# Mountain Hunters, I salute you



## Gerrik (Sep 11, 2016)

After walking about 8 miles on Chattahoochee WMA, I can say that you guys that do it regularly have my respect. Found plenty of sign, but didn't connect. And, after the hike in to where I was hunting, I'm kinda glad. I THOUGHT I was prepared to kill one a long ways in. Yeah, NOPE. Have to order me a real pack, and try it again next week. 


You guys are hard core.


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## jbogg (Sep 11, 2016)

Gerrik said:


> After walking about 8 miles on Chattahoochee WMA, I can say that you guys that do it regularly have my respect. Found plenty of sign, but didn't connect. And, after the hike in to where I was hunting, I'm kinda glad. I THOUGHT I was prepared to kill one a long ways in. Yeah, NOPE. Have to order me a real pack, and try it again next week.
> 
> 
> You guys are hard core.



Had to move my daughter into school this weekend, so no opening weekend hunt.  I will be up the Mon - Thurs trying to connect on a bear.  When I first started scouting the mountains earlier this year I decided I wanted to go deep to find unpressured game.  I soon realized that 2.5 miles from the truck will be my absolute limit.  Getting in is the easy part, getting one out solo is a gut check.


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## Hammer Spank (Sep 11, 2016)

I killed one there with my black widow yesterday morning but I walked a solid 30 miles thursday and friday without finding any good sign. Id love to know what elevation and habitat you saw sign at. 

Its gonna be tough for everyone this year. I didnt call the bear check number until about 1 pm on saturday and the dnr fella I spoke to said I was the first one to call in.


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## Joe Brandon (Sep 11, 2016)

Hammer Spank said:


> I killed one there with my black widow yesterday morning but I walked a solid 30 miles thursday and friday without finding any good sign. Id love to know what elevation and habitat you saw sign at.
> 
> Its gonna be tough for everyone this year. I didnt call the bear check number until about 1 pm on saturday and the dnr fella I spoke to said I was the first one to call in.



Hey buddy good to see you!!!!! Will be up that way wensday, any chance of running into you this week? And congratulations on another  brother!!!


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## CornStalker (Sep 11, 2016)

Nice to hear that someone got one opening weekend. Will be up there this week hunting. If anyone sees a silver 4-runner with an Alabama tag, drop by a say hello. Good luck to everyone!


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## CornStalker (Sep 11, 2016)

Hammer, how far was your shot on the bear?


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## Hammer Spank (Sep 11, 2016)

Maybe 8 yds. She might have run 20. A tree shark in the right spot is bad bad medicine.


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## CornStalker (Sep 12, 2016)

That's awesome! I hunt some with a Bear Grizzly recurve. I haven't shot enough this year and my effective max range is only about 10-14 yards. I'm always interested in hearing how other guys do it with traditional bows. Were you set up on fresh sign or did you slip up on it?


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## Hammer Spank (Sep 12, 2016)

About 8 yards. I was sitting in a major saddle funnel and she came by on her way to some white oaks. I went to traditional about 6 years ago and have never looked back and never feel handicapped by it. Hardly ever even pick up a gun anymore. 

I dont typically do a lit of sitting this time of year. I much prefer to stalk them in trees but I cant see that they are climbing much at all. Ive checked all my places on two wma's and a pile of national forest and I havent seen any real interesting bear sign anywhere. My guess is that the harvest this year will be very very low. 

There will probably be a few killed because of the extreme advantage that a bow season gun hunt provides but I bet most bears are pretty safe in their thickets this year.


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## Gerrik (Sep 12, 2016)

All the sign I found was above 2500ft. Found sign around a wildlife opening was between a couple of higher ridges. Hog sign was also present, and I could smell hogs in one spot. Wallow & rubbing tree just off the field. There were fresh trails through the field, but all the sign I found on ridges was at least a week old. Trying some new areas this coming weekend. PM me, and I'll point you towards where I was.


