The 'Madness' is over.....In the absence of Maddness...

[caleb7mm]

looking forward to the rest!!  

[Pon]

 good stuff here

[madness522]

Friday morning began with high anticipation and copious amounts of french pressed coffee.  We stalked thru spaghetti junction around a Hemlock tree and down to a spot a bear was shot a week or so before.  There were trails going everywhere so maybe that spot could be called spaghetti acre.  I scouted around a little and heard one hog snort once way down the hill toward the creek.  Breakfast was sausage and eggs and more of that delicious french pressed coffee.  We headed back to the same area to walk around and do a little scouting and Terry showed me this tree bear have been climbing for years and years.
 

 

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.  

 

 

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!!

[charles suttles]

Shame on you. You should know by now, you never shoot where a chipmonk is at, you ALWAYS shoot where THEY ARE GONNA BE!

[madness522]

Since not much fresh sign was at the top we headed down the hill to a place called 'Bear Flat' for saturday afternoons hunt.  Again we walked and looked for fresh sigh and not much was found.  A couple sorta fresh wallers pigs had enjoyed in the previous days.  It was too late to head back up the hill so we played the cards we were dealt and Terry and I headed down a little draw while Doug headed up a little.

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!

 

 

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.

 

[madness522]

Originally posted by charles suttles:
Shame on you. You should know by now, you never shoot where a chipmonk is at, you ALWAYS shoot where THEY ARE GONNA BE!

LOL I remember that Charles!  That was my first successful stalk on one!

[wv lungbuster]

[Terry Green]

Sat morning Barry Stalked spring one again, and sat till 9:30 and met back up with Doug and I.  Still no siting of any big game animal.  I know it was the full moon, but dang we should have at least seen a hog with all the sign about in the area we were hunting.

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.....

   

[Terry Green]

After the long ride, we were all pumped to get back into the woods....and we had a quick scouting route planned out. Doug would take the high road and scout closer to the highest ridge in the area, and Barry and I would scout out Bear Creek.

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....

[Terry Green]

Doug had decided to just go 'random' for the afternoon, and check out some areas between our hight and low spots in the area, and Barry and I started down the lead to Bear Flat and the Legacy Tree.

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.....

[Terry Green]

Along about 5:45 I hear a muffled stick pop over my left shoulder towards a thicket that was the back wall of the flat......Hmmmm.

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.                      

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.....

[Terry Green]

Once I got within 30 yard of Barry, I really hurried and Barry didn't know what the heck I was doing when I told him to come on...come on.....

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.  

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.....

   

Head turning toward me....

   

Looking directly at me....

   

Head turning away again....  

 

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....

[Mudd]

[Shinken]

Good stuff - keep it comin'!

   

Shoot straight, Shinken

[Terry Green]

I was given this after breakfast Saturday morning.  I sure wasn't expecting anything for donating the hunt other than a good time for all.

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?

   

   

   

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Great Story & Pix...Thanx

[Izzy]

Ive hunted bear country for 25 years and never saw a tree the likes of the Legacy Tree, thats just cool!

[Shakes.602]

Looks Like MY Kind of Camping Arrangement!!! I am Sure a Great Time was Had, and Many Great Memories as Well!!

[DW]

Great Story and looks like a great time was had by everyone....Cool knife Terry!

[caleb7mm]

good times!!