# Cohutta Hunt Hints



## MCBUCK

There will be quite a few of you ladies and gentlemen coming up to hunt Cohutta, during next weeks bear hunt, and it has been brought to my attention that a large number of you kind folks are,....er, ahh..., well from areas that I will call a lower elevation, and consequently not used to hunting the mountainous terrain on Cohutta. I have compiled a list of some basic information that you may or may not be aware of for  hunting the north Georgia mountains.

1) No Muck Boots.  Let me say that again, No Muck Boot, or any of the other popular Lacrosse, rubber type boots.  If you know where you are going, and know you will not encounter any rough terrain ( unlikely) then you can brong a pair as extras, but I would discourage wearing them.  Good lace up boots that are over the ankle would be recommended.  You can twist an ankle up here fast, and ruin a long planned hunt.

2) Be prepared for any type weather.  Rains can blow in quick and create thick murky fogs you can't cut with a knife. The temps for next weeks Cohutta hunt call for highs in the mid 70's and lows in the low 50's....the elevation can create a bigger gap in temps....expect the highs to be pretty close, but the lows may dip a little more .  The hidden hollows can keep temps even cooler, maybe even into the low forties or thirties.

3) Pack in some extra water.  You will get thirstier than you can imagine running these ridges.

4)Stay on the ridge tops if possible. Easier to see where you are, where you are going, walking is easier.  Hunt uphill when possible, and if not, map a way out down hill: this may involve using two vehicles, but it can be worth it.

5)Pack a compass, and know where the roads are.  About twenty years ago I left my compass in the truck, and wound up following a creek out....I cam out five miles below where I had parked, and had to walk back to the truck. Pack a compass.

6) If you are new to Cohutta, do not hunt alone. Know where your buddy is, and make sure he knows where you are.  The animals aren't dangerous, but a night out without shelter would sure put a damper on the week.

7) Lock you vehicle.  Murray, and Fannin counties are just like every other Georgia county and have their problem children. 

8)Leave the ATV at home.  Can't use them on the roads, and unless you are hunting out on Rocky Flats, they are just taking up space and time.

9) Leave your treestand.  Some people bring them, and are man enough to carry them into the woods.  Those same people usually leave them at home the next year.  I have used them here a time or two, but I don't recommend them.

10)Leave the 14lb, 28" barreled, long action magnum, with the 60X scope on it at home.  Load up your ol rusty"thutty-thutty" or beat up old 06' carbine instead: a lighter handier rifle is much better suited to these laurel thickets. Low power scopes or even iron sights should work just fine.  Most shots will be under 50-75 yards, with the occasional shot really reaching out to 100-125.  I'll have my old 30-30 with a fixed 4x.  I have usually carried a .270Win, but lighter is better when older you are. A 30-30 is plenty nuff gun for an old porker, or Yogi either one.

11)Cohutta, and quite a few of the other mountain WMA's are pretty similar in geography: Cohutta is 95,000sq ac. and 47,000 of it is straight up while 47,000 is straight down....it is up to you to find the 1,000 that's level. It will wear on you during the day...give yourself plenty of time to get tho where you want to hunt, and plenty of time to get out. These hollows will get darker, faster than it does on the flat lands down south.  It  takes a little longer to get light too.  

12) The hunting here is feast or famine, so don't expect to see game like you do at Cedar Creek or BF Grant...but when it happens it usually happens quick. I have gone two or three years without seeing anything here, and then gone three or four years when I saw so many animals I thought I was at Grant Park. Be ready for either one.

13) Lastly...If you know someone who hunts Cohutta, ask them to go with you.  Or at least to give you what information they can. It can be the experience of a lifetime to just see what I think is the most beautiful WMA in the state.  The mountain peaks, the grand waterfalls, the breathtaking overlooks...it is a beautiful place to go to. This year there will be a pretty good turn on the leaves, so you will get a great deal more color than last year.

I hope this has been just a little help to some of you, and I hipe I did not insult anyones intelligence.  These same questions seem to come up every year, so I thought I may solve some of the puzzle.

One last thing....if you need any forgotten hunt supplies, ie:shells, long handles or other general sporting goods: Chatsworth Sporting Goods is right on Hwy411 south, just south of the courthouse.  S&K Sporting Goods is just north of Chatsworth right off of 411...it sits behind  Cowboys Truck Stop about 1/2 mile north of Little Rome.

