# Archery Season Scouting - Updated With Results



## Buckman18 (Aug 11, 2019)

The intention of this thread is to help folks who are new and aspiring bear hunters shorten the learning curve of where and how to scout, what kind of sign to look for, and what to consider for a successful setup so that you get the bear you've been wanting. The community in the Bear forum is the best there is, in my opinion, and it is my hope some of the other regular bear killers will add their experiences, pictures, knowledge, etc.

Yesterday, 8/11, I had a chance to check out a couple of new ridges. I've been studying topo maps, and am looking for gaps, knolls, and where leads come together for possible setups come September.  This is my 24th bow season hunting the mountains, and I have learned that there are a few places that tend to produce no matter what, but if you want to score every year it really pays to scout and stay on top of fresh bear sign. In other words, the ridges I killed bears last year may or may not produce this year. It depends entirely on the sign, which depends on the food.

Before I go further I'd like to add that I generally prefer to stay within a 30 minute walk in early bow season while it's hot. Especially if I'm alone. I don't want to be smelling like a dirty sock, nor do I want to be worried about meat spoilage.

Yesterday, I scouted one knoll and one ridge top. The ridge top looked great on the map, but it had the wrong kind of timber for September success. I greatly prefer white oaks in September, but if they're not producing (like last year), my next preference is southern red oaks. This ridge had a couple of reds, no whites, and mostly maple, beech, and no game sign at all. This ridge is now crossed off. A large part of scouting in the mountains is culling unproductive land. Next!

The next spot was a short lead that led to a knoll. I started finding sign just a few hundred feet from the truck. The lead was a mixture of pines and red oaks on top. The NW slope tapered off gently into more red oaks than pines, and a rhodo thicket about 60 yards below. Here is some of the sign I found:

Several marking trees:






I saw a ton of tracks and feeding sign in the early and aborted red oaks, some lapping, as well as some dug up bee nest and freshly moved logs:


To be continued


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## strothershwacker (Aug 11, 2019)

Good stuff Buckman! Keep it coming.


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## Buckman18 (Aug 11, 2019)

And... when I find feeding sign, I really like finding fresh
scat.


A lot of things will change in the mountains between now and the opener.  Bear sign today means NOTHING. I was looking for acorns, and found red oaks at 2400 ft. That's the Intel that's important right now. I will be back the week before the opener to see if bears are still here. If so, it should be money. If not, I will need several other spots pre-scouted to follow up to see where they are. To be continued at a later date...


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## Joe Brandon (Aug 11, 2019)

Help me buddy with the GPS coordinates ????


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## jbogg (Aug 11, 2019)

Good stuff Buckman!  I like your chances.


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## CowetaLonghorn (Aug 11, 2019)

Great idea to start this thread. I scouted yesterday and busted one out of a white oak when I shut the truck door. I was actually surprised at the amount of deer sign I saw.


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 11, 2019)

Getting close! Good idea to take pictures!


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## jbogg (Aug 11, 2019)

Now is definitely the time to do some early scouting.  The white oak acorns are large enough now to be easily seen with some binos.  Finding a handful of good white oak spots now is step one.  Returning to those spots just before the opener to determine if the bears are feeding in one of those spots is where the rubber meets the road.  Look for fresh, still steaming piles of slate grey scat coupled with fresh climbing sign and you will likely see fuzzy.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Aug 11, 2019)

This one came to inspect the grading at our new homeplace.  Not a big 'un, but if he shows up around the house, somebody might draw down on him.


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## Buckman18 (Aug 11, 2019)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> This one came to inspect the grading at our new homeplace.  Not a big 'un, but if he shows up around the house, somebody might draw down on him.



I’m not sure folks realize how good you are. You don’t have to go scout for bears, they show up at your house and raise the white flag!


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Aug 11, 2019)

Buckman18 said:


> I’m not sure folks realize how good you are. You don’t have to go scout for bears, they show up at your house and raise the white flag!



If only it were true!


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## Wayne D Davis (Aug 11, 2019)

I've tried my luck on bear in the past and never have closed the deal. I saw one fairly close at dawson forest several years ago on a archery hunt. Just a bit out of range. May have to try again..... there's always a good chance at one on Pine log wma


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## splatek (Aug 11, 2019)

@Buckman18 great post and much appreciated by an aspiring newb to the hunting world. 
Thanks!


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## whitetailfreak (Aug 11, 2019)

Good report bud. It won't be long now.


