We are getting screwed in Decatur County - Season Dates

[JPoutdoors23]

**Update**
Because few people will actually read all the responses to understand what we are trying to say, so I'll summarize:

No one is asking for a longer season/ more days to hunt. Only for the season to come in later so that it can end later in our area, giving us the ability to enjoy the entire rut in SW GA, even if that means changing legislation to make it possible.

No one is against northern hunters or putting the blame on them, we just understand that deer are doing different things at different times in different parts of the state and believe the season dates should reflect that. There's no reason whatsoever to have the same season dates for the entire or majority of the state. It's scary that this went through with so many not even knowing about it. Sign up on the link below provided by GA DNR so we can stay more informed about what they are really up to.

Personally, I want everyone to enjoy the full experience of the their deer season and the whitetail rut, regardless of the differences in timing of it or location, just want the season dates to allow for that.
**

Original post:
The past 3 days I have seen 3 separate bucks locked down with does. Our rut is later despite the peak period listed on the rut map, which is not accurate here. Out of the 20 something bucks I've killed 3.5 years and older, the earliest I killed was December 15, with most coming between December 24 and January 15. January 15 was already pushing it and now voters apparently voted for the January 10 season end date. Why the need for statewide season dates when the rut is so drastically different in certain parts of the state? When I called the state DNR office last year I was told it was due to Atlanta hunters wanting an extended season, so they get their extended season, but we get screwed on ours? The lady then said that it's a Georgia law that the season has to end by the 15th??? Is that true?? The lady blatantly lied to me in saying that the overwhelming majority of votes that had came in were for the 15th and that was a few days before the deadline. So either a huge number of votes came in the last day, or this was their plan all along. They also told me they hired people from Virginia to research all this, which is just completely stupid. I know a few surrounding counties in southwest Georgia's rut is late as well. As usual, its all about ATL in this state. The season for our SW counties needs to run until the end of January at least, even if it means coming in later, or just giving us an extended bow season.

I would bet that a good percentage of hunters outside of GON subscribers didn't even know about the vote that took place last year, especially down here. I wouldn't have known about it if I had not seen a GON issue placed right beside the cash register at a local gas station. I know this only effects a small portion of the state, but believe me, we love our hunting down here as much as anyone located in other parts of the state.

Sorry for the rant guys, I'm sure you would be just as frustrated if the season ended 2 weeks after the peak of the rut in your location as well. I would definitely want the whole state to get to enjoy the entire rut, despite their location.

 

[GREG66]

I have hunted Decatur county for 24 years now. Almost every year the season ends and I still have some good rutting activity. It is frustrating for sure. I would love to see our area start a few weeks later and end a few weeks later. I also think it would not be a bad idea to have different zones and dates for start and ending dates for the season depending on the area .

 

[Dinosaur]

Amen brother. Probably 98% of the hunters on here don't care because they have their full rut and most have a secondary rut as well. I care as I hunt next door in Grady Co. and our rut has just got going good and the season ends with bucks chasing does. It is very frustrating, but like you said, the season is set up for the rest of the state, not extreme south Ga. Our season should really be closer to Florida's, as we are right here. I guess there's no way to make everyone happy, but the majority of the state sure seems to be when it comes to deer season dates. Just not us.

 

[Dinosaur]

Maybe we should just secede from the state for deer season and keep hunting. Who's with me?

 

[JPoutdoors23]

Maybe we should just secede from the state for deer season and keep hunting. Who's with me?

Haha, well I know for a fact the neighboring hunters continue to hunt through the end of January.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

While I sympathize with you (as a mountain hunter, we often have a December rut and secondary rut in January) you do know that you can kill deer outside the rut don't you?

 

[JBowers]

JP,

Your email was answered by the department and, in fact, I think by me back in the fall.

JB


For others interested, here is additional information:

Based on pulling reproductive tracts from collected does and assessing ovulation cycles from ovaries and calculating conception dates from fetal aging:

The range in dates of peak ovulation for Baker, Decatur, Early, Grady, & Seminole Cos. is Dec. 16-29. The average peak date of ovulation is December 27.

The range in dates of conception for Baker, Decatur, Early, Grady, & Seminole Cos. is Dec. 23-Jan. 3. The average peak date of conception is December 26.

In Thomas County, the average peak conception date is Nov. 18.

