Way Down Yonder on the Chattahoochee

[RobertD]

For my friends on HuntTalk, a handful of photos from my "bachelor party." My brother, my best buddy since grade school, another close friend and good hunting buddy, and my little sister's boyfriend all planned the trip without telling me what we were doing or where we were going.

First, for context: the river made famous by Alan Jackson partners with its little brother, the Flint, and its Florida cousin (that's really the same river) the Apalachicola, to form the ACF basin that makes up most of western/southwest GA, the Eastern fringe of South Alabama, and a big chunk of Northwest Florida.

The river(s) empty into the Gulf of Mexico. The northern end of the basin sits in the southernmost edge of the Appalachian mountains.

These photos are from two days of exploring, fishing (unsuccessfully) and scouting for bears (quite succesfully) across several miles of public land of varying designation in the northern end of the river basin I just described.

 

[RobertD]

Here's a picture to trick everyone into thinking this is an easy area to navigate. Occasionally you'll find stretches of water like this, and they represent the 1% of land up here that isn't completely choked with vegetation or on a 75 degree slope.



This is a better representation of the average riverbank in the mountains. Open spot above rhodo is a nice bear trail. No fish in those deep pools, trust me I checked.

 

[RobertD]

We found some elevation at one point. View gets better in another month or so. About 3200' here.(For those curious, 4000-4500' is about as high as it gets in GA.)

Also the Appalachian trail is not terribly far from this spot, nor is the great state of North Carolina.

Edit, because looking at the photo makes me want to add: These woods are super dense at the canopy level. It's pretty remarkable, and especially before the leaves fall, how little you can see even at high elevations like this. There's a debate to be had about logging here I won't get into but suffice it to say, these mountains are the definition of "closed canopy."

 

[44hunter45]

View attachment 240189

For my friends on HuntTalk, a handful of photos from my "bachelor party." My brother, my best buddy since grade school, another close friend and good hunting buddy, and my little sister's boyfriend all planned the trip without telling me what we were doing or where we were going.

First, for context: the river made famous by Alan Jackson partners with its little brother, the Flint, and its Florida cousin (that's really the same river) the Apalachicola, to form the ACF basin that makes up most of western/southwest GA, the Eastern fringe of South Alabama, and a big chunk of Northwest Florida.

The river(s) empty into the Gulf of Mexico. The northern end of the basin sits in the southernmost edge of the Appalachian mountains.

These photos are from two days of exploring, fishing (unsuccessfully) and scouting for bears (quite succesfully) across several miles of public land of varying designation in the northern end of the river basin I just described.

I've been to Dahlonega and Blue Ridge. Beautiful country. Congrats and don't do anything that will get in an embarrassing Youtube video!

 

[RobertD]

Speaking of bear trails...



(This was actually in the yard at the AirBnB )



This wasn't. We found fresher sign than this within a few feet of the tree pictured here, but damn at the years of sign left on this poor boy. Some trees grow up next to bear trails and you think, man you picked the wrong spot to put roots down.



No more bear sign photos after this. But I had to share this last one. I shimmed across a log way above the water to get to where this log was. It was a real beary spot, with a nice side hill trail and as much fresh bear sign as I've seen in one spot... ever.

I will kill my first bear sometime in the next few years. Moments like this are amazing, because I can feel the odds continue to slowly tilt in my favor. I can feel that goal/dream getting closer. I love the long game of hunting.

 

[RobertD]

Pretty river shot. Phone can't do it justice.



What is this? IDK. Way up the mountain.



Of course you gotta find calories after these kids of activities.

 

[RobertD]

I hope everyone enjoys a look at some of what my home state has to offer. (If I come across more I'll post em up.)

Trips like this are a good reminder that we don't all have to hunt the same three animals in the same three states to enjoy public land and all it can offer, or to feel inspired by its existence and work to defend it and all who benefit from it, whether human or non-human. Every photo here except for the bear track and the nachos was taken on public.

 

[44hunter45]

Do you still get like 7 deer tags? I used to go to my wife's family property in Moultrie to sit in a stand. Plenty of deer, but squirrels up the yazoo. I was wishing her cousin had loaned me a .22 or .410 instead of a .358 Winchester. I could have brought home the same weight in protein.

 

[44hunter45]

View attachment 240199

What is this? IDK. Way up the mountain.

Weren't their gold mines around there back in the day? I wonder if this was someone's water diversion. It's not a big pressure head, but it might have been for a cabin or camp.

 

[DouglasR]

“Talking bout cars and dreaming bout women”
Huntalk’s kinda like a virtual Chattahooche.

 

[DouglasR]

Back before $1,950 elk tags when an average guy could afford a boat.
I didn’t realize aj could cut rug on the slalom like this.
The good ole days.

 

[RobertD]

Do you still get like 7 deer tags? I used to go to my wife's family property in Moultrie to sit in a stand. Plenty of deer, but squirrels up the yazoo. I was wishing her cousin had loaned me a .22 or .410 instead of a .358 Winchester. I could have brought home the same weight in protein.

Ha, try twelve. Two bucks and ten does.

And cool, I live about twenty five miles from Moultrie. The squirrels definitely aren't hurting down here! You can kill a bunch of them in a day too. We said the same thing this trip, and we're very surprised to see so many on public land.

 

[rwc101]

That "bear print" looks an awful lot like when I've had a bit too much to drink at camp.

 

[RobertD]

Weren't their gold mines around there back in the day? I wonder if this was someone's water diversion. It's not a big pressure head, but it might have been for a cabin or camp.

And yes there were for sure. That makes the most sense. I thought of some kind of waterer for horses when I saw it, but it really could've been for broader purposes and was likely put in by miners.

 

[RobertD]

That "bear print" looks an awful lot like when I've had a bit too much to drink at camp.

No those are nachos

 

[np307]

View attachment 240199

What is this? IDK. Way up the mountain.

Looks like a reservoir that would've fed a little cabin or maybe a still. Plastic containers about that size get used in those mountains all the time these days. Usually there's an inlet pipe and the reservoir isn't just open like that though.

 

[noharleyyet]

Cool pics...

 

[WildWill]

Looks like a great trip and congratulations on your upcoming marriage. Was I the only one kinda hoping for a pic of a stripper in the bachelor party photos?

 

[RobertD]

Looks like a great trip and congratulations on your upcoming marriage. Was I the only one kinda hoping for a pic of a stripper in the bachelor party photos?

Closest we got was one of the guys finding an old green thong in a cave.

 

[elkduds]

View attachment 240189

For my friends on HuntTalk, a handful of photos from my "bachelor party." My brother, my best buddy since grade school, another close friend and good hunting buddy, and my little sister's boyfriend all planned the trip without telling me what we were doing or where we were going.

First, for context: the river made famous by Alan Jackson partners with its little brother, the Flint, and its Florida cousin (that's really the same river) the Apalachicola, to form the ACF basin that makes up most of western/southwest GA, the Eastern fringe of South Alabama, and a big chunk of Northwest Florida.

The river(s) empty into the Gulf of Mexico. The northern end of the basin sits in the southernmost edge of the Appalachian mountains.

These photos are from two days of exploring, fishing (unsuccessfully) and scouting for bears (quite succesfully) across several miles of public land of varying designation in the northern end of the river basin I just described.

Timing is everything. I rewatched Deliverance last night. Turns out it is a trad archery hunting story.