National Forest Mountain Buck Hunting

[MountainBuckHunter]

I thought it’d be good to start a thread dedicated to National Forest Mountain Buck Hunting. To share tips and tactics on hunting big, vast, steep, rocky, and rugged terrain of places like and similar to Western and Southwestern Va, South and Eastern WV, Western NC, Eastern TN, North Ga, areas of Pa, and so on elevations ranging from 800-5000 plus feet. Above 4,500ft you’ll run into spruce woods in a lot of areas. The predominate natural bedding and cover is Mountain Laurel(in some areas people call it Ivy) and Rhododendron. Man made browse, cover, and bedding consist of timber cutting and control burns. Natural made bedding, cover, and browse consist of gypsy moth kill patches and wild fire burns.

Hope this turns into a great thread.

[802bowhunter]

Wait for snow find a track a 30-06 shell can,lay side ways in and go shoot them,in there bed.

I loce bow hunting more then anything but man u cant beat tracking big woods bucks in snow. I live up north in new england
If were hunting national forest we watch the weather depending if maine vt or nh are getting fresh snow that where we go.
Drive logging rds cut fresh a buck track worth fallowing.
It has to be the funnest style of hunting.

[MountainBuckHunter]

I loved watching the Benoit hunting videos. Would love to experience that style of hunting. Here in Va if we are lucky enough to get snow it doesn’t hang around long. We hope and pray for snow so we can shoot ridge to ridge. Can’t see them with out snow but with snow if they move they stand out like a sore thumb.

[802bowhunter]

Up north u cant see ridge to ridge the mountains are to big and the forest are to,thick most time u see deer withing 50 yards

[802bowhunter]

Some years with,no,snow we grunt and walk them

Try to sound like a deer while ur walking and grunt on and,off try to sound like a cruising buck sounds crazy but is very effective.

[Hatchet Jack]

Good read here

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=40162&hilit=Appalachian

[brancher147]

Tracking bucks in NEw England and WV/VA is completely different. In WV we have only 2 weeks gun season and snow is rare in most areas below 4000 ft. When we do get snow it is either too much or not enough or not really the type of snow you want for tracking. There is nothing to hunt but steep rocky mountains and the access is worse. Most tracking I have done or seen in New England is flatter ground with logging roads you can drive and look for tracks. There are very few roads in WV/VA mountains and when it snows they are very steep unmaintained roads. Also the deer size is different in WV/VA and a big buck does not commonly have a huge track that is so much bigger so it is harder to follow. This has been my experience anyway. I have had success tracking in southern ohio where big bucks with big tracks are easier to find but good snow there is very rare.

[Thesouthpaw]

I do a lot of mountain buck hunting with a gun. I've got a number of spots that I can catch deer coming back to Laurel from different oak flats, which works really well on years that there are acorns.

[802bowhunter]

Tracking bucks in NEw England and WV/VA is completely different. In WV we have only 2 weeks gun season and snow is rare in most areas below 4000 ft. When we do get snow it is either too much or not enough or not really the type of snow you want for tracking. There is nothing to hunt but steep rocky mountains and the access is worse. Most tracking I have done or seen in New England is flatter ground with logging roads you can drive and look for tracks. There are very few roads in WV/VA mountains and when it snows they are very steep unmaintained roads. Also the deer size is different in WV/VA and a big buck does not commonly have a huge track that is so much bigger so it is harder to follow. This has been my experience anyway. I have had success tracking in southern ohio where big bucks with big tracks are easier to find but good snow there is very rare.

Years we dont have snow I hunt sighn post rubs,
Water on the mountains bucks almost always visit small trickling creeks on top of ridges during,the ruts.
And always do alot of walking and grunting.
Its the most aggressive effective way I have found.

Hard for me to imagine hunting a place that dosnt get snow during gun season being born and raised on the Canadian border in new england when ever I go south out of state to hunt I just want to run back home its so weird to me the woods is so much different then home I feel lost.

[MountainBuckHunter]

Some years with,no,snow we grunt and walk them

Try to sound like a deer while ur walking and grunt on and,off try to sound like a cruising buck sounds crazy but is very effective.

Very good tip for people to take in. I do the same if the woods are quite and dry. There’s no way to travel with out being hear so I try to sound like a deer to work my way into where I want to be. Old bucks walk lazy and drag their toes. But at the same time if the same tired buck doesn’t want to be heard he can walk through dry woods with out making a sound if he wants to.

[MountainBuckHunter]

Here in Western Va we use Mules to access the hard to reach places. It’s not thought of hardly any in the east. People think horses and mules is a out west thing but it makes us a lot more efficient and rested hunters. 2 years ago I killed a buck 3 miles from the truck way back on a NF mountain and I was only 100 yards from my mule.

[802bowhunter]

Here in Western Va we use Mules to access the hard to reach places. It’s not thought of hardly any in the east. People think horses and mules is a out west thing but it makes us a lot more efficient and rested hunters. 2 years ago I killed a buck 3 miles from the truck way back on a NF mountain and I was only 100 yards from my mule.

Nice! Thats pretty cool.
Do that up here and I garauntee ur mule would get shot lol

My uncle drags bear and moose for people with his horses ive been with him on,several moose drags its alot of fun to watch those horses work.

[Hutchison44]

Awesome topic and I look forward to reading all the responses! I live and hunt in the heart of the New River Valley/southwestern VA and hunting these mountains are very unique and challenging. I’m fairly new to the beast lifestyle but can say that it has changed my hunting life!! I have found that hunting/scouting the first bench on the south side of the mountain yields buck sign and beds. I’m assuming because of the greater thermal affect on that side of the mountain bucks feel more safe. Anyone else see this?

[MountainBuckHunter]

Here in Western Va we use Mules to access the hard to reach places. It’s not thought of hardly any in the east. People think horses and mules is a out west thing but it makes us a lot more efficient and rested hunters. 2 years ago I killed a buck 3 miles from the truck way back on a NF mountain and I was only 100 yards from my mule.

Nice! Thats pretty cool.
Do that up here and I garauntee ur mule would get shot lol

My uncle drags bear and moose for people with his horses ive been with him on,several moose drags its alot of fun to watch those horses work.

We put blaze orange on the mules.

[bigredneck61088]

Following this one! Hunt the big woods of PA at my family’s camp