Good Eats are: 
Little Rome
the Village Cafeteria-home cooking
Ednas-homecooking
Creme Hut (best CB in the free world)
The Big V ( also the best CB's in the free world)


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## xhunterx

as another local cohutta hunter i would like to say this is some of the best info i've seen on cohutta. I might add if your not from this area and theres anyway possible to ride up one weekend and just drive around before you start putting the leather to the trail. its so large its easy to get overwhelmed. you can get good topo maps from any us forest service office. theres one in chatsworth and another in blue ridge. if your comming into cohutta from the ellijay side of the mountains there is also good restraunts, motels, and a walmart. i hope if your planning on hunting cohutta that your planning on killing a bear, and i hope your successful with it


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## kno3mike

Excellent info.....Thanks for the post.


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## MCBUCK

xhunterx said:


> as another local cohutta hunter i would like to say this is some of the best info i've seen on cohutta. I might add if your not from this area and theres anyway possible to ride up one weekend and just drive around before you start putting the leather to the trail. its so large its easy to get overwhelmed. you can get good topo maps from any us forest service office. theres one in chatsworth and another in blue ridge. if your comming into cohutta from the ellijay side of the mountains there is also good restraunts, motels, and a walmart. i hope if your planning on hunting cohutta that your planning on killing a bear, and i hope your successful with it



xhunterx is right. If you can afford to take an extra day off from work, then it would be nice to get up here on Tuesday and just ride through.  If nothing else, you will see just how vast this area is.  The wilderness area alone is 45,000ac...and there are NO vehicles of any type allowed inside the wilderness..this includes game carts.


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## whitetailfreak

good post mc. here is what i use on cohutta instead of packing a climber in the mountains. weighs less than 2 lbs and assembles in 30 sec.


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## andlan17

I saw those chairs at the buckarama.  I was very comfortable to sit in.  What is it called?  I cant find it anywhere on the internet.


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## sarnold78

I have one of those sling chairs and I love mine


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## pnome

Great post MCBUCK!!


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## huntindawg

Nice post, Moe....now, where exactly will you be hunting???

Haha...

Seriously guys, Moe's ol Pa-in-law has forgotten more about those mountains than everyone in this forum put together.  Listen to what he's saying, especially about hunting w/ a partner and w/ 2 cars if at all possible.  Making a drag 3 miles downhill compared to a 1/2 mile uphill at Cohutta is a very wise move.


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## Blackberryhill

The hammock seat in whitetailfreaks pic is made and sold by a small group of guys in south GA. I met them at the GON Expo in Macon last year and they were great. Seat is very comfortable, my biggest regret is not buying one before I went to Coopers Creek last Dec. They have a website where you can order them, price is same as a year ago and you pay about $8 shipping. They are perfect for the mountain trips and very light. I'm not endorsing them, just answering a question on the forum. The last time I posted something on here the moderators took it off because they said I was advertising a business. Go figure, I didn't try to sell anything or even provide the name of my website, I was just asking other poeples opinoins. If anyone would like the website to view or purchase the seats just PM me and I'll give it to you. I have no affiliation with the company, I will be ordering one for myself before my next trip to the mountains.


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## timgarside

Great info....If you never have been up in them there mountains, I'd suggest you go with someone that has. There is pleanty of game but you need to get into the back country. Every year I drive the roads and see orange in trees for as far as you can see. I dont agree with not bringing a tree stand and 4 wheeler. Where I hunt they are required or you would never get there. I also have only ran into a hand full of people where I hunt in the past 8 years. Either me and my buddies were pulling one out or they were. My best advice would be to get as far away from the roads as possible. Take trails and closed logging roads along ridge tops. 8 years, 3 men= 4 bears, 10 deer, 3 hogs.


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## whitetailfreak

since some have inquired, here is the link http://fanaticoutdoors.com/default.aspx


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## MCBUCK

timgarside said:


> Great info....If you never have been up in them there mountains, I'd suggest you go with someone that has. There is pleanty of game but you need to get into the back country. Every year I drive the roads and see orange in trees for as far as you can see. I dont agree with not bringing a tree stand and 4 wheeler. Where I hunt they are required or you would never get there. I also have only ran into a hand full of people where I hunt in the past 8 years. Either me and my buddies were pulling one out or they were. My best advice would be to get as far away from the roads as possible. Take trails and closed logging roads along ridge tops. 8 years, 3 men= 4 bears, 10 deer, 3 hogs.



The thing to remember timgarside, is that the majority of this 95,000sq ac is off limits to ATV's, and you and me both know the local Mr. Greenpants will write a ticket to his own momma for ridin an ATV, and if they get caught in the wrong place, Casey Jones will take them directly to jail for a federal offense. ie: a wheeled vehicle on wilderness lands.  When you tell me you are on an ATV, you just told me and half of Murray county where you are huntin at, and you are right...without a four wheeler, you never would get up there unless you hiked it.  I hunted up there a few years (15) back, and it is good huntin.  But the fact is that about 98% of the WMA is not ATV accessable.

