Georgia Native & Novice Hunter - Looking for Advice on Finding Hunting Opportunities

[C.Killmaster]

People hunt them in many states outside of Georgia. But because they are exotic (most commonly New Zealand) they have to be hi fenced type hunts. They are about 3 times the size of a whitetail deer and for trophy hunters (which I am not, presently) they make a far more impressive trophy than almost any other. Reportedly, they were only hunted by royalty in times past.

Also, they are said to be far better tasting than whitetail.

Honestly I would look into a late season cow elk hunt in a western state like Colorado. Tags are $500 for adults and $100 for youth, they are bigger than red deer, taste as good or better, and are native and free-ranging. In the late season they get pushed out of the mountains and onto private farms and pastures. From what I've heard from locals, you can drive around until you spot a herd and then pretty easily get permission to hunt them since the landowners consider them competition for their livestock.

 

[South Saturn Delta]

Hmmmmmm, you did say a mouthful. I would most definitely loose the idea of an outfitted hunt to start with. Most outfitters will help some, but, they have other clients and things to do. Most will want to just put you on a stand and let you hunt there. As far as spot and stalk, I'm 58 yrs old, have killed 8 deer over 140", of which 6 where with a bow. NONE of them where spot and stalk. In Georgia, (I'm not saying it's not possible) stalking up on a whitetail for a beginner is going to be more of a challenge than you may be up to. What I DO recommend is to look through the section on GON forum for "clubs in Ga looking for members" and target those that state they are "family friendly". If you present yourself correctly, most folks in Ga are good enough people that when you chat with the older guys and humble yourself (not saying your arrogant), they will go out of their way to pass on what they know, especially since you want to get your children involved. In addition, it will give you 24/7 access to land and a place to camp with your family. It's a FAR better "bang" for your buck. Again, the right attitude, most have extra gear, i.e. stands, camo, etc they would be glad to loan or give you. In addition, most will take the time to show you how to process your game, and may be willing to share their harvest. Good luck brother.

There is a wealth of valuable knowledge here sir, and I thank you for your insight. I will most definitely search the clubs in Georgia section.

 

[South Saturn Delta]

Honestly I would look into a late season cow elk hunt in a western state like Colorado. Tags are $500 for adults and $100 for youth, they are bigger than red deer, taste as good or better, and are native and free-ranging. In the late season they get pushed out of the mountains and onto private farms and pastures. From what I've heard from locals, you can drive around until you spot a herd and then pretty easily get permission to hunt them since the landowners consider them competition for their livestock.

I certainly had no idea it could be that simple. I always assumed one would have to pay a professional guide service for this type of hunt. But this does sound doable. It seems a common refrain I am hearing is learn to hunt whitetail deer right here in Georgia first, and then step up to larger game. Thanks for your help. That is a whole new idea that never occurred to me as being possible.

 

[South Saturn Delta]

@jerry russell is a member here and owns Russell Outdoor Guides. He may be able to help or point you in the right direction.

I will look him up. Thank you for the lead.

 

[South Saturn Delta]

