Post by: Terry Green on September 27, 2010, 07:46:00 PM
What a great hunt we had chasing bears, ....deer and hogs were side bar to the bears, but still on the menu. We had great weather till Sunday morn, saw some beautiful country, and ate some great meals. Barry slipped in with some special roasted corn that was like eating desert!!!
If I'm able to offer this hunt up again next year, I've invited Barry to come back and join us as well. Barry still hasn't seen 'The Theater'.
I'll share more when I get time, still catching up from being gone......
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010group.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010campera.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010camperb.jpg)
Post by: Ryan Sanpei on September 27, 2010, 07:57:00 PM
:thumbsup:
Post by: jcar315 on September 27, 2010, 07:59:00 PM
Post by: Jeff Roberts on September 27, 2010, 08:02:00 PM
Post by: Terry Green on September 27, 2010, 08:19:00 PM
Yep, the top was cleaned off, nothing but hulls left.....
Post by: horatio1226 on September 27, 2010, 09:39:00 PM
Post by: Swamp Preacher on September 27, 2010, 09:48:00 PM
Where did you get the trailer? Gawgia is a long way from South Africa!
Post by: Guru on September 27, 2010, 10:02:00 PM
Good stuff fellas :clapper:
Post by: Van/TX on September 27, 2010, 10:11:00 PM
Post by: xtrema312 on September 27, 2010, 10:11:00 PM
Post by: Wannabe1 on September 27, 2010, 10:27:00 PM
Post by: saumensch on September 28, 2010, 03:44:00 AM
Wow that trailer is a stunner!
Post by: madness522 on September 28, 2010, 06:52:00 AM
First let me thank Terry for offering up this hunt for St. Jude's and also for everything you do and have done with Tradgang. After driving for about 5 hours I meet up with Terry in Calhoun and the adventure begins. We pick up Doug and the rather awesome camper and head up the mountain! Now the road going up is not really rough but it far from smooth and my Chevy didn't like going much over 15-20 mph. Well Terry is pulling the camper and there are places were the dust had already settled on the road before I see where he stopped to wait on me. This goes on for the hour or so it takes us to get up the hill the whole time I thinking what the heck did I get myself into. If I can't keep up on the road how am I going to keep in a wilderness area I have never seen. But all is well when we get to the camp site and it seemed as we were stepping out of the vehicles there was a huge breath of air released and time slowed down and nothing else but being there mattered.
As we set up the Safari camper you could almost see the wildebeests and gnus running across the field and hear the elephants trumpeting and lions roar off in the distance. When we got camp set up Terry and Doug took the tent on top and I took the bait shack. I call it this because of a story Terry told about a guy who went to Africa hunting and every night there was a small boy who slept in his door way to "escort" him to the bathroom in the night should the need arise. The boy’s actual job was to be eaten instead of the guest inside the doorway where he slept. So my job was to be the bait should a fierce lion or tiger come looking for a snack in the middle of the night.
With the little day light we had left it was time to play a fun and exciting game of judo soccer! We took turns kicking a foam soccer ball across the field and fire arrows at it. Nice little tune up and a lot of fun.
Well that’s all I have time for now need to go pay a few bills (work a little).
Post by: Terry Green on September 28, 2010, 08:53:00 AM
Yes, Judo Soccer....Doug and I found out we had a shooting in camp!!! Barry was tearing that nerf soccer ball apart.........All of us faired well on the one 40 yard broadleaf I called. Our 'sites' were on for the hunt....more in a bit...
Post by: lpcjon2 on September 28, 2010, 08:58:00 AM
Post by: Terry Green on September 28, 2010, 10:40:00 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Guru:Yes sir....it sure has Curt. One of the best investments I ever made was buying that cooler on sale for $39. It should have its own frequent flier number.
Boy, If only that cooler could talk...sure has been around...
Anyhow....the first night was filled with anticipation....Doug and I really wanted to be off the side of that mountain that evening, but Barry's license didn't start till Friday morn.......and the night was perfect for a fire and cool sleeping temps.
