# Anybody seeing late season sign?



## Killer Kyle (Dec 5, 2015)

Is anyone seeing late season sign or bears? If so, what elevation? I found new sign today on Chattahoochee WMA at around 2,400' elevation. Seemed like a roaming bear. Raked away leaves looking for acorns in a dense red oak / pine stand, and tore off bark from a dead pine on a ridge top. I have hunted and scouted this ridge top and have not seen a bear or recent sign in exactly a month. Anybody have an idea what they are doing right now? I put a cam on the scraped leaves under the red oaks, and will leave it for a month. Just wondering if anyone has been seeing good singn this late in the season anywhere.


----------



## northgeorgiasportsman (Dec 6, 2015)

This is the time of year they usually disappear around here, and I've never bothered to try to find them.  As far as food sources around here, acorns were a miss this year and the only hard mast I've seen anywhere has been hickory nuts.  I actually saw a young bear breaking limbs out of a hickory tree back in October.


----------



## whitetailfreak (Dec 6, 2015)

Found a little around 2k in prep for this weeks Cohutta hunt. There has been several killed this week.


----------



## Killer Kyle (Dec 6, 2015)

northgeorgiasportsman said:


> This is the time of year they usually disappear around here, and I've never bothered to try to find them.  As far as food sources around here, acorns were a miss this year and the only hard mast I've seen anywhere has been hickory nuts.  I actually saw a young bear breaking limbs out of a hickory tree back in October.



Our white were spotty but dropped well in some places. Got on a lot of bears around archery opener on both reds and whites, but almost all were sows with cubs. Got on one big boar WAY up high and blew it when I turned to draw and stepped on some dry dead briars that snapped. My worst rookie mistake ever.
Your reply is appreciated because it makes me feel less crazy. I squirrel hunted Chattahoochee WMA the first week of November. Forgot to bring my pack, so as I shot the squirrels, I laid them in places along the road I could easily remember. i.e. "by the food plot", or "by the cut up fallen tree", or "by the culvert crossing", and planned to pick them up each as I walked the road back. On the trip back, I was looking for the last squirrel. It was almost completely dark and I couldn't see well without my headlamp. As I walked a sort of circle, I heard that old, familiar sliding sound, looked to my right, and bam, a small maybe 100 lb bear was sliding down from a red oak just maybe 15 yards off the F.S. road. This was the first week of November, and I thought "what in the world was that bear doing in a tree?! The acorns are all on the ground by now!" I tected a few of the forum members and let them know about it. Weird to see one that late in a tree.


----------



## Killer Kyle (Dec 6, 2015)

whitetailfreak said:


> Found a little around 2k in prep for this weeks Cohutta hunt. There has been several killed this week.



Seems like low down is the answer this time of year. My friend killed one inthe NF last weekend on a rridge top at 1,046'. It was a solid #250. Real nice bear. I know Lake Russell had a few killed also, and most of Russell is low. I have been prepping for the Chattahoochee rifle hunt next week. The random bear sign I found yesterday is in a place where I've been watching a buck lay down sign for the last month. I only have Saturday afternoon to hunt, so I guess I'll hunt that spot. The buck there hasn't laid any new sign there in the last week, so I guess I'll just hunt there and pray for either deer or bear to walk in front of me. Its kind of a hail Mary, but I've only got one afternoon and don't have any other bucks or bears located.


----------



## whitetailfreak (Dec 6, 2015)

Good luck Kyle, I know you work hard at it.


----------



## tree cutter 08 (Dec 6, 2015)

Hey kyle, family member said he seen a huge one in his back yard the other night. Dogs was barking but bear just took his time. In batesville and would guess around 1800ft? Nf land is in has backdoor but just another sign that there low because it just starts going up in elevation from there.


----------



## livinoutdoors (Dec 7, 2015)

I heard what had to be a bear in a thicket while deer hunting in c.n.f. this week. Went back and found bear poop in the thicket at the top/side of the ridge im hunting. Pine thicket at the base , laurel thicket on top/side oak trees in between with someone movin leaves lookin.


----------



## Joey Youngblood (Dec 7, 2015)

this tree got in the way of a 300 pounder on Dawson Forest this past Saturday. 2200 ft, red oaks, edge of laurel. Bunches of feeding sign, deer and bear. I did a really good job scaring him and putting a splinter in his eye. 110 yard, now or never, tried to thread the needle but didn't work out this time.


----------



## whitetailfreak (Dec 17, 2015)

The warm days this past week have em on their feet.


----------



## Killer Kyle (Dec 17, 2015)

whitetailfreak said:


> The warm days this past week have em on their feet.



I figured it would! Dangit freak, making me jealous over here! That bear is a beaut! Nice coat on that one! You've had a good season my man! Venison back strap, and BBQ bear...that's a hard freezer to beat! Great job brother!


----------



## Barebowyer (Dec 17, 2015)

I had one December 4th in the pm 20 yards from me on the ground with my longbow on a WMA in Stewart County..watched him walk up the hill, feed on acorns, flip logs, etc....the scat I found all over in the area seemed to have pieces of hickory or walnut husks in it...told by others they had hunted there for years and never seen a bear there.  It was a cool encounter...


----------



## Minister of Meat (Dec 17, 2015)

Great looking bear, Whitetailfreak.  I was wondering too if the warm weather made December more active this year.


----------



## Joe Brandon (Dec 19, 2015)

whitetailfreak said:


> The warm days this past week have em on their feet.



Man that is another beautiful bear for you! Probably the nicest coat I've seen on here. Can we get a story behind this please sir! Congratulations man!


----------



## whitetailfreak (Dec 19, 2015)

Here ya go Joe

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=860330


----------