With the exception of Thomas County, which was much earlier, the peak of breeding in southwest Georgia counties ranges from Dec. 16 to Jan. 3. Overall, the peak of breeding of white-tailed deer in those counties (based on both ovulation and conception dates) appears to occur during the last week of December. Thus, the current season structure encompasses the peak breeding activity or peak of the rut in these southwest Georgia counties.

This doesn't mean that some breeding activity will not occur before or after this period. Some will; as it does all across Georgia. Picture this in terms of the bell curve.

The majority of the rut occurs and the majority of the does are bred under the hump (pun not intended!) of the bell curve, which falls within the current season structure and before the season ends (dates listed above). Any breeding activity that falls outside of the "hump" is in the tails of the bell curve and represent an insignificant amount of activity.

Several factors can contribute to this "outside" breeding activity including too many does such that all or some does do not get bred during the peak and cycle again 28-30 days later. In this instance, the breeding bell curve can be tightened by achieving a more balanced sex ratio.

Again, concerning the regulatory change to a single, statewide deer season, several years of public input and careful consideration went into this decision. Additionally, this regulatory decision is responsive to an action item identified in Georgia’s 10-year Deer Management Plan 2015-2024 (http://www.gohuntgeorgia.com/sites/.../Deer Plan 2015-2024 Final Draft 11-19-14.pdf).

Over this time period, this issue was specifically addressed during 29 public meetings and hearings throughout the state as well as 4 public comment periods. Additionally, 2 random scientific hunter surveys addressed this topic with statistically valid sample sizes and a standard deviation of less than 2% as well as an email assessment with over 7,000 respondents (please see the appendices of the Deer Plan linked above for more detail on public input).

Concerns on the timing of deer season and breeding chronology for southwest Georgia, are addressed in this post.

More recently, Georgia’s Rut Map (http://www.georgiawildlife.com/rut-map) was developed using peaks in deer-vehicle collisions in 2014. A peer-reviewed journal article is also linked on that page (http://www.seafwa.org/html/journals/pdf/30 Stickles et al 202-207.pdf) describing the methodology. Again, while it’s certainly possible that some bucks may chase does after the close of the season, which is true throughout Georgia, Georgia’s deer season fully encompasses peak rut dates for each county.

I encourage hunters and other interested persons to sign up for email alerts (https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/GADNR/subscriber/new) to ensure timely notification of updates on regulation proposals, public meetings and other hunting related information.

Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinions and they are free to use a variety of sources and experiences to form their opinions. Science and data derived through science is important in informing and guiding wildlife management and regulatory decisions. This ensures decisions are scientifically sound and defensible when hunting and hunting regulations are challenged by individuals and entities, who may have desires contrary to the hunting traditions we so thoroughly cherish and enjoy. For, if we rely entirely on a foundation of popular public opinion the magnitude of such groups overwhelm the paucity of our own.

 

[Dinosaur]

While I sympathize with you (as a mountain hunter, we often have a December rut and secondary rut in January) you do know that you can kill deer outside the rut don't you?

You sound real sympathetic.

 

[JPoutdoors23]

Peak date December 27. If that was the peak date for the entire state especially ATL, you can bet your butt that the season wouldn't be ending on January 10. That is absolutely ridiculous and proves my point. Scientific analysis is important, so is field observation and common sense.

Lectures me on accuracy derived from using scientific information and then this:
Below is the most important part of that response.

"The author does not assume any liability for the accuracy of any information. The opinions expressed herein do not reflect those of the author’s employer. All rights are reserved, and content may not be reproduced except with the prior expressed written permission of the author. "

 

[JPoutdoors23]

Using deer vehicle collisions is not accurate in rut prediction. You do realize as soon as bucks even start checking to see if does are in estrous, the does start running to get away, thus increasing the amount of collisions. A simple cold front can trigger that part, even though the does are no where near ready to breed. Impressive.....

 

[otis]

JB,

That was a very detailed and informative post, thanks.

The rub (no pun intended) in this discussion is that, while it may be true that SW GA gets to hunt the peak rut just like every other state, it does not get the benefits of the post rut, secondary rut etc... as do the vast majority of other counties in GA. So, it's not apples to apples.

