# Chestatee Disapointment...



## DelphicSharpShot (Sep 20, 2013)

I was beating up the ridge lines yesterday (covered aproximately 7 miles) and I must say that Chestatee is a totally different place right now than it was this time last year.  The first difference was that all of the gates were still locked.  Then several of the fields had not been cut and were covered in shoulder-high weeds.  There was a drainage ditch freshly dug out along one road and just before the last field on the road there sat the excavator.  No one came to operate it that morning but it looked like it had been in use within the past week.  Aside from the management issues  there were also no acorns anywhere that I hiked.  I saw no fresh bear or hog sign either.  It was crazy b/c last year you had to watch your step for bear or hog scat but nothing this year...I did find one pile of scat that looked to be semi-fresh on one of the higher ridges, but absolutely nothing fresh.  

There was a field last year that had sorghum with hog sign all over it and rooting all along the road leading down to it and all along a nearby creek but this year there was nothing.  I was fortunate enough to see two squirrels and one turkey...

Crazy how much it can change in a year...


UPDATE:  A week later we saw a bear!!!  Read on below for more details...


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## DelphicSharpShot (Sep 20, 2013)

Reading back through the post it sounds pretty discouraging...sorry about that.  I had a great time in the mountains!  Explored deeper into the mountains of Chestatee than I have ever been before trying to find that jackpot white oak loaded with acorns...


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## blackbear (Sep 20, 2013)

pull the plug on that area for now and scout something new,maybe look for muscadines?Good Luck!


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 20, 2013)

Here is one to consider also.  I hunted a place tonight with no fresh bear sign.  I mean....none since like early this summer.  I put a trail camera up this past Sunday, and pulled the card tonight.  BAM...bears on camera.  They might just not be leaving a lot of sign.  The place I was hunting is a game trail that I figured I'd just get pics of hogs on.  So maybe instead of focusing on food, hunt likely travel routes as well.  Do you have a trail cam or two or three you can set somewhere?  They help you see a LOT you would otherwise miss!


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## The mtn man (Sep 21, 2013)

Thats just how it is hunting in the mtns. I have found the best deer hunting ever some years, the next year not even a deer track in the area, It's not like middle Ga. and s. Ga. the game here travels where the food is, thats why others keep preaching about how important scouting is, Of course you obviously know that hince your scouting trip, just don't get discouraged keep looking their somewhere.


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## FMBear (Sep 21, 2013)

Welcome the locked gates.  I hunted a part of Chestatee on opening day that had an open gate.  Set up in a spot COVERED in bear sign.  Unfortunately, every person with a 4X4 and a loud stereo and barking dogs were driving the roads all day.  I had fresh tracks and climbs, but know bears will not tolerate all that dog and stereo traffic.  I won't be back.


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## The mtn man (Sep 21, 2013)

We will be seeing more and more locked gates, FS budgets have been slashed, no money for road maintanence means no open roads, Talking with FS folks in our district, their road maintance budget was cut from 75k per year to 25k, and we have had alot of slides from last winters flooding, estimates for repairs are in the millions these roads may never be opened again, most all FS gates are still shut here from last winter.I would suspect Ga. mtn gravel roads suffered some slides also, they may not have the funds for repair.


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## buckeroo (Sep 21, 2013)

Hmmm..... I was there 3 weeks ago and saw a bear and tons of hog sign. Must have been in different areas. I DO get tired of the hillbillies that trash the Dick's Creek side with garbage.


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## Bonaire-Dave (Sep 21, 2013)

If the FS hadn't run off the jeep folks in the Cheokee Forest they would have the road repaired for free. Dave


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## The mtn man (Sep 21, 2013)

Blairsville-Dave said:


> If the FS hadn't run off the jeep folks in the Cheokee Forest they would have the road repaired for free. Dave



I here you, when the liberals come calling, they always get there way, You know they have started trouble over here again with us droppin our possum at new years. they got our 4 wheelin roads closed, now their gonna take our possum, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.


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## DelphicSharpShot (Sep 22, 2013)

@FMBear  It was like that every firearms hunt last year but not so much during archery season.  Was your experience from this month or a past season?

