Is Georgia a sleeper state for big bucks?

GA DAWG

Senior Member
Its no sleeper. Everyone knows its the best big buck state im the southeast :)
 

hobbs27

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.

That has been an argument for a long time. I think it has more to do with genetics than soil. Kentucky has proven that to Tennessee. Kentucky started getting a lot more quality bucks when they reduced the limit to one. This made the legal hunters (majority) more picky about the buck they take..cause when you take it, its over. This in turn increased the age structure.
I may be able to find the online debate about this between two biologist...but to make a long story short the TN biologist made his argument about KY having better soil.....he forgot about all that poor soil on the eastern side of the state, and was nailed on that fact because even the east side of KY was producing bigger bucks just by limiting people to one buck.
 

gsp754

Banned
That has been an argument for a long time. I think it has more to do with genetics than soil. Kentucky has proven that to Tennessee. Kentucky started getting a lot more quality bucks when they reduced the limit to one. This made the legal hunters (majority) more picky about the buck they take..cause when you take it, its over. This in turn increased the age structure.
I may be able to find the online debate about this between two biologist...but to make a long story short the TN biologist made his argument about KY having better soil.....he forgot about all that poor soil on the eastern side of the state, and was nailed on that fact because even the east side of KY was producing bigger bucks just by limiting people to one buck.

What kind of agriculture does kentucky have compared to Tennessee? Good soil helps but it is what is grown in the soil that grows the bigger bucks. Yes genetics plays a role, but even bad genetics do much better when they are fed a good diet!
 

hobbs27

Senior Member
What kind of agriculture does kentucky have compared to Tennessee? Good soil helps but it is what is grown in the soil that grows the bigger bucks. Yes genetics plays a role, but even bad genetics do much better when they are fed a good diet!

Western Ky has great soil, but not so much in eastern ky. The argument about the soil has been the minerals the deer recieve from it, not so much the agriculture since not all deer live in an agriculture area.
If growing big deer just had to do with corn and soybeans we'd all be planting huge areas of it here, and if it were all just about minerals that's an easy enough supplement too.
The sub-species of deer in the midwest just grow bigger, faster, they are better adapted to their climate, but that's the deer in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin...IIRC Ky has the same sub-species of whitetail we do.
The easiest way for GA to start seeing more big deer is for us to start having more older bucks. I live not too far from Dawson Forest WMA, its considered to be trophy managed, 4 point or better on one side, you should see the kill sheet in age structure. Theres a few 5 and 4 year olds but for the most part 2.5 year old 8 pointers get slaughtered. Those are for the most part basket 8's.

I'm not suggesting we change anything anymore...I've give up that fight. It is what it is.:flag:
 

GA DAWG

Senior Member
If South west Ga was mostly bow only like the midwest. You'd see how well Ga stood up against anywhere in the country.
 

gsp754

Banned
Western Ky has great soil, but not so much in eastern ky. The argument about the soil has been the minerals the deer recieve from it, not so much the agriculture since not all deer live in an agriculture area.
If growing big deer just had to do with corn and soybeans we'd all be planting huge areas of it here, and if it were all just about minerals that's an easy enough supplement too.
The sub-species of deer in the midwest just grow bigger, faster, they are better adapted to their climate, but that's the deer in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin...IIRC Ky has the same sub-species of whitetail we do.
The easiest way for GA to start seeing more big deer is for us to start having more older bucks. I live not too far from Dawson Forest WMA, its considered to be trophy managed, 4 point or better on one side, you should see the kill sheet in age structure. Theres a few 5 and 4 year olds but for the most part 2.5 year old 8 pointers get slaughtered. Those are for the most part basket 8's.

I'm not suggesting we change anything anymore...I've give up that fight. It is what it is.:flag:


I think it IS absolutely about what you have planted, we dont have the land to plant huge areas here. The places there is enough land produce much larger deer. One big food plot of soybeans or corn wont make a difference, and there are better options for small areas. But when there are several thousand acres (tens of thousands in the mid west) planted in it that the deer consistently eat on you start growing bigger deer. The #1, most important, makes the most difference, biggest factor in growing big bucks without growth hormones is what they have to eat. If you look at every area of every state that big bucks consistently come from, they all have a few things in common. All of them are agricultural areas, in order for deer to grow above average horns & bodies they need more than acorns and natural browse. This is the reason that the midwest consistently grows bigger deer and why the majority of GA will never be like the midwest. The areas of GA that are heavily agricultural produce some midwest size racks, not as many but still produces some. Maybe thats where your genetics and QDM could come into play, but for the majority of GA QDM & genetics are not what is holding it back.
 

PappyHoel

Senior Member
If you let them grow they get big all other opinions are fooooooey.
 

