Hunting Season - Southern Appalachians

[stranger]

Was hoping someone on here could tell me when the hunting season starts in the south. I will be hiking from Springer to Erwin starting on 21 September and just wondering when it officially opens. I'm looking for specific dates if possible, I realize this probably varies from state to state so any help would be appreciated.

[MintakaCat]

This page, with all it's links, should answer all your questions:

http://www.appalachiantrail.org/site...and_the_AT.htm

[Marta]

It's not a simple question--there are many different animals being hunted, with different weapons, by different groups of people. (Example, youth bow season for deer.) The simple remedy is to have at least one piece of blaze orange clothing that can be seen from all sides. I have two hats--a blaze orange ball cap for when it's warm out, and a blaze orange knit cap for cold days, plus a blaze orange pack cover.

During the main gun season (you WILL see pickup trucks at every road crossing, and hear plenty of gunfire, which should tip you off), I also avoid hiking in low-light conditions.

[OldStormcrow]

Wear some blaze orange for sure. I hate the stuff, but you will be right at opening day in many areas of the southeast....mainly bow and black powder for deer. The seasons vary widely depending on the state or county.

[MadAussieInLondon]

there is often a lot of out of season hunting too in some of the more rural areas

[quietly]

Around here, I recommend one of these...

[Gumbi]

Was hoping someone on here could tell me when the hunting season starts in the south. I will be hiking from Springer to Erwin starting on 21 September and just wondering when it officially opens. I'm looking for specific dates if possible, I realize this probably varies from state to state so any help would be appreciated.

Hunting season is almost year round. There are only a couple of months when no animals are in season, but otherwise, there are always a couple of kinds of animals that can legally be hunted.

Wait a minute, I just remembered that wild boars can and should be shot on sight, so I guess people can hunt at any time during the year.

[quietly]

Wait a minute, I just remembered that wild boars can and should be shot on sight, so I guess people can hunt at any time during the year.

That is true, but the folks I know who boar hunt live in the back country, and are fairly woods savvy. I would be more concerned about deer season, when everyone who fancies themselves a hunter (regardless of experience) ventures out with a firearm. Thems the ones who shoot at unidentifeid motions and noises. Bottom line - put on some blaze orange. That way when you're shot, the over-anxious offender has no excuse

[Bearpaw]

During deer season, I do my best to imitate the Great Pumpkin.



And I'm OK with that...

[OldStormcrow]

Hunting season is almost year round. There are only a couple of months when no animals are in season, but otherwise, there are always a couple of kinds of animals that can legally be hunted.

Wait a minute, I just remembered that wild boars can and should be shot on sight, so I guess people can hunt at any time during the year.

In SC you can hunt wild hogs and coyotes year-round, the undergrowth is quite thick and most of the trails are on DNR land....something to keep in mind.

[Pokey2006]

Wait -- there's a beginning to hunting season down here???? I thought it was one of those things with no beginning, and no end.

[flemdawg1]

Around here, I recommend one of these...

I'd rather be shot. GO DAWGS!

[quietly]

I'd rather be shot. GO DAWGS!

Hehehe, as soon as I posted that I realized I had that one coming

[TIDE-HSV]

Back in the early '80s, I was hiking on Standing Indian during hog season (I think someone above said you can kill them on sight now, but that wasn't true then). We had run into a bunch of the hog hunters and regretted that we didn't have any International Orange. They were armed to the teeth and looked as if they'd shoot at the slightest sound. Around a bend, we ran into this godforsaken individual, and I'm not going to describe him - just say that he fit a lot of Appalachian stereotypes, except he had a fairly respectable two-way radio and a nice, new-looking rifle. And he was lost, completely lost. He was fearful of us, didn't know what to make of us. After all, we were in the woods without guns, and who can trust folks like that? Anyway, he was fearful enough to approach us for directions, because he couldn't raise his friend, Red Man, on his radio. We tried to explain to him that he was standing in the middle of a 2000+ mile trail, running from down in GA, through where we were, to Maine. Now, he knew we were crazy. He withdrew away from us, over to the side of the trail and proceeded to keep calling his buddy, Red Man. His handle was "Mad Dog." "Red Man, Red Man, this is Mad Dog..."

[OldStormcrow]

Wait -- there's a beginning to hunting season down here???? I thought it was one of those things with no beginning, and no end.

It's kinda like the old joke about the Louisiana congressman's constituents asking him to designate another month for duck hunting. The congressman's response was "What are you going to call that month? 'Cuz you already hunt ducks 12 months a year!"