Book excerpt: From the heyday of the Cherokee Nation and on through the twentieth century, the Great Smoky Mountains have nurtured some of the most celebrated hunters in American history. Predicting changes in weather and almost telepathically sensing animal behavior, these outdoorsmen were linked inextricably with the land that sustained them. Local author Bob Plott lovingly recalls the tales-rife with characters like Honest John, the bear whose habit of killing only enough livestock to eat at one sitting granted him a reputation at once chivalrous and menacing, and "Little George" Plott, a legendary marksman turned World War II hero-that linger among the region's hardwood forests and misty foothills. Rediscover an era of self-sufficient mountain living, when folks labored in logging camps, brewed moonshine, hunted for survival and fought for what they believed in. Book jacket.