# Hancock County - What Gives?



## mallardsx2

I made a comment on another thread and I had a lot of people like my comment.

It related to the fact that people will shoot anything that is legal in Hancock county. Our club is surrounded by another club and they shoot anything that is legal and will not allow anything to grow to maturity.

The genetics are there to grow really good bucks. Lots of up and coming 8 and a few 10 pointers but guys are killing them all off at age 2.5. I myself have been guilty of this in the past so I am not pointing fingers. Taken more of a stance to pass on young bucks going forward. 

We run about 15 trail cameras on our lease and dont see many really good quality bucks. Don't get me wrong there are lots of 2.5 year old bucks and 3.5 year old bucks but those larger bucks are VERY few and far between.

In my opinion If people want deer for meat they should be shooting does. Not bucks.

Should I accept the fact that nothing is ever going to change there?

Just curious if anyone who has a club in Hancock county could comment on this?


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## HM

That's my complaint with the 4pt on one side rule, as soon as it has 4pts its gonna get shot


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## Milkman

mallardsx2 said:


> In my opinion If people want deer for meat they should be shooting does.



I don’t hunt Hancock. But I will offer this. In places with low deer population it is best to limit your doe kill. 
In a case like that IMO it is better to shoot a buck for meat. You only removed one animal. With killing a doe you would be removing all her potential future generations of offspring.


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## mallardsx2

The deer population isnt low in Hancock county in my opinion. It is VERY low in northern Habersham County. I would never shoot a doe here unless the population bounced back tremendously.


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## Stumper

I've been hunting in Hancock for 13 years and I agree with you and yes in the beginning I was guilty myself. Last year there was a comment made at the local deer cooler and he said I would be surprised if there are any 8 pointers left in the county because like what was said earlier as soon it becomes a legal basket 7 or 8 it's shot. if you look at the harvest map on the DNR page, Hancock Co. has one of the highest harvest rates in the state. On the other side of the coin I can't bash someone that is hunting legally in our county and tell them what they can and can't shoot. I guess regardless what county you hunt you need to be in a club with like minded hunters that hold off pulling the trigger on young legal bucks. Our county would be full of 10 pointers and bigger if those younger bucks walk.


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## FootLongDawg

I hunt two different properties both in Hancock co. about 15 miles apart.  I have hunted these properties for 20 years.  What surprises me more than anything is the lack of shooting I hear while hunting and I hunt a lot.  Now I am sure, some Hancock Co. hunters will come on here and say it sounds like a war around me, but I just don't hear a lot of shooting.


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## Stumper

FootLongDawg said:


> I hunt two different properties both in Hancock co. about 15 miles apart.  I have hunted these properties for 20 years.  What surprises me more than anything is the lack of shooting I hear while hunting and I hunt a lot.  Now I am sure, some Hancock Co. hunters will come on here and say it sounds like a war around me, but I just don't hear a lot of shooting.


Same here and I'm between Sparta and Devereux.


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## mallardsx2

Maybe the deer are figuring out if they walk out into an open food plot they die. lol


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## HM

mallardsx2 what part of the county are you in?


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## mallardsx2

Sparta.


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## HM

mallardsx2 said:


> Sparta.



I was curious if mine is the club around you


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## F.A.R.R.

How big is your club?  You may need to lease or purchase more acreage so you have more land to manage to meet your personal hunting goals/objectives.

Hard to tell other people what they should or should not be killing based on what your belief is- as long as they are practicing legal harvest.


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## brownhounds

Its a tough county to hunt for sure.  Mature bucks are few and far between.  You had better enjoy your club and the group of guys you hunt with because there is plenty of better property in the state of Georgia.  But, there is really good potential there.  Were off 22 outside of Sparta.


