# Georgia Deer Restocking 1928-1974 Program History



## BornToHuntAndFish

*** Updated September 2018 *** 




In case you have not seen this document from 1975, Georgia Deer Restocking from 1928 to 1974, below is its web link, and then below that is a couple of its interesting summary tables that has answered many of my questions and hopefully some of yours:



New Updated web link below:


https://georgiawildlife.com/deer-info

*Deer Information & Resources*

*Management*


DNR Deer Restocking 1928–1974

OR


For original 43-page PDF document (Storage Size = 3.9 MB) at web link below:


https://georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/wrd/pdf/management/1928-1974_Deer Restocking.pdf

*Deer Stocking Program in Georgia 1928-1974*










Old thread title updated:



> *GA Deer Restocking 1928 - 1974 Program History Summary & Details*





Old web link below no longer available on website:





> http://www.gohuntgeorgia.com/assets/documents/Deer Restocking_1928-1974.pdf





















Counties in Alphabetical Order:


Appling to Catoosa from Page 32 below:







Catoosa to Clarke from Page 33 below:







Clarke to Dade from Page 34 below:







Dodge to Fannin from Page 35 below:







Fannin to Gilmer & Murray from Page 36 below:







Gordon to Heard from Page 37 below:







Houston to Lowndes from Page 38 below:







Lowndes to Pickens from Page 39 below:







Pickens to Treutlen from Page 40 below:







Treutlen to Whitfield from Page 41 below:







Wilcox to Wilkes from Page 42 below:


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## deerhuntingdawg

Great information!!
Thanks!!


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## Gut_Pile

cool post. thanks for sharing the info you found


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## Rackbuster

I know one county that is not listed,Cook Co..There were some released about 2 miles from my house in northern cook.It was around 1972 or 1973.We would go to Tifton and daddy would take us the back way where we could see the deer in the field and right up the road backed in off the sharp curve would be the ranger.Almost every time we went by we would see from 4 to as high as 10 deer.Maybe these were snuck in but was told they were from Wisconsin.Couple years later started seeing some on the farm we lived on (1/2 mile from my house)and  daddy saw one that he said it looked like he had a rocking chair on his head.


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## BornToHuntAndFish

*Anyone remember anything about this Deer Restocking in their areas?*

Hope you get a chance to scan the full document to see if they mention Cook Cty.  The closest deer stocking to Cook in the tables looks like a couple times in Tift Cty.  I wonder how many other places in GA were stocked that were not in the doc that folks can recall?  

Our lease land owner remembers them stocking deer in Monroe Cty. that is not in the tables either, which he thought were the ones that moved to his area.  It took them only a few years to go 15-20 miles, including crossing I-75 to get there.  

I wonder how many other folks on the forum can remember the deer restocking activities & 1st experiences with them in their areas?


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## trailhunter

There were a number of private restocking efforts, which will not be found in the DNR records, some of which were done by well known hunting clubs and individuals.  Do a search on here, this topic has been discussed several times.

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=56779&highlight=georgia+deer+restocking


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## westcobbdog

great post and interesting insight into deer genetics in a given area.
no wonder the deer are big bodied in Upson with Wisconsin genetics.


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## Fish_Bone

Very cool!  Thanks for the info!


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## xjd33x

Cool post! Thanks for the info.


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## Gadget

Good info Patrick. I had seen that before. I have the Georgia whitetail Registry record book, think it's in there.


We had 23 of the Wisconsin deer released in Crawford county, only a few miles from my club. I think these genes have slowly melted away over time, most evident in the gradual decrease in body size which seems to have happened. We don't have detailed records going back to the beginning but our club was established in 1966, before deer and turkey hunting was legal. The #2 buck in Crawford county came off my lease which grossed over B&C and netted 169 7/8, was killed in the 70's. I was told that a lot of the mature bucks back then weighed 240-270. These days most mature bucks are right around 200 even though they have more food now than ever before. I think this may be because the Wisconsin genes have slowly lost it's influence over time.


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## GrandSlamHunter

My Dad had the DNR bring 5 does and a buck to a Ben Hill county farm in the spring of 1976 or 1977. The deer came from Berry College. I assume the restocking efforts continued after 1974.


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## BornToHuntAndFish

trailhunter said:


> There were a number of private restocking efforts, which will not be found in the DNR records, some of which were done by well known hunting clubs and individuals.  Do a search on here, this topic has been discussed several times.
> 
> http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=56779&highlight=georgia+deer+restocking



Before I started this thread, I did several searches on deer restocking but I did not find what I was looking for & did not find details I thought would be interesting to post.  I would really like to learn more about the private efforts so I may go back & search the forum more.  Years ago, I read the document & recently I thought it's been a while so I put a few more details about it here, esp. alot of the new folks have not seen it & may have more to offer.  You had some good contributions to the thread you listed from 2006.  Thx.  




