get there. and STAY in your stands. you can only hunt till 3 so make every hour count.


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## baldona523

I got a stag last year, my dad also missed one, and we saw a hind. I am by no means an expert, but I learned a ton last year. I'll be honest I'm not going to give any specific spots but I'll give a bunch of tips. This hunt is fun because it is rare, requires a lot of work, and the preparation/ anticipation is half the fun. It is more like a western mule deer/ elk pack in hunt than a whitetail stand hunt. You hunt from a stand, but the work and effort is like a western hunt. So i'd prepare your body accordingly. 

Sambar like to eat aquatic vegetation, you may want to hunt where one could be eating or moving to aquatic vegetation. The sign is HUGE and easy to spot. If you think you see Sambar sign, you're not seeing it. It is OBVIOUS. The rubs and scraps are large and when you are in a good spot they are all over.

Hunt in a group. It is primitive so it is easier with a group of guys and you can share what you see. If you hunt by yourself it is going to suck bad. Game carts will help big time if you get one or not. They are great for moving stuff from the beach to your campsite.

This is what I did and if you do it I think you'll have just as good if not better chance than me:

1.) Go on the tour of the island given by the volunteers late summer or early fall.
2.) Go on the Archery hunt. Learn the island, the animal movement. The hogs and deer may or may not be in the exact same areas, but they all use the same game trails. If you put in a day or 2 the game trails are EASY to find. Again, the game trails are HUGE. Not a normal Florida deer trail, these are like highways.
3.) Show up early Wednesday morning to the island, put your stand out, and mark your spot. You can't technically reserve a stand spot but they'll give you a flag to mark your stand. So you basically can. 
4.) stay in the stand and hunt all 3 days all day until 3 or whenever they want you out. You'll be amazed at how many guys don't show up for the hunt, only hunt the mornings, and then leave a day early. 

It is not an easy hunt, but if you put the work in it is a ton of fun. You need a mountain bike. The main roads are covered in oyster shells and pretty easy to ride. You probably want to go between 3-5 miles from camp. Stuff is killed right by camp, but there are a lot of guys and not far from camp is eagle nesting area you can't hunt in. A guy I archery hunted with saw a stag by road 3 on the west side of the island and one was killed on the peninsula last year. Haha I'll give you that spot because it is like a 6 mile bike ride. Point is they are all over.

Boats sink every year, so as said either hire a local guide to take you over or bring a decent bay boat or bigger. +1 on Waders for getting your stuff to the boat. +1 on bugs, expect them to be miserable. Put in the work and you'll have a great chance honestly. Good luck.


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## pcola4

snakes,,,,,snakes,,,,really big freakin snakes......


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## Ringo Redux

Guys - I really appreciate all the help. I'm going to post this thread link in the other St. Vincent thread - more folks who got as lucky as I did should hear this advice. I understood it was an ordeal, but I'm glad I'm getting the heads up. I'm excited already!

-R.


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## HuntressAngieF

Wahoo! I got my Sanbar tag and I am totally stoked! I however do have to admit all this negative info I have been getting on the net has me a bit Nervous!! Unfortunately My husband didnt get a tag so it looks like I will be solo so any advice from you guys would be fantastic!


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## HuntressAngieF

Oh I just Found out a friend who is female also drew a tag so this should be quite interesting! Again thanks to ya'll for any info or advice you can hook us up with!


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## Kgaut

*boat sinking*

Does it really get that rough? I have a 18 ft aluminum express, but Im kind of leary of taking it out in rough water and leaving it at anchor. Chartering a ride might be the way im gonna go.


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## Kgaut

*Confussed*

Is it Bow only or Bow and Muzzle loader or bow only?


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## Ringo Redux

KG - it's primitive weapons, so muzzleloader is good to go


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## Kgaut

Are scopes legal on muzzel loaders in Florida? They are in Alabama, but i cant find any info on it.


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## jspooney

Yes it gets that rough. I have personally witnessed a half dozen boats sink over the last few years. Also, the bugs, snakes, distance, and other stuff is no lie. This is a hard island to hunt.


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## Ringo Redux

KG - I think scopes ARE allowed. Prohibitions are usually specifically listed and/or clarified in definitions of regulations. If legality of scopes is omitted and doesn't go against the 'reasonable person' test, it's likely legal. I am NOT an expert and my word should not be taken over someone from FWC, though.

