# Bears are on the move get in the woods



## JWilson (Oct 27, 2014)

I hunted 3 days this past week and saw 5 bears none were shooters by my standers. 3 were leagal animals.


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## rubicon_in_ga (Oct 27, 2014)

What area are you hunting? Northeast, northwest, or central GA? Been in the woods the past two days in northeast GA and haven't seen the first sign. No scat, no claw marks in trees, no scratched up ground, nothing. Checked several different areas, ridges, valleys, creeks, laurel thickets. Lots and lots of acorns but so far no bear. :-(


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## Benjamin1977 (Oct 27, 2014)

i like that deer in your picture


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## Benjamin1977 (Oct 28, 2014)

i havent seen many bear in woods this year. I saw one bear up on Rich Mountain.  

I saw a momma and two cubs in Blairsville. I saw a bear over by Bert's Pumpkin Farm.  I saw a dead one on the hwy on 515 in Ellijay.  
We had one sleep next to our house in Ellijay.  My wife saw that one.

sounds like you need some friends to help you pull all these bears you see out of the woods.


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## buckeroo (Oct 28, 2014)

I havent seen any fresh sign in my honeyhole. Acorns everywhere, but all the sign is from bow season.


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## Benjamin1977 (Oct 28, 2014)

Will hunt Blue Ridge and Chattahoochhee this week.  I haven't saw much on either where bear had always been.


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## Hammer Spank (Oct 28, 2014)

The cold weather coming this weekend should really get them on their feet.  I don't have any interest in killing one with a gun anymore, and I don't sit hunt them.  If they're not stalk-able in trees, they're pretty well safe from me.  

I would bet with the unbelievable amount of food they've had this fall, they will be denning up/going dormant earlier than usual.  

Get em while you can fellas and good luck!


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## T-N-T (Oct 28, 2014)

I will get in the woods tomorrow afternoon and hunt through Sat.  
I have never even seen a bear while hunting,  but I am putting in my time...  Fingers crossed.


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## PappyHoel (Oct 28, 2014)

I've seen two this year but that was bow season.  We usually never see them after gun opener on our club.


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## tree cutter 08 (Oct 28, 2014)

Seen one on chestatee last week. Came in on a white oak lead and laid down and ate acorns for 10 or 15 mins. Got up and went back into the ivy thicket he came from. Lots of sign in that spot. Went on up into the gap and acorns were everywhere, but there hasn't been a critter through that gap in a month. They are down a tad lower around ivys and water with white oaks close by. Hard to kill one when they only move a few hundred yards to eat.


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## FootLongDawg (Oct 28, 2014)

Question for you bear experts.  I hunt in Sparta, and although I have never seen a hint of a bear, several Woody's members here who also hunt in Sparta have them on trail cams and have seen them in person on their property.  My question is if I see one, can I shoot it.?


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## Hammer Spank (Oct 28, 2014)

tree cutter 08 said:


> Seen one on chestatee last week. Came in on a white oak lead and laid down and ate acorns for 10 or 15 mins. Got up and went back into the ivy thicket he came from. Lots of sign in that spot. Went on up into the gap and acorns were everywhere, but there hasn't been a critter through that gap in a month. They are down a tad lower around ivys and water with white oaks close by. Hard to kill one when they only move a few hundred yards to eat.



Thats what I found in bow season. I saw two then and both were near water and thickets that acorns were literally rolling into. Id rather go deer hunting than hunt em like that. I have just as much fun hiking and watching em in the summer anyway.


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## tree cutter 08 (Oct 28, 2014)

I found a ton of trees that were climbed in that spot but not the first limb broke out. I think they was checking earlier in the year before they were ready. What got me was the lack of sign on the tops and gaps. No hogs either.


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## Benjamin1977 (Oct 28, 2014)

Can't hunt bear legally in Sparta. Check out regulations


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## swwifty (Oct 29, 2014)

my impression is the bears are in the thick stuff near water. No need to go anywhere. All the bears I've seen hunting this year were very close to water. I'll see if I can find them this weekend, on my 3 day trip to Rabun.


