First GA deer hunt...what should I know?

[Lark Bunting]

Moved here from CO last year and didn't have time to hunt in GA. Been scouting a WMA and will be there this weekend.

What advice would you give to someone exploring a WMA for the first time? What to avoid, what to watch out for, etc.

Can I open carry a pistol here during archery season or is that a western state thing?

What is a check in station? Can I call it in like in NE?

Can we camp anywhere in a WMA?

I'll apologize for the dumb questions but I want to make sure I'm doing everything correctly and the GA DNR website is not very informative.

 

[Wanderlust]

https://forum.gon.com/threads/beginner’s-guide-to-hunting-public-land.666602/

 

[Milkman]

https://forum.gon.com/threads/beginner’s-guide-to-hunting-public-land.666602/

Lark the guy who made the original post in the linked thread is the go to guy for anything WMA and DNR related. (Killmaster)
If he doesn’t know the answer to a question on anything related to Ga hunting then it isn’t a valid question.

Good luck and post up some pictures of your hunts !!!!

 

[livinoutdoors]

Yes you can carry a pistol.
A check station is where you check in game on check in hunts.
Sign in hunts you call it in.
Some wmas allow camping some do not. Generally the larger national forest ones allow camping.
Hunting in Georgia is all about the thickets and the trails to food etc. Less wide open ( duh ) than you are used to probably. As far as wma hunting tips? Do what others are not doing.

 

[Lark Bunting]

OK, I'm reading up on the regs now...only on my second time through and the thread specifically says I am to read it three times, lol. BRB with more dumb questions....

 

[slow motion]

Look for soft mast right now. Muscadines or persimmons. Harder to get away from the crowds here as our public land is nowhere near as vast. Good luck and post up some pics.

 

[35 Whelen]

Moved here from CO last year and didn't have time to hunt in GA. Been scouting a WMA and will be there this weekend.

What advice would you give to someone exploring a WMA for the first time? What to avoid, what to watch out for, etc.

Can I open carry a pistol here during archery season or is that a western state thing?

What is a check in station? Can I call it in like in NE?

Can we camp anywhere in a WMA?

I'll apologize for the dumb questions but I want to make sure I'm doing everything correctly and the GA DNR website is not very informative.

When I lived in Gwinnett County I hunted almost exclusively public land for many years. When scouting, what I looked for were places that other hunters would not be. What I have observed is most public land hunters do not stray far from roads, trails, creeks, etc. They also mark where they are going to be with flagging or reflective tacks. Find areas where other hunters won't go because it is thick, swampy, or hard to get too. That is where deer will be or go to when the shooting starts.
Also, hunt all day on public land. Most hunters leave for camp or their truck at 10 am and come back at 4 pm. All that movement will bump deer to isolated areas where you should be. Also, hunt until legal shooting time is over and learn to be able to walk out in the dark. I can't tell you how many deer I have killed at last legal shooting time. Most public land hunters walk out while it is still light so they don't get lost.

 

[bfriendly]

I’ll agree with 35, but you don’t always have to go far off the roads either. Best of luck and definitely post up some pics!

 

[livinoutdoors]

DO NOT walk out after dark without a light on, on public land.

 

[basshappy]

@Lark Bunting if you can scout before you hunt do so. But when you scout scout with the readiness to take the shot if it presents itself.

I would have a pack of important gear, including as noted already things to use when walking out in the dark.

If you can get aerial topographical map of the area you plan to hunt study it and see if you can identify key points for traffic. And as noted already when the shooting starts mature deer will head for cover. This is your opportunity to be in deep cover waiting.

Remember deer are prey, and from day 1 they know they are prey. Any change in their environment they will notice. Depending on where you plan to hunt it may be a cornucopia of new scents for those deer. Go in quiet, go in deep, and be one with the woods. Good luck!

 

[antharper]

I’ve been hunting in Ga for over 40 years and I still keep this book beside my recliner , good luck this season !

