Western NC / Mountain Deer

[Nantahala Nut]

I am new to hunting the hills out here (Jackson/ Macon counties).  All the local boys said they go out of state for deer.  Have heard many say the deer numbers are just too low here.  Is that really true? I am thinking that most just don't want to climb the hills, do the scouting,or drag deer for a mile.  I work on a preserve that adjoins the nantahala and have seen a lot of deer this year. The bucks seem to be very nocturnal but there have been a few monsters spotted.

I would also love to hear some scouting tips and possible game lands to look at. I got a lot of new country to cover this summer.  I am thinking of hitting the ridges and looking for trails through the saddles.  I am not concerned with getting a buck. I would take a doe in the freezer just as soon. Dad always said you cant eat the antlers.

I have hunted the same mountain in Northeast Pa my whole life so scouting all these new ones is a daunting task.

[Pat B]

If you have hunted the mountains of PA you can probably do as you did there. My biggest problem was always trying to figure the air movements. Just as you are ready for that shot you feel the breeze at the back of your neck.
There are plenty of deer in the mountains but there is also vast, heavily wood very rugged areas for the deer to take refuge in.

[Bud B.]

I never had a problem seeing deer when I hunted near Laurel Springs, NC, (Allegheny County - NW mountains) but that has been years ago. If you went to Thurmond Chatham Game Lands and hunted near the Parkway borders you'll see them, near the back side of Doughton Park (I hunted the north side of the parkway border opposite of Thurmond Chatham on an old hunt club called Elk Knob Hunt Club ran by Dean Pruitt). But talk about hills and slopes.  :eek:    Some inclines are 90 degrees up/down. Very steep. And very rocky in parts.

Never hunted the lower western counties.

[huskyarcher]

We are absolutely covered up in ashe and watauga, (nw corner) by covered up i mean seeing 20-30 a sit, people not having gardens,, etc. I sat one evening last october in Blowing Rock, had two down and had seen 23 in about 45min-1 hour.

Seems like an exaggeration until you ride around about dark-30.

[Nantahala Nut]

I cowboy camped a couple miles up from watagua dam one night. Had a momma bear and cubs come into camp and circle me for 45 minutes. They were after my food up the tree. That was a little terrifying

[mangonboat]

Barry, anybody can hunt deer in Iowa, Illinois, Ohio.  I think the biggest challenge  in far western NC is that we have smaller volumes of concentrated food sources ( Cherokee County excepted) , so the overall deer population is lower in the mountains ( Graham County , which averages almost 40% grade across the county, also averages less than 30 deer killed per year) and lots of the deer will be concentrated where those limited opportunities are. So plan to hunt where they are concentrated. The lower river valleys of the Little Tennessee, the Tuck , the French Broad,  and ridges feeding down to them are where I see the most sign and the most deer. I saw more deer than usual on the ridges last fall due to the very heavy acorn mast, but that was unusual and hard to predict. Also, the fringes of the towns offer more food  than the deep woods, so dont forget to scout areas real close to town.

[Nantahala Nut]

I live right between the tuck and little Tennessee and cullasaja. I was thinking of hunting outside franklin so I will have to look for some game lands around the rivers. Great info guys! Would take me years to learn this on my own

[J-dog]

That's it I am hunting with Huskt this yr!

Coast stinks - moutains have to be better or I will be depressed -- LOL

Cant help ya - I think most everything comes down to how hard you hunt it, time in

[mangonboat]

Barry, I have a vague memory that there  is a  closed golf course by you that Macon county recently bought to make into a park..maybe get permission to hunt the edges of an open area like that.

[Florida lime]

Originally posted by mangonboat:
... I think the biggest challenge  in far western NC is that we have smaller volumes of concentrated food sources ( Cherokee County excepted) , so the overall deer population is lower in the mountains  ( Graham County , which averages almost 40% grade across the county, also averages less than 30 deer killed per year).....  

Thanks for the reminder, Mark.      

Graham county is where I have my "summer home". This past fall was my first time actually seeing any deer in Graham county while driving. It was on private land, and I was not the only vehicle that turned around to see "if I saw what I thought I saw".    :D

[Jake Scott]

I have committed to hunting more deer here around home.  I freely admit, I am one of the sinners that travels out of state to hunt deer (middle Tennessee). Killing a mountain deer with a tradbow is a heck of an accomplishment, and definitely a goal of mine.  

Jake