Welcome to the best addiction anyone can have! I think it's great that you want to put in whatever work you need to do based on your budget in order to feed your family. Unfortunately, we don't live in GA (Yet!). If we did, I'm sure my husband wouldn't mind taking you out there to learn the ropes. Hunting is not easy, specially on a budget! Hence why it's called hunting and not killing.
The first thing I recommend, forget about outfitters. They won't teach you anything.. They do all the work to get you straight to the animal where all you gotta do is shoot and pay. Sure they may show you how to skin the animal, but you're honestly not going to learn what you want or expect to learn.
Spot and stalk is not easy to do. Many people learn on their own by just going out there and seeing what it takes to get close to the animal. Is it their scent pushing the animal away? Is it the wind? Was it too much noise from the ground terrain or the swishing noise from your pants when walking? Are you in their bedding area?
There's so much that is involved with spot and stalk and it will take you a good amount of tries to be successful until you can figure them out. It's definitely not impossible though! It's very fun as well.
I think you should look for a small hunting club that is family oriented who is willing to trade their knowledge for your help working the land. You will learn the most from those people. Many hunters are very welcoming and then there are those who are very arrogant and will not offer any help. Heck, they won't even want you anywhere near the property.
I recommend following a channel on YouTube called "The Hunting Public". I really truly enjoy their videos. They're a group of young guys who hunt public land all over and they rough it out too so it's more realistic than watching a show on the hunting channels where they receive free gear for sponsorship and get invited every year to hunt in properties where the average person will spend a couple thousand dollars to shoot one buck and one doe. The guys in that channel do lots and lots of spot and stalk and scouting and you will learn by just watching and applying what you saw when you go out there. Sometimes you may have to suck it up and go alone.. It sucks like that but some do it just like that and have become very successful.
Apply for quota hunts and give those a try or hunt public land areas too. You may come across some nice folks willing to help.
Anyways, good luck and I hope you are able to find someone willing to share their time and knowledge with you to support your family! Check out the GON Outdoor blast that is next weekend in Atlanta. My husband and I are heading up from South FL with our daughter. You will meet many great people there. You can ask about products and how they work and you'd be surprised the amount of things you can get out of it!

Thank you for your support ma'am. I subscribed to the Hunting Public channel on youtube and researched the outdoor blast event. Looks like a lot of fun for the whole family could be had there and I may be able to check out the event. Thank you for your help ma'am.

 

[South Saturn Delta]

I'm also thinking the Outdoor Blast has several seminars targeting new hunters.

I see now that it is an event and not a forum. very interesting. I am researching it. Thanks.

 

[South Saturn Delta]

Welcome to the addiction!

Georgia has many opportunities for deer. I would focus your immediate time to find a deer lease right now. Family style. You could bring the kiddos if you want, and have members for guidance. AND....year round access not just a week like you would out West.

Thinking about the return on investment for hunting out west to going to be much higher than hunting in GA. Gas, out of state licenses, lodging, guide fees, processing costs, etc are really going to bite into the hunting funds.

And, the out west stalking videos you see, they put stalks on 20 animals and maybe 1 pans out. If you wanted to learn to do that, I would focus on stalking wild hogs here.

I am beginning to see that. I should learn how to hunt at home and then consider anything out west as a vacation type life experience that allows for a different type of game to be harvested. My friend is going to show me so much about hunting and trapping. But we will be hunting from his blind (he is paralyzed) not stalking, and that is okay by me. I will only be able to learn just so much these first few years of hunting I imagine. Do you think I should still consider paying the money to join a separate club since he is gracious enough to allow me to hunt with him on his property? Do people commonly have multiple hunting spots in order to maximize their opportunities to harvest the maximum amount of does? How much would a membership in a good club cost (is their a price range so cheap that the land would be obviously worthless)?

Thanks for your helpful information.

 

[Mr Bya Lungshot]

I admire your wishes to become the next Great white hunter but you should really consider deer locally once again first. Follow in the footsteps of several great teachers before you become a great leader. Especially out of state.
Deermeat is excellent table fare if not spoiled and prepared right. Lots to learn right here on Gon.
So chasing red stag or elk is pretty much the far end of the spectrum for someone new. Not saying it can’t be done but wishing and doing it successfully are two different ballgames.

Stay local this year and learn all you can. Your buddy can train you. Watch your budget when buying gear you don’t need.
Next year plan for out of state or a club if you wish. But after you have lots more experience and knowledge under your belt. Not saying a club can’t teach but if you have free land why not learn there first if it has game. GOOD LUCK with your adventures whichever path you take.

 

[Nicodemus]

@South Saturn Delta, if I was wanting to be a hunter and just starting out, I`d locate the closest WMA to where I lived, and I would spend the off season learning everything I could about. I`d spend every bit of free time I had on the place, concentrating on mast trees, water sources, thickets, trails, food sources, and property lines. Know that as the seasons change, so does the game, so keep that in mind.

A mentor would be a big help to you.

