Anyone hunt the Shawnee got any advice ?
 

Been hunting private property surrounded by the shawnee national forest for 3 years However this year I’ll be hunting the private later and this year but in early November I’ll be hunting public and staying in Golconda. I’ve ordered the plat maps but haven’t got them yet should be any day, but does anyone have any advice for me or know of any areas that are worth looking into to hunt down there ?

Shawnee is 280,000 acres. It surrounds thousands of properties. I recommend downloading Google Earth and start researching.

Yea I’ve been doing that I’m still waiting on my maps I was wondering if anyone is really familiar with anything around Golconda to point me in the right direction.

I hunt just north of Elizabethtown in Hardin, my suggestion would be to make some time to go and scout the area if at all possible. Most of the public areas should be marked for Federal Boundary lines they are better posted than they used to be. As far as maps go Stop in at the Ranger station on the south side of Harrisburg on the way the people in there are helpful and most times have the forrest service maps right there .
It is just like most other areas a lot of it gets hunted but if you are willing to go a little further in to areas than others it usually pays off. Have you ever hunted there before? It is not like other places in the state, meaning it is quite a bit different terrain. Let me know if you have any other questions I might be able to help.

Yea I ordered maps over a week ago. Hopefully they come in soon as I’m leaving on the 4 in the morning, if I don’t have them by then I’m going to have to just stop in Harrisburg.

I have been hunting down there a couple years now but on private land surrounded by the Shawnee. Granted I haven’t done too too much exploring but I know it can get hilly and rocky in some places it seems like. I’ve got no problem going deep in the woods to find good deer I’m just worried about wondering into someone’s land I don’t want to be trespassing. So I’m really wondering are those maps detailed enough to where it’s easy to see what’s public and what’s private ? And also are there a lot of areas around glocanda that have a lot or aces to hunt ?

Pope county is pretty loaded with forrest area just by looking at google maps you can see that north of Golconda and east and west of Eddyville is really wooded my guess is that is a dense area to look at. Where are you traveling from? That would be a area to concentrate on for sure. Hopefully the maps you get will narrow down a area you can concentrate on.
Right now the place should be getting quite a bit of bowhunting done since the rut should not be too far off, I think this year it will fall just before shotgun season comes in.

I’m about an hour and a half south of Chicago. Not having these maps is a buzz kill I keep searching google earth and I have some good idea of where I want to hunt but not knowing what’s what really sucks. And All I need to be able to hunt the Shawnee is just my hunting liscense, tags, and a non permanent tree stand I just pull over on the side of the road and walk in right ? Am I missing anything ?

Thats about it but I think you need to have your name or some identification on the tree stand.

Here's a whole lot of maps of Shawnee

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/shawn...stelprd3813968

Wow those maps are awesome! The maps I ordered are pretty good too should be a good time I appreciate all ur help !