Early rifle hunts.

[chrislibby88]

Who’s out here? Myself and two buddies are stomping up Chestatee. I may poke my head in the woods on Hooch a little too.

Good luck out there, y’all post some dead bears already!

 

[ChidJ]

I'm heading out Tuesday after I get out of work. Also going to Chestatee but may migrate over to Chattahoochee. We may have come up with the same game plan haha

 

[chrislibby88]

I'm heading out Tuesday after I get out of work. Also going to Chestatee but may migrate over to Chattahoochee. We may have come up with the same game plan haha

I’ve only hunted down one ridge on hooch, but I did see the biggest bear I’ve ever seen there. Ran down this white oak ridge, it was torn up but all the sign was older than my main spot, so we were on the way out, no longer at a slow pace and I saw him crossing the ridge finger maybe 75 yards uphill of us. I turned around to tell my wife, she was maybe 10 steps downhill from me, when I turned back I thought the bear moved behind a rootball. I took a step forward to get a better view and the whole rootball took off.

Good luck, post some dead bears for me.

 

[menhadenman]

I’ve been out three times near my house on mulkey gap - a little sign but no action aside from a couple does. Thinking of going big this week. Finally cooling down some.

 

[ddd-shooter]

Could we all just stop posting locations and hunts on a forever forum easily found in google?

Come on guys

 

[Raylander]

I normally avoid them like the plague. Might as well bring your own tree…

 

[Raylander]

Could we all just stop posting locations and hunts on a forever forum easily found in google?

Come on guys

It’s too late. The MTNs are already full of yuppies and hipsters that just want to tell everyone what they’re doing

I won’t contribute to that mess. I ‘spec that’s why a lot of the seasoned folks don’t post much in this sub-forum anymore

 

[ddd-shooter]

It’s too late. The MTNs are already full of yuppies and hipsters that just want to tell everyone what they’re doing

I won’t contribute to that mess. I ‘spec that’s why a lot of the seasoned folks don’t post much in this sub-forum anymore

I hate seeing trucks in the areas I’m hunting.
I don’t care if you know what I’m doing, and prefer the opposite actually. I don’t see much, and I’m a poor hunter.

Im all about being helpful, but vague.

 

[Raylander]

I hate seeing trucks in the areas I’m hunting.
I don’t care if you know what I’m doing, and prefer the opposite actually. I don’t see much, and I’m a poor hunter.

Im all about being helpful, but vague.

I’m an awful hunter. Take my advice and do the opposite if you want success

 

[WOODIE13]

Not like they're dropping 10 digit grid coordinates.

 

[splatek]

Not like they're dropping 10 digit grid coordinates.

Yet

 

[1eyefishing]

I'm somewhere doing something.
It's fun!

 

[bany]

I'm somewhere doing something.
It's fun!

LUCK!

 

[ChidJ]

I don't mind posting where I hunt. Firstly, most folks talk about hunting a lot more than they actually hunt. For someone to pack up the truck and go into the mountains is already an effort. Secondly, you gotta follow me up the ridge. That'll filter about 99% of folks that happen to read this. If I do bump into that 1% that do get up and get after it, put the miles in, I'm sure I'll be in decent company. I see lots of people on the roads and in campsites, never see them while I'm hunting.

@chrislibby88 I have hunted Chattahoochee WMA before but there were a lot of people and I don't like Helen so its not really a priority but I figure if I cover the ridges I want to early, I'll bump across the border where Chestatee and Chattahoochee meet and follow that ridge there.

 

[CornStalker]

Hunted in the Hooch (that's general enough, right?) this past weekend and had the most disappointing hunt that I've had up there in 10+ years. I couldn't find any fresh sign----and almost no old sign either. I'm becoming a worse hunter I think. I will be interested in seeing the total numbers taken this year. It's completely anecdotal, but I haven't seen nearly as much sign and bears as I was 7-10 years ago.

Side note/question: Has anyone ever had a bear come in to your camp (spike camp or truck camp) during the bear season and mess with your food? It hasn't happened to me, but I had a situation where a hiker came off a trail and took a small ziplock-bag snack I had left next to my fire this weekend. They left a note and told me where I could find it and them with the justification being "not wanting to habituate bears to human food." Obviously, this is something I'd be a lot more careful with during the spring and summer, but when the acorns start dropping, I'm not nearly as cautious. Y'all think that's a mistake on my part?