Killdee

Senior Member
When I left Illinois from a hunt a few years ago right after the peak of chasing and the rut, I counted over 100 dead deer on the highway from right before the Ohio river all through Kentucky, I didnt see one dead deer in Tennessee and the last one was at Glade rd in Acworth. Also almost every piece of property that wasnt wooded in Illinois had beans or corn planted even little fields and the woods were full of oak trees not pines like we have. We do have the genetics( Wisconsin stocked deer) in many places in Ga. But we cant grow em with what aint there.
 

hobbs27

Senior Member
I think it IS absolutely about what you have planted, we dont have the land to plant huge areas here. The places there is enough land produce much larger deer. One big food plot of soybeans or corn wont make a difference, and there are better options for small areas. But when there are several thousand acres (tens of thousands in the mid west) planted in it that the deer consistently eat on you start growing bigger deer. The #1, most important, makes the most difference, biggest factor in growing big bucks without growth hormones is what they have to eat. If you look at every area of every state that big bucks consistently come from, they all have a few things in common. All of them are agricultural areas, in order for deer to grow above average horns & bodies they need more than acorns and natural browse. This is the reason that the midwest consistently grows bigger deer and why the majority of GA will never be like the midwest. The areas of GA that are heavily agricultural produce some midwest size racks, not as many but still produces some. Maybe thats where your genetics and QDM could come into play, but for the majority of GA QDM & genetics are not what is holding it back.

So if I understand you correctly, all a person has to do is capture a buck fawn from south florida and feed it heavily with corn and soybean and it will no doubt be an absolute monster at 3 year old? Thats a cheap way to start a deer farm.

If that is your point I respectfully disagree.

1) Upper Midwest deer are a larger sub-species
2) Upper Midwest deer are even bigger than ours when they grow up in the woods away from agriculture.

By genetics we are already inferior as far as size, so it is more important for us to let them age if we want to see more big deer. Food is not a problem, I know alot of people that have a very strict high quality feeding program on their clubs..does it help? Sure, is it the number one thing that makes big bucks? No way.

Number 1 is age.
 

Dirtroad Johnson

Senior Member
If South west Ga was mostly bow only like the midwest. You'd see how well Ga stood up against anywhere in the country.

I agree; Age or mature deer are what makes the #s go up. Our deer have a much less % to survive from year to year with our long gun season. The Midwest for the most part have really short firearm seasons therefore more deer making it to a mature age & the result is more big-mature deer walking the woods.
 

headhunter 07

Senior Member
The biggest sleeper state in the south is most definitely Mississippi!!! The states numbers as a whole may suck but there an area in the delta that is unbelievable! you could combine 20 counties from ga and the number wouldn't get close to 5 counties in Mississippi delta as far as 145+ deer! lol heck 140" is generally the minimum just to raise bow or gun.... That Mississippi river bottom soil must be like steroids for deer! Just check out some of the deer killed off terra wildlife, Giles island, buckhorn....
 

headhunter 07

Senior Member
The reason I call it a sleeper is simple. Not many people talk about non the less actually hunt it! And there very few Florida hunter;)::ke:::ke:::ke:
 

headhunter 07

Senior Member
Oh and there smart they don't bost and brag, lol you couldn't even compare numbers b/c they dont report most deer... 140 gets rack nailed on the porch!!!
 

gsp754

Banned
So if I understand you correctly, all a person has to do is capture a buck fawn from south florida and feed it heavily with corn and soybean and it will no doubt be an absolute monster at 3 year old? Thats a cheap way to start a deer farm.

If that is your point I respectfully disagree.

1) Upper Midwest deer are a larger sub-species
2) Upper Midwest deer are even bigger than ours when they grow up in the woods away from agriculture.

By genetics we are already inferior as far as size, so it is more important for us to let them age if we want to see more big deer. Food is not a problem, I know alot of people that have a very strict high quality feeding program on their clubs..does it help? Sure, is it the number one thing that makes big bucks? No way.

Number 1 is age.

Every deer born in the upper midwest are not guaranteed to be a monster, i have no clue how you have drawn the conclusion that corn & soy beans= guaranteed monster.

Go capture 2 florida fawn twins.
Take one deer to iowa or illinois and drop it out in the first agricultural field you find, then bring the other to GA. If you could go back every single year and see them up until they day they died of old age. The one you put out in GA will die a smaller deer than the one you dropped out in the midwest.

I dont feel like getting into the age thing, i have typed enough for tonight.
 
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Killdee

Senior Member
If its all about age why can they grow 120-130" racks in 2.5 years in Illinois and it takes 4.5 years to do the same here. Dirt growing nutrition plain and simple.
 
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