PM me....I just want to see if we were both talking about the same place. I'll squeal first.


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## huntindawg

Well there ain't but two places and one of them is called Rocky FLATS so I don't think a 4-wheeler is a necessity in there.  The other one, yes, it would be a huge benefit.


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## NGa.MtnHunter

Bought this about 12 years ago, its made by Tree Lounge. It works real good, very light & comfortable and easy to carry around up here in these ridges. 

I'll be there next week, good luck to everbody and be safe........


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## wiggins7070

that was some of the best info i have ever read on hunting the mountains in north ga great job.


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## MCBUCK

NGa.MtnHunter said:


> Bought this about 12 years ago, its made by Tree Lounge. It works real good, very light & comfortable and easy to carry around up here in these ridges.
> 
> I'll be there next week, good luck to everbody and be safe........



Leland, I'll give you a dollar for that "tree chair."


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## NGa.MtnHunter

MCBUCK said:


> Leland, I'll give you a dollar for that "tree chair."



Can't do it Moe...I done got spoiled to it, ant no way I could go back to setting on the ground.


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## timgarside

MCBUCK said:


> The thing to remember timgarside, is that the majority of this 95,000sq ac is off limits to ATV's, and you and me both know the local Mr. Greenpants will write a ticket to his own momma for ridin an ATV, and if they get caught in the wrong place, Casey Jones will take them directly to jail for a federal offense. ie: a wheeled vehicle on wilderness lands.  When you tell me you are on an ATV, you just told me and half of Murray county where you are huntin at, and you are right...without a four wheeler, you never would get up there unless you hiked it.  I hunted up there a few years (15) back, and it is good huntin.  But the fact is that about 98% of the WMA is not ATV accessable.
> 
> PM sent
> 
> PM me....I just want to see if we were both talking about the same place. I'll squeal first.



PM sent


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## MCBUCK

NGa.MtnHunter said:


> Can't do it Moe...I done got spoiled to it, ant no way I could go back to setting on the ground.



You got plent of cushion back there. Why not sit on the ground

You comin up to Grassy this year I guess.  Give me a shout, and we'll trade honey holes.


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## english setter

That is some sound advice


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## booger branch benelli

Here is a hint.....dont go.


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## NGa.MtnHunter

MCBUCK said:


> You got plent of cushion back there. Why not sit on the ground
> 
> You comin up to Grassy this year I guess.  Give me a shout, and we'll trade honey holes.



It ant my backside, its my feet go to sleep when I set on the ground. You know we're get'n some age on us.

Yeah, I'll be over there Thursday and Friday for shore but ML season opens that Sat so I'm gonna come home and hunt here with ML.


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## The Arrow Guru

I have all my gear I used to pack into the mountians in Colorado. I think you can camp anyhwere on Na Forest land. So I wonder if I can throw my tent, sleeping bag and some food in my pack and pack in a few miles and hunt from there?


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## xhunterx

you sure can, in the wilderness your not allowed to take any type of wheeled cart or anything but you can backpack or use horses or mules etc. like mc said, be sure not to leave anything of value in view inside the truck or car. will be lots of rangers working the hunt also


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## MCBUCK

BIGRNYRS said:


> I have all my gear I used to pack into the mountians in Colorado. I think you can camp anyhwere on Na Forest land. So I wonder if I can throw my tent, sleeping bag and some food in my pack and pack in a few miles and hunt from there?



Plenty of trails on the area to help you out on such a quest, and if you are experienced enough it would be advantageous to you as a hunter to do just that. Let me know if you want to know some areas that do not get much traffic, and are a little more game rich than the obvious places. I will help you any way I can.



booger branch benelli said:


> Here is a hint.....dont go.



Absolutely...Stay home.  There are no deer, bears, or hogs on Cohutta WMA...people every where, crime is rampant.  I wouldn't advise Cohutta to anyone.



xhunterx said:


> you sure can, in the wilderness your not allowed to take any type of wheeled cart or anything but you can backpack or use horses or mules etc. like mc said, be sure not to leave anything of value in view inside the truck or car. will be lots of rangers working the hunt also



Check the trail regs carefully if you are bringing livestock.  Not all trails are open to horses. If a horse is on the wrong trail will cost you. And xhunter is right about plenty of rangers...this place is huge. They usually bring in some out of area rangers to help em out at the check stations, and leave the local boys familiar with the area out on the road/woods.