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## tree cutter 08 (Sep 12, 2016)

I haven't found any climbing sign to amount to nothing. Been finding bear sign and good bear sign all the way down to 1500 ft.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 13, 2016)

Same here, been checking dozens and dozens and dozens of dropping white oaks, and have not yet found one that has been climbed. Kinda unusual this time of year.


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## herb mcclure (Sep 13, 2016)

*Mountain Hunters I sulute You*

As most who know me, know I don't hunt bear or deer. However, I am and have always been a mountain turkey hunter. Out checking American Chestnuts in the high mountains last week, I saw no reason for bears to need to climb trees then. Because, the weather system that was called a hurricane; set up those strong East winds and the ground was covered in places with white oak acorns. No need for a bear to climb trees this past weekend; with all of the acorns laying  on top of old leaves. But, they will soon.
herb mcclure


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## CornStalker (Sep 13, 2016)

Herb, what were you checking for on the chestnut trees? Nuts?  I haven't seen a chestnut tree since I've been hunting in the mountains that was taller than 10-15 feet---much less, a mature tree that had fruit.


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## herb mcclure (Sep 13, 2016)

*Mountain Hunters I sulute You*

Corn Stalker, I have been involved with setting out pure original American Chestnuts, for the past twenty years. Pull up the American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation, out of Newport ,Virginia. Be sure to say (cooperators foundation) because, just the American  Chestnut Foundation is a group that specializes in hybrid cross chestnuts. The Virginia group is breeding pure American Chestnuts and they will give you the low-down.

I know of an original descendant tree over 8 miles from the nearest house, at 3,000 ft elevation on US Forest land and only 3 miles from Springier Mountain; where the Appalachian Trail begins. Don't expect me to tell its location, because for it's well-being. This tree is over 15 inches in diameter at it's base and 45 ft tall; with chestnut burrs in its crown.     

I check on 43 chestnuts, which I have set out, some up to 25 ft. height, but no burrs yet. 
herb mcclure


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## CornStalker (Sep 13, 2016)

I'm not sure how I haven't heard of this group before... I used to be a member of the American Chestnut Foundation (I'm a landscape architect & arborist).

I'm glad to hear that there are still a few trees let in the area that are producing--- I am always on the lookout for one  when I'm sneaking around the National forest. I need to follow up more on this Foundation.


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## Fire Eater (Sep 16, 2016)

herb mcclure said:


> Corn Stalker, I have been involved with setting out pure original American Chestnuts, for the past twenty years. Pull up the American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation, out of Newport ,Virginia. Be sure to say (cooperators foundation) because, just the American  Chestnut Foundation is a group that specializes in hybrid cross chestnuts. The Virginia group is breeding pure American Chestnuts and they will give you the low-down.
> 
> I know of an original descendant tree over 8 miles from the nearest house, at 3,000 ft elevation on US Forest land and only 3 miles from Springier Mountain; where the Appalachian Trail begins. Don't expect me to tell its location, because for it's well-being. This tree is over 15 inches in diameter at it's base and 45 ft tall; with chestnut burrs in its crown.
> 
> ...



I think I have a mature American Chestnut tree spotted deep in the Chattahoochee National Forest where I hunt...PM me for precise location.


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## ddd-shooter (Sep 16, 2016)

Not to hijack, but is there any real hope to get the American chestnut back to reproducing? 
We really lost something when those took the blight.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 16, 2016)

