Zone 5 - Whittingham questions

[APG]

 

Hi all,

 

So I usually hunt southern Jersey and Allamuchy, but I’ve been scouting Whittingham WMA today and had some questions.

 

. Does anyone have any theories on why it feels like perfect bear habitat? The deeper I got, I found more and more bear scat including one pile still warm. Are there actually a tonne of Bear out there? It doesn’t seem like it should have more or less than Allamuchy or Water Gap, but it felt like there are way more.

 

. I didn’t see a lot of deer sign - saw a few doe, all immature. Is this area hit really hard each year? Is it a bad idea to spend time here?

 

. I went through the entire area except the swamp right in the middle. Growth is so thick I could barely get in there. I feel like the south eastern section was promising, with some good funnels and those weird fields, but again, didn’t see much sign. What areas work for folks? Any advice?

 

Or should I just call it and perhaps start hunting the Delaware Water Gap area - just walking trails there this summer I’ve seen some big ass bucks.

 

 

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Edited July 24, 2020 by JHbowhunter

[BHC]

The area is prime Bear and deer area.....being it's  a WMA it gets hit hard .....deeper you go in and further away from others the better you will be

Gap is also good, tougher hunting, no baiting, deer and bears have alot more more room to roam and hide 

[APG]

I’m guessing the swampy spots are good? Here scouting and hunting woodchuck for a laugh.


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[JHbowhunter]

Whittingham is loaded with bears - for sure. Needs a bear hunt. Great deer habitat but gets hit very hard all gun season long by deer drives.  It also gets stocked with a lot of birds so add that constant intrusion to the deer drives and it’s not an optimal recipe for quality deer hunting. Deer thrive where they feel safe and are not constantly pushed. Whittingham does not provide that environment but like any WMA if you put the time in and find a pocket where deer might feel safe - success can be had. 

[BillCarson]

Nice pic! I wish I could help ya, but I know nothing about that area

[Rutting Buck]

Whittingham has plenty of bears and deer hunting is tough there due to pressure and the bird hunting as mentioned by Jack.  I still deer hunt there in the late season because I love the challenge. 

[toxo]

Hunt the Gap!

[JerseyJaysTaxidermy]

Everyone I know that hunts Whittingham comes put of the woods seeing numerous bears each hunt but 0 deer.
I turkey hunted it 3 years ago.. walked alot of ground and heard 0 birds. Rarely ever see deer as i drive by daily.

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[Nomad]

Plenty of deer there and some big ones.  Good luck.

[jumpthestring]

If you decide to hunt there, make sure you wear plenty of Orange  ...

[Nomad]

South Jersey is much better...

[nb6624]

Its closed to bears and gets pounded by every city hunter all season not to mention the local hillbillies so a mature buck is pretty much unheard of 

[BuzzBomber]

I live on the south edge of it, literally. It’s definitely open to bears. Hunting them, not so much.
 

Lots of them come through my property though...

[230jhp]

If you want to hunt bears go to the Newark Watershed. It's loaded with bears and bear hunting is allowed.