 

[Lark Bunting]

Thank you all for the advice. What do you recommend for ticks, chiggers, etc? Colorado hunting is all about playing the wind on an approach/spot & stock. Not sure about bug spray here as we'll be still hunting on the ground and don't want to be covered in OFF bug spray.

 

[DynamicDennis]

Mosquitos and gnats are a terrible joke, played by mother nature

 

[TJay]

Out west playing the wind is an important part of being a successful hunter. Here in the south it's almost impossible to "hunt the wind". On any given day the wind will blow from just about every compass point and those in between.

 

[elfiii]

Thank you all for the advice. What do you recommend for ticks, chiggers, etc? Colorado hunting is all about playing the wind on an approach/spot & stock. Not sure about bug spray here as we'll be still hunting on the ground and don't want to be covered in OFF bug spray.

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for your clothes

and

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for your skin

 

[RedFoxx]

get a thermacell.

 

[ucfireman]

They also mark where they are going to be with flagging or reflective tacks

And they dont remove it when they leave.

Don't worry about the flagging tape and just hunt where you want.
If you walk in on someone just move on, no harm no foul. Same if they walk in on you.
All the walking around will get deer moving so it will NOT ruin your hunt.

My advise to you hunting Ga is the same as anywhere else. Find the animal and make a good shot. It's not that hard.

 

[Nicodemus]

Thank you all for the advice. What do you recommend for ticks, chiggers, etc? Colorado hunting is all about playing the wind on an approach/spot & stock. Not sure about bug spray here as we'll be still hunting on the ground and don't want to be covered in OFF bug spray.

It doesn`t work for everybody, but it does work for many. Take a good swallow of apple cider vinegar the night before you go in the woods the next morning. This gives it time to get into your system. This has kept me tick and redbug free since 1978. In a life spent in the woods and swamp, both in my career and hobbies, this has been a lifesaver. For skeeters, horseflies, sand gnats, deer and yellow flies, spray peppermint or lavender oil on your hat, shoulders, and hands. I spend a tremendous amount of time in the Southwest Georgia swamps and they are full of these varmints. The stuff I mentioned keeps them away from me.

Give it a try.

 

[Waddams]

re: bugs - I have a netted wide brimmed hat that keeps them out of my face. Then light, long sleeves, long pants. I light spray of pemetherin the night before on clothes. Pants tucked into boots, and shirts tucked into pants. Make it tight and hard for ticks to squeeze through. Hit the seams with permetherin again.

re: in the woods - i carry my phone (GPS), and a backup portable phone battery i can plug it into if i need. i also carry a compass and either a paper map or an image on my phone. i know how orienteering and one way or another can find my way out, day or night that way.

pistols are fine. i always have mine.

i keep a hand held small flashlight in my pack, and i usually have a headlamp too. i keep a battery tester and spare batteries in my truck. i don't carry them, but i check to make sure i'm not gonna run out of power before i get back to the truck.

i usually carry a small set of pruning snips so i can make a hole when i need to. work or light yard gloves are kind of nice too.

some extra water, a protein/energy bar or two.

i have a game cart too. i hang an extra orange vest to mark a spot when i need to come back to get game so i can find it easy (and GPS it as well). i'll go back and get the cart, then cart the critter out. so much easier on me then dragging through thick woods in the heat for me, despite the added walking.

i'm sure you'll have a knife.

some places get crowded and most georgia public hunting land isn't too far from a road in one direction or another. accordingly it can be hard to "go deep" and be away from other easy access in a lot of places. the thicker near food sources and water, the better. just look for trails and openings in the thick stuff where the trails go in and out. set up where they won't smell you, then stay real still.

at the same time, i've hunted lots of public land and even when there were several other trucks parked, i've rarely encountered other people. and when i did, i've had mainly good interactions.

good luck!

 

[Blackston]

I’ve been hunting in Ga for over 40 years and I still keep this book beside my recliner , good luck this season !View attachment 1252640

You bad as me ….. sneakin in pics of that monster buck !!!