Buckman and I found one on Chattahoochee that was the largest I have ever seen. I'd say it was a good 7" at the base. I have been setting out Chinese and Hybrids in the NF. No, Chinese are not ideal. Nobody likes the Chinese, but I'm still just trying to get chestnuts back in the woods until we can start getting out hands on the restoration 1.0 B3F3 from the ACF which are 96% American. Gonna be a long time before those become available enough to distribute in any sort of fashion. So until then, I'm putting what I can where I can. This is a project I'll be working on for the rest of my life I guess. I already have about 150 seeds that I have collected to stratify, and I expect to collect at least another 1,000-2,000 before the fall is out. I will also be starting working on Chinqapins this year. I have a few collected, and will be ordering 500 to start my project off with this year.
My real wish is if the ACF would give me about 40 B3F3's to stratify. I could make those into an orchard type planting for a seed orchard, and in a decade I could begin distributing them to like minded individuals to help reforest them. I sure wish the state could get grants to do things like that. Unfortunately, our native chestnut trees are doomed to a life and death cycle of only a very few short years, and the extraordinarily rare one that actually lives to bear fruit is so little that the species will remain functionally extinct. We CAN however reintroduce seed collected from those rare producing specimens in hopes that the seeds contain DNA with similar blight resistance as the parent tree. The blight is here to stay forever, and cannot be eradicated. It also lives on oak trees, however rendered them unaffected. Our B3F3's, as it stands, are our only hope. And even with those, some are still susceptible to the blight if they aren't as resistant as their parent stock. I would love to see the day when major efforts are made to reforest the chestnut, but unfortunately, things are slow in the tree world. Tree work and research occurs in terms of years, not days or weeks or months. I would love to play a major role in getting these trees back in the woods one day, but I just have to find the right avenues, meet the right people, and find a way how to do so.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 16, 2016)

herb mcclure said:


> Corn Stalker, I have been involved with setting out pure original American Chestnuts, for the past twenty years. Pull up the American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation, out of Newport ,Virginia. Be sure to say (cooperators foundation) because, just the American  Chestnut Foundation is a group that specializes in hybrid cross chestnuts. The Virginia group is breeding pure American Chestnuts and they will give you the low-down.
> 
> I know of an original descendant tree over 8 miles from the nearest house, at 3,000 ft elevation on US Forest land and only 3 miles from Springier Mountain; where the Appalachian Trail begins. Don't expect me to tell its location, because for it's well-being. This tree is over 15 inches in diameter at it's base and 45 ft tall; with chestnut burrs in its crown.
> 
> ...



Herb, I did look up the ACCF as you recommended, and was very interested while reading over their website. It seems they are indeed working to collect from 100% pure Americans which exhibit blight resistant characteristics. I am going to join them this week. Thank you very much for the recommendation, as I look forward to this venture in the future. I have a perfect place lined up to plant these. Very exciting stuff!


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## ddd-shooter (Sep 17, 2016)

I would love to get involved as well. Always been in my mind to get chestnuts back in the mountains. Would really be beneficial to wildlife, not to mention that's the way it was supposed to be. 
Can you set out trees on the NF?


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## tallchris83 (Sep 17, 2016)

Chattahoochee WMA is my mountain stomping grounds. So much to see out there. The distances and elevations are not adequately represented on any map. I love trail ridge road and saw some bow hunters there on opening day. Great views of the surrounding mountains and plenty of wildlife openings. You can easily end up walking five miles and wonder where did the time go.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 17, 2016)

Today's loot. Pictured are 436 chinese chestnuts, and not pictured are 50 I gave to a friend tonight. So a total of 486 collected today. A small handful of these will be eaten, maybe fifty or so, but the rest will be stratified, sprouted, and planted this February.


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## herb mcclure (Sep 18, 2016)

*Mountain Hunters I sulute You*

Killer Kyle, not to be overly a know-it-all, but throw out my two cents; to often. Glad to see you and others getting involve in chestnut trees, thus their bounty; the nuts. However, the American chestnuts are a lots smaller in size than those you gathered; appear to be. The American are much smaller and easier for turkeys to eat. Hope you and others will give the American Chestnuts from Virginia a start on the CHN Forest; a go.
herbmcclure


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## northgeorgiasportsman (Sep 18, 2016)

I've killed a truckload of deer coming to a pair of Chinese chestnut trees on the edge of a pasture.  On years that they hit, they start dropping before any acorns and the deer absolutely wear them out for a couple weeks.  

Kyle, here's a pic of different nuts to give you an idea of size.

Above is Chinkapin, middle is American chestnut, and bottom is Chinese.


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## Killer Kyle (Sep 18, 2016)

Yeah brother! I've got some Chinqapins and some Chinese collected here at the house....only thing missing is some Americans!!!


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