Victorcharlie, Do I understand your post to say that the hog hunters are using marine radios? You are saying VHF right? May I ask why? I have GMRS radios.
I am planing on camping in the area for hogs at that time.
Oldyardog
That's right. The range of frs/gmrs radios are very limited in the area. The terrain is very steep and rugged and as frs/gmrs is line of sight they don't have the range.
I'm not advocating transmitting on VHF marine frequencies as use other than intended would be illegal. However, a small rechargeable handheld that scans would allow you to listen to locals who frequent the area.
Also, the locals know every detail of the area and even though you can listen, if you don't have a map and/or understand the area their talking about it won't do you much good.
A really good high level map of the area south of the Smokey mountains through Georgia is the National Geographic Trails Illustrated #781, titled Cherokee National Forest, Tellico & Ocoee River. This is a 1:63,000 topo map with roads and trais. It covers from Tellico lake on the north through most of the Cohutta's in the south. It's already gridded for UTM. It shows gated logging roads as well as hiking trails.
I also suggest the 1:24000 quad angle maps of the area, about 6 total for the Cherokee in Polk County, and another 6 or so for Monroe County. These are available from the TVA map store and from the Cherokee National Forest head quarters at 2800 Ocoee street in Cleveland TN. The Forest service maps are a little better than the TVA maps because private property located inside the forest is shaded a different color from public land. Both have UTM reference on the side but I have mine gridded which when used with a gps allows me to pin point a location within about 20 meters.
I've managed to acquire all the topo's of the Cherokee from the Georgia state line up through Northern Monroe county, one or two at a time.
If you've not spent a lot of time in the area, the Cherokee is the second most diverse eco system in the world. Maps, compass, GPS, and a good UTM multi scale tool will keep you hunting rather than wandering looking for a specific area.
My wife and I often meet people turned around in the area with no clue where they are or how to get where their going. We ran into a yankee transplant this week end at lost creek who was wayyyy turned around.