BubbaGoneWild
Well-Known Member
I'm down to do some bear and hog hunting up there. I been wanting to. Just pm me if you want to. Shoot we can do some fishing to.
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South Cherokee Deer
- Thread starter Chickencoop96
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TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
I did similar one time at Catoosa WMA, except ended up buried in mud to my doors on a lifted Toyota 4x4 pickup. Took me about 10 hours to get it extracted with a combination of hours of shoveling mud and a Good Samaritan helping pull me out with his truck on high ground.
Really miss that little truck. It was an '81 model (no extended cab), and would go about anywhere an old Willis jeep would go. I many times pulled other people out of mud holes with it, while this little Toyota could get thru those same holes.
BubbaGoneWild
Well-Known Member
Can't beat an old Toyota. Used mine forever just for hunting. Few years ago I was driving down the road and the rear end lock up on me. Haven't drove it since haha
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Many today might find it hard to believe, but I grew up in a West TN county at a time we had no deer season there. Back then, people from my neck of the woods had to travel East for deer hunting. In fact, one of the draws for my moving to East TN was the perception of better deer hunting in these mountains. When I first moved to East TN, I concentrated on the South Cherokee and Catoosa.
Due to being overrun by ATVs, to me, Catoosa is no longer an acceptable place for a wilderness hunt.
Although not so much a "wilderness" (like the Cherokee, Catoosa, and a few other East TN places), in my older age now I'm fairly content with some large private tracts in Middle TN, as well as LBL and a few other WMAs. If I couldn't now conveniently hunt LBL, for public land, I'd likely be back concentrating on the South (or North) Cherokee, for at least as much longer as I may be physically able.
Reminds me, I need to re-group with old "Citico Tim", as we're both now hunting on borrowed time
Due to being overrun by ATVs, to me, Catoosa is no longer an acceptable place for a wilderness hunt.
Although not so much a "wilderness" (like the Cherokee, Catoosa, and a few other East TN places), in my older age now I'm fairly content with some large private tracts in Middle TN, as well as LBL and a few other WMAs. If I couldn't now conveniently hunt LBL, for public land, I'd likely be back concentrating on the South (or North) Cherokee, for at least as much longer as I may be physically able.
Reminds me, I need to re-group with old "Citico Tim", as we're both now hunting on borrowed time
Never met ol' Citico, but would like to, he's good 'un!Many today might find it hard to believe, but I grew up in a West TN county at a time we had no deer season there. Back then, people from my neck of the woods had to travel East for deer hunting. In fact, one of the draws for my moving to East TN was the perception of better deer hunting in these mountains. When I first moved to East TN, I concentrated on the South Cherokee and Catoosa.
Due to being overrun by ATVs, to me, Catoosa is no longer an acceptable place for a wilderness hunt.
Although not so much a "wilderness" (like the Cherokee, Catoosa, and a few other East TN places), in my older age now I'm fairly content with some large private tracts in Middle TN, as well as LBL and a few other WMAs. If I couldn't now conveniently hunt LBL, for public land, I'd likely be back concentrating on the South (or North) Cherokee, for at least as much longer as I may be physically able.
Reminds me, I need to re-group with old "Citico Tim", as we're both now hunting on borrowed time
Kirk
Well-Known Member
You and mud! I bet the Toyota didn't require a lasso like you did to get out. LOL
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Gee, Kirk, Thanks for reminding me about that.
Don't know that I've ever felt more "stupid" than that day
I must have thought I could walk on water.
I'm still not the sharpest knife in the drawer,
but certainly not as young & dumb as once was either!
To add insult to injury, right after I was rescued, I bumped into Citico Tim, and the first thing he said to me (not knowing I was the "victim"),
"Hey! Did you hear about that fool who got himself stuck in the mud?!
They had to send out the Rescue Squad to pull him out."
THAT wasn't entirely true, as I was actually pulled out by a single ranger who expertly and amazingly threw me a rope, a distance of about 50 feet. He then tied that rope to a tree, and between both of us, finally I was pulled loose from the muddy lake bed where I was waist deep in soft mud. I had seen some deer "run" across that water, and thought I could do the same.