 

[delacroix]

Cart before the horse. Start with small game. If you can consistently kill a limit of sq. of a morning you will have mastered quite a lot of what it takes to achieve your current goals.

How many accomplished deer killers reading this thread didn't start out hunting sq. as a boy?

 

[Nicodemus]

Cart before the horse. Start with small game. If you can consistently kill a limit of sq. of a morning you will have mastered quite a lot of what it takes to achieve your current goals.

How many accomplished deer killers reading this thread didn't start out hunting sq. as a boy?

I actually started out hunting fall turkeys, along with summer ducks and squirrels. The area of South Georgia I`m from didn`t have a deer season then.

 

[elfiii]

Hello. I would like to ask for some help from everyone. This post might be long winded and multi-faceted, but I really do appreciate any advice you guys can give. Thanks for your help.

Read, read and read some more.

https://forum.gon.com/threads/short...ing-safety-tracking-dogs-list-etc-etc.639344/

Find the closest WMA and start scouting now. When the season rolls around go hunting and learn from your mistakes. Don't be afraid to ask questions here and expect different opinions. Trial and error is how you find out what works best for you. Deer hunting is deer hunting so in that regard we're all the same but each of us approaches it a little bit differently. Some guys like to tote a ton of gear in the woods. Others take a weapon and ammo only. Some hunt OTG (on the ground), others in boxblinds over foodplots and still others in portable climbing stands over natural food sources on a travel corridor between bedding and feeding areas.

The main thing is learn your weapon, become proficient and safe with it, find some deer sign and get on it. Then sit still and wait.

P.S. - Stay frosty and don't flip out like most of us did when that first deer steps out in front of you.

 

[buckpasser]

Great advice has been given. I wish you luck and am available through private message if you run into a question you don’t want to ask everyone. I’m sure I speak for almost everyone of the regulars here in saying that for them as well. I would love to see you post your progress on this forum for this year and beyond. It may be a difficult chore to get proficient at meat hunting while needing time with your young family, work, etc. but many of the great hunters on here started a little later in life.

 

[MikeyD6]

If your main goals are to learn to hunt and get meat for table, there's no sense in traveling out West to try and bag something big. You really want to be on your hunting A-game if you're going to spend that kind of money, and you really don't have the skills yet to try it on your own.

As others have said, there is no substitute for boots on the ground. Get out there now and start walking around. Go hunting every chance you get. When(not If) you screw up the first few times you will learn from it.

I highly, highly recommend you get a climbing tree stand and learn how to use it. That will increase your odds of success dramatically, especially on public land. It gives you a birds eye view of the woods and keeps your scent off the ground. A lot of times I'll just sit up there and watch deer and how they act. Summit makes excellent affordable stands. If you are going to spend money, I would start with that.

 

[elfiii]

I highly, highly recommend you get a climbing tree stand and learn how to use it. That will increase your odds of success dramatically, especially on public land. It gives you a birds eye view of the woods and keeps your scent off the ground. A lot of times I'll just sit up there and watch deer and how they act. Summit makes excellent affordable stands. If you are going to spend money, I would start with that.

X 2. Outside of your weapon this is probably the most important piece of equipment you need if you're going to hunt whitetails in Georgia. Plenty of people hunt OTG but a portable climber expands your options.

 

[krizia829]

Thank you for your support ma'am. I subscribed to the Hunting Public channel on youtube and researched the outdoor blast event. Looks like a lot of fun for the whole family could be had there and I may be able to check out the event. Thank you for your help ma'am.

Yes sir you're welcome! Feel free to ask any questions on this forum! Lots of nice folks who give some great advice!

 

[Matt.M]

X 2. Outside of your weapon this is probably the most important piece of equipment you need if you're going to hunt whitetails in Georgia. Plenty of people hunt OTG but a portable climber expands your options.

And a close 3rd being a ThermaCell.....

 

[South Saturn Delta]

I looked that up. Mosquito repellent that is odorless. Makes sense that I would need that. Thanks.

 

[South Saturn Delta]

I bought a new in box self climbing tree stand off of Ebay about 13 years ago. Never used it and no longer have it.