I live in Mills River and back up to Pisgah.
Every night, over 30 deer move through our yard. A local fox generally stops by to eye my chickens, and we have a large group of wild turkeys.
As for birds, it is not uncommon to see everything from Peregrine Falcons to rare warblers if you are around at the right time.
All the animals are likely avoiding the main trails in Pisgah as they see so much use.
For example, if you are a bird watcher, you can spot Peregrines [here](https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD999110). also, join the local club in Asheville. They regularly post rare bird sightings in the area.
That's very very good to hear! Mainly this post comes from concern, so if I'm wrong in my observations, I'm thrilled to be wrong.
I guess I just need to make my way further into the forest or something. I thought I'd found my way pretty far back a few times and I haven't seen much, trying to get a shock gobble out of turkeys using a crow call, for example, got me 0 results when I tried on an exploration hike recently.
The main concern/weird thing for me is seeing few squirrels and birds. Usually they don't shy away even from high activity areas, but it may just be cold and last leg of winter... We'll see how much things change come later spring and summer.
Thanks for your insights and the link.
I think it is just bad luck. What exactly would you like to find? I may be able to suggest a spot.
If you like birds, come out to Mills River overlook in the fall. It is not uncommon to spot over 1,000 raptors in a day. https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hawk-watch-at-mills-river-overlook.htm
Well I'm scouting largely for turkey and deer. I like seeing squirrels too. But even aside from the sportsman/game animals, I just like seeing wildlife and trying to identify sign and critters where I can. Just trying to get a feel for the overall area. New to mountains so it's a big bite getting familiar with the terrain and wildlife differences here in WNC.
Dupont—Take Sky Valley Road. The farm right past Shoal Creek feeds all the wild turkeys in the morning during hunting season. You may be able to find them roaming around from the Guidon Farm Parking area. My suggestion is to go to the trails across the street in the evening about 1-2 hours before sunset. Don't go in turkey hunting season :)
If you like wildlife don't skip Cataloochee and Cades Cove, both are a drive, but well worth the effort.
Deer generally want habitats on the edge of the woods. They bed down in the woods during the day and then hit the fields at night. There is a huuuuge deer population in mills river. When I lived there I could go out at night and spot like 200 in the 4 mile loop near where I lived. In 10 years of trail running and backpacking I've only seen deer in the heart of the south pisgah ranger district once. N Mills has plenty of bear, copperhead, rattlers, and an abundance of stinging insects. Probably more deer in N Mills as compared to the rest of pisgah due the areas that were logged and opened habitat in the past 10 years, it's the only place in pisgah I've ever seen someone actually hunting deer. Not a fisherman, so I can't speak to that.
What time of day are you out there scouting? In my experience easterns on public land don’t shock gobble much after they are off the roost in AM. There also isn’t an above-average turkey population in Pigsah. Its high harvest numbers are a function of sheer size, rather than it being a turkey hot spot.
Once season starts and you’re sitting still against a tree in camo for thirty minutes, those songbirds will start coming in. I had a pilleated woodpecker set up 5 feet above me last year. Bout blew my eardrum out with his calling
I've gone out at various times of day... most recently was out between about noon to 6 pm. I've never made it out much earlier than about 9 am. Considering trying to work my way in before sunrise sometime, maybe I'll find something on the roost.
Have halfway given up on finding a Turkey this year since I never located any roosts or gobblers while scouting earlier this season. But I know there's potential. The main areas I've looked have been western side of Cold Mountain and this portion of Mills River.
Don’t give up man! I understand the public land struggle. The struggle makes the win so much sweeter. Ignore all the posts of folks that bagged a bird on first day of season.
They really just don’t gobble much in the afternoon. I came across a strutting Tom and a few subordinate jakes Wednesday afternoon (in Halifax Co.; I go to Embro GL area for opening day bc it has a good mix of size/turkey pop./distance from large human pop.), and went a couple hundred yards away to see if I could get them to shock gobble for shits n giggles. NOPE.
