# TBG Northern Zone Hunt



## dutchman (Jun 16, 2014)

The TBG Northern Zone Hunt for 2014 will be held at Cooper's Creek WMA on September 26-28. Make plans to be with us.


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## SELFBOW (Jun 16, 2014)

Gonna plan on being there this time. David and Crispin convinced me back in Feb it will be  fun.....


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## Clipper (Jun 16, 2014)

Long way off to know for sure but I put it on the calendar.  Maybe Coopers will be better to me now than the last time I was there.  Last years' stories were exciting.


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## bam_bam (Jun 16, 2014)

gonna try to make it this year.


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## Al33 (Jun 16, 2014)

I hope to be there early. Hate I missed it last year.


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## Todd Cook (Jun 16, 2014)

Really looking forward to this. Sure would like to get a bear!


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## Chris Horsman (Jun 17, 2014)

Gonna try be there.


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## Munkywrench (Jun 17, 2014)

Crispen and David sold me on this hunt, gonna do my best to make it


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## Skunkhound (Jun 17, 2014)

I've been looking forward to this since the drive home last September. Good to see more folks coming along for the adventures too. 
 Even if you don't see any game, it's still a beautiful place to pitch a tent. And there's a trout stream that runs through the campground too.


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## BowHunter89 (Jun 17, 2014)

Very seriously considering this but it's way to far off for me to know if I can make it.


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## ngabowhunter (Jun 18, 2014)

BowHunter89 said:


> Very seriously considering this but it's way to far off for me to know if I can make it.



You're not allowed to have anything sharp in camp.


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## BowHunter89 (Jun 18, 2014)

ngabowhunter said:


> You're not allowed to have anything sharp in camp.



I nominate you keeper of my sharp things then.


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## Bonaire-Dave (Aug 7, 2014)

another look?


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## morning hunter (Aug 7, 2014)

Enjoyed time with group last year . Fun trip when so many guys saw game .


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## Munkywrench (Aug 9, 2014)

BowHunter89 said:


> I nominate you keeper of my sharp things then.



Just pay him in pudding


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## dutchman (Aug 21, 2014)

Don't forget about this hunt. You'll be sorry if you do.


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## BowHunter89 (Aug 21, 2014)

dutchman said:


> Don't forget about this hunt. You'll be sorry if you do.



Not a chance, counting down the days...


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## dutchman (Sep 2, 2014)

Things are looking pretty good regarding acorns this year.


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## snook24 (Sep 2, 2014)

Ill be hunting south of yall but would like to come meet some people at night....If Im not beat to death from the 2mile hike to my spot . Just a helpful hint for the guys visiting, from what ive noticed over the last few years, which I was reminded about this weekend. Everytime Im on the side of a mountain, going up or down, If its rocky with lots of boulders beware of snakes! I have seen rattlers and copperheads just about every trip ive had in areas like this. Be safe, Its easy to over look the snakes up here but they are around.


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## dutchman (Sep 10, 2014)

Bump. Don't want anyone to forget...


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## Al33 (Sep 10, 2014)

I'm already thinking about dinner menus, hope to be up early Thursday morning.


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## ngabowhunter (Sep 10, 2014)

We had one of the other machinists quit so I won't be able to get off work during the week to go. But, Shannon will be there Friday morning to set up camp and I'll be there Friday evening. We're looking forward to it.


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## Rix56 (Sep 10, 2014)

*This one's on the schedule*

I'm planning on attending this one, sounds like a blast.  Never hunted bear with traditional equipment, is 44LBs. enough or are you guys bringing out the big sticks.  Sure would hate to make a bear mad if I hit him good and it wasn't enough.  Are there any trout streams nearby that will be open this time of year?  See you there.


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## dutchman (Sep 10, 2014)

Cooper's Creek runs right through the campground and will be open for fishing.


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## SELFBOW (Sep 11, 2014)

Rix56 said:


> I'm planning on attending this one, sounds like a blast.  Never hunted bear with traditional equipment, is 44LBs. enough .



39# is enough


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## SELFBOW (Sep 18, 2014)

Starting to get things together tomorrow for this one. I hope to leave out wed pm to head that way.....


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## Clipper (Sep 18, 2014)

buckbacks said:


> Starting to get things together tomorrow for this one. I hope to leave out wed pm to head that way.....



I'm hoping to get there on Wed as well.  See you at the campground.


