Has anyone hunted Foothills WMA?

[guygene]

What can you tell me about it? It's about an hour away, and supposedly has many pigs in it. Where do you park? Is it marked as a state park? Bears? Have you had good luck?

Thanks in advance.

[peejman]

I've not hunted it, but I live a few miles from it and have been in both ends of it, though only on the roads. On the south side you have to park at the boat ramp off 129 at foothills parkway and walk quite a ways up a steep gravel road. There's several homes in there you have to avoid as well.

On the north side there's a small gravel parking lot off 6 mile road, and you have to walk up a poorly maintained 2 track. The terrain is fairly steep as well.

I'm sure there's plenty of pigs in there, but you'll work for them. A friend bear hunts on private property adjacent to it, so they're there as well. There are park property signs periodically through it. The national park owns a easement several hundred yards wide on either side of the parkway. Edited December 31, 2014 by peejman

[guygene]

Thanks. That's great info.

[mike243]

better ck the rules on hogs before you go. rules sure aint like they use to be.

[Ugly]

What is going on with the hog rules? 

[guygene]

This is what hunting guide says.

 

In Region IV, wild hogs may be taken on any big game hunt on the North Cherokee; any deer or turkey hunt on Kyker Bottoms Refuge; and on any hunt, small game or big game, on the Foothills WMA and the entire North Cumberland WMA.

[peejman]

Kyker Bottoms is much more accessible, and probably much more popular for that reason.

[10-Ring]

I'm local to Foohills WMA but I've never messed with it.  Last I checked it was one of the few WMAs that you could take pigs on.  It is very hard to access from the South side, it's 3+ miles of walking from the parking area until you get to the actual WMA.  The terrain is basically the side of a mountain so it's rough going.  There are usually a couple of trucks around the South side during Archery season but not usually much of anything around after that.  IMO it's a whole lot of rough walking just to get in there, I couldn't imagine hauling game out of there.