Barry got a real dose of the beauty of Cohutta the next morning as he stalked to 'Spaghetti Junction' in the fern carpeted open hardwoods. One of the prettiest walks to a stand you'll find east of the Missisip. This local got its name from the many trails through the ferns in all different directions the day I found it. It's named after the infamous interchange of I-85 and 285 north east of Atlanta.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/cohutta33a.jpg)
Post by: sunny hill archer on September 28, 2010, 02:16:00 PM
Post by: Mudd on September 28, 2010, 02:42:00 PM
Thanks for sharing and I'll be waiting expectantly for the rest of the story.
God bless,Mudd
Post by: Terry Green on September 28, 2010, 04:00:00 PM
That afternoon Doug, Barry and I all went looking at my 'new sign'....and we set Barry up on a trail that was heavily used as Doug and I went higher scouting again to try and fine tune the area and fine brand new sign.
What we found puzzled us, but it finally dawned on us that the white oaks we done on the ground, and nothing but hulls were left. No bear scat and we determined the missing acorns were done mostly by hogs due to the sign we found......
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010tuskgouge.jpg)
So, we went back and got Barry and started descending finding more sign lower down the mountain and came to what we call 'spring one' and it was hot with hog sign and a bear track. Barry was set up on this immediately as Doug decided to hunt below spaghetti junction, and I proceeded to 'spring two'.
I was tickled when I got to spring two at the sign there as well, but after a few minutes of monitoring the wind, I bailed out as I felt like I was cutting Barry off. So, I went back and told Doug I was going off the back side of the lead he was on.
I knew of this area where two trails came together and a little outcropping of rocks that I could hunker back into. I got all set up and cooled off and I got board. I took this interesting pic of a trees 'root-rock basket'.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010rockbasket.jpg)
I just didn't have a lot of confidence and felt like I was just 'killing time'
so I headed north paralleling the lead. I got about 80 yards away and I saw a mini bluff and nocked at arrow because I could see a white pine was growing up from the base of the bluff. As I snuck and looked over the edge, sure enough, there was a bear bed under that white pine, but no bear was present. I leaned up against a tree for a few minutes and started to climb up the lead a bit when I finally found fresh sign....bear scat with gnats and a beetle on it.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010scat.jpg)
Needless to say....I went right back to my rock outcropping and hunkered back in. :readit:
Post by: imskippy on September 28, 2010, 04:35:00 PM
Post by: caleb7mm on September 28, 2010, 05:01:00 PM
Post by: Pon on September 28, 2010, 05:10:00 PM
Post by: madness522 on September 29, 2010, 03:07:00 PM
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/madness522/Cohutta/tn_DSCF1204.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/madness522/Cohutta/tn_DSCF1205.jpg)
We headed down the hill a little to where a stream comes out the mountain and starts it downward journey and the sign looked good enough I set up there for the evening hunt.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/madness522/Cohutta/tn_DSCF1202.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/madness522/Cohutta/tn_DSCF1203.jpg)
I was back at the same spot near the creek mouth for saturday morning still waiting for somthing to happen. On my way up the hill to eat breakfast I spotted an animal and put a stalk on. I got to with in about 7 yards and cut loose an arrow. My judo smacked an old log exactly where Alvin or one of the other chipmunks has just been. Dang those little guys are fast!!
Post by: charles suttles on September 29, 2010, 03:23:00 PM
Post by: madness522 on September 29, 2010, 03:25:00 PM
This is a pic of a tree Terry named the Legacy tree. Can you imagine the history this tree has feeding animals over the years. No idea how old this tree is and all I can guess is way older than me!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/madness522/Cohutta/tn_DSCF1206.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/madness522/Cohutta/tn_DSCF1207.jpg)
Just below this tree was a wide part of a mostly dry creek so I setup shop to hunt the evening here. And it was here that I almost got to see a bear. But I'll Terry tell the story of 'ole silver eyes'.
On the way backup the hill after dark we passed at least 4 copperheads trying to get the last bit of warmth from the road bed. I did get out and face off with the first one. He held his own until I picked up a big stick and was all set to whack him when he promptly headed over the side into the brush where I was NOT going to follow!! Sometime saturday night or early sunday morning it started raining so when we woke up wet we decided it was best to break camp and head down to mountain.