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## Wayne D Davis (Aug 12, 2019)

Thanks Buckman18. For your wisdom.  During early season is it possible to locate bears at low altitude or do they only come down during the night.


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## Buckman18 (Aug 12, 2019)

Wayne D Davis said:


> Thanks Buckman18. For your wisdom.  During early season is it possible to locate bears at low altitude or do they only come down during the night.



There’s not much wisdom with me Wayne and my advice would definitely jinx you big time, but thanks for your kind words. Bears will follow the food. If acorns hit low but not high, they’ll be low and vice versa. 

Early indications this year show that there may be acorns low and high this year. This is my least favorite bow season scenario, because game will be scattered. On years when this happens I much prefer to hunt high, and use terrain features/game trails to my advantage more than hunting food. I’ll take some pics when I scout up high in the next week or so.

Hopefully some other killers will chime in and provide some input.


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## whitetailfreak (Aug 12, 2019)

Wayne D Davis said:


> Thanks Buckman18. For your wisdom.  During early season is it possible to locate bears at low altitude or do they only come down during the night.



It's all dependent upon the acorns. Don't get caught up on elevation. Some years they hit up high, some years they hit down low, some years they hit everywhere in between, and some years they barely hit at all. I've killed a good many below 1500'.


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## whitetailfreak (Aug 12, 2019)

In the last 25 years I've hunted some very poor acorn crops in and around Cohutta, but I've never had a season when I couldn't find a patch of White or Red's dropping somewhere. 4 or 5 years ago I was guiding a feller from KY and his son and the acorn crop was nearly non existent. I found a cluster of 4 or 5 White Oaks around 1000 ft. that were absolutely raining. I believe we saw 12 or 13 bears in two days and killed 2, and you couldn't peel the smile off that young mans face. Below is the feller and his son I was guiding that year. Look at that smile!


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## Wayne D Davis (Aug 12, 2019)

Buckman18 said:


> There’s not much wisdom with me Wayne and my advice would definitely jinx you big time, but thanks for your kind words. Bears will follow the food. If acorns hit low but not high, they’ll be low and vice versa.
> 
> Early indications this year show that there may be acorns low and high this year. This is my least favorite bow season scenario, because game will be scattered. On years when this happens I much prefer to hunt high, and use terrain features/game trails to my advantage more than hunting food. I’ll take some pics when I scout up high in the next week or so.
> 
> Hopefully some other killers will chime in and provide some input.


That's great advice to me. I've always thought you hunted bear high as possible for the area.


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## ScarFoot (Aug 12, 2019)

If you bust a bear feeding and run it off do you sit and wait in a good vantage point of the feed trees imediately or get out and sneak back in the next day?


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## Buckman18 (Aug 12, 2019)

ScarFoot said:


> If you bust a bear feeding and run it off do you sit and wait in a good vantage point of the feed trees imediately or get out and sneak back in the next day?


Your question reminded me of a hunt i had where i had a similar experience to what you describe in your question.
A few years ago on the NF, i had to search high and low, but finally found a few red oaks that were producing. There was maybe a double handful on the ground,  and those trees limbs had been freshly lapped.

On my first afternoon hunt there, i was looking for a tree to climb when I saw a nice bear sitting on his butt like a dog watching me. He wasnt 20 yards away. It actually startled me because i wasnt expecting that. As soon as i made eye contact he ran off.

I found the best tree and climbed up about 12 feet or so. That bear came back about 10 minutes later and I gigged him. Interestingly,  he was absolutely full of copperplated shotgun pellets, and had been shot in one of his hams twice with what i guessed to be a 22. He didnt have an ounce of fat on him and still weighed nearly 200 pounds.

Over the years, ive had them come back. Ive had them tear down the mountainside running away never to be seen again, and ive had them stand up and pop their jaws at me and stand their ground during turkey season (just once-and I backed off slowly and left). Theres no right or wrong answer to your question because you never know. If the bear was in the area you were going to hunt anyway id still set up and hunt.


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## ripplerider (Aug 12, 2019)

Regarding the pellets and the .22 cal.bullets it's a shame how many bears carry lead like that around. There are a lot of bear haters  out there who want their deer back and dont care how they get them back. The bears need thinning down considerably but it's absolutely wrong to make them suffer after being shot with an illegal weapon, illegally. Great post Buckman.


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## ScarFoot (Aug 13, 2019)

Thanks for the reply I really appreciate the info. Do bears circle downwind of hunters in a predictable fashion like whitetails  do if you catch them out and about and they see the hunter first? and how close have you had one let you get when they are bedded down and you had a Favorable wind?