And, while the analysis on rut dates is impressive, it also varies wildly even in the links you posted. The deer collision rut is 3-4 weeks from the rut date determined by ovulation. The latter is only 1-2 weeks from end of season, which seems to be the sticking point. If the science is off by only a week or two, the best part of the season is missed.

Having hunted other states, I don't get why GA doesn't split up the state into zones. Many other states do to account for the geographic differences that impact game activity (not just deer). Just my two cents.

 

[Dinosaur]

Using deer vehicle collisions is not accurate in rut prediction. You do realize as soon as bucks even start checking to see if does are in estrous, the does start running to get away, thus increasing the amount of collisions. A simple cold front can trigger that part, even though the does are no where near ready to breed. Impressive.....

Deaf ears brother, falling on deaf ears. The guys in the northern part of the state know way more about these things than you and I who live here. I mean come on JP.

 

[JPoutdoors23]

JB,

That was a very detailed and informative post, thanks.

The rub (no pun intended) in this discussion is that, while it may be true that SW GA gets to hunt the peak rut just like every other state, it does not get the benefits of the post rut, secondary rut etc... as do the vast majority of other counties in GA. So, it's not apples to apples.

And, while the analysis on rut dates is impressive, it also varies wildly even in the links you posted. The deer collision rut is 3-4 weeks from the rut date determined by ovulation. The latter is only 1-2 weeks from end of season, which seems to be the sticking point. If the science is off by only a week or two, the best part of the season is missed.

Having hunted other states, I don't get why GA doesn't split up the state into zones. Many other states do to account for the geographic differences that impact game activity (not just deer). Just my two cents.

Nice response!! Before this year, there was a northern and a southern zone, but they wanted to go to statewide dates to appease the Atlanta hunters (what I was told from the states office). The northern zone ended Jan 1 I believe, with some counties having an extended bow season. The southern zone ended Jan 15. Now it ends Jan 10, so ATL is happy, with no concern to us. Our season should've been extended if anything, not shortened. I'm sure everyone in our area would even be fine with starting the season 2-3 weeks later and ending 2-3 weeks later.

 

[northgeorgiasportsman]

You sound real sympathetic.

I fill my freezer every year and 80% of the deer I kill are killed pre-rut. A lot of hunters seem to be under the impression that you can only kill big bucks when they are chasing. They are wrong.

 

[otis]

I fill my freezer every year and 80% of the deer I kill are killed pre-rut. A lot of hunters seem to be under the impression that you can only kill big bucks when they are chasing. They are wrong.

I don't think anybody disagrees with you. The point is part of the state gets to hunt both the pre-rut, post rut and secondary rut. SW GA gets the pre-rut and maybe the rut. It's not close to the same.

 

[Katera73]

I don't think it was any ATL hunters that pushed this thru most of the ATL metro counties are Bow only and All the Metro counties have a extended Bow season till the end of Jan. for the past couple years so blame it on some one else.

 

[NCHillbilly]

You have a deer season that runs from Oct 17-January 10, and you're not happy? You do realize that thre are very few places in this country with a deer season that long, or where you can hunt after January 1 at all? Our season here this year was November 23-Dec 12. Three weeks. With no doe days at all in most of our area. I'll trade with you.

 

[deerslayer0369]

I don't think anybody disagrees with you. The point is part of the state gets to hunt both the pre-rut, post rut and secondary rut. SW GA gets the pre-rut and maybe the rut. It's not close to the same.

I haven't seen a sho enough defined rut on my tracts in the past two years. I'd I relied on the rut alone I would be up the creek... Oh, all my tracts are all Newton county by the way.

 

[JPoutdoors23]

I don't think it was any ATL hunters that pushed this thru most of the ATL metro counties are Bow only and All the Metro counties have a extended Bow season till the end of Jan. for the past couple years so blame it on some one else.

That's just what I was told by the lady I spoke with.

 

[JPoutdoors23]

You have a deer season that runs from Oct 17-January 10, and you're not happy? You do realize that thre are very few places in this country with a deer season that long, or where you can hunt after January 1 at all? Our season here this year was November 23-Dec 12. Three weeks. With no doe days at all in most of our area. I'll trade with you.

Relative to the deer population in the area. As I said, we would be happy starting the season later so we could enjoy the rut as it should be experienced. But I sympathize with you, a 3 week season sounds atrocious.