Hello from Dawg Nation

[jbogg]

I have been lurking for a while enjoying the hunting tales from out West and thought it was time to say hello. Born and raised in North Georgia I am 54 and have been hunting since my mid twenties. As a kid the stories in Outdoor Life, Field & Stream and Sports Afield were read over and over again, but without any outdoorsman in the family my dreams of hunting would remain just a dream until I was a young man and on my own.

For the past twenty five years I have hunted deer and turkey on a small lease of a couple hundred acres in North Georgia. Over the years I found myself becoming bored with the lease, and the fire for hunting that had always burned so bright was starting to fade. I knew I wanted a new type of hunting experience, and around that same time I stumbled on to a show called “On Your Own Adventures” which open up a whole new world of hunting that I had never considered.

Thanks to Randy I was motivated to explore the public land opportunities in my home state of Georgia, and over the past two years have had some of my most memorable hunting experiences on my own version of a Western Backpack hunt in the beautiful mountains of North GA. Thank you Randy for reigniting a lifelong passion, and introducing me to the jewel that is our public lands.

 

[JohnCushman]

Welcome aboard!

 

[JLS]

Welcome! I honestly didn’t know there were mountains in Georgia. Those snake boots?

 

[jbogg]

I have seen several venomous snakes (Timber Rattlers and Copperheads) since I started hunting the Appalachian Mountains, and since I am usually solo and a few miles from the truck I purchased a pair of snake boots for peace of mind.

 

[pabearhunter]

Welcome aboard.

 

[Addicting]

Welcome!

 

[tarheel]

Be mindful of the banjo music neighbor, and welcome to the forum.

 

[Elkhunter24]

welcome from PA!

 

[MN_Bowhunter4]

Welcome. Didn’t know there were mountains in GA but love those pics! Except the snake ones

 

[duckhunt]

Welcome from Iowa

 

[MN Public Hunter]

Welcome from MN !

 

[RyanT]

Incredible pics.... looks like you guys get the white stuff too!

 

[jbogg]

Thanks for the warm welcome. Georgia has a little bit of everything from a beautiful coastline to the start of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northern part of the state. I have always envied the western hunters who are able to glass lots of ground looking for game. Our mountains are densely covered in mountain laurel, hardwoods, hemlock and white pine. Even in the winter when the leaves drop there is no way to glass for anything so we hunt saddles and leads with fresh feeding sign. Sitting still for hours waiting for game to appear.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Even in the winter when the leaves drop there is no way to glass for anything so we hunt saddles and leads with fresh feeding sign. Sitting still for hours waiting for game to appear.

Sounds like how I grew up hunting the mountains of VA. When I moved to Montana, I didn't know any other way to hunt so I headed for the ridge tops and distant saddles to see what was crossing. Throw in a bit more open terrain and a pair of binoculars and it didn't take me long to figure out that western game likes the path of least resistance to move from area to area just as much as eastern game does. You are a long way ahead of the curve to figuring out western hunting if your sights drift further west.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Welcome!