Hound doggers this weekend!

[Christian hughey]

All you have to do is pick a piece of National Forest and go hunt deer! The bears usually find me pretty quick that way.

Sign has been scarce this year for me but I only get a couple weekends a year. A push in the right direction would be appreciated this year.

 

[j_seph]

After reading 7 pages of this thread, I'm going to offer a few quick thoughts.

1. Let's ease up on the trash talking regarding the "government". These state wildlife agencies are full of a lot of hard working men and women (and of course some slackers) that have limited budgets and resources. Many of them have dedicated their entire careers to wildlife research and trying serve the public. Last time I checked---it's pretty freaking hard to please the "public". If you doubt that, just go read all the squabbles on the GON forum. ****, we've got hunters fighting other hunters! Let's not pretend that any of us could go run the DNR better than they can...I know I sure couldn't.

I have always been a big fan of limited government, but I will ALWAYS pay more money for conservation, and that's where my hunting license fees go. I know everyone complains about that extra $10 here and $5 there, but those are the same guys that go spend $250 at Bass Pro on China-made hunting crap that doesn't make them a better hunter. Priorities.

2. I know many of you disagree, but killing bears isn't going to drastically change the deer population. There is a research project underway in North Georgia that is looking at the mortality rates of fawns. I look forward to seeing what they discover. We all know that bears kill fawns. And so do coyotes. But the number one limiting factor is habitat---it's almost always habitat. It's pretty dang hard for a fawn to hide in mature forest where there is little cover and little browse. Look in any mature forest accross the US, and you will see similar results--bears or no bears. And for arguments sake, let's say that hunters kill enough bears to really reduce the population. What's there to be done about the coyotes? You aren't going to make a dent in their population, even with hunting and trapping.

National Forest land is managed by the US Forest Service, and they have to manage for more than just whitetail deer population to keep hunters happy. There's a lot of user groups, and a lot of players at that table--national and regional. So when our DNR officers talk about not having the ability to enact changes, they aren't just making excuses. There's a lot of red tape in making habitat manage decisions like cutting forest and prescribed burns. When the wildlife biologist are saying that the most limiting factor is habitat structure and diversity, I have to think they aren't just part of some vast conspiracy.

3. I think those are my only two thoughts--y'all don't give me too much grief for this post... Hope everyone gets a bear!!

http://forum.gon.com/threads/deer-study-on-blue-ridge-wma.935991/page-2

 

[HM]

...

I'm against this hunt, I think a lot about it should have been done differently but I understand DNR's intent with it. Reducing population, it's the same reason they allow an early rifle hunt. Nothing about it was done for money or someone doing a buddy a favor, it was a conservation management decision to kill more bears.

Most everyone at DNR involved in that process are hunters and outdoorsman. Their actions are based on management principles that are science driven, not hunter satisfaction. With that being said, there seems to be a lot of hunters who were satisfied.

 

[GAbullHunter]

Wonder if any of those doggers recovered the one I couldn't find..

 

[GAbullHunter]

Sign has been scarce this year for me but I only get a couple weekends a year. A push in the right direction would be appreciated this year.

Ive seen sign. Even seen the bear once, walked away from one hunt to let a 1st timer have it they succeeded before I could get across field. But then time off was up an the fun ended, an then it was the dogs turn.

 

[Christian hughey]

I'm against this hunt, I think a lot about it should have been done differently but I understand DNR's intent with it. Reducing population, it's the same reason they allow an early rifle hunt. Nothing about it was done for money or someone doing a buddy a favor, it was a conservation management decision to kill more bears.

Most everyone at DNR involved in that process are hunters and outdoorsman. Their actions are based on management principles that are science driven, not hunter satisfaction. With that being said, there seems to be a lot of hunters who were satisfied.

Like I said the hard working men and women in the field are not the problem and public opinion should matter, afterall we are one of the biggest conservation resources. Not all of their decisions are based on science or fact I'm sure. Idiotic politicians that have never hunted a day in their lives have a say as well.

 

[Christian hughey]

Ive seen sign. Even seen the bear once, walked away from one hunt to let a 1st timer have it they succeeded before I could get across field. But then time off was up an the fun ended, an then it was the dogs turn.

Opening weekend I found a spot that was slap tore up by bear but looked like they vacated not long before I showed up I still hunted the area seeing no bear. I did however see some nice mountain bucks cruising the backside of a food plot which was surprising on the hooch first time in all the years I've hunted there that I actually seen deer so I mark it a success. Hopefully my nose will carry me in the right direction at cohutta this weekend. With the dogs still terrorizing the hooch this weekend I have decided to go west and try something new.