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## CBASS

Does the hunt start We are Th


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## NGa.MtnHunter

CBASS said:


> Does the hunt start We are Th



Thursday


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## hayseed_theology

Excellent info, McBuck.  I ain't gonna be huntin' Cohutta, but those are wise words for any mountain WMA or NF.


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## sgtstinky

Nice


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## Sandy

Just wondering can you ride a horse in and hunt??   I was up there the last hunt but I was riding horses? And let the horse put out the Bear?


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## whitetailfreak

bump for an informative thread started by Moe last year.


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## rivercritter

just get out of the truck get legal limit off the road and pull the trigger ur bound to hit a bear.


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## dawnvilledawg

Sandy said:


> Just wondering can you ride a horse in and hunt??   I was up there the last hunt but I was riding horses? And let the horse put out the Bear?



Yes you can take pack stock into the wilderness but there are a few trails closed to horses. Most of those trails are along the rivers. you can call the Forest Service office in Chatsworth and they can tell you which trails are open to horses.


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## brandonsc

bump


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## FMBear

Another bump!


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## jetblasted

Are there any guide services that offer horseback hunting deep in the Cohutta for Bears? 
I can't find any info on this at all . . .


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## whitetailfreak

The short answer is no.


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## jetblasted

That's what I thought. 
Thanks.


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## PARA1977

We always have horses there ,we will be down on Thomas Creek
this year if your hunting in that are From rice camp to the river be glad to pack one out we always do anyway for some poor fellow.


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## Joe Brandon

Three months away had to bring this great post back to life!


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## MCBUCK

I get a kick out of this thread every time I see it pop up. I hope it has helped some people.


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## Etoncathunter

It does have some good info in it.


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## DYI hunting

Always a good read and excellent information! This year I'm intent on making it up there one way or another.


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## MCBUCK

I always think I am too fat or too old to hump Paint Bank or Chicken Coop or Pounding Mill.....but I seem to find myself  out of breath and halfway up some ridge every year.  You think I would have figured it out by now.


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## Mountainbuck

This^^^


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## whitetailfreak

Tip: Dont start displaying flu like symptoms with high temp, vomiting, sore throat, and body aches 1.5 days till the first morning of the Oct. Hunt. Definitely try to avoid that! I'll be at North GA Mountain health when the doors open in the morn


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## Etoncathunter

whitetailfreak said:


> Tip: Dont start displaying flu like symptoms with high temp, vomiting, sore throat, and body aches 1.5 days till the first morning of the Oct. Hunt. Definitely try to avoid that! I'll be at North GA Mountain health when the doors open in the morn



I hear ya bud, I'm right there with ya minus the fever. If this crap doesn't clear up by tomorrow morning I'll be headed to the dr as well. Maybe get a shot and salvage something outta this weekend.


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## whitetailfreak

Etoncathunter said:


> I hear ya bud, I'm right there with ya minus the fever. If this crap doesn't clear up by tomorrow morning I'll be headed to the dr as well. Maybe get a shot and salvage something outta this weekend.



Got my steroid shot, and antibiotic this morn. My wife says Im nuts to still be going hunting, amd she's probably right.


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## Etoncathunter

Good luck bud.


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## brandonsc

whitetailfreak said:


> Got my steroid shot, and antibiotic this morn. My wife says Im nuts to still be going hunting, amd she's probably right.



I'm sure you can find some help to drag something outta the woods if you need the help


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## MCBUCK

Must have been rampant...I spent the weekend on the sofa snotting and sneezing myself.


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## docdb

*Rhododendrons*

Bad ideas:
1) I don't know where I am so I'll just head down to camp here.......OMG, downhill through a rhodeo thicket will rip you a new one, especially in the dark, and rain
2) I can probably find water up there
3) that sore place on my foot I'll deal with later
4) these boots are gore-tex, sure I can walk across that creek
5) surely my cell phone will get a signal here
6) I'll put the tent here, on the low, flat spot
7) I'll rely on my GPS, won't bother calibrating the compass
8) I put orange flagging up last year, I shouldn't get lost (I usually remove all orange trash as I hike the Cohutta all year... My civic duty)
Don


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## willgreer

Grew up runnin around in cohutta. My experience is most people never make it more than 400yards away from where they park/camp. If you arent prepared it can be intimidating to say the least. I would venture to say its about the roughest country in ga. Great advice has already been given but I'll add just a bit. Familiarize yourself with the area you want to hunt on google earth,print it out and keep it with you. Compass already mentioned. Last have a couple ways to start fire and bring a space blanket!!! Making your way out at night is a recipe for disaster. Lost is one thing,lost with a broke leg is a not how you want to be in cohutta!! P.S.leave someone an idea of where you planning on hunting especially if your on your first trip to cohutta.