 

[WOODIE13]

Hunted in the Hooch (that's general enough, right?) this past weekend and had the most disappointing hunt that I've had up there in 10+ years. I couldn't find any fresh sign----and almost no old sign either. I'm becoming a worse hunter I think. I will be interested in seeing the total numbers taken this year. It's completely anecdotal, but I haven't seen nearly as much sign and bears as I was 7-10 years ago.

Side note/question: Has anyone ever had a bear come in to your camp (spike camp or truck camp) during the bear season and mess with your food? It hasn't happened to me, but I had a situation where a hiker came off a trail and took a small ziplock-bag snack I had left next to my fire this weekend. They left a note and told me where I could find it and them with the justification being "not wanting to habituate bears to human food." Obviously, this is something I'd be a lot more careful with during the spring and summer, but when the acorns start dropping, I'm not nearly as cautious. Y'all think that's a mistake on my part?

Bears are opportunistic feeders and if he thinks he can hide it where a bear can't find it, he's sadly mistaken. They can hang it or put it in their cars...they can peel the door back, breaking the glass.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

Hunted in the Hooch (that's general enough, right?) this past weekend and had the most disappointing hunt that I've had up there in 10+ years. I couldn't find any fresh sign----and almost no old sign either. I'm becoming a worse hunter I think. I will be interested in seeing the total numbers taken this year. It's completely anecdotal, but I haven't seen nearly as much sign and bears as I was 7-10 years ago.

Side note/question: Has anyone ever had a bear come in to your camp (spike camp or truck camp) during the bear season and mess with your food? It hasn't happened to me, but I had a situation where a hiker came off a trail and took a small ziplock-bag snack I had left next to my fire this weekend. They left a note and told me where I could find it and them with the justification being "not wanting to habituate bears to human food." Obviously, this is something I'd be a lot more careful with during the spring and summer, but when the acorns start dropping, I'm not nearly as cautious. Y'all think that's a mistake on my part?

Where did Karen put your snack? I believe I would remind Karen to "hike her own hike."

But I wouldn't have been camped right beside the trail in the first place.

 

[chrislibby88]

Hunted in the Hooch (that's general enough, right?) this past weekend and had the most disappointing hunt that I've had up there in 10+ years. I couldn't find any fresh sign----and almost no old sign either. I'm becoming a worse hunter I think. I will be interested in seeing the total numbers taken this year. It's completely anecdotal, but I haven't seen nearly as much sign and bears as I was 7-10 years ago.

Side note/question: Has anyone ever had a bear come in to your camp (spike camp or truck camp) during the bear season and mess with your food? It hasn't happened to me, but I had a situation where a hiker came off a trail and took a small ziplock-bag snack I had left next to my fire this weekend. They left a note and told me where I could find it and them with the justification being "not wanting to habituate bears to human food." Obviously, this is something I'd be a lot more careful with during the spring and summer, but when the acorns start dropping, I'm not nearly as cautious. Y'all think that's a mistake on my part?

Yea it’s a rough year. Whites are weird. Seems like about half the trees have an handful of acorns on them that are trickling down but none are loaded. I think the bears are feeding more nomadically than normal. They can come and clean up an acre of scarce white oaks in a day then move on. There isn’t nearly as much climbing sign either. Most of it is weeks old. Like they checked them last month, said those acorns were yuck, then never came back.

Reds are loaded though. The hunting should get really good when they make the switch. I’m guessing we might have a good late season.

 

[WOODIE13]

Yea it’s a rough year. Whites are weird. Seems like about half the trees have an handful of acorns on them that are trickling down but none are loaded. I think the bears are feeding more nomadically than normal. They can come and clean up an acre of scarce white oaks in a day then move on. There isn’t nearly as much climbing sign either. Most of it is weeks old. Like they checked them last month, said those acorns were yuck, then never came back.

Reds are loaded though. The hunting should get really good when they make the switch. I’m guessing we might have a good late season.

Got any wild grapes or autumn olive there?

 

[CornStalker]

Where did Karen put your snack? I believe I would remind Karen to "hike her own hike."

But I wouldn't have been camped right beside the trail in the first place.

Well....it was a trail maintenance leader of some sort. I think a USFS employee actually. They were doing some routine maintenance work on the trail nearby. I was ****ed at first, but I just let it go. Honestly, I always secretly hope a 400lber will come find my lunch at camp--haha. But only if I'm there with my rifle...