Hows the Hunting near Spindale, NC?

[ThePushArchery]

I have a potential job change in the near future.

Looks like it will be in the Spindale, NC region.

Out of curiosity, hows the hunting in that area?!?!

[Dennis Allman]

Rutherford county is loaded with deer and turkey, some bear in some areas.  I am in Morganton, 30 miles NE, right on I-40. Lots of rivers, streams, lakes. Check out Carolina Traditional Archers, thecta.org Monthly shoots at Maiden, about an hour from Spindale.

If you need more information, or want to talk, PM or email me.

Dennis

[Jeff D. Holchin]

Hey Matthew, sorry for the delay in responding, I thought more of the NC hunters here would respond - there are several NC hunting threads and the older one can give you a good idea what to expect.

Being from PA myself with a hunting camp for 10 years in the Alleghany National Forest, I have killed bears, turkeys and deer in PA before moving to NC; been here for 5 years now.  I suspect that you might be a little disappointed with the NC hunting compared to PA, but there are some pleasant surprises too.  I don't know Rutherford county like Dennis (by the way, he is a great guy and you should take him up on his offer to help), but I would rate the deer hunting quality in NC as much lower (much less bowhunting pressure though, the season started already, and you can kill more than 1 buck), the turkey hunting quality as lower but not by too much, and the bear hunting as better (because the season runs much longer and there are plenty of bears, and lots of BIG bears, especially along the coast (although as a bowhunter, you should know that probably 90-95% of the bears are killed with dogs).  Now for the pleasant surprises, you can hunt feral hogs in NC on a limited basis (forget the ones by the Smokies, unless you hunt with dogs) over towards the coast, and unlike PA you can hunt some interesting coastal areas that are pretty unique.
Hope this helps.

[ThePushArchery]

Thanks guys for the responses. This is good info. I just needed to know what to expect.

I know this sounds funny, but it def is one of the deciding factors. Lower on priority than compensation, schools for the kids, etc... but a priority none-the-less...

thanks again,
Matt

[Rick Richard]

I live in the Shelby area which is not far from Spindale.  The quanity and maybe quality may be a little disappointing, but like previously said there is not much bowhunting pressure.  You will just have to get out and ask for permission on private land or find a hunting club.  There are some state property such as South Mounatain, but I have not hunted it and can't provide much info.

You may also want to check across the border in south Carolina since there is a much larger population of deer and some of the clubs in that area practice quality deer management.

[Jeff D. Holchin]

I understand Matt, and have been in your shoes before.  I once moved to Ohio specifically for the deer hunting and enjoyed the best 6 years of quality deer hunting of my life; I also hunted Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Kentucky while there.  Being spoiled by bowhunting 3-4 months per year and passing up P+Y bucks every season because there were B+C bucks around, is probably why I am so down on NC deer hunting.  I have lived in SC twice and can confirm what Rick said about better deer hunting there, but if you are going out of state, GA is a much better choice for the same $.  If you are expecting to bowhunt big bucks here in NC on public or "free" private land, then you will be VERY disappointed.  Rick mentioned South Mountain game lands - I hunt there and it reminds me of the PA mountains I used to roam, with deer, bear and turkey to be had with some effort.  Good luck with your decision, PM me if you want to discuss in more detail.

[Pat B]

I don't know about the hunting but they have a great radio station, WNCW  88.7 out of Isothermal Community College.