# Deer hunting with spear?



## FireHunter174

I know this is probably a weird question to ask.  But, is it legal to hunt deer with a spear in Georgia?

All I could find was in reference to spear hunting was certain species of fish


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## Nicodemus

It`s not legal in Georgia to use a spear or atlatl dart for deer.


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## fishtail

Alabama is one state that permits deer and hog hunting with a spear (why am I surprised ).


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## dtala

You are surprised that Alabama is more forward thinking than Georgia????

Dang, I, too, am surprised

actually only hand thrown spears are legal in Bama, not atlatls...don't ask me why.

Alabama had a separate spear license for a couple of years, then just made a regular hunting license cover spear hunting.

My question is that if only a small handfull of folks will even try to kill a deer with a spear, and almost zero deer will be killed........WHO CARES IF THEY TRY??????

  troy


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## tak31061

So what if you just happen to be walking through the woods with an atlatl and kill a deer...  how can they tell if it was done with an atlatl dart vs. an arrow?


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## JWarren

My friend killed a bear with a spear in Clinch county (Fargo) about three years ago. DNR ranger had given consent previous to the hunt, then tried to recant after the fact but others overheard him saying it was okay when asked before the kill was made.


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## dtala

tak31061, if ya have a dead deer in the back of yer truck...

how can ya tell if it was killed over bait?

or at night??

or by yer wife who has no license???

troy


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## dtala

the very act of "throwing" the spear will defeat any attempt to kill a deer with a spear. At under 20 feet that is almost impossible to get away with. An atlatl would give you a little more room, but it is stil a BIG movement to launch a dart.

  troy


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## FireHunter174

dtala said:


> the very act of "throwing" the spear will defeat any attempt to kill a deer with a spear. At under 20 feet that is almost impossible to get away with. An atlatl would give you a little more room, but it is stil a BIG movement to launch a dart.
> 
> troy



I see your point...almost impossible.  

but, it's something I'd like to try.


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## Twenty five ought six

Nicodemus said:


> It`s not legal in Georgia to use a spear or atlatl dart for deer.




There was a researcher at UGA several years ago that received a permit from DNR to use an atlatl.  The article in the paper emphasized that it was not legal to do so without a permit.

I never did see any follow up on his research, but it may be floating around.

Then again maybe not if he didn't kill anything.


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## Nicodemus

I wish they would make it legal. I`d start practicin` again, and I know one good friend of mine that could kill one with no problem.


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## dtala

NOT making em legal is stupid, it won't make ANY difference either way. Common sense ain't so common....

  troy


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## schreck_1

Its a question of making an ethical kill.  I know it doesn't matter if you are shooting a 300 mag or throwing rocks, practice and consequently, proficiency are variable from person to person.  The fact of the matter is a scoped rifle is an easier tool to be proficient with.  Not that many average people would actually try spear hunting.


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## Inthegarge

Actually, I think that scoped rifles have deceased ethical kills. Most scope hunters don't practice and wound more deer them most of us realize. Same guys that take 60yd shots with a bow.


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## dtala

Dang, I don't know where to start on that statement.....

I hazzard a guess that folks shooting scoped rifles are more accurate than those without......

"Most scope hunters don't practice"...based on what???

"wound more deer than most of us realize"...my guess, based on forty years+ of bowhunting, is that bowhunters wound and lose way more deer per kill than scoped rifle hunters.....I'll also bet that MOST archery lost deer do recover from the wounds.

"60 yard shots"..heck, ya got me there...I don't know any bowhunters with any type of bow that try 60 yard shots. I'm sure some do somewhere........

  troy


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## olchevy

I Already have one and KNOW I could get a deer with it if they would allow it.....I wouldn't throw it, I would simply use it as a stabbing device....Get right up on them, then get them..... There have been many times I could have basically touched the deer within a few feet, the barrel of my rifle has touched deer on two separate occasions now, and almost a third time...


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## LawnStalker

My guess is that if the statement that scoped rifles wound more than the rest is actually true it's based on the individual and not the use of the scope. 

Having a vest, license, and a rifle makes you a hunter, just as much as having a drivers license and fast car makes you a race car driver. It just means it is legal for you to attempt to kill game. Unfortunately the non-hunting public at large doesn't make this distinction.

