Thoughts and comments on Ky's Deer Management>>

[Slayer]

I don't know how many here have been fortunate enough to hunt in Ky....but I was hoping to get a thread started that discuss the differences between Ga.'s managment practices and Kentucky's...

I have hunted deer in Ga for over 25 years and I feel blessed to have been able to have many great experiences in the Ga deer woods.....but, as some of my friends on this board know, I have been fortunate enough to be able to hunt on in western Ky (Christian and Webster counties)for the last 5 years, I have taken by any states standards 2 true trophys...and have seen more trophys in a one week trip to that area than I have in 25 years in Ga..It's not uncommon up there to see 20 plus bucks in a day, thier management plans work!!!! their buck to doe ratio is at a point that it almost garuntees an outsatnding rut!!! Which I have witnessed for the past 5 years...its ridiculous to see multiple Bucks chasing,running, fighting, breeding and everything else imaginable...and most of this can be seen everywhere....just driving down the roads up there will make a true deer hunter stop and get out and stand there with their jaw sagging....one one trip to walmart we drove from Providence to Madisonville and counted in excess of 350 deer!!!!!!!...

Know back to the meat of this thread....Why is it so differnt between these places...after reading and asking many questions...it always comes back to one thing....>>>
MANAGMENT PRACTICES!!!!!

In Ky, you are allowed 1 buck per year, at the time that you purchase your tag, you get a doe tag also....if memory serves me, you are also allowed to purchase additional doe tags for $12.00......and also compare the lengths of the seasons....totally differnt approach to management

Once again let me state, that I am Blessed to have had the opportunities that I have had in this wonderful state!!!!....But there is no comparisson between the Quality of deer hunting between Ga and Ky......and it has to be the approach to the Managment of the herd.....

I will always be a Ga Boy that cant wait for our deer season to roll around.....but with that said, I get a twinkle in my eye knowing with that, I also have a week in deer Heaven right around the corner!!!!


anyone else ever experience what I'm talking about, and have seen the Differences ?????

 

[coon dawg]

a friend of mine, Jon Gassett,

runs the state's deer program..unless he's moved up the ladder a notch..................do they still allow baiting in Kentucky, and, if so, do many folks do it??......that age structure/herd numbers sorta surprise me for eastern Kentucky.........western Kentucky, with all the agriculture in the big river bottoms, would not...........glad you have a great place to hunt up there!!

 

[Rob]

I have hunted in both states

I have hunted in both states and several other states in the mid-west and I must say I agree with what you said. I too love living and hunting in Ga, but the quality of deer hunting is far better in the Mid-West. I lived in S. Ga for seven years where there was plenty of agriculture but the quality still was not as good as the mid-west.

In my opinion the primary reasons are - the one buck limit and the length of the gun seasons.

 

[Slayer]

it is western Ky...I corrected my post......the counties I hunt are off of I-24....just east of Ft Campbell and Hopkinsville....

as far as baiting, I do believe that it is allowed,,,,,but in five years I have not seen it used.....

no need to bait up in that area...and you can be real real choosey when picking a buck up in that area....

Plus all the WMA's and National forests up there...do a search on Dawson Springs National forest.......and its open to the public!!!!! we drive thru it every year when were up there....it almost like driving thru that park (cabotts cove I think).....deer and turkeys everywhere....and these get hunted every year....

 

[Hunter450]

Western Kentucky

Ahh "Home Sweet Home"

I was born and raised in Christian County and will retire back there some day. There are many reasons why I think the deer population and quality are so much better than Georgia.

1.Agriculture- There is a year around feeding program that farmers do up there that grow these deer, soy beans, corn, wheat, milo, sogrum etc...

2. Low pressure- There is not as many hunters in western Ky hunting deer as Georgia has hunting the deer. It's strange but most sportsman up there pick there flavor and don't change. A waterfowl hunter will mainly hunt ducks & geese but probably won't hunt turkeys or deer.

3.Open agricultural land up there can be hard to hunt and I personally think the deer roam more so its harder to pattern them.

4. Of course the shorter gun season allows many deer to survive year to year.They get smart when gun season opens.


After my last couple of deer seasons here in Georgia I 'll be going back home to hunt this fall. My buddy is the largest farmer in Western Ky so maybe I'll get that big boy.

 

[Slayer]

hey Hunter450.....

I imagine you know the Dawson Springs area pretty good then......that is an amazing tract of land!!!!! we ride thru there just to take pictures....have friends up there that believe it or not dont have access to private land or clubs...so they hunt dawson springs and 2 wma that I believe are located either inside the national forest or on it's borders......and the kill some whoppers almost every year I've been going up there......

 

[Hunter450]

Ky

Slayer,

Yes, I'm very familiar with Dawson Springs and your buddies probably hunt near the Pennyrile Forest State Park. There are big deer and good population of turkey up there.

 

[Slayer]

thats the one!!!!!!!

and yes.....they kill some true mosters over there!!!!!

 

[short stop]

SLAYER ----I hunted in Ga and drive right thru KY going to ILL. I am going to try to lease a farm in Ky in 06 . I grew up in Morgan co GA. the diff in hunting you can say what you want to but you can see it out the truck window brother !!! AGRICULTURE !!!! Farming practices in GA have taken us to a new direction in the last 40 yrs . We still got some nice deer in Morgan co. ''dont get me wrong '' but its nothing compared to what was here in the 70's and 80's .The deer were everywhere and there was no QDM and DOE days sounded like a WAR ZONE . Everbody farmed soybeans,corn ,wheat ,sorgum -All gone now, Dairy farmers around here plant grazin and cut hay but very few grow row crops . I hate to see change---- only corn grownin around here is in somebodys garden , -Ky has some real beatiful country up there , hope to hunt there next yr --starting w/ turkey season

 

[TJay]

Slayer, I hunt in KY/Ohio co., and it is great hunting. We have only been hunting up there a couple of years and have already taken two whoppers. The place is eat up with turkeys, too. Have you ever been to Uncle Lee's in Central City on opening weekend of gun season? They have a big buck contest and the deer brought in there are jaw-droppers! I think KY benefits from less hunting pressure than we have here in GA., also the soil there is richer which means more nutrients in the crops & browse. If you get a chance, check out Kentuckyhunting.com, they have a forum much like this one, and lots of the same subjects are cussed/discussed.