A friend and I are planning a trip there this fall on the Kentucky side. We are needing some good info on general areas, lodging, and the best times of the fall to plan a hunt and also we were curious about hunting pressure. Any info would be a great starting point. Thanks!

Did you do a search here? I recall a fairly recent thread, maybe this past fall from some fellas who were going. Check Google maps also. I saw some very good looking country with some neat funnels.

Beautiful country with alot of deer but also sees alot of pressure as well.  Biggest thing to me when looking at it and riding thru is the amount of good looking land and it all looks the same.  Would need to plan alot of time scouting and less hunting to figure out where to go.  Good luck

I was doing some bowfishing out there this past weekend.  Saw TONS of deer along the main road driving out in the early morning hours.  

Never hunted it and don't know about pressure but appears to be plenty of deer.

Take plenty of Permanone for the deer ticks!

You may wish to apply for the quota hunt in typically closed areas if not too late.

Be sure and be prepared in case you are tempted by a nice fallow. They are off limits.

I used to hunt the quota areas quite often  thru the late 80's until the fallows became off limits.

No hotels in LBL's. Camping only!

Auroua at the west side of Ky Lake has some motels. and Cadiaz on the east.

Motels on the Barkley side also.

I Have a co worker who has went there every year, for past 14 years, bow and gun hunting, last 2 has been beyond horrible, due to die off from hemorhagic disease(blue tongue), herd has not even started to rebound. They found deer skeletons, horns in every little holler and drain that held water.Hit the whole state hard, even here in south central KY, but they had 2 bad years in a row, worst in recorded history since deer have made a comeback. We were talking the other day, the whole group  has decied not to go back for 2 years, due to low, low herd density. I would advise going somewhere else. Hope this helps, but hate to see  someone waste hard earned money on a bust trip. Sam.

I cut my teeth bowhunting LBL when I was studying just 19 miles to the west at Murray State University (mid-late 70s).  Back then - and into the early 80s, you saw a lot of deer when hunting and could easily count 100 or more driving up the Trace at night from just above Golden Pond back to our cabin at 15 miles to the north at Grand Rivers.  The place is HUGE, 170,000 acres if you include the smaller TN portion.  There was a disease outbreak in the 80s as well, not to mention a fiasco or two of overharvesting when TVA decided to issue far too many gun permits.  Despite lower overall numbers, I continue to see a few 160-180 class bucks occasionally down there, at least one per year.  The main reason we still go is "tradition" . . . been doing ti forover 30 years.  With virtually no bounderies to worry about, you can primitive camp and wander all you want to.  Great place to spend time spinning yarns around the campfire!

Some good fishing in the spring, after Turkey hunting quit at 11:00am.