I live over the mountains on the Tennessee side. I don't know about North Carolina, but I can tell you a little about conditions on this side of the state line.
I hunt the mountain area from south of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and the Little Tennessee River, down to the Georgia state line. It is all in the Cherokee National Forest, although there are private farms and settlements scattered about within that vast area.
You will need a good topographic map that not only shows the terrain features, but also what is private and what is public areas.
Also, within my hunting area are two large black bear preserves. In general, they are open to deer and wild boar hunting, but open seasons vary and are sometimes different than the open seasons in other areas of the state. Read the game regulations very carefully!
Scouting is very important. The deer are scattered over a huge area. They are not everywhere, and compared to the agricultural areas, they are scarce.
I'll say that again: deer are scarce, and what deer are in these heavily wooded mountains are scattered in small groups over a huge area.
I find "pockets" of deer in widely scattered areas. Also, it seems that I usually find deer higher up on the ridges and around the heads of remote valleys. Down low along the creeks is where I generally find more hog sign. But, of course, deer and pigs can be anywhere. Learn the difference between deer and pig tracks. Pigs have a more rounded hoof than do deer.
Be in good physical condition. These mountains are steep sided and the ravines are jungles choked with rhododendren. The ridge tops are often thick with mountain laurel and catbriars. It is tough country to walk around in, and even harder to get a deer out of.
I have a favorite little hunting spot that requires me to pack in about two miles over a ridge. I took a nice buck there in 2006, but it took me 5 hours to drag it out of there! I still like hunting there, and sometimes camp there for a couple of days, but the next deer, hog, or bear that I take back in there will be cut up and packed out in quarters. It is a lot of work!