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## ScarFoot (Aug 13, 2019)

Thanks for the reply I really appreciate the info., Do bears circle downwind of hunters in a predictable fashion like whitetails  do if you catch them out and about and how close have had one let you get when they are bedded down and you have a. Favorable wind?


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## Wayne D Davis (Aug 13, 2019)

ScarFoot said:


> Thanks for the reply I really appreciate the info., Do bears circle downwind of hunters in a predictable fashion like whitetails  do if you catch them out and about and how close have had one let you get when they are bedded down and you have a. Favorable wind?


I believe any big game that senses something's there but not sure of what it is may try to circle you to get your wind


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## FMBear (Aug 13, 2019)

ScarFoot said:


> If you bust a bear feeding and run it off do you sit and wait in a good vantage point of the feed trees imediately or get out and sneak back in the next day?



I busted my bear on opening morning last year around 8:10 in the morning as it came up a trail from a watering hole towards some dropping white oaks.  I didn't hear it run far, found the trail it had taken, and backed off of it about 20 yards and sat. I figured it would still come back for the oaks it was heading towards.  5 hours later, just after 1pm, it showed back up.  I was lucky with a 15 yard shot.
Every situation is different.  I've busted bear that never looked back and never stopped running upon smelling me.


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## Danuwoa (Aug 15, 2019)

Hey man as a wannabe bear hunter I surely appreciate this.


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## Etoncathunter (Aug 15, 2019)

Anyone going up Cohutta watch the roads.  The south side road 68 going up from the check station has gotten washed out pretty good,  lots of bigger and SHARP rocks exposed.  Road 17 down from lake conasauga to mill creek is being graded/ scraped  to fix the same issue, so watch out for some heavy equipment.  We got stuck behind a tractor for about a mile before we could get safely around it. Glad to see them trying to improve the roads before season.


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## Buckman18 (Aug 18, 2019)

My daughter (12) and I went on a walk about today, to scout and also to try to get some pictures of bears. We were between 2400-2800 ft, and were scouting an area ive never hunted. Like my previous trip, im finding red oaks with acorns. The first white oaks we encountered on tops had nothing. At the end of our 2.5 mile journey, and in a cove, we came across a half dozen white oaks that were dropping acorns while we were there. They also had fresh climbing sign, and we saw a bear in some sorghum that was nearby. However, we got busted by him while trying to get a pic. So far, ive found 2 potential stands for opening week, but i havent found 'the one' as of today.


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## Buckman18 (Sep 2, 2019)

After a couple of trips where I wasnt finding anything exciting my daughter and I finally found the killing ridge late today, hopefully.  At least itll be where i hunt first. In Tray Mtn Wilderness. Finally found some white oaks that have enough acorns to matter. Saw 4 bears and a big timber snake. Now im ready for the season, today we had to walk a total of about 7 miles, and if you combine that with other trips weve easily got over 20 miles in the last month. If you want pubic land bears, like turkeys, it takes boot leather. Hopefully my next post will be a dead bear. Heres some proof from the day:








Got my daughter and bear in same pic


Daughter was begging for mercy by the end of our day together.


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## ScarFoot (Sep 2, 2019)

What elevation did you find the good white oaks?


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## FMBear (Sep 2, 2019)

Some quality time together for sure!
Awesome photos of the bears.


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## antharper (Sep 3, 2019)

Time well spent


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## strothershwacker (Sep 3, 2019)

That's a good day right there.


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## Buckman18 (Sep 3, 2019)

ScarFoot said:


> What elevation did you find the good white oaks?



Over 3K, and under 1600 so far based on places ive been. Ive been to plenty of places over 3k that didnt have a one. Its very spotty it seems. My daughter and i did find a few in one spot at 2600, but there was plenty of places at that elevation that i couldnt find any.

Bottom line, this year is going to be good if youve prepared, otherwise a man may be wairing for red oaks to come into play? YMMV.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Sep 3, 2019)

I had every intention of spending Labor day burning boot leather looking for bears, but an old herniated disc returned to pay me a visit Saturday and I've been laying pretty low.  I've got a couple spots that have produced in the past during similar situations that I need to go check on.


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## Buckman18 (Sep 3, 2019)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> I had every intention of spending Labor day burning boot leather looking for bears, but an old herniated disc returned to pay me a visit Saturday and I've been laying pretty low.  I've got a couple spots that have produced in the past during similar situations that I need to go check on.