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## GRT24

Any of you fellas hunt near Deveraux? We have a several big 6 pointers and do every year one is atleast 18 inches wide and is old. I wish we could shot him. I love big old 6s. Over all we have mature deer on camera every year and kill good mature deer. Also have a lot of young basket rack 8s as well. Just me and my dad hunt the land unless we bring the occasional guest. 220 acres and we have plenty of deer. As someone stated above we have hunted a bunch this year but have not heard a lot of gunshots this year. My dad even brought that up the other day when we loaded up. My dad lives one county over and is there several days a week in the evenings especially right now with the rut getting cranked up pretty good the next week or so. Of course we would like everyone to have the same perception on what a trophy is as long as it’s legal nothing can be done. Hunt hard and hunt right and it will pay off.


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## Milkman

GRT24 said:


> Any of you fellas hunt near Deveraux? We have a several big 6 pointers and do every year one is atleast 18 inches wide and is old. I wish we could shot him. I love big old 6s. Over all we have mature deer on camera every year and kill good mature deer. Also have a lot of young basket rack 8s as well. Just me and my dad hunt the land unless we bring the occasional guest. 220 acres and we have plenty of deer. As someone stated above we have hunted a bunch this year but have not heard a lot of gunshots this year. My dad even brought that up the other day when we loaded up. My dad lives one county over and is there several days a week in the evenings especially right now with the rut getting cranked up pretty good the next week or so. Of course we would like everyone to have the same perception on what a trophy is as long as it’s legal nothing can be done. Hunt hard and hunt right and it will pay off.



Run those big 6 pointers over to the lake and get them to swim over to Putnam. We will shoot them for y’all. ?


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## champ

Sure could use some rain.


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## deepwater

Need rain bad


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## Worley

Key word here “in your opinion” your entitled to it but it’s not the law or regulation...enjoy ya hunt buddy.  Don’t let Big buck
Fever get ya stressed out.


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## GeorgiaPlottHunter

I have 10 acres of food plots planted in Sparta and no rain forecasted for a month and 90s for at least 2 weeks. doesn't look good for food plots. Been in this club for 5 years and supposedly this property is bordered on 3 sides by trophy clubs with 140" minimums. I have never seen a 140 on camera there in 5 years. I would sure like to see these 100" 8 points reach 4.5 years old or older. Mentality in Georgia is slowly changing, more people want to kill a big buck and more people are trying to let small bucks walk I think, but it only takes one person to ruin many other peoples efforts. With a long rifle season like we have a legal buck has to have super powers to live through the season. And don't get me wrong I don't look down upon anyone for shooting anything legal that they want, the trophy is in the eyes of the beholder, I just wish my property was surrounded by more people who wanted to grow mature deer.


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## brownhounds

any ruttin?


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## mallardsx2

Have not seen anything as of yet but bucks have been coming around our cameras more and more eyeballing does. I really hope some of these bucks survive the season. They will be great bucks next year.


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## FootLongDawg

Glad I hunt in the part of Hancock that I do.
 Never hear a lot of shooting.  Dont see a lot of big bucks either.  Three of us been hunting 600 acres for 25 years.  We see a lot of deer, mostly does and small bucks.  I remember a few years after the restrictions went into place, there were a couple of B&C bucks killed in the same year.  I remember thinking "Here we go", but have not heard about many big ones since. I wonder if they did a poll on level of happiness of Hancock hunters, what the results would be.


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## deepwater

Good luck every body. First time in 24 years I’m not in Hancock for the rifle opener, I’ve got some time off coming soon though. Shoot straight and kill a big one


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## brownhounds

Saw a bunch of deer. No chasing.....some scrub bucks and a pile of does. Mainly moving in cutover and feeding on acorns.


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## mallardsx2

FootLongDawg said:


> Glad I hunt in the part of Hancock that I do.
> Never hear a lot of shooting.  Dont see a lot of big bucks either.  Three of us been hunting 600 acres for 25 years.  We see a lot of deer, mostly does and small bucks.  I remember a few years after the restrictions went into place, there were a couple of B&C bucks killed in the same year.  I remember thinking "Here we go", but have not heard about many big ones since. I wonder if they did a poll on level of happiness of Hancock hunters, what the results would be.



Lets do it.


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## mallardsx2

http://forum.gon.com/threads/satisfied-with-hancock.953245/


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## ericflowers

brownhounds said:


> any ruttin?


Yes


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## westcobbdog

Ucks are on their feet in Hancock


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