# Anybody yet?



## Joe Brandon (Sep 14, 2014)

Was up hunting Chattohoochie WMA all day yest. Didn't see anything and nothing signed out as of about 3 yest. Hows everyone doing?


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## Hammer Spank (Sep 14, 2014)

Hey Joe.  Met you yesterday.  Nothing here either.  Don't think they were moving and there are WWAAAAAYYYY too many acorns.  I didn't find anything worth sitting on and I hiked 23.7 miles in two days.  

Still zero bears or pigs signed out.


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## tree cutter 08 (Sep 14, 2014)

What little sign I found was they were camping under the white oaks. Sign was a week old when I found and haven't been back. But u could see where they layed up for a few days. Maybe a big bear since no climbing sign.


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## Hammer Spank (Sep 14, 2014)

Aside from rifle hunters, there will be way fewer bears killed this year.  I walked over 25 miles this weekend and never found something I wanted to sit over.  

Way too many acorns and bears are done with climbing.  

I hate to hunt them this way but I guess me and my south Ga boys will have to sit and wait for them like a bunch of deer hunters.  

Don't worry.  I won't use a tree stand or put any of that dopey face paint on  lol


I don't care for me but I hope my buddies can see some bears next week.


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## NorthGaBowhunter (Sep 15, 2014)

Around the house I always have seen sign about everywhere, not this year. Dont no where all the boos boos went.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 15, 2014)

I blew my chance last night. Had a bear at about 12 yards in front of me in the wide open. He saw me move to reposition myself, and saw me about to draw. It only went about 150#. Just FYI, there wasn't any sign on this ridge except scraped away leaves. I thought it was deer sign. No climbing marks, broken branches, trails, or droppings. It showed up at around 6:30, and only gave me about one minute to get ready to shoot before it was in the only open lane. Even if it is lacking in sign, if you see any recent feeding sign, its probably a good idea to sit on it.


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## Hammer Spank (Sep 15, 2014)

I looked for you when I drove back from the north end on saturday night Kyle.  

Glad you got to see one.  

Here is my thought process.  Most all the white oaks have acorns.  They chose to climb certain ones and not others.  I assume that those trees have sweeter acorns so I figure sitting on the ones that were climbed hard should be a good bet.  That's all I can figure to do anyway.  

I did find an oak the other day that had been climbed a lot until about a week ago.  It looked like they were still feeding under it but no fresh droppings.  I'm hoping that's going to be a place to kill one in the evening.   All we can do is try and it's sure fun to be humbled now and again.  

Good luck everyone.  Kyle, I'll be hunting with my buddies thursday through sunday.  If you head north and need any help with anything, you have my number.


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## Joe Brandon (Sep 15, 2014)

HS it was  more than a pleasure to meet you and Kyle I thoroughly enjoyed  are talks through out the weekend. Two wonderful guys! Thanks for all the info and company gentlemen.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 15, 2014)

Hey Hammer, I'll contact you this week and see if I can swing your camping spot so that we can meet up and talk strategy. Give me your thoughts on this. I was pondering bear behavior today. I thought about how in the past I've seen dropped acorns beneath a tree cleaned out by a single bear in a single day. If the acorns are so appealing to a bear that it has eaten all the ones beneath a single, heavily dropping tree, do you think it'd then be inclined to climb a tree to get to what remaining acorns it could?
And Joe, let me know when you'll be up again, and we'll try to link up again. Its always great to meet other members here. This forum has enriched my hunting experiences so greatly through the friendships it has facilitated. I am so grateful for this forum, and for the people I have met here!


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## mmcneil (Sep 17, 2014)

Hammer Spank, I belive your right.  I hiked many miles the past few days and didnt find much sign.  No tree climbing etc.  Best sign I found was around a food plot/ wild life opening,  found it the last day.


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## Hammer Spank (Sep 17, 2014)

Killer Kyle said:


> Hey Hammer, I'll contact you this week and see if I can swing your camping spot so that we can meet up and talk strategy. Give me your thoughts on this. I was pondering bear behavior today. I thought about how in the past I've seen dropped acorns beneath a tree cleaned out by a single bear in a single day. If the acorns are so appealing to a bear that it has eaten all the ones beneath a single, heavily dropping tree, do you think it'd then be inclined to climb a tree to get to what remaining acorns it could?
> And Joe, let me know when you'll be up again, and we'll try to link up again. Its always great to meet other members here. This forum has enriched my hunting experiences so greatly through the friendships it has facilitated. I am so grateful for this forum, and for the people I have met here!



I don't know man.  My thought so far is this:

The bears chose to climb certain trees early in the season (10 days ago for most) and then stopped climbing them.  It seems that those trees that they had climbed, which are still dropping, should be special to them.  My plan right now is to stick to trees that they had climbed hard.  Really the only plan that I have.


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## rivercritter (Sep 18, 2014)

have seen alot of young bears this yr. so that is a good sign the only big bear iv seen was beded 10yrds from three big white oaks he was climbing. climbing will slow down since the mtns already r like walkin on marbles.


