North GA and Western NC tradgangers educate me...

[twigflicker]

How in the world do you all hunt up there...  

The past two fall's we've had some fellas from church hike portions of the AT and all the while I was walking I kept thinking how in the world do you all hunt this country... It was straight up and down in most areas... the only flat portion was the three feet the trail traversed...

Really different country for a southern Indiana boy...

Jonathan

[HATCHCHASER]

Hunt uphill that way your draggin critters downhill.  

[Pat B]

The worst part for me is trying to figure out the wind or air movement. Theoretically the air rises as it warms in the morning and falls as it cools in the evenings but if there is a breeze the wind swirls through the coves. Usually the ridges are where most of the acorns are and there are usually trails near their tops. Pat

[fxe]

Only shoot at deer pointed toward the truck.

[freeman]

You definately get a work out hunting here. One nice thing about Georgia, we don't have to check our deer, so you can cut them up in the field and not have to drag the whole thing out. The most bothersome thing about hunting in the hills is what Pat said. The winds.

[James Wrenn]

I would hunt in the vallys myself.  

[Jeff Roberts]

Jonathan, If you look close at a side of a mountain around here you will start to notice different types of features. One will be leads running up the sides that animals will use for travel routes. If bumped or frighten they will just drop off the sides for a quick escape. On these leads are low spots we call saddles that offer game a chance to cross over without going staight up that offer great ambush spots. You will also find these saddles going up the main ridges in places. The low spot between two mountains are called gaps which also offer a good ambush spot. The best spot I like to hunt are benches located on the sides of the mountain. The mast on these benches vary with elevation changes from year to year according to the weather but the mast starts falling in the upper elevetions first mostly. Find several benches with good mast and water nearby located OFF the road and you can have some good hunting for the mountains. The larger bucks and bear generally come from these isolated benches. Further from the road the better. Most off the valleys are private property but if you gain access would prove to be your best hunting.

[Walter Mauney]

The wind is the tough part. It will change directions frequently. You have to be very mobile while you are hunting.

[electric blues]

Originally posted by Jeff Roberts:
Jonathan, If you look close at a side of a mountain around here you will start to notice different types of features. One will be leads running up the sides that animals will use for travel routes. If bumped or frighten they will just drop off the sides for a quick escape. On these leads are low spots we call saddles that offer game a chance to cross over without going staight up that offer great ambush spots. You will also find these saddles going up the main ridges in places. The low spot between two mountains are called gaps which also offer a good ambush spot. The best spot I like to hunt are benches located on the sides of the mountain. The mast on these benches vary with elevation changes from year to year according to the weather but the mast starts falling in the upper elevetions first mostly. Find several benches with good mast and water nearby located OFF the road and you can have some good hunting for the mountains. The larger bucks and bear generally come from these isolated benches. Further from the road the better. Most off the valleys are private property but if you gain access would prove to be your best hunting.

This guy has it right here.

Hunting up here is horrible if you dont know how to hunt hills or low mountains well. Its all about following game trails on the side of the mountain. You'd be surprised how well deer can find the easiest trail up a mountain. If you just blindly walk up and down and up and down you'll wear yourself out quickly. Try and Imagine the valleys as fjords, with water in the valley. THat way you wont go all the way down, therefor you wont have to hike back up. And no, hunting ontop of the ridges does not work.

[twigflicker]

Thanks for the info fellas...

We passed throught several of the gaps and what looked like saddles and I figured that would be the key... or the benches...

All I could think of was... If I was to kill one here... I'd just set up camp and eat him right there...

Any more ideas... keep them coming!

Also noticed a lot of acorns on the ground that looked like they were from last year, real dark brown and almost moldy looking... is that normal?  Around here they vacuum them up almost as soon as they fall...

Jonathan