If you dont get a chance to get out, holler at me and you can go with us. My current plan is for her and i to sit in our hammock seats and try to get her a shot with a crossbow. Where we will be hunting is about a mile in, Kind've hoping she will miss!


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## jbogg (Sep 3, 2019)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> I had every intention of spending Labor day burning boot leather looking for bears, but an old herniated disc returned to pay me a visit Saturday and I've been laying pretty low.  I've got a couple spots that have produced in the past during similar situations that I need to go check on.



I have back issues as well and hate to hear yours has gone out so close to the opener.  I have been trying to be careful lately in hopes mine doesn't pay me a visit too.


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## jbogg (Sep 3, 2019)

Great thread Buckman!  I love the pics, and I like your daughters chances opening weekend.


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Sep 3, 2019)

jbogg said:


> I have back issues as well and hate to hear yours has gone out so close to the opener.  I have been trying to be careful lately in hopes mine doesn't pay me a visit too.



I think I aggravated it pulling arrows at a 3D tournament Saturday.  I hurt it 10 years ago and I've always got to be mindful of which way I twist my body under load or I'll tweak it again.


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## Buckman18 (Sep 19, 2019)

In all honesty, i should be tagged out now. I totally blew a chance at a great boar opening Sunday. He heard me click off the safety, saw me, and was gone. This crossbow is something new for me. Until 3 weeks ago, ive never even shot one. Totally happy with my compound. But I learned. And today I scored, thanks to scouting, and being easier on the crossbow safety. Both bears come from dropping white oaks that I wouldve never knew existed a month ago. When I started this thread, i noted the importance of fresh scat. Today i found it. Set up. 15 minutes later I scored. The tags and collar are an interesting conversation piece.


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## Wayne D Davis (Sep 19, 2019)

Buckman18 said:


> In all honesty, i should be tagged out now. I totally blew a chance at a great boar opening Sunday. He heard me click off the safety, saw me, and was gone. This crossbow is something new for me. Until 3 weeks ago, ive never even shot one. Totally happy with my compound. But I learned. And today I scored, thanks to scouting, and being easier on the crossbow safety. Both bears come from dropping white oaks that I wouldve never knew existed a month ago. When I started this thread, i noted the importance of fresh scat. Today i found it. Set up. 15 minutes later I scored. The tags and collar are an interesting conversation piece.
> View attachment 983517


Congrats man!! That didn't take long


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## whitetailfreak (Sep 19, 2019)

Good job bud, looks like a dandy. Congrats.


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## splatek (Sep 19, 2019)

Congrats!


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## FMBear (Sep 19, 2019)

Buckman18 said:


> In all honesty, i should be tagged out now. I totally blew a chance at a great boar opening Sunday. He heard me click off the safety, saw me, and was gone. This crossbow is something new for me. Until 3 weeks ago, ive never even shot one. Totally happy with my compound. But I learned. And today I scored, thanks to scouting, and being easier on the crossbow safety. Both bears come from dropping white oaks that I wouldve never knew existed a month ago. When I started this thread, i noted the importance of fresh scat. Today i found it. Set up. 15 minutes later I scored. The tags and collar are an interesting conversation piece.
> View attachment 983517


Great reinforcement of being ready to put the boot leather on the ground.  A lot of the dropping red & white oaks dropping this week showed no sign a month ago, yet this week they're falling freely. Seems most mast is in the upper half of the trees this year, and the southern slopes have been heaviest in production from what I've seen.


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## ScarFoot (Sep 20, 2019)

FMBear said:


> Great reinforcement of being ready to put the boot leather on the ground.  A lot of the dropping red & white oaks dropping this week showed no sign a month ago, yet this week they're falling freely. Seems most mast is in the upper half of the trees this year, and the southern slopes have been heaviest in production from what I've seen.


I was able to scout this past weekend I found a trail on a lead right on the center of the ridge top it was wide and flat and looked well used, but there was no scat on the trail, are these trails used periodically when food sources are active in the area, the trail looked ancient, it was very dry so no tracks? It was a 100 or so ft below an intersection with a ridge that bears were feeding on heavily?