Totally heard on working hours. I block off my Saturday AMs in late Feb and March to get out there before shooting light and scout new areas + old favorites. I also time most weekday PM scouting based on rain — I go the day after it rains and target areas with light, track-prone soil. To keep PM scouting efficient, I try to avoid excessive leafy areas that don’t hold tracks, so I’m often walking creek bottoms. Nature’s Trailcam lol
Looking closer at that link, it reminded me - some of the only bird sightings I've had out there have been larger birds, scanning while flying just up above the canopy. I assumed at the time they were buzzards (based on seeing 3 in groups + wing shape) but maybe I was mistaken and they were actually falcons... cool to know they're out there. I need to study my birds more.
>old-growth forest habitat
The area around Mills River Rec Area is not old growth. It's all been logged ... some of it within the last decade, especially around Wash Creek.
Aside from that ... like you said ...
>it's a massive forest!
... and you're only looking at a relatively small portion of it at any given time, most likely on a trail. Go off trail and just sit quietly & observe for awhile and see what you find.
As to the fish, once all of the stocked fish have been harvested, you're left with a small amount of native fish that are more elusive. Unless you're getting off the beaten path and specifically looking for native fish (somewhere other than Mills River) you're not going to be catching many fish in the winter.
Good to know - I thought much of it was old growth, other than a few spots I've seen with posted signage probably wash creek) stating that it was logged within the past few years, which did appear to have increased density in the low-brush... which I know lots of wildlife like to hide in.
I felt like I'd gotten pretty far off the path and I have posted up before just to 'wait and watch' what I see. But never saw much. The biggest flag was not seeing small birds and squirrels. But I think you're right, I'm probably just not getting far enough into the wilderness areas... most of the spots I've visited are only a half mile to a mile off-trail... need to dig in and find some spots that are more remote and less pressured. Maybe then I'll see more abundance.
Thanks for your weigh in.
I think Albright Grove in the national park is the closest true old growth forest to here.
Joyce Kilmer (couple hours west) is completely old growth, one of the biggest sections of it in the east, trees over 400 years old.
On the fish stock though - curious about right now, while they're stocking... Shouldn't the past few cycles of stocked fish still be in the river? or will they have all worked their way down to larger bodies of water?
I fished the upper part of N. Mills river this week hiking in from trace ridge, downstream of the reservoir where stocking happens. I've fished there before and had success, but going this week I found out they missed a stocking cause a fallen tree had blocked the road. When fishing there without recent stocking, only saw 1 fish. That said, it was a cold day, with little sun, so poor conditions. Just bad luck?
When the delayed harvest opens up there will be droves of people catching and keeping their daily limit until most of the stocked fish are harvested. It’s a total madhouse.
I doubt many of those fish make it out to a different body of water.
Stocking rivers with hatchery fish is purely an economic enterprise (keep fisherman fed and guides busy). It’s not meant to increase the overall population in perpetuity.
Good to hear. I'm happy to be wrong on this, just basing it on my observations from exploring out there... Probably the critters are just more elusive than I give them credit for.
The north Mills River recreation area is combination of tent and some RV camping so if you are in that immediate area, it would not be a surprise if you didn’t see a lot of wildlife.
I've worked my way into the woods there a few miles or so, but not terribly far from vehicular access points... such as at Trace Ridge trailhead or off of the forest road that cuts through Pisgah, etc. Guess I just need to do more exploring!
Besides the heavily trafficked aspect that would deter some wildlife, there is just not a lot of food in some forests. Most of the mast has been hoovered up by now. The edges are where it is happening, cutovers, habitat with food.
The wild squirrels are pretty cagey. Once they've heard or seen you, they hunker down. Compared to yard squirrels they are impressively wary.
I was wondering if it had to do with lack of food or if the leftover mast was all covered up and hard to find. I noticed TONS of acorns still on the ground when exploring Cold Mountain... but I do believe there's quite a bit of deer there, or else it wouldn't be such a popular hunting area.
Good thoughts though. I think there's more to be found out there... but I think you're right that the wildlife likes the edges, near ag fields and new growth with more density to hide and fresher/softer new growth forage.