Gadget said:


> Good info Patrick. I had seen that before. I have the Georgia whitetail Registry record book, think it's in there.
> 
> We had 23 of the Wisconsin deer released in Crawford county, only a few miles from my club. I think these genes have slowly melted away over time, most evident in the gradual decrease in body size which seems to have happened. We don't have detailed records going back to the beginning but our club was established in 1966, before deer and turkey hunting was legal. The #2 buck in Crawford county came off my lease which grossed over B&C and netted 169 7/8, was killed in the 70's. I was told that a lot of the mature bucks back then weighed 240-270. These days most mature bucks are right around 200 even though they have more food now than ever before. I think this may be because the Wisconsin genes have slowly lost it's influence over time.



I've heard folks mention the Georgia whitetail Registry record book, but I did not know it had many details about the restocking efforts.  I've always wanted to look thru that book.  Your club has a very interesting history.  Unfortunately, you're so right about so much of the good genetics restocked all over GA have lost their influence.  I'd like to know more about the past historical restocking efforts in our neighboring states like Alabama.




GrandSlamHunter said:


> My Dad had the DNR bring 5 does and a buck to a Ben Hill county farm in the spring of 1976 or 1977. The deer came from Berry College. I assume the restocking efforts continued after 1974.



Thanks for your details.  It would be good to hear more about restocking efforts after 1974, so maybe I'll search more on the forum to see find more details.


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## mauser64

This article came out of vol. 1 no. 1 of Ga. Game and Fish magazine in Oct. of 1966. Note the number of counties open to hunting listed in the caption. The second paragraph ain't to bad to read either!


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## Gaswamp

thanks for posting the article link.  Good reading.


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## HUNTERBOB

I recently read a book called The Last Deer Trapper can't remember the author but very good info about restocking of deer in Ga


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## C.Killmaster

BornToHuntAndFish said:


> I'd like to know more about the past historical restocking efforts in our neighboring states like Alabama.



Take a look at this book.  It cover's most all restocking in the US.
https://www.qdma.com/store/details.asp?id=150&catid=5&catname=Books and Booklets


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## C.Killmaster

Gadget said:


> I think this may be because the Wisconsin genes have slowly lost it's influence over time.



It's more likely an adaptation to a southern climate rather than dilution of genes.  Do a google search for Bergman's rule and Allen's rule.  This can help explain why deer are larger in colder climates.


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## Gadget

C.Killmaster said:


> It's more likely an adaptation to a southern climate rather than dilution of genes.  Do a google search for Bergman's rule and Allen's rule.  This can help explain why deer are larger in colder climates.




Yes, I familiar with bergman's rule, but didn't think about it, that could be it.


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## BornToHuntAndFish

Thanks, mauser64, that was an interesting magazine article.  




C.Killmaster said:


> Take a look at this book.  It cover's most all restocking in the US.
> https://www.qdma.com/store/details.asp?id=150&catid=5&catname=Books and Booklets



I suspected if anyone had good detailed info that the QDMA folks probably had it so appreciate you confirming my suspicions.  I'll have to check it out.  




C.Killmaster said:


> It's more likely an adaptation to a southern climate rather than dilution of genes.  Do a google search for Bergman's rule and Allen's rule.  This can help explain why deer are larger in colder climates.



Even though I never read anything about this, I've always been told that nature or God builds bigger bodied deer the further you get from the equator, and that bigger bodied animals or humans retain more body heat that helps in colder temps.  I need to go check out those 2 rules.  Thanks for your wisdom.


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## Davexx1

Good read.  Very interesting.


Dave1


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## fishtail

I actually knew one of the game wardens that participated in the relocations.
One trip trailering the deer to a release location he almost got arrested for assault when a guy ran into the trailer. This was while passing thru a town during a Shriners parade, I forgot the location.


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## BornToHuntAndFish

C.Killmaster said:


> It's more likely an adaptation to a southern climate rather than dilution of genes.  Do a google search for Bergman's rule and Allen's rule.  This can help explain why deer are larger in colder climates.




Thanks, Killmaster.  Bergman's rule & Allen's rule is an interesting read.  


For Bergman's rule brief details from:  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergmann's_Rule 

In zoology, Bergmann's rule is an ecogeographic rule that correlates latitude with body mass in animals.[1] Broadly it asserts that within a species the body mass increases with latitude and colder climate, or that within closely related species that differ only in relation to size that one would expect the larger species to be found at the higher latitude.