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## rubicon_in_ga (Oct 30, 2014)

I've been up around Helen since Sunday. Been over on Tray Mtn, Chimney Mtn, scouted some on Swallow Creek WMA in the High Shoals and Andrews Cove areas, then this morning got in the woods early in the Chattahoochee WMA on a nice creek bottom with decent cover and plenty of acorns, but didn't find the first hint of bear activity.  Spoke with if DNR guys at the check station and they said the same thing, bears just aren't moving as much this year because there's too much to eat. They said they haven't had many reports from campers or hikers of bear encounters this fall either. 

So far the only bear I've seen is my reflection in the bathroom mirror when i wake up to go hunting and haven't gotten enough sleep. . . 

Wishing everybody luck, but i got a feeling there won't be record harvest numbers this year. :-\


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## swwifty (Oct 30, 2014)

rubicon_in_ga said:


> I've been up around Helen since Sunday. Been over on Tray Mtn, Chimney Mtn, scouted some on Swallow Creek WMA in the High Shoals and Andrews Cove areas, then this morning got in the woods early in the Chattahoochee WMA on a nice creek bottom with decent cover and plenty of acorns, but didn't find the first hint of bear activity.  Spoke with if DNR guys at the check station and they said the same thing, bears just aren't moving as much this year because there's too much to eat. They said they haven't had many reports from campers or hikers of bear encounters this fall either.
> 
> So far the only bear I've seen is my reflection in the bathroom mirror when i wake up to go hunting and haven't gotten enough sleep. . .
> 
> Wishing everybody luck, but i got a feeling there won't be record harvest numbers this year. :-\



Good info, sounds like you tried your best!


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## Hammer Spank (Oct 30, 2014)

How many have been signed out of chattahoochee at this point?


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## dmac (Oct 31, 2014)

Only two bears and no deer as of noon on Friday. We put down miles of shoe leather in the last four days on Chattahoochee. Very little sign. Found nothing in the areas we usually find bear.


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## forestechos (Nov 1, 2014)

We hunted chattahoochee a few weeks ago and no sign, none seen.  I wouldn't waste my time there this year.


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## Killer Kyle (Nov 2, 2014)

I hunted Chattahoochee last night in that insane wind/cold and was sleeted on the entire time. I hunted a shelf sheltered from the wind, and fresh sign not even 24 hours old. Its always worth it, every year. Hunting is always a gamble. If it were a guaranteed thing, I'd just put goats in a pasture and shoot them. Its about the hunting. The kill is a sweet, sweet cherry on top. When it comes down to me hunting in horrible weather like last night and getting straight ripped by that kind of wind, or sitting at home staying cozy and doing nothing, I choose to be in the woods ten times out of ten. A few bears were killed on this hunt. It sure was worth it for those guys!


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## swwifty (Nov 4, 2014)

Killer Kyle said:


> I hunted Chattahoochee last night in that insane wind/cold and was sleeted on the entire time. I hunted a shelf sheltered from the wind, and fresh sign not even 24 hours old. Its always worth it, every year. Hunting is always a gamble. If it were a guaranteed thing, I'd just put goats in a pasture and shoot them. Its about the hunting. The kill is a sweet, sweet cherry on top. When it comes down to me hunting in horrible weather like last night and getting straight ripped by that kind of wind, or sitting at home staying cozy and doing nothing, I choose to be in the woods ten times out of ten. A few bears were killed on this hunt. It sure was worth it for those guys!



Absolutely. I was out camping/hunting all weekend in Rabun, and it was great. The weather was terrible, but I had a blast hunting and didn't see a thing! So much better than sitting at home being lazy. The snow Saturday morning was awesome for tracking. I agree just like you said, nothing is guaranteed with hunting.


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## 280bst (Nov 5, 2014)

Saw one on the way to Deer camp Sat. morning in the Franklin-Banks-Jackson county area it was on the side of the road it turned and ran when I passed by. We also got pic's of one last year never saw it. Also had a bunch of pic's of Hogs hav"nt had any this year. Pic's tracks and side of road sightings All make thin soup Good Luck Y'all


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## swwifty (Nov 7, 2014)

swwifty said:


> Absolutely. I was out camping/hunting all weekend in Rabun, and it was great. The weather was terrible, but I had a blast hunting and didn't see a thing! So much better than sitting at home being lazy. The snow Saturday morning was awesome for tracking. I agree just like you said, nothing is guaranteed with hunting.



Kyle, not sure if you saw it or not, but I sent a response to your PM.

Thanks.


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