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## Georgia Hunting woman (Sep 18, 2014)

Saw great bear scat on dawson forest wma last weekend. Bear had been eating grapes....left it right in the road where my teen daughter was set up the day before...was within 30yards of her blind.. she was bummed


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## CornStalker (Sep 18, 2014)

I hunted the Chattahoochee from Saturday to Tuesday. It sounds like I experienced the same thing as everyone else. Climbed a ton of ridges a saddles, only to find 3-5 trees with week old sign. We did walk up on a sow with two cubs on Friday. Those are the only bears we saw. Lots of rain though...

I noticed oddly enough, that there were several white oaks that had really old AND fresh sign. Weeks apart for sure. Hammer, I thought the same way, and hunted those trees. It was the only thing to hunt...   

Scratching my head right now.. Where are the bears??


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## keiths04 (Sep 19, 2014)

Been up at cohutta for a week now, more deer than bears so far.


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## jp94 (Sep 19, 2014)

Glad to hear there are still some deer up there.  I am headed up tomorrow and hope to get lucky.


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## Hammer Spank (Sep 20, 2014)

I got turned around yeaterday and ended up having to do the "walk downhill" thing. Theyre doing just what I thought. Theyre laying in rodo thickets near water and barely moving at all to eat. Im done bear hunting this year. Unless you just have some dumb luck, I dont think youll see anything but pigs up there. I jumped a big one off its bed yesterday. Tons of scat nearby. All in a thicket. No way to hunt them this way. 

There will be a pile of bears next year and so far, every single one Ive seen has been big.


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## caughtinarut (Sep 20, 2014)

All the bears have moved to the flatland. Joking. We have been seeing more and more in south Georgia where there have not been any in the past. It also seems like from reading on the forum that more bearvare being seen in middle GA.


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## goshenmountainman (Sep 20, 2014)

Have been hunting since opening day and have put alot of miles in. Have not found many trees climbed and the ones I did find were at least a month old. Acorns everywhere and very little bear sign or deer sign. I think they are not moving very far and I sat beside my favorite Ivy thicket two days with no sightings of bear or deer, but I could here acorns falling deep inside of thicket. No fresh bear scat anywhere I have been and haven't seen any bear at all. Usually see 10-12 bear every year in the first week of season. I am finished hunting for them this year and am wishing my illinois trip would hurry up and get here.


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## Etoncathunter (Sep 20, 2014)

Spent this evening on Cohutta, didn't see anything, but did hear something big take off spooked by some horse riders. I'm gonna have to take a hard hat next time though. There are some HUGE acorn falling like hail stones all over the place. I got nail in the head twice.


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## trepej2 (Sep 21, 2014)

I shot my first bear at cohutta this past Monday on 9-15-14


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## Hammer Spank (Sep 21, 2014)

congrats!

Me and a buddy left bear camp on friday afternoon and headed to a buddy's property in northeast ga.  Saw a ton of deer and I'm so glad we made the decision to do that.  Killed one with my black widow on saturday am.  Saw deer on every sit.


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## Hammer Spank (Sep 21, 2014)

Also, found enough pigs to fill up a tractor trailer but am not hiking in four miles to shoot a dopey old pig.


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## guesswho (Sep 22, 2014)

Five guys in camp (Cohutta) for 4 days worth of hunting, and only saw scat near oaks.  No bears were seen and only a couple of trees were climbed.  Several miles of hiking were done and the most sign was in the creek bottoms with the rodo as already stated above.  I guess I'll have to try again next year.  A couple of deer were seen and a hog, but not shots were available on them.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 23, 2014)

I killed a nice bear today in the NF in Rabun County. It was on a ridge top with lots of white oaks dropping. 9 yard shot. Bear ran 30 yards and piled up. I'll post about it tomorrow. Last weekend I tried to draw on a bear on Chattahoochee, and it busted me. Same situation. Ridge top with white oaks. They are spread out, but they are still there, as usual. You just have to put in the boot leather and find them. Hide and go seek. Its more rewarding that way!


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## robert carter (Sep 23, 2014)

Congrats Kyle. I went through Rabun county last week. Beautiful country.RC


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## CornStalker (Sep 23, 2014)

Kyle, well done! Nice to know a few of you have harvested a bear.

I'm with you guys, I'm probably going to end my bear season early this year. Although, I have thought about giving Rich Mountain a go next weekend. Has anyone hunted that WMA this year?


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## bighits4421 (Sep 24, 2014)

I am going this weekend with 2 buddies and we will do a little looking around too. I'll post what we find. I didn't know they would let you shoot a hog out there.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 26, 2014)

bighits4421 said:


> I am going this weekend with 2 buddies and we will do a little looking around too. I'll post what we find. I didn't know they would let you shoot a hog out there.



You can kill a hog on any public hunting land with whatever weapon is in season. No closed season, no bag limit on hogs. Kill every single one that you can, every single chance you get.


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