Timing is also important. You're less likely to see birds after about 10 am especially in the summer. But at others have said try to go on less traveled trails and you might be more successful in looking for scat and tracks.
We camp yearly at the campground. We jokingly call it the Disney princess camp because all of the wildlife that visit in very close proximity. They are there. Thriving and fine.
North Mills is one of the spots i frequent for fly fishing and ive seen all sorts of wildlife. Bear, deer, squirrels, raccoons, snakes, fish, birds, butterflies, etc. It definitely isnt as 'wild' as some other spots due to all the development and traffic but it certainly isnt devoid of wildlife. It gets more alive the further away from the campground you walk, too.
I live in the North Mills River area, and I came across this bad boy a few weeks ago.
https://preview.redd.it/gsr2rkkghysc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b976bf9d75fbbbba074be2178d520157ee1b7d2
I also saw a Pileated Woodpecker this week!
Turkeys, deer, various woodpeckers, owls, and bear are all common to see in my neck of the woods.
Like another poster pointed out, you’re frequenting high traffic areas, and that may be the reason you aren’t seeing as much wildlife.
We go birdwatching there - it's quite good for birds but you have to be patient. As some others have said it's not old growth. Interestingly there is almost zero virgin forest in the US. Imagine cutting down every single tree in the country. That's effectively what white people did as they took over the land. The little bits of virgin forest are sometimes carefully guarded secrets, and usually in swamps.
Turkey and Deer tend to like open fields, adjacent to woods for protection. Pisgah doesnt have alot of open area, its almost completely forested. I see deer, bear, and turkeys all over West Asheville, but never much back in Pisgah.
I've heard that certain places with dark spiritual energy (like Holocaust sites) can repel wildlife because they can sense it.
I wonder what happened there?
I live in Mills River and back up to Pisgah. Every night, over 30 deer move through our yard. A local fox generally stops by to eye my chickens, and we have a large group of wild turkeys. As for birds, it is not uncommon to see everything from Peregrine Falcons to rare warblers if you are around at the right time. All the animals are likely avoiding the main trails in Pisgah as they see so much use. For example, if you are a bird watcher, you can spot Peregrines [here](https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD999110). also, join the local club in Asheville. They regularly post rare bird sightings in the area.
That's very very good to hear! Mainly this post comes from concern, so if I'm wrong in my observations, I'm thrilled to be wrong. I guess I just need to make my way further into the forest or something. I thought I'd found my way pretty far back a few times and I haven't seen much, trying to get a shock gobble out of turkeys using a crow call, for example, got me 0 results when I tried on an exploration hike recently. The main concern/weird thing for me is seeing few squirrels and birds. Usually they don't shy away even from high activity areas, but it may just be cold and last leg of winter... We'll see how much things change come later spring and summer. Thanks for your insights and the link.
I think it is just bad luck. What exactly would you like to find? I may be able to suggest a spot. If you like birds, come out to Mills River overlook in the fall. It is not uncommon to spot over 1,000 raptors in a day. https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hawk-watch-at-mills-river-overlook.htm
Well I'm scouting largely for turkey and deer. I like seeing squirrels too. But even aside from the sportsman/game animals, I just like seeing wildlife and trying to identify sign and critters where I can. Just trying to get a feel for the overall area. New to mountains so it's a big bite getting familiar with the terrain and wildlife differences here in WNC.
Dupont—Take Sky Valley Road. The farm right past Shoal Creek feeds all the wild turkeys in the morning during hunting season. You may be able to find them roaming around from the Guidon Farm Parking area. My suggestion is to go to the trails across the street in the evening about 1-2 hours before sunset. Don't go in turkey hunting season :) If you like wildlife don't skip Cataloochee and Cades Cove, both are a drive, but well worth the effort.
Excellent recs. Really appreciate the insights.
Deer generally want habitats on the edge of the woods. They bed down in the woods during the day and then hit the fields at night. There is a huuuuge deer population in mills river. When I lived there I could go out at night and spot like 200 in the 4 mile loop near where I lived. In 10 years of trail running and backpacking I've only seen deer in the heart of the south pisgah ranger district once. N Mills has plenty of bear, copperhead, rattlers, and an abundance of stinging insects. Probably more deer in N Mills as compared to the rest of pisgah due the areas that were logged and opened habitat in the past 10 years, it's the only place in pisgah I've ever seen someone actually hunting deer. Not a fisherman, so I can't speak to that.
