CURE areas in South Mountain Gamelands

nchunter2

Eight Pointer
I keep hearing that the quail effort in the SMGL CURE areas is a bust. Can't figure out what the problem is in allowing folks to woodcock hunt in those areas. Any ideas when these areas will be open to bird hunting?? I'm assuming rabbit hunting goes on there, but it would be nice to get on WC there too.

From the regs:

"That part of South Mountains Game Land in Cleveland,
McDowell and Rutherford counties is closed to all grouse,
quail and woodcock hunting and all bird dog training.hunting and all bird dog training."
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
They are proposing to open it next year.

Go to the NCWRC website to comment on the proposal.

Yeah the quail management was largely a bust as there is only a small population there.
 
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Ruff Hunter

Four Pointer
I just wanted to say that this sounds a lot like what Tennessee is doing with the quail restoration project.... there are several areas that are designated for this with the ruse of them opening up to quail hunting but to my knowledge they have yet to do so.....no one cares about upland game.....
 

nchunter2

Eight Pointer
I just wanted to say that this sounds a lot like what Tennessee is doing with the quail restoration project.... there are several areas that are designated for this with the ruse of them opening up to quail hunting but to my knowledge they have yet to do so.....no one cares about upland game.....
It's a damned shame. Hundreds of acres of prime woodcock habitat and you can't hunt it?!? Come on, if the quail project is a failure, at least let the woodcock hunters have a go.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
To be fair, you wouldn't go to that all of that trouble if no one cared about it. The fact that they are trying stuff means they care enough to give it a go. If the rest of the environmental/habitat/predator conditions don't produce success, that's unfortunate, but at least they are trying.

I read the proposals too, and it seemed like they were admitting that CURE was a failure and this is the last holdout before just giving up.

Will the opening of the sandhills and south mtn. game lands affect anyone here? Anyone planning on hunting them when they are opened up next year? Has anyone been wanting to hunt those areas but couldn't? The proposals made it sound like the hunting is so bad that at the permit hunts aren't worth drawing a permit, so they might as well open them up.
 

JONOV

Old Mossy Horns
To be fair, you wouldn't go to that all of that trouble if no one cared about it. The fact that they are trying stuff means they care enough to give it a go. If the rest of the environmental/habitat/predator conditions don't produce success, that's unfortunate, but at least they are trying.

I read the proposals too, and it seemed like they were admitting that CURE was a failure and this is the last holdout before just giving up.

Will the opening of the sandhills and south mtn. game lands affect anyone here? Anyone planning on hunting them when they are opened up next year? Has anyone been wanting to hunt those areas but couldn't? The proposals made it sound like the hunting is so bad that at the permit hunts aren't worth drawing a permit, so they might as well open them up.

Well, people do apply and draw permits...

I don't have the answer. It might be that you really need tens of thousands of acres to make it work. I'm not sure.
 
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nchunter2

Eight Pointer
To be fair, you wouldn't go to that all of that trouble if no one cared about it. The fact that they are trying stuff means they care enough to give it a go. If the rest of the environmental/habitat/predator conditions don't produce success, that's unfortunate, but at least they are trying.

I read the proposals too, and it seemed like they were admitting that CURE was a failure and this is the last holdout before just giving up.

Will the opening of the sandhills and south mtn. game lands affect anyone here? Anyone planning on hunting them when they are opened up next year? Has anyone been wanting to hunt those areas but couldn't? The proposals made it sound like the hunting is so bad that at the permit hunts aren't worth drawing a permit, so they might as well open them up.

I certainly do appreciate their efforts with CURE. I've hunted the Sandhills permit hunts and probably walked more miles than I do (with a top notch bird dog) grouse hunting with little to show for it. I've seen the SMGL CURE areas a number of times over the years and just can't figure out why you can't WC hunt it. When they do open it up I'll be there on a regular basis WC hunting.
 

MtnGrouseHtr

Six Pointer
I certainly do appreciate their efforts with CURE. I've hunted the Sandhills permit hunts and probably walked more miles than I do (with a top notch bird dog) grouse hunting with little to show for it. I've seen the SMGL CURE areas a number of times over the years and just can't figure out why you can't WC hunt it. When they do open it up I'll be there on a regular basis WC hunting.

I always enjoyed hunting the Sandhills for quail, for nothing else it was a change of pace from the mountains. I was surprised to see that they are thinking of giving up on the CURE areas. If they can't make headway with total control of what grows, what burns, what to cut and when, I wonder if they are ready to admit that avian predators are the problem. I counted 14 hawks the last 2 days I quail hunted the CURE area.

I always hear that it's habit, habitat, habitat. We'll they had control at SM and Sandhills to do what ever they wanted and couldn't improve quail and grouse numbers. Either they don't know what quail / grouse habitat looks like, or they need to control the one thing that no one likes to talk about.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I always enjoyed hunting the Sandhills for quail, for nothing else it was a change of pace from the mountains. I was surprised to see that they are thinking of giving up on the CURE areas. If they can't make headway with total control of what grows, what burns, what to cut and when, I wonder if they are ready to admit that avian predators are the problem. I counted 14 hawks the last 2 days I quail hunted the CURE area.

I always hear that it's habit, habitat, habitat. We'll they had control at SM and Sandhills to do what ever they wanted and couldn't improve quail and grouse numbers. Either they don't know what quail / grouse habitat looks like, or they need to control the one thing that no one likes to talk about.


Thank you,,, ,,,,,,concur
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I always enjoyed hunting the Sandhills for quail, for nothing else it was a change of pace from the mountains. I was surprised to see that they are thinking of giving up on the CURE areas. If they can't make headway with total control of what grows, what burns, what to cut and when, I wonder if they are ready to admit that avian predators are the problem. I counted 14 hawks the last 2 days I quail hunted the CURE area.

I always hear that it's habit, habitat, habitat. We'll they had control at SM and Sandhills to do what ever they wanted and couldn't improve quail and grouse numbers. Either they don't know what quail / grouse habitat looks like, or they need to control the one thing that no one likes to talk about.
You go to the preserves (private) in Ga and lower Sc and those very predators they don't like to talk about live a rough life. Granted they get in trouble from time to time over managing them but they still do. Face it the govt. did a great job protecting them, and in the process has brainwashed generations that they are totally taboo as far as doing anything about them. Fingers has been pointed at farmers and their practices and no doubt they have hurt quail but ride the fields down east. You will see these predators in record numbers, they take their toll.
 

curdog

Ten Pointer
Contributor
I was talking to some guys burning on the CURE areas a few years ago, and everytime they were burning "a" hawk would show up and catch some of the furry critters as they exited the block. The hawks learned that smoke equaled their meals were up and moving . I'm sure it was mainly mice and rats, but there's no doubt that some rabbits and probably some quail got picked up as well.
 
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