They walked on water, while I sank deep into the mud, absolutely stuck, unable to get out, and the more I tried, the deeper I went. When I was rescued, the mud was right at my belt (waistline) with about a foot of water above it. It was quite a stupid, scary feeling, and predicament to experience.
Don't know that I've ever felt more "stupid" than that day
I must have thought I could walk on water.
I'm still not the sharpest knife in the drawer,
but certainly not as young & dumb as once was either!
To add insult to injury, right after I was rescued, I bumped into Citico Tim, and the first thing he said to me (not knowing I was the "victim"),
"Hey! Did you hear about that fool who got himself stuck in the mud?!
They had to send out the Rescue Squad to pull him out."
THAT wasn't entirely true, as I was actually pulled out by a single ranger who expertly and amazingly threw me a rope, a distance of about 50 feet. He then tied that rope to a tree, and between both of us, finally I was pulled loose from the muddy lake bed where I was waist deep in soft mud. I had seen some deer "run" across that water, and thought I could do the same.
They walked on water, while I sank deep into the mud, absolutely stuck, unable to get out, and the more I tried, the deeper I went. When I was rescued, the mud was right at my belt (waistline) with about a foot of water above it. It was quite a stupid, scary feeling, and predicament to experience.
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Kirk
Well-Known Member
The day you told me that story we were sitting in that little Mexican Restaurant in Dover. There are only a few times in my life I can recall laughing so hard that I couldn't take a breath. That was one of them.
Willysman
Well-Known Member
No place like the Cherokee NF. Started hunting there in 1961. Then you had the Tellico and Ocoee Management area. Had to apply for a 2 day quota hunt. After the quota hunts there was a three day wilderness hunt on the Citico portion. Wild country. Plenty of deer at that time and lots of hunters. Today is different. Not a lot of hunters nor deer but I'd rather be there than anywhere. 100% fair chase.
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
Yea, it was funny to everybody but me!
Kinda like that first time you tried to back up a boat hitched to a Hummer
The ranger got me back to my truck (over a mile from where had gotten myself stuck). So after counting my blessings, I realize I'm barefooted, as had to somehow pull my feet out of my boots to get extracted with my feet still attached.
So on by barefooted drive out, I run into Citico Tim, who waves me down, laughing, "Hey, did you hear about that fool stuck in the mud?!" Adding to that, only a few minutes later, same road, I also ran into another once regular poster on TNdeer who asked the same thing. I didn't tell any of them it was me. Too embarrassed and barefooted to boot.
Apparently, the ranger's radio communications had been intercepted, and seemed the whole world around there knew what had happened literally within minutes of his finding me.
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sounds good man! will do. i thought bear tags were a bit harder to get?
BubbaGoneWild
Well-Known Member
Have to double check but I'm pretty sure with sportsman license your allowed 1 bear.
BubbaGoneWild
Well-Known Member
It's 1 per person per year
Kirk
Well-Known Member
I have bear hunted out of Tellico on the North Carolina side and upper Tennessee in Washington county. My only advice is don't piss off the houndsman that are bear hunting. They are sort of a cliqueish group. They will be running several dogs and have a good sized group of hunters with them. If you are hunting during a non dog time you should be good.
Nice Buck! hopefully I'm lucky enough to find one
TheLBLman
Well-Known Member
And, better yet, go bear hunting with them!
Can learn a lot and have a very unique adventure!
One of my fondest memories, as a young man, was down there with one of my bear-hunting mentors.
Anyone remember "Famer"? He was the real deal.
Probably around 1981 or 1982, he asked me to give his 16-yr-old beauty-queen daughter (whom he had brought to his wilderness hunting camp) a ride back to Knoxville one evening. I was greatly honored by his request, but it also was one of the scarier times of my life, as I knew if anything happened to his daughter, Famer would carve me up with that same big knife he used on boars & bears!
Kirk
Well-Known Member
I have hunted with the bear doggers. Once they get on a trail it is a real work out to catch up to the dogs. The even harder part is holding the dogs back with their leads after you get them off the Bear.