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## BowHunter89 (Sep 19, 2014)

buckbacks said:


> Starting to get things together tomorrow for this one. I hope to leave out wed pm to head that way.....





Clipper said:


> I'm hoping to get there on Wed as well.  See you at the campground.



You lucky dogs...


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## Munkywrench (Sep 19, 2014)

Xtended forecast is showing chances of rain Friday and Sunday with overcast on Saturday. High of mid 70s. Should make for a good hunt!


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## Bonaire-Dave (Sep 19, 2014)

May have some white acorns over there. I haven't been over there yet, but at my house north of Blairsville the white acorns  started falling this week. Dave


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## sawtooth (Sep 19, 2014)

My youngest daughter made homecoming court for ninth grade.  I'm fraid I won't make it.   Y'all have fun!! B


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## Clipper (Sep 19, 2014)

sawtooth said:


> My youngest daughter made homecoming court for ninth grade.  I'm fraid I won't make it.   Y'all have fun!! B



Sure can't miss an event like that.  Kids come first, we'll miss you.


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## Clipper (Sep 21, 2014)

Seems like I remember ya'll camped at a pay campground last year near the WMA.  Will we be camping there again this year and if so, where is it?  

I am still hoping to come even though my wife scheduled our carpet to be stretched on Friday and all the loose items in the house have to be packed by then .


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## dutchman (Sep 22, 2014)

The pay campground is just down from the check station on the main road running through the WMA. Cooper Creek Recreation Area on the maps...


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## charlie 2 arrow (Sep 22, 2014)

Does anybody know if the sportsmans licence covers trout?
I  might buy a can of corn  and see if I can catch lunch one day.


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## Bonaire-Dave (Sep 22, 2014)

I've checked a couple of times and the sportsman license covers everything except the migaritory birds and you can get that free, but you need a new one every year like the deer tags. Dave     - ps you might want to check fishing reg. I don't think you can use corn on coopers creek, but over a windfield scott lake corn is ok


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## GAstumpshooter (Sep 22, 2014)

I'll be up Wednesday morning.


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## dutchman (Sep 23, 2014)

Charlie, trout are covered by a Sportsman's license.


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## Al33 (Sep 23, 2014)

I will be cooking up spaghetti for Friday night and will have enough to feed a couple more other than Skunkhound and myself if anyone is interested.


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## SELFBOW (Sep 23, 2014)

Al33 said:


> I will be cooking up spaghetti for Friday night and will have enough to feed a couple more other than Skunkhound and myself if anyone is interested.



I'm in!


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## Al33 (Sep 23, 2014)

buckbacks said:


> I'm in!



Goptcha covered for Saturday night too iffen ya like sausages, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms with some red beans and rice.


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## Jake Allen (Sep 23, 2014)

It is looking like really good weather for this weekend!


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## SELFBOW (Sep 23, 2014)

Al33 said:


> Goptcha covered for Saturday night too iffen ya like sausages, onions, green peppers, and mushrooms with some red beans and rice.



I got some peppers dad put up to add to that....


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## Triple C (Sep 23, 2014)

Al33 said:


> I will be cooking up spaghetti for Friday night and will have enough to feed a couple more other than Skunkhound and myself if anyone is interested.



Al...Looking forward to samplin' some of your fine cooking at some point in the future.  Not quite ready to join you guys just yet but just give me a lil' more practice time...


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## Clipper (Sep 23, 2014)

Not sure if I will get there tomorrow as planned.  Having to pack up the house because a crew is coming Friday to stretch our carpets.  My wife has said she can handle it alone Friday but I want to get all the work done before I leave.  Look for me when you see me coming.


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## SELFBOW (Sep 24, 2014)

Clipper said:


> Not sure if I will get there tomorrow as planned.  Having to pack up the house because a crew is coming Friday to stretch our carpets.  My wife has said she can handle it alone Friday but I want to get all the work done before I leave.  Look for me when you see me coming.


I'm running behind as well. Be mid day Thursday for me.


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## Rix56 (Sep 24, 2014)

*Which campground is everyone staying in*

Coming up tomorrow, where is everyone camping?


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## Munkywrench (Sep 25, 2014)

Anyone from the general athens area leaving friday after 1 and want to carpool?


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## Stump Shooter (Sep 25, 2014)

Man yall killin me, looks like more baseball this weekend, Good Luck! Weather does look good for this weekend.


