# Chattahoochee Wma



## bscott82 (Oct 22, 2011)

Anybody done any hunting there recently or want to offer any advice? Will be camping in the area Oct. 27 - 29 and thought me and my granddad would give it a try.  Mainly looking for deer but would take a bear or hog. Never hunted the area but have trout fished. Thanks, any advice is much appreciated.


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## Turkey Trax (Oct 22, 2011)

you'll be more likely to see a bear or hog. good luck


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## NorthGaDawg069 (Oct 22, 2011)

That's right! Bear or Hog, You will be very lucky to see a deer. Stay high on the ridges or just near acorns and you will see something.Good Luck!


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## bscott82 (Oct 22, 2011)

Thanks guys, never taken a bear so i'd sure like to get a crack at one.


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## RBM (Oct 22, 2011)

Oh, you will not have a hard time finding a bear at the WMA or anywhere in the Chattahoochee National Forest for that matter. I used to run across them all the time when trout fishing the river and the creeks and streams way back in. Not that I wanted to while fishing mind you. When the woods go quiet (I mean dead silent), keep a sharp eye out for one.


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## Fire Eater (Oct 23, 2011)

More bears on Chattahoochee WMA than deer. If I wanted to take a bear I would set up camp at the farthest upstream campground (Henson Creek) and hunt out from there. People have had much trouble out of "nuisance" bears in this campground.

Hwy 75 north of Helen to Unicoi Gap (Appalachian Trail/Towns County line) left on Forest Service Rd. and about 6 miles in.

Hint: bear attractant. Mix 1 oz. vanilla extract (from the spice dept.) with 4 or 5 oz. of water in a spray bottle and hose down trees in your setup.


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## RBM (Oct 23, 2011)

Fire Eater said:
			
		

> Hwy 75 north of Helen to Unicoi Gap (Appalachian Trail/Towns County line) left on Forest Service Rd. and about 6 miles in.



Yep. Forest service road at the top of the hill near the steakhouse (The Deer Lodge I think is the name). I know where that is. It is up near the Chattahoochee River source if I recall correctly.


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## ripplerider (Oct 23, 2011)

If you go to the Deer Lodge heading north youre on Swallows Creek. The rd. you want is to the left just before the top of Unicoi Gap (where the App. Trail crosses 75).


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## besclavon (Oct 24, 2011)

*recently there and stumped.*

I was just hunting on tray mountain in the chattahoochie NF a mile or two south of swallow creek at about 3400 feet elevation on fri, sat, and sun and i had a hard time. i have been up there all summer and seen bears daily and seen foraging and scat marks every where. This weekend the weather was great, but i didnt see any fresh scat and saw hardly any animals in general, including bears. i have been going up there and scouting a few times a month for the last 2 months and all animal activity has shifted. i did some squirrel hunting in between and didnt see much of them either. squirrel hunting is usually good and i can take several squirrels within an hour or so, but only got 2 all weekend. I was wondering if anyone local new the mast and what was up. On the way up forest road 79 i would see tons of animals, but then once i hit 3000 feet or so, they got scarce.  I get the feeling there is some food in lower elevations that is easier. Also, i didnt see any other hunters within a mile or two of my area, so pressure was low. any advice from someone more experienced? I wanted to go back up for a couple days next week and i was hoping to figure out a new game plan that is more productive. I was hunting an oak covered ridge with huge trails down to 75 because it is a vary gradual incline and provides easy access to the mountains from the lowlands.


