Visit to TN for some hunting

[hereinaz]

Hello all, I registered rather than just lurk in the background. Thanks for the information you all have shared. I hope any of you affected by the storm get your lives back in order soon.

I am heading to East TN to visit my two sisters who moved there in the last few years. They live near Johnson City and the area around them got hit with lots of water, but sounds like it wasn't as bad as other areas. My sisters are looking forward to maybe some venison, and even will take bear meat. I've been learning as much as I can on forums, YT, etc. about whitetail hunting in your mountains. I'm in it for the adventure, and figure a few long walks in the mountains will check that box.

I will be there for the two weeks before Thanksgiving, hitting the bow and rifle deer seasons. I've learned stuff I didn't know about tree saddles, thermal hubs, and more... I'm excited to go and have an adventure on some TN public lands. I hope to share some success photos with you later.

If any of you want to come to AZ to hunt, I'd love to trade information, help you put in, and even help with your hunt.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Welcome from Middle TN and good luck hunting this fall!!

 

[Wrangler95]

Good luck to you!!

 

[quackaholic]

Good luck. Make sure you're not in one of the bear reserves when you run into your bear. I saw you posted about deer density in another post. I live in Greene where deer populations are hit and miss. You may find yourself covered up one day and not a see another deer all year in some areas. On the small farm I hunt I see almost as many bears as deer. And neither are plentiful most seasons. In the mountains it's much worse than that. You will have to hunt a good rut funnel and be there every day until the buck using it comes back through. That could be a good long boring week. But you will see bears. Just may not be huntable bears.

 

[Gravey]

No help on East TN but good luck!

 

[Snake]

Welcome brother hope your hunt here us successful.

 

[Ski]

If you've never hiked or hunted the Appalachians, you're in for a treat. Oldest mountains on the planet with an interesting geological history that makes for some random, unexpected landscape features.

 

[timberjack86]

if your after a mountain buck, scout,scout, and scout some more. 10 percent of the land holds 90 percent of the deer!

 

[lafn96]

You're probably going to be there during last few days of peak rut, and it's muzzleloader season at that time. Woods will be busy that wknd before Thanksgiving with it being the rifle opener. Good luck!

 

[hereinaz]

If you've never hiked or hunted the Appalachians, you're in for a treat. Oldest mountains on the planet with an interesting geological history that makes for some random, unexpected landscape features.

This is exactly why it will be an awesome adventure. I don't like hiking much, but I can go if I have a bow or rifle in my hand.

 

[hereinaz]

if your after a mountain buck, scout,scout, and scout some more. 10 percent of the land holds 90 percent of the deer!

That's the idea, and why I booked a couple weeks. I came into it knowing densities would be low.

 

[hereinaz]

You're probably going to be there during last few days of peak rut, and it's muzzleloader season at that time. Woods will be busy that wknd before Thanksgiving with it being the rifle opener. Good luck!

Can't be much worse than the Utah opener I once went to, and hopefully getting further into the mountains will help get away from the biggest crowds.

 

[Apostolic Outdoors]

Welcome from middle TN. Hope you have a great time and success!

 

[TheLBLman]

if your after a mountain buck, scout,scout, and scout some more. 10 percent of the land holds 90 percent of the deer!

Actually, I suspect it's more like 5% of the land holds 95% of the deer.
But worse for us hunters, that 5% can be randomly, dramatically changing every 48 hrs.
Mountain deer in big wilderness areas will roam over much larger ranges than farmland deer.

 

[timberjack86]

Actually, I suspect it's more like 5% of the land holds 95% of the deer.
But worse for us hunters, that 5% can be randomly, dramatically changing every 48 hrs.
Mountain deer in big wilderness areas will roam over much larger ranges than farmland deer.

My experience in South Cherokee is oddly enough the exact opposite. If I find the deer and that's a big if I can usually at least get a glimpse of my mountain buck. It makes sense really, why would a buck roam 1000s of acres when the does are on 5-10 percent of the land. This only applies to the November and December gun hunt as thats the only time I deer hunt South Cherokee. That's my experience and I'm happy with my success.

 

[hereinaz]

My experience in South Cherokee is oddly enough the exact opposite. If I find the deer and that's a big if I can usually at least get a glimpse of my mountain buck. It makes sense really, why would a buck roam 1000s of acres when the does are on 5-10 percent of the land. This only applies to the November and December gun hunt as thats the only time I deer hunt South Cherokee. That's my experience and I'm happy with my success.

That's about how it works in AZ. I have no way to compare yet, but I have gone days not seeing bucks.

I know for a lot of eastern hunters, the density is low in your mountains compared to at fields and other terrain. But I wonder how mountain density compares to mountain density.

Anyhow, I will work and cover some miles till I find the deer. So it won't be much different than a hunt for Coues whitetail or elk.