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## Ghost G (Sep 20, 2019)

Buckman18 said:


> In all honesty, i should be tagged out now. I totally blew a chance at a great boar opening Sunday. He heard me click off the safety, saw me, and was gone. This crossbow is something new for me. Until 3 weeks ago, ive never even shot one. Totally happy with my compound. But I learned. And today I scored, thanks to scouting, and being easier on the crossbow safety. Both bears come from dropping white oaks that I wouldve never knew existed a month ago. When I started this thread, i noted the importance of fresh scat. Today i found it. Set up. 15 minutes later I scored. The tags and collar are an interesting conversation piece.
> View attachment 983517


Nice bear.  Congrats Buckman.


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## Danuwoa (Sep 21, 2019)

Good one.   Congratulations.


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## FMBear (Sep 22, 2019)

The south facing slopes continue to be key in my finding both producing oaks as well as feeding bears.
Had this young guy inside of 10 yards yesterday.


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## Wayne D Davis (Sep 22, 2019)

FMBear said:


> The south facing slopes continue to be key in my finding both producing oaks as well as feeding bears.
> Had this young guy inside of 10 yards yesterday.


Cool photo


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## Ghost G (Sep 22, 2019)

FMBear said:


> The south facing slopes continue to be key in my finding both producing oaks as well as feeding bears.
> Had this young guy inside of 10 yards yesterday.



Nice pics!


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## CornStalker (Sep 22, 2019)

I hunted on NF thursday and friday with no success. Saw one doe. Saw a bunch of old climbing sign on white oaks at various elevations. 

We switched gears and hunted on the Chatt WMA on Saturday. Me and buddy spent the entire day in the woods. Saw a sow with two cubs, one shooter, and one small bear. I am flat out exhausted...but content with what I saw.


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## DCoutdoors (Sep 22, 2019)

This whole thing is invaluable. Gonna be running around Dawson forest tracts looking for my first this year


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## Buckman18 (Aug 4, 2020)

Its scouting time! The time to kill is so close that I'm smelling blood!

Here's a few I've got pics of on and/or near Cooper Creek, Chattahoochee, and Blue Ridge WMA's so far. I have zero interest in hunting fields/plots, because if you can find white oaks your shot opportunities will be much more plentiful... except in certain cases...Nevertheless:

I'll try to do better in the future, the phone pics just don't really cut it...





Better keep your eyes open, the Ol' Timber snakes are out and about right now...

It's hard to scout without swinging by a couple of holes and picking up some supper. I'm kinda ashamed to admit it, but this is my first year ever caring about mushrooms - I've missed out on lots of fun over the years...


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## antharper (Aug 4, 2020)

Great report and beautiful snake ! Good looking supper to !


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## CornStalker (Aug 5, 2020)

Buckman, were those all different bears?


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## splatek (Aug 5, 2020)

@Buckman18  will have his two bears killed before I’m done my morning coffee on September 12. Straight killer. 
I appreciate the scouting intel. God knows I need all the he’l help I can get.


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## Buckman18 (Aug 6, 2020)

CornStalker said:


> Buckman, were those all different bears?



Yes, different. I've seen bunches that I didn't take pics of. Here's some I saw yesterday on the NF way up north.


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## Buckman18 (Aug 9, 2020)

Saw 5 bears and 2 hogs today in the clover over toward Chestatee and Coopers Creek. Actually got pics of 4 bears. I wish they were easy to find in the clover a month from now. In about 2-3 weeks, the bears will rapidly transition to the white oaks.


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## Gerrik (Aug 13, 2020)

Found some likely spots on Dawson Forest, last weekend. Going back next weekend to check again, and look for more. Moving to the west side of ATL, has forced me to cross several of my favorite WMA’s off the list for much of the season. But I did find fresh sign on Paulding Forest, while avoiding for deer. Who knew?


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## deermaster13 (Aug 15, 2020)

Enjoying this thread, really would.Love to kill one someday


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## MTwomey (Aug 27, 2020)

A buddy and I are looking to do our first "back country" bear hunt this year at Cohutta. I first caught the bug last year and went out looking a couple times but an injury kept me from hitting it as hard as I wanted to. This year I'm healed up and Bears are my main focus. I would like to get one with the bow. I was hoping I could lay out our general plan here and maybe get some pointers. We're both adult onset hunters with minimal experience and little in the way of mentors, specifically in the Bear genre. 

Our general plan right now is to hike a good ways(5-10miles) into the wilderness area and do a 3-4 day camp and hunt. From the scouting we have done out there, 3k elevation seems to be the general goldie locks(the irony is intentional) zone for the food sources and bear sign we have found. So our e-scouting efforts have focused mostly on spots that give us good access to ridges in that elevation range. Looking to get out next week and beat the ground on some of our prospective areas. 
Some of our main questions are:
1. Is it better to camp up or down hill from where we want to hunt? Seems like camping at the bottom would have some advantages for camping but might blow out the area with scent. 