 

[Heath]

Opening weekend I found a spot that was slap tore up by bear but looked like they vacated not long before I showed up I still hunted the area seeing no bear. I did however see some nice mountain bucks cruising the backside of a food plot which was surprising on the hooch first time in all the years I've hunted there that I actually seen deer so I mark it a success. Hopefully my nose will carry me in the right direction at cohutta this weekend. With the dogs still terrorizing the hooch this weekend I have decided to go west and try something new.

Why not hunt the thousands of acres of national forest that border these 2 WMA’s where all the pressure is being applied? I can see going to Cohutta if you just want to hunt something new but theres more land outside those boundaries than inside that will be unaffected by any pressure from the hunt going on. Just curious.

 

[Christian hughey]

Why not hunt the thousands of acres of national forest that border these 2 WMA’s where all the pressure is being applied? I can see going to Cohutta if you just want to hunt something new but theres more land outside those boundaries than inside that will be unaffected by any pressure from the hunt going on. Just curious.

Been wanting to hunt cohutta for a long time, just never been and I've scouted a few spots on nf surrounding the wmas with not much sign. Figure I will trek some new ground and hopefully get lucky and wonder up on something. Trust me I haven't given up on hooch, one of my favorite places to be sitting on opening day and I will be back next year dogs or not!

 

[Al Medcalf]

"I'll go ahead and speak on behalf of a blue billion bowhunters in region 1 - We ain't gonna have it! If you think so, you better come ready fight."

Sounds like mighty bold talk for folks that sit around up in trees.

 

[Buckman18]

"I'll go ahead and speak on behalf of a blue billion bowhunters in region 1 - We ain't gonna have it! If you think so, you better come ready fight."

Sounds like mighty bold talk for folks that sit around up in trees.

Im pretty sure @strothershwacker stalks his from the ground and catches 'em by surprise... He's a certified killer, and doesnt need or want hounds to find them for him?

 

[brownitisdown]

Dog hunting is about like cheating when it comes to bear hunting it isn't Hunter that find the bear it the dogs but each to there on

 

[Christian hughey]

Im pretty sure @strothershwacker stalks his from the ground and catches 'em by surprise... He's a certified killer, and doesnt need or want hounds to find them for him?

This hunt just proved how easy it is for dogs to find bears. The hunt could happen any time of the year and the results would be similar. You can't say you work harder for yours and your no bader just because you chase a pack of dogs that do the hunting for you. We all just need to agree to disagree. We are all fellow hunters and I commend you all for getting outdoors, not wearing a dress if your supposed to wear pants and acknowledging you gender by looking in your pants.

 

[GAbullHunter]

 

[humdandy]

I think they should start a spring season over bait on WMA........

 

[Christian hughey]

Just sayin proud of yall!

 

[splatek]

Simple curiosity here: but if the dog bear hunt was in part to reduce bear population and some have surmised that it might help the deer population, aren't deer afraid of dogs, too?
As for the gender comment: AMEN! Man I work at a college and well, I'll just leave it at that...

 

[Christian hughey]

Simple curiosity here: but if the dog bear hunt was in part to reduce bear population and some have surmised that it might help the deer population, aren't deer afraid of dogs, too?
As for the gender comment: AMEN! Man I work at a college and well, I'll just leave it at that...

The study that I just read about the fawn recruitment by mr kill master explained out of 8, 2 fawns were lost to bear 4 lost to coyote, 1 lost to Bush hogging and one died out of the whom. Seems like coyotes need the axe more than anything and I understand this was just one study and it will take years of study to truly understand.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

Dog hunting is about like cheating when it comes to bear hunting it isn't Hunter that find the bear it the dogs but each to there on

Yeah it’s real simple....you aught to try it sometime. It’s a real cake walk.

 

[Buckman18]

This hunt just proved how easy it is for dogs to find bears. The hunt could happen any time of the year and the results would be similar. You can't say you work harder for yours and your no bader just because you chase a pack of dogs that do the hunting for you. We all just need to agree to disagree. We are all fellow hunters and I commend you all for getting outdoors, not wearing a dress if your supposed to wear pants and acknowledging you gender by looking in your pants.

Dog hunters are also hunters like us and they deserve a shake at things also. But the state did a poor job with the timing, drawing, and other things in my opinion. It is what it is.