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## dutchman (Sep 25, 2014)

We will be in the campground at the Coopers Creek Recreational Area, just down the road from the check station.


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## Al33 (Sep 25, 2014)

Skunk and I are having some lunch about 15 minutes away. Hope to be there before 1


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## Munkywrench (Sep 25, 2014)

I should get in around 6 or 7 tomorrow night


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## dpoole (Sep 25, 2014)

Triple C said:


> Al...Looking forward to samplin' some of your fine cooking at some point in the future.  Not quite ready to join you guys just yet but just give me a lil' more practice time...



Come on for the fellow ship We can miss em with the best,waiting to get better and not coming  is like not going to Church till you get better. Dont wait come as you are.


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## Red Arrow (Sep 26, 2014)

I was sure hoping to make this hunt this year, but I just got to many irons in the fire.   Looking forward to the pics and stories to come!
Thanks to Dutchman for putting this together.  Hope ya'll do good.

Lee


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## pine nut (Sep 26, 2014)

dpoole said:


> Come on for the fellow ship We can miss em with the best,waiting to get better and not coming  is like not going to Church till you get better. Dont wait come as you are.



Well said Donnie Poole!


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## SELFBOW (Sep 26, 2014)

dpoole said:


> Come on for the fellow ship We can miss em with the best,waiting to get better and not coming  is like not going to Church till you get better. Dont wait come as you are.



One bear today had multiple misses but its not my story to tell.....


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## Munkywrench (Sep 26, 2014)

On my way. Be there around 10. Got held up at work. Sounds  like you kids are having fun


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## Allen Oliver (Sep 26, 2014)

Hoping the hunts are as great as the fellowship guys. Good luck to everyone.


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## Skunkhound (Sep 27, 2014)

I'm writing this as I kick back in my tree hammock on the side of a mountain. The game is a little slimmer this year, but the fellowship, the food, the scenery, and the weather couldn't be better. 
 Lots of pics, and good stories to come.


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## BowHunter89 (Sep 27, 2014)

I made it to a good spot on the mountain this afternoon and am sitting here on the side of the mountain overlooking a old logging road that two different folks spotted deer on twice hoping to stick one.


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## Clipper (Sep 27, 2014)

I got back today.  When I left about 2:00 this afternoon there had still been no blood drawn but I have high hopes for Rick Nix who I shared a campsite with.  He found a spot with older bear scat as well as some that was less than 24 hour old.  I too will leave the story of the misses to those who made them.

I walked an awful lot for an older guy with a bad knee, but thankfully was able to do it.  One day I ascended from 2560 feet elevation to 3260 feet in about a 4 mile walk.  Maybe not too challenging for the younger guys but quite an accomplishment for me.  The only game I saw was one coyote who saw me about 30 seconds after I saw him.

Dana Young and wife paid us a visit Friday night and I really enjoyed listening to him talk about bear hunting under Al's cook tent.  I learned more in listening to Dana for an hour than I have reading the posts on the bear hunting forum for a year.  I must write it down now so I don't forget it by next year.

All-in-all a great hunt and good time being with fine folks.  I'm looking forward to and doing my best to keep the Horse Creek dates open.  Martin let me hold the snake bow, I just hope none of my bad luck rubbed off on it.  I really enjoyed camping with and getting to know Rick.  It was also nice going to sleep with the sounds of Coopers Creek in the background each night.  And by the way, Al was keeping his camera busy so expect some pics when he gets back and has time to post them.


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## dutchman (Sep 28, 2014)

We did have us a fine weekend! All in all, we had 22 hunters in camp over the weekend. I can't tell you all that was seen, but folks saw deer, bears, turkeys, and some other stuff thrown in for good measure. The acorn crop is phenomenal this year and that has game spread out pretty well. It's tough to lock them down to a single food source or two when food is literally everywhere you look. 

Thanks to all who made the trip. I had a big time visiting with all y'all!


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## Rix56 (Sep 28, 2014)

*Thanks to everyone for making my first hunt with you folks so much fun*

As others have said shots were hard to come by, but the fellowship more than made up for it.  Really enjoyed sharing a hunt and camp site with David Lee (Clipper) and a hunt with David Dwyer (Skunkhound)and Martin.  Saw some beautiful country, made some new friends, ate some good food and shared many a laugh with some of the greatest hunters and huntress that are in Georgia.  Thanks to everyone for making this weekend great.