2. Is there a particular time to go for a trip like this? Our schedule is pretty wide open so we can make this trip happen almost any time. I'm wondering if it would be better to go early before the hunting pressure really sets in for the season, or to wait for cooler temps or other time markers like food sources. We are close enough to the WMA to do a good bit of afternoon hunts throughout the season, but we would like to save this camp for the most prime week. 

Again we're just a couple of new guys trying to figure it out. Any help or tips would be very appreciated. I love this forum for the accepting and helpful attitude you guys always have towards us new guys. Thanks for your help!


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 28, 2020)

Only problem hunting that deep is your going to have a tough time getting that meat out before it spoils in the heat of bow season. I'd save the deep woods for cooler weather.


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## MTwomey (Aug 28, 2020)

tree cutter 08 said:


> Only problem hunting that deep is your going to have a tough time getting that meat out before it spoils in the heat of bow season. I'd save the deep woods for cooler weather.



Are there any seasonal indicators to look out for that would help us zero in on a week that is cool enough but still before they all start holing up for the winter? Or do they not really do that around here?


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 28, 2020)

Earlier the better. I'd check out ridges within a mile of the road. Lots of places within 2 or 300 yards to kill a bear from the road. Meat care or lack of is what usually gives bear meat a bad reputation.


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## MTwomey (Aug 28, 2020)

tree cutter 08 said:


> Earlier the better. I'd check out ridges within a mile of the road. Lots of places within 2 or 300 yards to kill a bear from the road. Meat care or lack of is what usually gives bear meat a bad reputation.



Good info as always. We found everything we found the other day just off the side of the road, in about the distance your talking about. I just didn't know if that was a fluke or if it would be over pressured once the season opens. Would you say there is any advantage to going in deep in regards to bear? I know the general idea on public land is to get in where the people aren't. But with the meat spoilage issue in our climate and the majority of the action being in the early season, is it a wasted effort to go that deep? I've just assumed that added effort is always a good investment, but maybe "smarter not harder" is a better philosophy here...


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 28, 2020)

MTwomey said:


> Good info as always. We found everything we found the other day just off the side of the road, in about the distance your talking about. I just didn't know if that was a fluke or if it would be over pressured once the season opens. Would you say there is any advantage to going in deep in regards to bear? I know the general idea on public land is to get in where the people aren't. But with the meat spoilage issue in our climate and the majority of the action being in the early season, is it a wasted effort to go that deep? I've just assumed that added effort is always a good investment, but maybe "smarter not harder" is a better philosophy here...View attachment 1035865View attachment 1035866


I love to go deep and I do when it comes to deer later in the season but when it comes to bears easier is best. I've seen probably close to 30 from the truck window in the last few months. They are alot more more once they are on the ground than a deer.


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## MTwomey (Aug 28, 2020)

When do the bears usually hole up for the winter and stop coming out? I know there is obviously not a specific date range, especially with how erratic our seasons are around here, but is there a general rule on when to hang it up for the year and start chasing antlers again?


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## ddd-shooter (Aug 28, 2020)

I’m different. I just don’t ever go deep for going deeps sake. You’ll find in the mountains that “hunting pressure” is almost a misnomer, except for maybe a few wma hunts the woods are usually pretty bare.
Lots of heavy frosts usually put the bears down, when that is changes every year


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## MTwomey (Aug 28, 2020)

Good to know, I love picking the brains on this forum. So much good knowledge, can't thank you guys enough for being willing to share.
So, I'm gonna keep on pickin'.
I feel like we are starting to get a good feel for the scouting and starting to learn where to look and what to look for, but when it comes to kill time what are some hard fast rules? I would love to stay on the ground if I can, but I feel like I see a lot of guys set up in a saddle or climber once they find a spot to sit on. Would it be a bad idea to stay out of site and down wind, but on the ground in some cover to wait for a bear to come back to a food source? Are the bears around here susceptible to a well done stalk if we choose to hang back further to watch a spot and then stalk in slow while their focused on food? What's the play? I have a saddle and some wild edge stepps that I've used for deer, but to be honest one of the biggest things drawing me to bear hunting is my lack of enthusiasm for hanging out in a tree. Plus, I don't think my buddy has any tree gear and we've both got young families so we've gotta keep the cost of entry low.