I had a great time even though I didn't see a bear, hog or deer. Guess that why its called hunting and not killing. The beauty of Cohutta is amazing and words don't do a description justice. It is a place where you have to pay attention to where you are going and look back often so you can find your way back because a lot of it looks the same and getting turned around after dark would be something better left for someone else to experience. If I ever have the opportunity to hunt Cohutta again I will be there and be early.
Terry and Doug were great to guys to meet, share a camp and hunt with! While I didn't kill anything I had a great time and came away from the weekend with two new friends whom I would hunt anytime and anywhere with again.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/madness522/Cohutta/tn_DSCF1196.jpg)
Post by: madness522 on September 29, 2010, 03:26:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by charles suttles:LOL I remember that Charles! That was my first successful stalk on one!
Shame on you. You should know by now, you never shoot where a chipmonk is at, you ALWAYS shoot where THEY ARE GONNA BE!
Post by: wv lungbuster on September 29, 2010, 06:47:00 PM
Post by: Terry Green on September 29, 2010, 07:59:00 PM
Barry had heard us talk about Bear Creek and Bear Flat around the fire the two nights before, and I told him we should make a run for it Saturday afternoon if he was up for the 50 minute dirt road ride to see some new country......he was all in. So, we ate a big breakfast once again and headed north for the journey to new hunting grounds.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010shrums.jpg)
Post by: Terry Green on September 29, 2010, 08:07:00 PM
Once we met back up at the designated area, Doug and I weren't too happy, not much sign at all. Hog sign yet, but no bear sign to jump up and down over. Yes, the bears had 'checked' a few trees, but they were not breaking off the branches and there was no fresh scat to be found.
That left the un-touched Bear Flat....
Post by: Terry Green on September 29, 2010, 08:29:00 PM
After we scouted across the flat to Legacy basicaly in a straight line the only real sign we found was at Legacy. The tree had been climbed and pilfered around, and there was fresh hog rooting and wallering in the little hollow in bow range of 'the tree'. So, Barry asked if he should hunt the flat or the tree, and I said 'if it were me, I'd hunt the tree since that was were the sign was and where the animals were headed'. I really thought that was the best bet. I backed off 120 yards from Barry in the flat and socked in under a hardwood guarded by a few white pines for perfect cover thinking I was definitely out of Barry's way, I was but unknowingly, I had the front row seat for the evening's action.....
Post by: Terry Green on September 29, 2010, 08:55:00 PM
And then I hear a second muffled stick pop...now you've got my attention....so I turn to face the music and I hear a 3rd muffled pop. Now I'm not playing, and I have a bead on the direction. So, I stand up slowly and stalk in the direction of the disturbances watching my every step so I don't make an alerting pop.
About 20 yards into my stalk I hear and animal take off and run and I immediately think I've already spooked it....but the animal stops. I start to lean over to see under the limbs to get a glimpse of the animal when it starts to move again and I hear it running again....and the noise is getting louder!!!
Out of the thicket comes 'O'l Silver Eyes' on a dead lope at a perfect angle to pass for a close broadside shot if he'd stop again.....and just on que he stops right between two saplings at 15 yards just standing there, and I pass on the shot.
Yep, he's headed right to Barry. No way was I going to cut off a St Judes winner....bad karma right there. :readit:
!["[dntthnk]"]("graemlins/dntthnk.gif" "\"\"")
I stood statue still, and let the bear continue on its route to the bid winner till the distance from me was safe enough to stalk back and get my camera out of my pack. This stalk was successful as well and I managed to get 4 pics, not the best pics in the world since I was zoomed all the way out and a little excited to say the least. I kept beggin the bear to hook left as that's where he needed to go but he didn't listen, and continued straight, but still getting closer to Barry every step. He was about 50 yards from Barry at this time, yet Barry had no clue.
Then he must have gotten a whif of Barry, or me, we aren't really sure, but he whoofed 3 times and bolted about 15 yards to the right and stopped. He milled around for a couple of minutes and whoofed 3 more times as he peeled out again to the right and back toward me. I lost sight of him but heard him in the thicket coming back, and I caught sight of him on a fast walk about 40 yards into the thicket and he once again was popping sticks in the same area I hear him 1st....so I hurried over to Barry.....