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## tree cutter 08

Was there the other day for the first time. Thought might get a good bit of scouting done. The place is huge. I guess its as close as you could get to how it was years ago. A man would forget the places he's covered before you looked it all over.


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## whitetailfreak

Locally, my opinion is a little controversial. I would like to see Cohutta released from the state WMA program, and be open regular CNF seasons. It's too large an area to restrict big game gun hunting to 9 days per year. The state does very little to manage the area. Deer populations on Cohutta(managed), are no greater than the relatively small tracts of CNF just south of the Management area.....Actually, Im just jealous seeing these good bucks TreeCutter is killing in November off his local CNF


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## deadend

whitetailfreak said:


> Locally, my opinion is a little controversial. I would like to see Cohutta released from the state WMA program, and be open regular CNF seasons. It's too large an area to restrict big game gun hunting to 9 days per year. The state does very little to manage the area. Deer populations on Cohutta(managed), are no greater than the relatively small tracts of CNF just south of the Management area.....Actually, Im just jealous seeing these good bucks TreeCutter is killing in November off his local CNF


I've come 180 degrees on this from when we talked about it years ago.  I agree with you 100% and think it'd be a good improvement.


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## tree cutter 08

If they did it would give u local guys a better chance at killing game. Its hard to get it done on a management hunt when u only have a few days and weather being a huge factor. If they did drop it I wish they would pick back old Burton WMA and manage it to the fullest. Planting clover, sogrum and corn again. Those was some good times


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## Mountainbuck

This


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## jp94

whitetailfreak said:


> Locally, my opinion is a little controversial. I would like to see Cohutta released from the state WMA program, and be open regular CNF seasons. It's too large an area to restrict big game gun hunting to 9 days per year. The state does very little to manage the area. Deer populations on Cohutta(managed), are no greater than the relatively small tracts of CNF just south of the Management area.....Actually, Im just jealous seeing these good bucks TreeCutter is killing in November off his local CNF




I agree, I would like to see more hunting opportunities on cohutta.  I would at least like to see another hunt added. Possibly bring back the old primitive weapons hunt that took place in mid to late December and move the current December hunt back to the old thanksgiving week long 
hunt.   I wouldn't mind if they even opened the entire season for archery hunting buck only of course.  

I would also like to see logging operations brought back to do some select cutting and provide the habitat that grew so many big bucks in the 80's and early 90's.


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## deadend

Heck I'd like to see a January hunt in Cohutta.


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## whitetailfreak

jp94 said:


> I agree, I would like to see more hunting opportunities on cohutta.  I would at least like to see another hunt added. Possibly bring back the old primitive weapons hunt that took place in mid to late December and move the current December hunt back to the old thanksgiving week long
> hunt.   I wouldn't mind if they even opened the entire season for archery hunting buck only of course.
> 
> I would also like to see logging operations brought back to do some select cutting and provide the habitat that grew so many big bucks in the 80's and early 90's.



A timber sale has been approved for the Sumac area near Pleasant Gap.


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## MCBUCK

whitetailfreak said:


> A timber sale has been approved for the Sumac area near Pleasant Gap.



Stop it !!! don't tell people that!!


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## Etoncathunter

There are still more than a few road closures up here due to the storms this last winter. I wonder if they will have them all up and opened by archery season.


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## Etoncathunter

Just wanted to let people know of the road update. West Cowpen rd (FS17) is reopened. Old CCC camp rd (FS68) east of the parking lot for Emory creek trail is still closed with multiple land slides. No ETA on when it will be opened but they are working on it. 

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/conf/alerts-notices/?cid=fseprd487668&width=full


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## MCBUCK

jp94 said:


> I agree, I would like to see more hunting opportunities on cohutta.  I would at least like to see another hunt added. Possibly bring back the old primitive weapons hunt that took place in mid to late December and move the current December hunt back to the old thanksgiving week long
> hunt.   I wouldn't mind if they even opened the entire season for archery hunting buck only of course.
> 
> I would also like to see logging operations brought back to do some select cutting and provide the habitat that grew so many big bucks in the 80's and early 90's.



I don't agree with all of that, but I do agree with some more select cutting. Leave the wilderness as is, but cut some of those areas outside.


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## whitetailfreak

Here ya go Moe.


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## ripplerider

Saw one of those signs on the Swinging Bridge rd. the other day over my way. Glad to see it! They have a new rd. pushed in off the main one. I'll check it out better when they're done.


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