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## ddd-shooter (Aug 28, 2020)

Bears are one of the few things I feel like you could consistently be successful stalking on the ground. They are apex predators, so they’re not nearly as wary or spooky as deer. If you watch the wind, I’d say hunt the ground. YOU MUST WATCH THE WIND!
I actually stalked a nice bear last year, we were both moving across a ridge, I was banking on him coming down the ridge towards me, but he kept side-hilling and got my wind. As soon as he did, he sauntered the other direction pretty quick. If I was a rifle hunter, I could have easily shot him when he stopped to look back. Dad kills bears on the ground all the time, and about half the time slipping along. 
Personally, I hunt a climber over sign, but its certainly not required.


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## MTwomey (Aug 28, 2020)

Good to hear, I think the wind would have left my sails a little if we couldn't get down and stalk them. Only spot and stalk/ still hunting I've ever done was some heavily pressured pigs. Some of the most fun you can have in the woods, but I'm excited for a bigger challenge. We are both chomping at the bit to get out and chase these bears this year. Hopefully some sweat equity combined with all the tactics we've learned on here will pay out some tasty dividends. I've got a vision of Black Bear Carnitas that's been bouncing around in my head for 2 years. Can't wait to make it a reality. Thank you guys again, good luck, and keep up the good work!


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## tree cutter 08 (Aug 28, 2020)

ddd-shooter said:


> Bears are one of the few things I feel like you could consistently be successful stalking on the ground. They are apex predators, so they’re not nearly as wary or spooky as deer. If you watch the wind, I’d say hunt the ground. YOU MUST WATCH THE WIND!
> I actually stalked a nice bear last year, we were both moving across a ridge, I was banking on him coming down the ridge towards me, but he kept side-hilling and got my wind. As soon as he did, he sauntered the other direction pretty quick. If I was a rifle hunter, I could have easily shot him when he stopped to look back. Dad kills bears on the ground all the time, and about half the time slipping along.
> Personally, I hunt a climber over sign, but its certainly not required.


I have decided that spot and stalk is the best way to kill a bear unless you find jam up feeding sign in one area. It's a heck of a lot more fun than sitting in a tree all day. Pay attention to the wind and move along slowly. Daylight till around 10 in the am is hard to beat. Evenings I would rather sit on feeding sign.


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## ddd-shooter (Aug 28, 2020)

tree cutter 08 said:


> I have decided that spot and stalk is the best way to kill a bear unless you find jam up feeding sign in one area. It's a heck of a lot more fun than sitting in a tree all day. Pay attention to the wind and move along slowly. Daylight till around 10 in the am is hard to beat. Evenings I would rather sit on feeding sign.


Yep. Take a step. Look. Listen. Look again. Listen again. Think about it for a minute, then take another step. Repeat. Wind in a favorable direction and preferably damp leaves. Never walk on the spine of a ridge.


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## MTwomey (Aug 28, 2020)

Sounds like a plan. Man, these conversations get me fired up! Fall is upon us, boys.


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## chrislibby88 (Aug 28, 2020)

MTwomey said:


> Good to hear, I think the wind would have left my sails a little if we couldn't get down and stalk them. Only spot and stalk/ still hunting I've ever done was some heavily pressured pigs. Some of the most fun you can have in the woods, but I'm excited for a bigger challenge. We are both chomping at the bit to get out and chase these bears this year. Hopefully some sweat equity combined with all the tactics we've learned on here will pay out some tasty dividends. I've got a vision of Black Bear Carnitas that's been bouncing around in my head for 2 years. Can't wait to make it a reality. Thank you guys again, good luck, and keep up the good work!


If you can regularly stalk pigs with success I’m sure you can stalk anything. With the way the elevation changes you don’t get a huge advantage being in a tree when you can walk 20 steps uphill and achieve the same thing, plus the trees don’t grow very straight, so finding a suitable tree for a climber/sticks can be a pain. I plan on bringing a foam cushion for the Sept rifle hunts, and sitting on the ground if I find a spot I want to chill on and just slipping around really slow otherwise. I’ve thought about running my turkey vest, but it isn’t gonna jive with my pack very well.

Hope you get one! I’m hoping for my first bear this year too.


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## MTwomey (Aug 28, 2020)

Regularly is a bit too flattering of an adverb for my porcine pursuits, but ill take what I can get haha.