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## Steven Farr (Oct 24, 2011)

besclavon said:


> I was just hunting on tray mountain in the chattahoochie NF a mile or two south of swallow creek at about 3400 feet elevation on fri, sat, and sun and i had a hard time. i have been up there all summer and seen bears daily and seen foraging and scat marks every where. This weekend the weather was great, but i didnt see any fresh scat and saw hardly any animals in general, including bears. i have been going up there and scouting a few times a month for the last 2 months and all animal activity has shifted. i did some squirrel hunting in between and didnt see much of them either. squirrel hunting is usually good and i can take several squirrels within an hour or so, but only got 2 all weekend. I was wondering if anyone local new the mast and what was up. On the way up forest road 79 i would see tons of animals, but then once i hit 3000 feet or so, they got scarce.  I get the feeling there is some food in lower elevations that is easier. Also, i didnt see any other hunters within a mile or two of my area, so pressure was low. any advice from someone more experienced? I wanted to go back up for a couple days next week and i was hoping to figure out a new game plan that is more productive. I was hunting an oak covered ridge with huge trails down to 75 because it is a vary gradual incline and provides easy access to the mountains from the lowlands.



The food source changed on you.  I can't say where they are obviously but they have moved with the food.  Be prepared for it to happen again several times before the season goes out.  When you go back, you need to walk until you find the freshest feeding sign with the freshest droppings, etc and hunt there.


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## besclavon (Oct 24, 2011)

also, in that 4 mile radius, there are 3 different lands with different regulation dates. Chattahoohie NF, swallow creek wma, and chattahoochie wma. Be sure to know where you are so you dont get cited for being somewhere you didnt realize you were. Also, DNR is very heavy at chattahoochie wma. be sure to follow all guidelines to the letter. Every time i am at chattahoochie wma, I talk to DNR. They are real nice, but they are citing EVERYTHING, no matter how small. I spoke to one of the officers last season and he said that basically they are scrounging for every buck and the DNR officers in that area are operating under the unofficial position that the more infractions they cite, the more secure the funding for their job will be.


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## besclavon (Oct 24, 2011)

any one have any advice on where to start looking for current (next couple weeks) food sources? that is some rough terrain to cover a lot of ground in. a rough bearing (pun intended) would be helpful.


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## besclavon (Oct 24, 2011)

also, found this on gon

"Rabun County: Tim Dangar, of Ball Ground, reports, “My brother and I took a scouting trip Sept. 20 to Chattahoochee National Forest land. What a difference a year makes. Last year the acorns and autumn olives were loaded. This year no olives and scattered acorns. The national forest food plots are overgrown, but I spoke with the field supervisor for that area, and he said he had contracted someone to bushhog the plots this month.”

this is true in swallow creek WMA fields. of the 5 near indian grave gap, only the last one is planted. the others were overgrown up until 2 weeks ago. now they are just bush hogged. there has been heavy hunting on the back fields. i have been there every other weekend since archery opened and there has always been one or more ppl hunting that back plot. if youre gonna hunt there, go during the week to avoid pressure.


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## besclavon (Oct 24, 2011)

note, i also talked to the guys making camp there and they all reported not seeing anything


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## bowbuck (Oct 24, 2011)

Been hunting at around 2200 feet seeing game and acorns.  Might try a little lower down off the tops.  Good luck


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## NorthGaDawg069 (Oct 27, 2011)

I would start at about 2000 ft and work up to maybe 2500, most of the activity that I have seen and heard of was around these elevations, start there and you will see plenty of fresh sign. There are more bears this year than any other that I can remember. Good Luck!


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## besclavon (Oct 27, 2011)

*food*

what are they feeding on now? any one seen scat with details?


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## besclavon (Oct 27, 2011)

" There are more bears this year than any other that I can remember. Good Luck!"

that is the most frustrating thing. up to 3 weeks ago, there were so many of them they were all but dancing on balls where i was...


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## bowbuck (Oct 27, 2011)

Where i am hunting everything is eating mostly red oaks with a few white oaks mixed in.  Good luck


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## bscott82 (Oct 30, 2011)

Thanks for the advice everyone. I didn't harvest a bear but i did see one friday afternoon. I was bow hunting and it came in to about 75 yards.


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## besclavon (Nov 2, 2011)

*details?*

what elevations were you and what food source was around where you were hunting?


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