Spearing a deer would definately be a challenge. Not impossible but most of us would wind up with enourmous upper bodies from spearing salad before we'd wind up with venision. Sounds lke a fun way to lose wieght.


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## dtala

scoped rifles may wound more deer than any other category of weapon....but only because a LOT more hunters use scoped rifles than prolly all other weapons combined used......

I suspect that most of us would starve if we had to live on speared deer for food...

  troy


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## 242outdoors

i would love to jugg a deer with a staab! ol willy and billy from incomplete deer hunter seem to be pretty good at it


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## Flaustin1

check out you tube.  theres a video floating around of a ten or eleven yr old killing a big ol doe with one at 20yds.  It is possible and id try it if it were legal.


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## LEON MANLEY

dtala said:


> Dang, I don't know where to start on that statement.....
> 
> I hazzard a guess that folks shooting scoped rifles are more accurate than those without......
> 
> "Most scope hunters don't practice"...based on what???
> 
> "wound more deer than most of us realize"...my guess, based on forty years+ of bowhunting, is that bowhunters wound and lose way more deer per kill than scoped rifle hunters.....I'll also bet that MOST archery lost deer do recover from the wounds.
> 
> "60 yard shots"..heck, ya got me there...I don't know any bowhunters with any type of bow that try 60 yard shots. I'm sure some do somewhere........
> 
> troy



Hire on as the skin man at a deer processing facility and you will soon find out that most of the deer brought in are the result of poorly placed shots resulting in loss of meat or another round to finish off the animal.
 Then you get the ones that were tracked for several hours before they are found.

There is a large number of people shooting deer with scoped rifles that could not hit a soda can at 100 yards with 3 shots.

If you took a poll you would find more than 90% of the people shoot deer with scoped weapons.

Do you really think that people will admit to shooting and missing or wounding a deer at 60+ yards?


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## dtala

Leon, ya didn't address anything I said, ya just danced some opinions around.....

most of the deer KILLED are the result of poorly placed shots....so? they were killed and recovered

90%..maybe, I dunno.  I'd guess the majority of deer huinters use a scoped rifle. What % thats is I don't know.  I doubt that you do either

soda can shooting....three shots in a soda can at 100 yards under hunting conditions is pretty dang good shooting. I just guessing that you are saying it is not good and YOU can do a LOT better????
Not under field conditions......

read the bowhunting section here on GON, folks admit all the time to shooting at deer with a compound at 50+ yards......

  troy


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## dtala

flaustin1, the deer killed in that video was half tame and in a fence. Have at it.

  troy


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## LEON MANLEY

dtala said:


> Leon, ya didn't address anything I said, ya just danced some opinions around.....
> 
> most of the deer KILLED are the result of poorly placed shots....so? they were killed and recovered
> 
> 90%..maybe, I dunno.  I'd guess the majority of deer huinters use a scoped rifle. What % thats is I don't know.  I doubt that you do either
> 
> soda can shooting....three shots in a soda can at 100 yards under hunting conditions is pretty dang good shooting. I just guessing that you are saying it is not good and YOU can do a LOT better????
> Not under field conditions......
> 
> read the bowhunting section here on GON, folks admit all the time to shooting at deer with a compound at 50+ yards......
> 
> troy


I'm sorry. Were you looking for someone to do the research for you? 

People can't shoot, or their weapon is not sighted in.
Some deer are recovered and some not with the poorly placed shots.

How many people do you know personally that hunt iron sights?

I don't know of anybody but me when I am stalking with my win. 30-30.

Nobody said hunting conditions hitting a soda can, they could not hit one off of a bench rest. (If you were hunting why would you be shooting soda cans?)

In case you are confused hitting a refrigeration at 100 yards would not be good enough accuracy.(This would not be hunting, this is what is done before hunting.)

Yes I shoot them in the head with a 300 win. mag., and yes I know it's not ethical, but I like living on the edge.

And you are just throwing out your opinion, like it means more than someone else's.