Post by: Terry Green on September 29, 2010, 09:09:00 PM
Barry grabbed his pack and I told him to leave it and that I didn't know if it would work, but he was going to stalk a bear.
The good news is Barry got to stalk a bear for 100 yards and the bear never saw him.....the bad news is Barry never got to see the bear. :banghead:
We named him 'O'l Silver Eyes' due to my camera capturing the reflection in his eyes. I took the 1st two pics with my camera on program so the images are yellow, I'd programed something wrong earlier by mistake, but I took two anyway just to get a pic while I could, then I changed the setting to auto for the next two pics....sorry for the terrible images.....but you can see how he got his name when he looked right at me on the 3rd pic.....
Head away.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010bear1.jpg)
Head turning toward me....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010bear2.jpg)
Looking directly at me....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010bear3.jpg)
Head turning away again....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjcohutta2010bear4.jpg)
Doug also had some action that evening as he heard a bear coming down a ridge to him turning over rocks. Doug's gut told him to hunt on the other side of the blowdown he was set up on next to a scratching tree he'd found, and the bear went on the other side. He's thought about a stalk, but it was very dry on his ridge, and he thought it best to sit still thinking the bear might circle back before dark but it didn't.
What a great ending to a really fun hunt with good friends, even though one friend was brand new. I also came away with something else unexpected. I'll take some good photos and post that tomorrow....
Post by: Mudd on September 29, 2010, 10:37:00 PM
Post by: Shinken on September 30, 2010, 01:10:00 AM
:archer2:
Shoot straight, Shinken
Post by: Terry Green on September 30, 2010, 10:39:00 AM
I was really grateful for this gift and what it stands for. It will be used on my next animal.
Many thanks Barry.....come back next year ya hear?
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/barryknife1.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/barryknife2.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/barryknife3.jpg)
Post by: **DONOTDELETE** on September 30, 2010, 11:15:00 AM
Post by: Izzy on September 30, 2010, 04:06:00 PM
Post by: Shakes.602 on September 30, 2010, 04:17:00 PM
Post by: DW on September 30, 2010, 09:25:00 PM
Post by: caleb7mm on September 30, 2010, 10:35:00 PM
Post by: Terry Green on October 01, 2010, 10:08:00 AM
Post by: Over&Under on October 01, 2010, 10:46:00 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Terry Green:Seems like it takes forever to get here, but then is gone in a flash! Sounds like you made some more good memories with friends though Terry! Thanks for sharing.
Yep.....I'm going back this weekend. Can't believe its the last weekend till next year. :(
Post by: madness522 on October 01, 2010, 12:32:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Terry Green:Good luck Terry! Hopefully there will be another story to hear next week!!
Yep.....I'm going back this weekend. Can't believe its the last weekend till next year. :(
Post by: Tom Phillips on October 01, 2010, 08:02:00 PM
Post by: Shleprock on October 02, 2010, 11:49:00 AM
Post by: caleb7mm on October 02, 2010, 05:46:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Shleprock:when theres no power for a coffee maker this is the quickest way to get a cup. And its better this way as well. More flavor and a lot bolder flavors.
French pressed coffee?
Post by: Shleprock on October 03, 2010, 10:41:00 AM
Post by: Terry Green on October 05, 2010, 08:29:00 AM
Anyhow....there's about 3 more days till the 'special gun hunt'...and Doug and I will try and get back up there one day this week.
My friend Keith and I went back up and hunted over the weekend, and we saw another bear, but no shot.....and I thought Barry would enjoy seeing the pics I took....of what happened in our absence since we left Legacy....
This 'nice hog' sign was 4 yard from my spot in the flat.......
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjudehogdrop.jpg)
And, Legacy looked to have been climbed 2 or 3 more times since last weekend...Many more claw marks than when we left it for sure...
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjudelegacy1.jpg)
Post by: madness522 on October 05, 2010, 08:41:00 AM
Post by: Terry Green on October 05, 2010, 03:43:00 PM
Post by: madness522 on October 05, 2010, 08:15:00 PM