# Cohutta Early Hunt



## jinx0760 (Oct 11, 2016)

First year I have hunted the early firearms hunt on Cohutta WMA.  Anyone else going out this weekend?


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## rbrawner (Oct 12, 2016)

I wish I could. I haven't been the past couple years, but went up for the early hunt several years in a row before that. It's beautiful country up there, and I've thoroughly enjoyed every ounce of leather worn off my boots, every night by the campfire with my buddies, and all the sweat I put in navigating the expansive Cohutta wilderness trying to bag a bear, deer, or hog....And in my several years of hunting there I never even saw one of those. My buddy bagged a bear a couple years back, and it was a pretty awesome experience just helping him track, drag, and dress it. 

Be wary, though, green jeans is definitely out there checking licenses and enforcing the laws, going so far as to set up "stings" (fake bears just off the road, etc) to catch you hunting from the road and what not. 

That being said, my buddies that I usually go with can't go this year due to prior obligations- but I'm not 100% sure they would go even if they could, and here's why:

Typically there are upwards of 400-500 hunters checked in during the 4 day hunt, granted the WMA is thousands of acres, but it is not uncommon to see more than one person in the woods while you're hunting. WEAR YOUR ORANGE. There is every kind of person in those mountains during that weekend, that means everything from very responsible, safety conscious, ethical hunters (who I like to think make up the majority of our community...) to those who couldn't give a CensoredCensoredCensoredCensored about laws, hunting/gun safety, act recklessly, and cause trouble in camp.---that being said most folks I interacted with in my times there were more than kind and good folks. This also means limited camp sites- get there early to get a choice of the good sites. We used to have someone go up Thursday afternoon and could usually get a decent one. I went on a Friday once and got lucky, but if you tent camp like me you want some clear, level/higher ground without crowding yourself or others. 

One of my buddies said that last year there was trouble at our usual campsite, and that someone was shot. Can't recall the name of the campsite off the top of my head (but it's a ways up the mountain, taking an uphill turnoff to the right, right before a horse camp, and the camp is a long strip with a tree right in the middle of the entrance, and there are lots of pull behind campers and the like that camp there)

All that said, if I had the gas, etc $ to get up there I'd leave as soon as I could. Might look into a new camp site given what I've heard....but I love this hunt. 

just my $0.02 and then some...procrastinating writing a paper and jacked up on caffeine haha. Hope you go and have an awesome time, and with good luck and some boot leather bag you something to bring home.


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## jinx0760 (Oct 14, 2016)

We hunted Thursday on the south side, near some recent logging.  A doe was standing in a green field, and blocked us getting to our stand sites.  She must have screamed and blew at us for 5 minutes and would not leave.  She was the last deer of the day, we did see some really fresh hog sign and a lot of bear dung.


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## Jcurtis4 (Oct 15, 2016)

How were the numbers on this hunt ? Any pics of bucks?


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## jinx0760 (Oct 21, 2016)

*First Day*

We left at dark and checked the Holly Creek Station-ZERO!

The rangers and DNR officers reported no animals checked in....


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## oneilloutside (Oct 21, 2016)

Sorry to jump in with an unrelated subject but I have not started a thread before and don't know how.  Anyway, on Saturday morning on O'Neill Outside Radio from 4a to 6a on WSB radio, we will have guests from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.   I invite you all to tune in and listen to your favorite subjects about Deer hunting discussed.


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