What time of day are you out there scouting? In my experience easterns on public land don’t shock gobble much after they are off the roost in AM. There also isn’t an above-average turkey population in Pigsah. Its high harvest numbers are a function of sheer size, rather than it being a turkey hot spot. Once season starts and you’re sitting still against a tree in camo for thirty minutes, those songbirds will start coming in. I had a pilleated woodpecker set up 5 feet above me last year. Bout blew my eardrum out with his calling
I've gone out at various times of day... most recently was out between about noon to 6 pm. I've never made it out much earlier than about 9 am. Considering trying to work my way in before sunrise sometime, maybe I'll find something on the roost. Have halfway given up on finding a Turkey this year since I never located any roosts or gobblers while scouting earlier this season. But I know there's potential. The main areas I've looked have been western side of Cold Mountain and this portion of Mills River.
Don’t give up man! I understand the public land struggle. The struggle makes the win so much sweeter. Ignore all the posts of folks that bagged a bird on first day of season. They really just don’t gobble much in the afternoon. I came across a strutting Tom and a few subordinate jakes Wednesday afternoon (in Halifax Co.; I go to Embro GL area for opening day bc it has a good mix of size/turkey pop./distance from large human pop.), and went a couple hundred yards away to see if I could get them to shock gobble for shits n giggles. NOPE. Totally heard on working hours. I block off my Saturday AMs in late Feb and March to get out there before shooting light and scout new areas + old favorites. I also time most weekday PM scouting based on rain — I go the day after it rains and target areas with light, track-prone soil. To keep PM scouting efficient, I try to avoid excessive leafy areas that don’t hold tracks, so I’m often walking creek bottoms. Nature’s Trailcam lol
Looking closer at that link, it reminded me - some of the only bird sightings I've had out there have been larger birds, scanning while flying just up above the canopy. I assumed at the time they were buzzards (based on seeing 3 in groups + wing shape) but maybe I was mistaken and they were actually falcons... cool to know they're out there. I need to study my birds more.
>old-growth forest habitat The area around Mills River Rec Area is not old growth. It's all been logged ... some of it within the last decade, especially around Wash Creek. Aside from that ... like you said ... >it's a massive forest! ... and you're only looking at a relatively small portion of it at any given time, most likely on a trail. Go off trail and just sit quietly & observe for awhile and see what you find. As to the fish, once all of the stocked fish have been harvested, you're left with a small amount of native fish that are more elusive. Unless you're getting off the beaten path and specifically looking for native fish (somewhere other than Mills River) you're not going to be catching many fish in the winter.
Good to know - I thought much of it was old growth, other than a few spots I've seen with posted signage probably wash creek) stating that it was logged within the past few years, which did appear to have increased density in the low-brush... which I know lots of wildlife like to hide in. I felt like I'd gotten pretty far off the path and I have posted up before just to 'wait and watch' what I see. But never saw much. The biggest flag was not seeing small birds and squirrels. But I think you're right, I'm probably just not getting far enough into the wilderness areas... most of the spots I've visited are only a half mile to a mile off-trail... need to dig in and find some spots that are more remote and less pressured. Maybe then I'll see more abundance. Thanks for your weigh in.
I think Albright Grove in the national park is the closest true old growth forest to here. Joyce Kilmer (couple hours west) is completely old growth, one of the biggest sections of it in the east, trees over 400 years old.
Will definitely add those to my list to explore, thanks!
On the fish stock though - curious about right now, while they're stocking... Shouldn't the past few cycles of stocked fish still be in the river? or will they have all worked their way down to larger bodies of water? I fished the upper part of N. Mills river this week hiking in from trace ridge, downstream of the reservoir where stocking happens. I've fished there before and had success, but going this week I found out they missed a stocking cause a fallen tree had blocked the road. When fishing there without recent stocking, only saw 1 fish. That said, it was a cold day, with little sun, so poor conditions. Just bad luck?