Sounds like a good time. Right now
our plan is to bowhunt cohutta until rifle season then split our time bow hunting the WMA and gun hunting over on fort mountain or elsewhere in the NF. Hoping we don't make it into rifle season without at least one between us, but it wouldn't be the first time hopes were dashed.


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## chrislibby88 (Aug 29, 2020)

MTwomey said:


> Regularly is a bit too flattering of an adverb for my porcine pursuits, but ill take what I can get haha.
> 
> Sounds like a good time. Right now
> our plan is to bowhunt cohutta until rifle season then split our time bow hunting the WMA and gun hunting over on fort mountain or elsewhere in the NF. Hoping we don't make it into rifle season without at least one between us, but it wouldn't be the first time hopes were dashed.


Might wanna hang around Cohutta for those check-in WMA rifle buck hunts. They get more pressure, but the DNR tags the deer, so you basically get a free tag that doesn’t count towards your personal tags. You can potentially kill way more than 2 bucks in a year if you hunt a lot of check in hunts. They don’t do that for the bear tags, but Im not sure what kinda person would pass on a good buck while bear hunting, especially on a “free” DNR tag. Most of the buck hunts are later in the fall/winter so the deer are very active and the bears are moving slow. You can hunt the CNF on your own tags between managed WMA hunts. Anyway, that’s my advice.


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## MTwomey (Aug 29, 2020)

chrislibby88 said:


> Might wanna hang around Cohutta for those check-in WMA rifle buck hunts. They get more pressure, but the DNR tags the deer, so you basically get a free tag that doesn’t count towards your personal tags. You can potentially kill way more than 2 bucks in a year if you hunt a lot of check in hunts. They don’t do that for the bear tags, but Im not sure what kinda person would pass on a good buck while bear hunting, especially on a “free” DNR tag. Most of the buck hunts are later in the fall/winter so the deer are very active and the bears are moving slow. You can hunt the CNF on your own tags between managed WMA hunts. Anyway, that’s my advice.



I actually didn't realize there were rifle hunts on Cohutta until I read your last post and checked the regs. Definitely going to take advantage of those. Might make the October rifle hunt our Camp trip If its cool enough for a pack out by then. I figure even if we don't come across any game back there, we spend a few days enjoying the deep woods.


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## chrislibby88 (Aug 29, 2020)

MTwomey said:


> I actually didn't realize there were rifle hunts on Cohutta until I read your last post and checked the regs. Definitely going to take advantage of those. Might make the October rifle hunt our Camp trip If its cool enough for a pack out by then. I figure even if we don't come across any game back there, we spend a few days enjoying the deep woods.


Also make sure you check the regs on legal camping. I know most WMAs require camps to be in designated areas only, I think in the wilderness area and national forest you can throw a camp anywhere though, don’t quote me on that though.
Also, most WMAs have sign in hunts, where you tag your own deer, and check in hunts, where the state tags them at the check in station. Check each hunt so you know what’s what. Bears need to be checked out at a station either way, skull and hide are all that is required. I like to call ahead and see what the DNR guys prefer for each WMA. Some are more stringent that others.

And you should still have a decent shot at a bear in October, but most folks agree that archery and muzzle loader seasons are most productive for bear movement. According to predictions we will have a colder winter this year, and the slack mass crop may have them denning up earlier than last year, however folks still kill them Nov-Jan every year. My understanding is that in our milder climate zone they usually lounge around for a few days in their den or bed, then get up and feed periodically from late Oct, or whenever the food dries up, to spring green up.


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## strothershwacker (Aug 29, 2020)

chrislibby88 said:


> Might wanna hang around Cohutta for those check-in WMA rifle buck hunts. They get more pressure, but the DNR tags the deer, so you basically get a free tag that doesn’t count towards your personal tags. You can potentially kill way more than 2 bucks in a year if you hunt a lot of check in hunts. They don’t do that for the bear tags, but Im not sure what kinda person would pass on a good buck while bear hunting, especially on a “free” DNR tag. Most of the buck hunts are later in the fall/winter so the deer are very active and the bears are moving slow. You can hunt the CNF on your own tags between managed WMA hunts. Anyway, that’s my advice.


I'll shoot a spike when there tagging em!!


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## chrislibby88 (Aug 29, 2020)

strothershwacker said:


> I'll shoot a spike when there tagging em!!


You can shoot two bucks on each check in hunt. Might as well pop a meat buck if they walk in front of you. 
I passed on a spike two years ago on Chestatee. I regretted it the rest of the hunt, turned out he was the only legal deer I saw all weekend.


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