Is Georgia a sleeper state for big bucks?

wiggywigg71

Member
I ask this because, there have been some really big bucks taken here in the great peach state and more and more seem to be taken annually. It seems that the QDM is doing it's thing (in the counties and areas where practiced) and really paying off. Let me here what you guys and gals think about it.
 

Chadro

Member
I just moved here from Missouri so I can't really say for sure. The deer I have seen around here are pretty small but, that isn't to say there aren't good sized ones out there. The size of the deer isn't what makes Georgia a good place to hunt, Georgia is a good place to hunt because you guys have deer out the flippin ying yang.

I know guys back in Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin that have not even seen a deer in two seasons, good hunters mind you but, also hunting public land. Public land is another great thing about Ga. Missouri has ok public land but Illinois for example has HORRIBLE public land, I think they have 17 acres for the whole dang state.

So if you just wanna kill deer, Georgia is the place for you but, if you want to kill a trophy buck or a fat doe than the Midwest is the place to be.

What I'm saying is that I don't think Ga has the potential to harbor the monsters like back in the Midwest but, I also don't think it matters. I'll miss hunting the midwest but, I won't miss freezing my rear off or dragging deer through snow.
 

gsp754

Banned
I ask this because, there have been some really big bucks taken here in the great peach state and more and more seem to be taken annually. It seems that the QDM is doing it's thing (in the counties and areas where practiced) and really paying off. Let me here what you guys and gals think about it.

No chance, there are a few good areas with a lot of agriculture that grows bigger deer. Georgia will never be the mid west, no matter how much QDM is forced down everyones throat. QDM helps but deer need the right food to get big consistently.
 

Doc_Holliday23

Senior Member
There are a ton more 120-140" deer being killed right now. That's an obvious benefit to QDM, imo.

And I know killing a 160"+ deer is a tall order no matter where you hunt, but I think your chances for one are still much better in the Midwest and Texas because we just do not have the food (Midwest) or the area and low pressure (Texas.)

Plus, those midwest states typically have a lot shorter seasons and a lot fewer deer killed than we do.
 

wiggywigg71

Member
No chance, there are a few good areas with a lot of agriculture that grows bigger deer. Georgia will never be the mid west, no matter how much QDM is forced down everyones throat. QDM helps but deer need the right food to get big consistently.

I agree with what your saying gsp754. Do you think that the extremely high number of hunters has a lot to do with it also?
 

hobbs27

Senior Member
The big deer seem to be in the cities where we can't hunt them.facepalm:
 

Madsnooker

Senior Member
No,

Most avid hunters in the south know Ga produces big bucks.

But don't confuse Ga with the states up north. I have said this before, Coshocton county OH will produce more 150 class bucks and up, than the whole state of Ga this season. This is not to bad mouth Ga hunting. I love hunting Ga and it has great hunting opportunities. Its just the shear number of big bucks up north.
 

hobbs27

Senior Member
No,

Most avid hunters in the south know Ga produces big bucks.

But don't confuse Ga with the states up north. I have said this before, Coshocton county OH will produce more 150 class bucks and up, than the whole state of Ga this season. This is not to bad mouth Ga hunting. I love hunting Ga and it has great hunting opportunities. Its just the shear number of big bucks up north.

This is true..Coschocton, licking, muskingum counties and just a couple more around....but those are even exceptional for Ohio. I've hunted that area a good bit, and they produce 120" 2 year olds. GA. Has some good areas, southwest part of the state and a few areas in the piedmont....we just have to give our subspecies of whitetail an extra year or two...which is hard to do with all the rifle days and two buck limits..not that , that is wrong for ga But its a fact.
 

wiggywigg71

Member
Forgot to mention that Ga has 0 accountability within it's tagging system. Watch as I now reprint my harvest record! #fail, #DNRcopout

Absolutely true bones-n-beards. I have a friend who hunts out west every year ( Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Montana). He thinks that the way the DNR runs the accountability system here is a joke. I feel like there is a ton of improvement that could be made to how we are held accountable for the deer we harvest, not only here but in my home state of Alabama as well. We do have a lot of deer in the South,but I feel like the states could better manage the resources.
 

gsp754

Banned
I agree with what your saying gsp754. Do you think that the extremely high number of hunters has a lot to do with it also?

I dont think a better tagging system would result in bigger bucks for the state. I think it has little to do with the hunters, and a lot to do with the food thats available to the deer. Just like with humans, the better the food going in, the better we look on the outside.
Thats why i like to feed my deer as much corn as they can hold:stir::stir:
 

batoncolle

Senior Member
You guys that require the government to keep in you line for hunting are truly amazing. Maybe you should have them tell you what to eat so you do not get fat - oh yeah they are doing that as well.

I hate to break it to you but if people are going to break the law, they are simply going to break the law and the ability to print off 50 million harvest records is not going to change a thing. You are either honest are you are not.

And btw they can tell if you print off additional harvest records because you are logging in to do it. Heck if they know what they are doing, they can tell when you print multiple copies from one print.
 

F.A.R.R.

Senior Member
I don't know if GA being a "Big Buck" state from a national perspective is comparing apples to apples.

I would think if compared to other states in the Southeast region that the "Quality " of bucks in GA is a little better on the whole than our neighbors.

I don't think you can compare Southern Deer to Northern Deer as for the most part they are a different sub-species of Whitetail.

It's like comparing FL strain bass to Northern Strain Bass
 

Killdee

Senior Member
The Georgia soil is a factor we cant overcome. Every thing a deer eats in the midwest is full of ice age minerals. We just cant grow 150-160-170" deer in 3.5 years like they do. Their big buck websights are loaded with 190-200 " deer every year.
 

gsp754

Banned
You guys that require the government to keep in you line for hunting are truly amazing. Maybe you should have them tell you what to eat so you do not get fat - oh yeah they are doing that as well.

I hate to break it to you but if people are going to break the law, they are simply going to break the law and the ability to print off 50 million harvest records is not going to change a thing. You are either honest are you are not.

And btw they can tell if you print off additional harvest records because you are logging in to do it. Heck if they know what they are doing, they can tell when you print multiple copies from one print.


Thats why when you print off your first one you make 2 or 3 copies of the original before writing on it..... or just save it to your computer for future printing. I doubt seriously they are checking to see how many times you log in and print a new harvest record. If anyone cared, it wouldnt be so easy to get around.
 

hancock husler

Senior Member
Really depends on how much $$$ you want to spend in the non-agriculture areas. Look at how northern and mid west states are ran by the wildlife officials. Georgia wants to be a hunting commerce state it will have to start at the top and fix its problems from there. Mere Atlanta is now being managed for big bucks and the state will pull the hunting rights away in 5 years or less unless the figure a way to tax hunting on those counties.
 
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