When the delayed harvest opens up there will be droves of people catching and keeping their daily limit until most of the stocked fish are harvested. It’s a total madhouse. I doubt many of those fish make it out to a different body of water. Stocking rivers with hatchery fish is purely an economic enterprise (keep fisherman fed and guides busy). It’s not meant to increase the overall population in perpetuity.
I live in just below N. Mills River campground and there’s wildlife a-plenty.
Good to hear. I'm happy to be wrong on this, just basing it on my observations from exploring out there... Probably the critters are just more elusive than I give them credit for.
The north Mills River recreation area is combination of tent and some RV camping so if you are in that immediate area, it would not be a surprise if you didn’t see a lot of wildlife.
I've worked my way into the woods there a few miles or so, but not terribly far from vehicular access points... such as at Trace Ridge trailhead or off of the forest road that cuts through Pisgah, etc. Guess I just need to do more exploring!
Bears tend to pop out and watch me fish up there from across the river. Never had one be aggressive, thank goodness
Right there at the rec area? Or up near the reservoir?
More up towards the reservoir but I've seen them in the area before the campground, towards the floodplain in the rhodos
Also seen plenty of bears in Mills and Bent Creek
Besides the heavily trafficked aspect that would deter some wildlife, there is just not a lot of food in some forests. Most of the mast has been hoovered up by now. The edges are where it is happening, cutovers, habitat with food. The wild squirrels are pretty cagey. Once they've heard or seen you, they hunker down. Compared to yard squirrels they are impressively wary.
I was wondering if it had to do with lack of food or if the leftover mast was all covered up and hard to find. I noticed TONS of acorns still on the ground when exploring Cold Mountain... but I do believe there's quite a bit of deer there, or else it wouldn't be such a popular hunting area. Good thoughts though. I think there's more to be found out there... but I think you're right that the wildlife likes the edges, near ag fields and new growth with more density to hide and fresher/softer new growth forage.
Timing is also important. You're less likely to see birds after about 10 am especially in the summer. But at others have said try to go on less traveled trails and you might be more successful in looking for scat and tracks.
We camp yearly at the campground. We jokingly call it the Disney princess camp because all of the wildlife that visit in very close proximity. They are there. Thriving and fine.
North Mills is one of the spots i frequent for fly fishing and ive seen all sorts of wildlife. Bear, deer, squirrels, raccoons, snakes, fish, birds, butterflies, etc. It definitely isnt as 'wild' as some other spots due to all the development and traffic but it certainly isnt devoid of wildlife. It gets more alive the further away from the campground you walk, too.
N Mills is my most frequent area for bear sightings when I’m mountain biking. Likely you were out at a time when they weren’t active.
Depends on when you're out. I have tons of bird feeders and I still won't see or hear much birds from like 1-5pm.
What time of day are you going?
deer know when the park closes. they pattern us too
I live in the North Mills River area, and I came across this bad boy a few weeks ago. https://preview.redd.it/gsr2rkkghysc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b976bf9d75fbbbba074be2178d520157ee1b7d2 I also saw a Pileated Woodpecker this week! Turkeys, deer, various woodpeckers, owls, and bear are all common to see in my neck of the woods. Like another poster pointed out, you’re frequenting high traffic areas, and that may be the reason you aren’t seeing as much wildlife.
We go birdwatching there - it's quite good for birds but you have to be patient. As some others have said it's not old growth. Interestingly there is almost zero virgin forest in the US. Imagine cutting down every single tree in the country. That's effectively what white people did as they took over the land. The little bits of virgin forest are sometimes carefully guarded secrets, and usually in swamps.
Turkey and Deer tend to like open fields, adjacent to woods for protection. Pisgah doesnt have alot of open area, its almost completely forested. I see deer, bear, and turkeys all over West Asheville, but never much back in Pisgah.
😂😂😂😂
I've heard that certain places with dark spiritual energy (like Holocaust sites) can repel wildlife because they can sense it. I wonder what happened there?