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## ngabowhunter (Sep 28, 2014)

Shannon and I had a great time. Big thanks to buckbacks, BowHunter89 and his dad for sharing their camp with us and for helping Shannon set our tent up. Big thanks also to all who had a hand in putting this together and thanks to all that could make it.


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## Skunkhound (Sep 28, 2014)

Thank you Gene(Dutchman) for starting this hunt and keeping it going. There might not have been a lot of game to chase, but the beautiful scenery, and fellowship more than made up for it. I got to meet some great new folks, and get to know some others a little better. 
 I really hope I get to share another campfire with the TBG crew again soon.


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## charlie 2 arrow (Sep 28, 2014)

Had a great time, saw some pretty country and more deer than I've been seeing at home. I now know what bear scat looks like, & I got to put some faces with some names I've  been seeing on here for a while. Hope to share a camp with y'all again soon it was a blast!
Morning hunter, special thanks for all your hospitality, looking forward to getting back up that way some time. Maybe  we'll get a bear next time.


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## SELFBOW (Sep 28, 2014)

I had a lot of fun. Hunted hard and rested as well. Wish I'd had a whole week to be in the mountains. Love hunting there....

Used my bow like Fred did back in the day crossing a stream...


One of many nest I found torn up...


One of the many areas I made pit stops just to gather it all in..


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## SELFBOW (Sep 28, 2014)

The last pic along w this one and the next were all near each other and one of the most scenic spots I ventured...




Another nest



The beauty here went up and down. Had two does at 60 yds feeding in this area...






Fried rattlesnake and chili for Dendy and RC


IllegAL didn't choose the best campsite for a social fire so many had to stand...


When I last ventured North in 2011 the experience was totally different. I only hunted a small  area and killed my bear early and came back home. This time it wasn't the same , I came to soak in everything the mountains could give me and left only wanting more......
Thanks Gene for hosting, Roger for many laughs, Al for just being there to be with, David for not getting mad when I walked right under him, Clipper for appreciating my bow, Rick for a long walk thru a beautiful area, Aaron, his dad, Ronnie and Shannon for sharing camp and food, Dee for his stories, Crispen for driving up to hang out and Mike for letting us hear his "multiple miss" story numerous times......

When is the  next one?


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## Al33 (Sep 29, 2014)

Great pic's and write up Martin!! 

I didn't make last years hunt here but knew from all the great reports I would do my best to be there for this one. I told a few I was not going with any great anticipation of taking any game, rather I was going for the fellowship and if I did take a deer or bear that would just be icing on a delicious cake for me. I was NOT disappointed. The Skunk and I made the trip and camped together. He did all the driving as we made our way up the winding Highway 60 and I got to enjoy the many beautiful sights. David doesn't realize that from the passengers seat it always seams like the vehicle is traveling 20 mph faster than it is, but I didn't complain. 
Even by Thursday afternoon the campsites were about full so David and I settled for a split level sight not far from Morning Hunter and the Clarks who were already there. Our fire pit area didn't offer a lot of seating spots but I think it worked out great because we all had to kind of bunch up together and the musical chairs game never stopped. There sure was a lot of laughing around that fire but it was mostly Roger doing the laughing as he and Martin tried to outdo each other having fun at my expense.

Not having camped in awhile I discovered I did not have in my camp box a few things I needed and two of my lanterns wouldn't work. No problem though, there was always someone coming to the rescue with lanterns, camp stuff, wood, food, or whatever. Thanks to all of you for your contributions and help when it was needed!! 
I was very pleasantly surprised to see Dana Young and his bride stop by for a visit and several learned a lot about bears from him. 
What a great experience and of course I once again came away from it feeling so blessed to know all of you. Glad everyone made it back home safe and sound. Thank you Lord!!!

In the following pic's you will see the Clarks holding a few arrows that needed to be re-sharpened. Also, Dee's homemade camper which is way to cool. The last pic of some rare bear sign I found the last time I went out for a hunt.


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## BowHunter89 (Sep 29, 2014)

Just want to say that traditionally I don't like crowds of people but had a great time around the campfire wonderful group of people and some true characters. Looking forward to seeing  y'all again one day.


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## BowHunter89 (Sep 29, 2014)

And here is a picture that explains the acorn situation up there pretty well I think.


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