Posted: 4/20/2025 8:29:14 AM EDT
| How do you hunt in the mountains...GA, TN, NC, VA...? Finally got a chance to hit some of the trails in Cahuta N Georgia. The forest is tall and thick and I'm not seeing much in the way of open views. What do you hunt with? |
I'm not lazy, I just really enjoy doing nothing.
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USA
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12” AR in 6.5 Grendel 12-16” AR in 450 Bushmaster Just about any lever gun, if you’re confined to the woods. Bolt gun in .243 and up. |
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." - John Adams
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Originally Posted By wvfarrier: Winchester 1892 in 357 mag is all ya need I was thinking a 45c lever... Originally was thinking about 30-06 and watching out over a valley but the valleys, from what I have seen so far, are not open enough to see down into or across. |
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Originally Posted By TN-MadDog: Lever action in 45-70 There are some 600 pound bears in those woods. Can confirm!! Attached File |
Wild Man of East TN
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Originally Posted By flcracker: Whether you're hunting or just hiking - be aware that most of the trails in the Cohutta Wilderness Area either run along dry ridgelines for many miles with no water access (carry plenty) or crisscross the creeks and rivers many times (wet feet). @flcracker Yeah, I'm not sure what the best ideas are for hunting in the area. I walked in off dennis mills trail. I felt like a walked 2 miles but most of it was switch backs climbing up a few hundred feet. (i was thinking about my life straw that I left at the house when I was doing the walk with my puppy) I was hoping for some somewhat open valleys to glass but the valleys are all small saddles and line of sight short. Other idea was make my way to the south end of one of the offroad vehicle trails but I haven't been able to find a decent map online that marks the trails very well. Tried a ranger station a while ago for maps or someone to ask but the ladies that were there at the time were useless and they had no maps. |
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Originally Posted By gtsteve03: Remington Model 7 in 7mm08 with a 2-7x scope. You have good taste. Especially if loaded with 120gr Nosler BT. They haul ass and have tremendous terminal ballistics. I will usually select the lowest recoil caliber that’ll do the job well. 6.5 Grendel would also be an excellent choice (or similar such as 6 ARC, 6.8 SPC II). |
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When I hunted the mountains of VA my favorite gun as a 14" TC Contender in .44 mag. with a 1.5x scope on it. 240 gr JHP worked for deer or bear. Shots were always close. Often 25 yards or less. I now hunt the rolling hills of Loudon County and use a .308 or .300 BLK and occasionally a .450 Bushmaster. |
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Recommendations running from 357 mag to 300 Win mag. Quite the differential. I do quite a lot of mountain hunting in NY. How about a nice light weight bolt action rifle in 270 Win with a decent 3x9 on it. Can’t go wrong with that combo. Ready for what ever happens, close, long or a bear. The 7mm-08 someone mentioned would do fine also. |
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I spent a good bit of time in the Cohutta area years back. It's rough, steep, wet, beautiful country; some of the steepest in the southeast. Today, I would hunt it with a short barreld suppressed 6.5 Grendel AR. Short, light ARs with a padded sling are great for putting on your back as you work through thick woods and climb. You'll be busting brush and your butt hunting in Cohutta. You're a long way from any places where you're going to be glassing over valleys, unless you like looking at tree tops. Hard hikes and short shots are in order. It's still a rewarding time in the woods, though. Also, make sure you know your regulations. I've been stopped in a road block off the Conasauga so far back in the woods I was shocked to see any one at all. |
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Originally Posted By vatopa: Been hunting PA and VA for 50 years Most shots will be less then 75 - 100 yards. It's hard to see in the woods. If you have fields it's obviously longer shots. Any tried and true 30-30 308 30-06 270 Even some new fangled ones work  What this guy said but upstate NY. A couple years ago I bought a TC Compass in 6.5 jesusmore and put a nikon monarch on it. 1 inch groups with bulk ammo. Almost no drop out to 200. Then proceeded to shoot 2 deer with it that were a total of about 45 yards away. First one was about 15 yards and second one was maybe 30-35. You just aren't getting a long range shot in thick woods. |