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## Nicodemus

dtala said:


> Leon, ya didn't address anything I said, ya just danced some opinions around.....
> 
> most of the deer KILLED are the result of poorly placed shots....so? they were killed and recovered
> 
> 90%..maybe, I dunno.  I'd guess the majority of deer huinters use a scoped rifle. What % thats is I don't know.  I doubt that you do either
> 
> soda can shooting....three shots in a soda can at 100 yards under hunting conditions is pretty dang good shooting. I just guessing that you are saying it is not good and YOU can do a LOT better????
> Not under field conditions......
> 
> read the bowhunting section here on GON, folks admit all the time to shooting at deer with a compound at 50+ yards......
> 
> troy





Troy, I remember readin` an article in Outdoor Life by Jim Carmichael, a long time ago. He said that in his opinion, if you could hit a pie plate at 100 yards  8 for 8, offhand, you could consider yourself a crackerjack shot.  Tha would purty much echo what you`re sayin` with your sody can shootin`.


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## Dawg Tired

I' de still like to try the spear hunt as long as someone else made the spear


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## dtala

Nic, I shot on the Alabama State Police rifle team for half dozen years. One could win first place at any competition by placing all 20 of yer shots in an six inch bull at 100 yards offhand. Best I did was 19/20. These guys shot waaayyy better than 99% of deer hunters across the board. An six inch target ain't very big when shooting offhand, no sling, at 100 yards!!!

8/8 in a paper plate(10") off hand at 100 yards is very good shooting, regardless of what internet experts say....

  troy


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## dtala

Dawg, spear hunting is ok IF ya like eating from the store I've tried it, ain't connected...yet!!!

  troy


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## THREEJAYS

I quess I'm to lazy,doesn't sound like much fun to me.


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## BowanaLee

Naw, it ain't a legal weapon for deer or hogs. I asked back when I was netting pigs and taping em up. I could stick a pig but only after it was caught in the net. Not a deer though. I thunk up netting them to use a corn feeder legally on video. I was the only one in that club, legally using a feeder. There was a dang feeder on every other tree too.  
Man, that was a HOOT !


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## SneekEE

It is one thing to get shot at when deer hunting, even though i have on orange, could you imagine having some one chunck a spear at you, oh my!


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## FireHunter174

The picture I posted earlier in this thread was of Gene Morris with an 8 pt. buck.  That guy is something else.

I did a little reading on him and saw some of his pictures.  He has taken 542 big game animals with a spear!  Of those, 57 are whitetail deer.   He's even killed a lion by spear.  He's also killed many other African animals, black bear and many alligators over 7' long.

I know he's an exception to the rule, but I think with practice anything's possible.

Ya'll ought to check him out.  Type in the search box "Gene Morris spear hunting"


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## benafrye

I don't think so...


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## dtala

You don't think so...what??????


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## FireHunter174

benafrye said:


> I don't think so...



What!?   I think you've ben-a-fryed 

If that ain't proof that a spear can be a proficient weapon, I don't know what is?


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## robert carter

I think think the deer killing with a spear would not be impossible. From a tree anyway. You would have to be in decent cover and the deer being near under you would help keep it from seeing movement.If it were legal I would try a few times. I`ve killed plenty of deer under 7-8 yards from the base of the tree I was in.I do believe I could kill pigs from the ground with no dogs. I rarely kill one of those over 15 yards. most under 10.I once touched a sow with my walking stick that did`nt know I was there till I poked her side. I was trying to learn a particuler swamp during the summer and could`nt hunt pigs at the time on it. A WMA.RC


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## NCHillbilly

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!  There is a hilarious clip on one of Tim Wells' Relentless Pursuit shows where he throws a spear out of a tree at a doe. She's already out of sight in the woods blowing at him by the time the spear hits the ground.  Deer can be killed with a spear, I know a couple people who have killed deer with atlatls. They didn't say it was easy, though. People kept themselves fed with spears and atlatls for thousands of years, but were often probably hunting with methods that would be just a bit illegal nowadays, plus they grew up using these weapons every day since they were kids, and were obviously by necessity and practice probably much better stalkers and hunters than the average modern hunter.


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## Son

I've been close enough to stab deer with a spear many times. Shot an 8 point once, that I had to lean back to draw the bow.


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