On a different tack - this hunt, while somewhat intimidating, sounds like more and more fun. I think maybe this thread would be a great place to kind of start a 'gear list,' for those folks going. I'm going to take some time this weekend and get a preliminary list together and see what I come up with. 

-R.


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## baldona523

Scopes are allowed. It is primitive weapons no different than any other muzzleloader season.

To the lady who was drawn, good luck and in the future you can apply as a group so if you get drawn your husband will also. Guests are not allowed on the island during the hunt.

Boats - It gets ROUGH. The archery hunt last year on the west side 4 boats were swamped or sunk. On the Sambar hunt at least one boat was swamped. The island is very open and the winds can change things rapidly. I would not take an aluminum boat, but plenty of guys do. It was uncomfortable going home in my dad's 19ft bay boat. Literally 2-3s in the bay, a lot of guys left early because the weather changed for the worse last year. 

Remember with your boat it is not you and some fishing supplies. It is you with treestands, guns, coolers and primitive camping equipment for 4 days. My dad and I took his 19ft bay boat and the boat was almost fully loaded and we really did not have a lot of extra stuff.

The Sambar hunt is on the East part of the island and I think it is something like 6 miles over the open bay to the nearest launch. I am no woosie when it comes to rough fishing, but this is not something to mess with.


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## Kgaut

Well I certainly dont want to get my boat sunk! Ringo I would be intrested to see any gear list you come up with, I bow hunted for Elk in Colorado, but we stayed in a nice cabin not a tent! I think this could turn out to be a great adventure. The getting there is going to be the tricky part I think.


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## baldona523

Where you anchor is only waist deep at the deepest, so all the boats I have seen that "sunk" just had water come over the bows and were basically flooded. They were all recovered. What a lot of guys do is pull their smaller boats on shore some use pvc to get them well out of the water. Guys take gheenoes and 12-14 ft jon boats but the issue is: how are you going to get your gear to the island in that? Then if you shoot a 400-600 lb Sambar how are you going to get the meat off the island in your boat? In the least you'll have a gun, cooler, bike, bin of clothes, and treestand each so just fitting that on a boat is not easy. I actually think I was wrong on the distance I think it was 14 miles to the nearest boat launch most of which is over the open bay.

As said the local fishing guides will take you to the island and pick you up for something like $200 for 2 people round trip. This hunt is only $25 tag, so really that is not that bad IMO if you don't have a boat you 100% trust. I am by no means pushing the guides, but I did the archery hunt in a smaller boat and I will say it sucks sitting on stand all day worrying about getting back to camp and seeing your boat under water because 2 boats sunk the day before. 

I am by no means trying to worry or scare anyone, I just want you to know what you'll be facing so you'll be prepared better.


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## Ringo Redux

BD - Good heads up on this. My old man has a 17 foot bay boat that he's going to use to drop me off and we're already figuring how to get all my gear aboard.


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## Kgaut

*Big Bayou*

i wonder if you could unload on the beach then motor back around to big bayou and anchor there were its more protected? The nautical charts shows the water at 1 to 2 feet in most places. it would be a good ride back to the camp area by bike but your boat would not get trashed. Just thinking out loud, Im sure its been thought of before.


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## k-p

Boldona, is right on the money about everything. You really have to be careful, the scariest part to me is leaving your boat anchored if the wind kicks up while you're in the stand. I don't think they'll let you park in the coves either. Its all unprotected on the east side so it makes it tough and its amazing how rough that bay can get.


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## baldona523

Kgaut said:


> i wonder if you could unload on the beach then motor back around to big bayou and anchor there were its more protected? The nautical charts shows the water at 1 to 2 feet in most places. it would be a good ride back to the camp area by bike but your boat would not get trashed. Just thinking out loud, Im sure its been thought of before.


I don't see why this would be an issue but it is a Wildlife refuge so it easily could be. I will say that's a long distance to be covering both over water and biking back. All the way back to the bay opening is almost back to Indian Pass if I remember right. I am not sure where you would go to shore with your bike and then bike back to camp.


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## k-p

I could be wrong but I think the regs said you had to anchor or at least camp at the west pass campsite. If anybody finds out differently though it would be great to know because it would be nice to camp on the boat in one of the bayous then have a shorter hike. That would be a lot safer if they at least allowed mooring of the boats in the coves but they're also next to eagle nesting areas so I'm not sure it would fly.


