I see less hunters on public land in the mountains of NC than I did 2 decades ago. Doesn't matter the season. I think TV is partially to blame. The glamorization of western and midwestern hunting has sent a lot of guys to those areas, but the mountains of NC I'd claim is one of the toughest regions, if not the toughest in the country. A lot of guys come here after watching TV hunting and between the relative low deer density, the vastness of public land, the terrain and density of an Southern Appalachian forest, they have little success and give it up rather quickly.
Simply put, for a new hunter, this area just sucks to try and learn to hunt. We're the highest mountains east of the Rockies, yet given the latitude, our weather still very much influenced by the Gulf of Mexico. In the early season it's always wet and it's always hot and it's always muggy. So for example, think about the early season trying to climb to 3000'+, in 80 degree weather with 90% humidity, through a jungle so thick it would make the Vietcong think twice, for little to no success, and it's understandable why we're seeing lower hunter numbers as the old timers phase out, and a generation who's used to getting their food from a drive thru or a microwave, phases in. Most hunters have been influenced by a glamorized hunting culture on TV or social media, and they want instant success, and this area just doesn't provide it.
I am not complaining though. This is all I've ever known and learned, and it makes for good hunting for me and my kids.
