Owen,

I lived in north Georgia and South Carolina for several years and hunted the national forest lands in the mountains. It was great turkey hunting but a very difficult place to pattern deer.  The same is true in the Ozark Mountains where I grew up (and currently live).  Without habitat improvement, deer rarely have distinct patterns and certainly rarely use trails in such areas.  This is because food sources and bedding areas are not defined in contrast to the ag production areas of the Midwest.  However, I would spend the bulk of my time scouting, looking for fresh sign and general travel routes.  Within these travel routes I would concentrate on bottlenecks such as steep saddles in the mountains or bluffs that force deer to travel within a specific area.  Once these areas are located, they will provide quality hunting unless the deer sense the danger and change their patterns.

If you can successfully harvest deer regularly in the mountains of Georgia on public land, you can be a successful deer hunter anywhere!

Growing (and hunting) Deer together,

Grant