@KillerKyle  I had my trail cams in place last year and it led to the bear I got on my first archery hunt...this year I've had my cameras in a different locale prepping for a quota hunt I was drawn for and have already gotten several pic of nice bucks so for now I'll leave em where they are...there's definitely a huge advantage in having trail cameras!

@Buckeroo  I'll second the complaint on all the trash...at least it's mostly located right next to the roads but it is frustrating to see beer cans all over the woods...hmmmmmm....wondering whereabouts you were...


I was mostly just bummed that an area I was counting on turned up void of any good sign...I'm taking my brother-in-law for his first time ever in the mountains this weekend...he wanted to see what was up with my excitement about hunting in the mtns...just hoping not to disappoint him...I thought I'd at least get to show him some good sign...maybe we'll just wing it and check out a brand new area...


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## FMBear (Sep 23, 2013)

DelphicSharpShot said:


> @FMBear  It was like that every firearms hunt last year but not so much during archery season.  Was your experience from this month or a past season?



Opening day of this year.


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## DelphicSharpShot (Sep 23, 2013)

Wow...


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## Dana Young (Sep 24, 2013)

Them aint the hillbillies trashing the roads its the college kids and city folks


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## JWilson (Sep 24, 2013)

Dana Young said:


> Them aint the hillbillies trashing the roads its the college kids and city folks



You sir are 100% correct Dana. 
This person must be new to bear hunting if you are counting on one location to produce year after year you sir will alway be unhappy hunting the mountains. You need to have at least 5-10 spots lined up if you have not noticed the acorn crop changes year after year. One year it will be great like last year and the following year it will suck. The years with the poor acorn crops there are a lot of bears killed. This year however the hunting is going to be hard if you are banking on hunting around acorns. If it was me I would focuse on hunting a heavy trail on a ride top or creek bottom. The bears will be moving constantly trying to stay on a food source . Take it what's its worth. I have been hunting them for the last 10 years and have taken a good many hogs, deer and bear in those hills.


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## buckeroo (Sep 24, 2013)

Dana Young said:


> Them aint the hillbillies trashing the roads its the college kids and city folks



You are right. I like most all the hillbillies I have met in the mountains.


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## DelphicSharpShot (Sep 25, 2013)

@JWilson:  I never said anything about only hunting a single location...I was just discussing this particular location...I believe that is the point of a discussion forum...  I also NEVER said anything about being "unhappy" hunting the mountains.  If you had read my second post and applied some common sense you would realize that.  I was looking for a discussion about the area, not inviting people to troll!  I appreciate the last half of your post!  Now back to the intended discussion...I did find a well used trail just below a ridge line.  I also found a single, solitary green acorn shell on that trail that had been chewed to pieces.  No other acorns were found in that area but it had to come from somewhere so I was planning on setting up in between the ridge line and the trail in a spot that will allow me to cover both the ridge top and the trail...


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## DelphicSharpShot (Sep 30, 2013)

This week the gate was open...

I took my brother-in-law Tony up to the game trail mentioned in my previous reply.  Once we hit the trail we went in opposite directions about 400 yards apart.  As soon as the sun went down over the ridge a bear came strolling up the same trough we used to get up to the game trail.  Once he hit the game trail he headed in my direction and then turned and went right in front of Tony.  He passed up a 50 yard shot and the bear went on past him and a couple of minutes later had flanked him and was now at 30 yards.  He let loose an arrow and the bear started running right at him.  Tony started to nock another arrow and the bear saw him, skidded to a halt, and ran away from him over the ridge we were below.  We found the arrow buried on a tree behind where that bear had been standing broad side and initially assumed it was a clean miss until I noticed some blood residue on the fletching and arrow and some meat at the base of the broadhead.  We looked and looked for blood but found nothing.  Then we scoured the mountain side opposite the ridge in the direction he saw the bear heading after his sliding 180...we found nothing.  We're hoping it was a non-mortal wound but the blood and meat on the arrow makes me think otherwise.  It was disappointing to have not recovered the bear but it was an awesome first-time-in-the-mountains experience for Tony and another awesome day in the mountains for me!  I would guess the bear weighed around 200 lbs.  It looked to be a little bigger then the 180 lb bear I got last year...


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