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## baldona523

k-p said:


> I could be wrong but I think the regs said you had to anchor or at least camp at the west pass campsite. If anybody finds out differently though it would be great to know because it would be nice to camp on the boat in one of the bayous then have a shorter hike. That would be a lot safer if they at least allowed mooring of the boats in the coves but they're also next to eagle nesting areas so I'm not sure it would fly.


Yes you are probably correct. I do know you have to camp for the Sambar on the island at the East end campsite. I am pretty sure you have to keep your boat there, but I am not sure how they can technically restrict that. You can fish the bayous and bay legally outside of the hunt. As I said, that would be a lot of work to do even if you can and you still have to drive your boat to the campsite to load/ unload your gear which is half the battle.


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## redheadflyer

*Cool article from a few years ago*

http://floridawildlifemagazine.com/pdfs/may06sambardeer.pdf

Congrats to all the tag recipients. Best of luck to you all. It looks like a blast and I'll be applying next year!


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## welldoya

I hunted St. Vincent during an archery hunt back in the mid 70s. I was young, like 19, and stupid. My buddy and I took a 12' jon boat and a 7.5 Johnson outboard. I can't really remember how we got all our stuff over there. Must've made a few trips. This was not for the Sambar hunt. We went across on the west end of the island , across Indian Pass where it's only a few hundred yards.
Two things stand out from that trip :
1. The game wardens are very strict about the rules. I remember talking to some guys who didn't leave camp early enough and the wardens made them stay in camp and not hunt that morning.
2. The water can get very rough. When we went over on Wednesday morning, the pass was like a pond. When we left on Sunday, I've never been so scared in a boat. I would've stayed another day but my buddy had to get home. Plus, I think you have to leave at the end of the hunt.
I was praying the entire trip across the channel. A few boats sunk during that hunt also.


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## joek1962

*sambar deer*



Ringo Redux said:


> Hey all,:thumbup:
> 
> Had to share this and solicit some advice - I drew a Sambar Deer tag for this year on St. Vincent Island. Completely blew me away. First time I've ever entered, and I pull a tag. My dad is so excited - it'll mean he and I get to do a fishing trip and a hunting trip in the same year for targets neither one of us have ever harvested.
> 
> Has anyone ever hunted on St. Vincent Island? If so, what are some things I need to know or look out for?
> 
> -R.


 ringo,
i have hunted the sambar deer on two other occations and the best advice i can give you is remember the the deer feed on water plants and you must have snake boots and buy yourself a thermocell for the bugs.
we also have drawn the sambar hunt this year,myself and four of my buddies.when you get on the island give me a call and maybe we can share some stories. joe 321-794-6094


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## joebow09

It's primitive weapon hunt, my buddy and I went last year, pack lite!!! I mean it, get a good guide to take you bout $125.00 a head, be careful with your own boat, we lost 3 last year with the rising tides, didn't see many snakes, seen a lot of skeeters, some alligators, a few white tails, bunch of hogs, and 12 sambar deer, 6 were stags, my buddy did kill one of the bigger stags, and take a comfortable stand, some stand are for packing in and some are for sitting, get the one you can sit in!!

Captain John sapp- 850-323-0947 he is the best, came and got our game and froze for mounts, did what he could to get us on shore, no waders needed, no extra coolers to lump, pack light- I'm serious!!


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## welldoya

Years ago my uncle owned a big vacation house at Indian Pass. It slept something like 16. He would take in several hunters during these hunts.
He would give them a place to stay, provide all the meals and transportation to the island for a very reasonable price.
He took everybody over in his big mullet boat early in the morning, would fish all day then go pick them up after dark. 
This was back in the late 70s and early 80s. Maybe there's still somebody down there who still does it that way.


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## scootman

welldoya said:


> Years ago my uncle owned a big vacation house at Indian Pass. It slept something like 16. He would take in several hunters during these hunts.
> He would give them a place to stay, provide all the meals and transportation to the island for a very reasonable price.
> He took everybody over in his big mullet boat early in the morning, would fish all day then go pick them up after dark.
> This was back in the late 70s and early 80s. Maybe there's still somebody down there who still does it that way.


That would be awesome to find someone offering a service like this.


Scoots


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## J rod

I don't think you can come and go each day; you have to check in before the hunt and when you leave and you must access the isalnd through the east camp for the sambar hunt.


