The Backcountry Press
The country's premier daily HUNTING, FISHING & OUTDOOR news in the USA and around the globe. Read whats happening in your neck of the woods & beyond.
The Backcountry Outdoor News reports the latest hunting and, fishing news along with fishing derbies and tournaments
from:
| ||||||
 | ||||||
| ||||||
| ||||||
|
Whether an event is for freshwater, saltwater, open water or ice fishing, they are listed in our directory.
HUNTING NEWS CATEGORIES
© 2010 Backcountry Press Outdoor News - All Rights Reserved Website Design by:
Connect With Us
| ||||
Disclaimer: The views expressed on this site are that of the authors and not necessarily that of TBC Press
| ||||
Best Public Lands Near Big Cities - Continued
Submitted by: TBC Press
Posted on: 02/12/20
Article A20-2140-P2
If you live in a big city and love to hunt and fish, it can be a struggle to find a place to pursue those passions and find success. Hooking into a hot bed of smallies or shooting a doe, few ducks or rabbits for the pot is more difficult in urban areas than the back 40.
But in many cases outdoor opportunities are abound right outside city limits, it’s just a matter of finding them. That’s where this list comes in. It will give you better options to find, and take advantage of, the public access closest to you.
San Francisco
Best Public Option: Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Best Species to Hunt/Fish: Mallards, pintail, canvasback, redheads, scaup, Canada geese
Distance from City: 34 miles
Acres: 30,000 (waterfowl hunting allowed on 10,000)
With over 10,000 acres of salt ponds and tidal areas, the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge is a waterfowl hunting mecca only a short drive from San Francisco. While most of the region is maintained by the East Bay Regional Parks, the refuge is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and includes a variety of trails and even a stone quarry.
Waterfowl hunting is allowed on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at eight of the nine Alviso Ponds sites (pond A19 is huntable seven days a week). To hunt Alviso requires a refuge waterfowl hunting permit. For some of the sites you will need a boat or kayak to access the blinds or stakes. In some cases it’s hunt by boat only. Ravenswood Ponds, Bair Island, and Greco Island are open to hunters every day during the season. Mowry Ponds is also open seven days a week, just as long as Cargill, which manages the ponds for salt production, isn’t dredging or working on the levees.
Detroit
Best Public Option: Lake St. Clair
Best Species to Hunt/Fish: Wood ducks, bass, musky
Distance from City: 6 miles
Acres: 430 square miles
Travel east down Jefferson Avenue past Belle Isle and Indian Village about six miles and you’ll find yourself at Lake St. Clair. The freshwater lake, sandwiched between Great Lakes Huron and Erie is extremely diverse in its offerings, says Lake Erie Basin Coordinator Jim Francis. It’s definitely a destination for smallmouth bass and musky, though you will need a boat to target those species. Fortunately, there’s plenty of charters and guide services in the area. If shore fishing is more appealing, Francis says you’ll also get your chance to hook walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, bluegill, and crappie. You can ice fish when the temperatures drop. A fisherman’s paradise, Francis says Lake St. Clair is “a treasure for sure.”
St. Clair is also an iconic stopover for Mississippi flyway birds, though it doesn’t get the bird numbers it once did. The St. John’s Unit Marsh Unit is open to public hunting with no permit required. That means if you have the proper hunting license, you can access it. Harsens Island Wildlife Area is close by and it has general hunting areas and managed hunting zones that are operated on a draw system. Whitetail and other small game hunting is also allowed on public lands, but is done sparingly.
Dallas
Best Public Option: White Rock Lake
Best Species to Hunt/Fish: Largemouth bass
Distance from City: 5 miles
Acres: 1,088
Located a mere five miles northeast of downtown Dallas, White Rock Lake comes highly recommended by pro bass angler Cheryl Bowden if you’re after an afternoon of fishing only 20 minutes outside of the city. A tributary of the Trinity River, the lake is a popular spot with plenty of bank access and several piers located around its circumference. There’s a kayak concession and boat ramps if you want to try your fishing prowess in the 20-foot deep lake.
Bowden says that “folks can catch a variety of fish like bass, catfish, and bluegill year-round” and, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife, white crappie is a “sure bet” in the spring. Largemouth bass are usually lurking in reed beds, creek mouths or up Dickson Branch. Regular fishing regulations apply. There’s a 9.9-horsepower limit on boat motors and anglers are allowed to use electric trolling motors.
Philadelphia
Best Public Option: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
Best Species to Hunt/Fish: Catfish, bass, carp
Distance from City: 10 miles
Acres: 1,000
f you’re a beginner or a veteran hunter—or just want to fish without getting out of the city—then the John Heinz NWR at Tinicum is for you. Adjacent to Philadelphia International Airport, this is a hidden gem for anyone who wants to hunt or fish, but doesn’t want (or have the time) to travel that far, says Sisterhood of the Outdoors field staffer and Pennsylvanian Nikki Plum. Fish for carp, catfish, largemouth bass, pan fish, striped bass, and musky at Darby Creek or along the main dike trail that connects the big boardwalk to the Trolley Bed trail or the Route 420 lagoons.
The only caveat is while fishing is open to anyone with a valid fishing license—the refuge provides free fishing pole rentals—deer hunting is limited to mentored hunters, active duty military, veterans, or people with disabilities. The site will issue antlerless deer permits by lottery in the summer. In partnership with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Quality Deer Management Association, John Heinz NWR provides instruction, game care, meat processing, and more. Crossbows and ground blinds are provided free of charge. Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Miami
Best Public Option: Big Cypress National WMA
Best Species to Hunt/Fish: Whitetail deer
Distance from City: 77 miles
Acres: 565,848
Wild Florida can be found about 90 minutes outside of Miami in this WMA known for plentiful deer scattered over thousands of acres of pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks, and freshwater marshes. Because it borders Everglades National Park, you may encounter panthers or black bears, so stay alert. Part of the 720,566-acre Big Cypress National Preserve, the WMA is a popular whitetail hunting destination, but you can also hunt turkey and hogs with the right permits—though there’s no alligator hunting allowed.
Since it’s a bit of a drive, make a weekend of it. Camping is limited to designated campsites in the Bear Island unit, but otherwise permitted throughout the WMA. Dogs are allowed, but not for hunting deer or hogs and are prohibited from areas marked “closed to public access.” The preserve allows for archery, muzzleloader, and general rifle hunting. All deer jaw bones must be saved and turned into the check station. Big Cypress is managed by the National Park Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