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## welldoya

J rod said:


> I don't think you can come and go each day; you have to check in before the hunt and when you leave and you must access the isalnd through the east camp for the sambar hunt.


I think he did it for the regular hunts, not necessarily the Sambar hunts.
Don't know the regs now but back then you could leave the island each day.
That would be nice to come back from hunting to a fresh mullet dinner and a warm shower and bed.
As I remember his house was less than a half mile to the boat ramp. He had no trouble filling his openings each year.


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## Slot Pursuit

That sounds like a young man's hunt.


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## welldoya

Slot Pursuit said:


> That sounds like a young man's hunt.


I agree. I wouldn't want to do it now at my age but it was fun back in the day. You young guys have at it.


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## Kgaut

*Walking or riding*

Anyone taking a bicycle? or is transporting it to much of a hassel?


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## Delta Runner

I have taken a bicycle before and seen others. It is tuff to ride because of the soft sand. I gave up riding the roads and ending up riding down the beach close to the water.


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## Shadow6

That's awesome! How did you apply for said tag? New to the area; PCS'd here for the west coast.


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## SlingShaft

I was lucky enough to get the draw this year. I live in Pensacola but grew up in Port St Joe right near St Vincent...actually went out there for field trip during school...long time ago.
If i take my boat i can take a small group with me...Prob 4 with gear (25 ft cat)...if i dont have friends/family that can take some over and pick up for small fee. We would launch from Indian Pass for sure...much better ride most of time and shorter boat trip too. 
Shoot me a text if interested 850two47nine78six...william


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## archer-1

I took a bike when I went and it was a PITA! Found I was much better off just walking than I was pushing a bike everywhere.....


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## TRD675

"one was killed on the peninsula last year. Haha I'll give you that spot because it is like a 6 mile bike ride." 

Hey don't be giving away my spot! I plan on killing another one this year! Even if you know where to go, you have to be willing to get there. It's a LOT of walking, no matter where you hunt. Most aren't use to walking 2, 3, or even 12 miles in a day of hunting. You can't ride a bike on every road because of the sand. So depending on where you hunt, you could be pushing your bike as much as you get to ride it. It's a lot of work when you kill something too. It is truly a tough, demanding, hardcore hunt. tips- treat it like a back country hunt. Bugs are horrible, I've never seen them so bad. Charter a boat. Take plenty of water. Be prepared to walk!


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## Ringo Redux

Has everyone gotten their plans in order for the hunt? It looks like I may not get to go, as I have no method of transport to/from. My ride wont be available. Very sad.


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## naclh2oDave

I heard that the rangers killed all the pigs. If you are going to try for a pig they are all wiped out. The island is too rough of a hunt for me. Between skeeters and rattlesnakes if you don't get to make it it's prolly not a bad thing. It's not any fun anymore.


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## TRD675

thats not all exactly true. i hunted both the archery and sambar deer hunt this year. hog numbers are down, but i saw hogs in bow range all 4 days and shot 2. there are a lot of bugs, snakes, and gators, but all of that adds to the allure of the hunt. not to mention the great people you meet in camp. i'll be there for the archery hunt from now on and the sambar deer everytime i get a chance.


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## Emerald Ghost

Can you no longer camp right across from the launch ? That would be located on the west end of the island.
Another thought I had ( if I ever hunt it again) is to bring a travel trailer and camp on the mainland ( that way you don't have to carry everything) and run your boat back and forth daily. Certainly, if you can't camp on the west end anymore then that could be a lot more difficult in rough weather.


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## Reelfun27

Sambar hunt U have to camp at the East end of Island @ West Pass. That is confusing!!


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## ucf_reelknights

I am new to this forum. I was scouring the internet for information on Sambar. I have been to St Vincents island before and done the whitetail hunt. I will be heading back this year for the Sambar hunt. I am intending on going to scout 1 day before the hunt. Any info on where to start would be greatly appreciated. Willing and prefer to walk to get away from all hunters. When they say these things are in the wet area. Are the deer, in chin deep marshy areas or are they in water up to their chest? Are they in upland areas at all? Any help would be appreciated. Feel free to email me at [email protected] as I'm not sure how often ill be checking this forum.
Thanks again bud.


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## Try'n Hard

Just remember All the info on this thread is over 5 yrs old ....... and I just read thru it and this place sounds aweful!


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## lettheairout

Wet areas equal knee deep water. 

sent from outside your window
team 12


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