The earliest explanation, given by Bergmann when originally formulating the rule, is that larger animals have a lower surface area to volume ratio than smaller animals, so they radiate less body heat per unit of mass, and stay warmer in cold climates. On the other hand, warmer climates impose the opposite problem: body heat generated by metabolism needs to be dissipated quickly rather than stored within. Thus, the higher surface area-to-volume ratio of smaller animals in hot and dry climates facilitates heat loss through the skin and helps cooling of the body.


For Allen's rule brief details from:  

The theory behind Allen's Rule is that endothermic animals with the same volume may have differing surface areas, which will aid or impede their temperature regulation.

Consider eight cubical boxes of unit volume and unit area of a side. A rectilateral stack two boxes wide, one long and four tall will have a volume of 8 units and a surface area of 28 units. A cubical stack two boxes wide, two long and two high will have the same volume of 8 units but a surface area of only 24 units.

In cold climates, the greater the exposed surface area, the greater the loss of heat and therefore energy. Animals (and humans) in cold climates need to conserve as much energy as possible. A low surface area to volume ratio helps to conserve heat.

In warm climates, the opposite is true. An animal will overheat quickly if it has a low surface area to volume ratio. Therefore, animals in warm climates will have high surface area to volume ratios so as to help them lose heat.

In a nutshell, it simply means there is a ratio between body surface to body mass. For example, Fur or Tutsi people of Africa release body heat more readily because their ratio is high. However, Eskimos and Inuit have a lower ratio and therefore retain body heat.


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## Buck Trax

Bill Collins Jr. wrote The Last Deer Trapper. He was the leader of the deer trapping effort on the Berry College lands and you can see his last name repeatedly in the document posted above. It's a great read.


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## jmharris23

What is now my driveway is where they put out the deer in Pike County. I think thats pretty cool!


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## parksbobby

I've never researched this person myself, but where i grew up in s. ga. crisp/dooly co. area Holt Walton was a big name in the private relocating of wisc. deer into ga. anyone ever heard of this person?


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## fountain

my dad said they released several on out place from WI.  i know 2 were killed--a big 20" 10 pt and a big 9 that resides on our wall.
thanks for sharing the info


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## j_seph

Just discovered this


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## RNC

jmharris23 said:


> What is now my driveway is where they put out the deer in Pike County. I think thats pretty cool!



That is cool .... I killed my first deer in Molena when I was a teenager .......



Lots of good stuff in this thread ! 



BUMP


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## Xrallison

parksbobby said:


> I've never researched this person myself, but where i grew up in s. ga. crisp/dooly co. area Holt Walton was a big name in the private relocating of wisc. deer into ga. anyone ever heard of this person?


Holt Walton had a very big impact on the restocking deer around here and his family still own a large piece of land almost 10000 acres out hwy 257 in between crips and dooly co I hear his name still mention around cordele all the time and I also know Sevreal people that hunts his old land


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## Dirtroad Johnson

Good thread, thanks for sharing,that's interesting. My land is 5 miles south of Abbeville & I did not know that Wisconsin deer were released in that paticular area, however I have heard all through the years that Wisconsin deer were released in a lot of counties in this area.


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## Chadx1981

Awesome


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## TOORED

Great post!! Lots of good info!

This may be a stupid question but why were deer "restocked" in Georgia? Were they plentiful in times past but lost due to disease, pestilence, or over-hunting?

Both of my parents were born in the 30s and raised on south Georgia farms. When I asked them about deer populations when they were young, both said that they rarely ever saw deer. They also said that their fathers rarely killed any for food, and they were poor and needed the meat.

I do remember hunting in south Georgia in the early seventies and deer were much more rare then than they are today.


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## Throwback

TOORED, 

subsistence hunting and market hunting primarily. 


T


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## Fire Eater

Hard to believe that there were NO deer in this state 100 years ago...I wonder what role the extinction of the American Chestnut played in the extirpation of deer from Georgia. Some are trying to bring them back.


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## deerdander

Interesting to see how many deer were brought in from TX.
I had been told that a lot of deer brought into Georgia came from Virginia but that information was obviously bogus.


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## chrisclayton33

Very Cool thanks for the link.


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## OmenHonkey

I just saw this thread. It's Great BTW. I had the pleasure of getting to know Mr. Whittington. Great Man, unbelievable outdoorsman. He never sat in a deerstand. And according to him he has some Giant horns...He was our caretaker at our club in Crawford county. he walked our lease many times and gave us detailed instruction on browse line and how many does needed killing. We shared many conversations and i learned alot about the restocking from him directly. Yes there were great numbers restocked privately. Usually still had the DNR's help just no real records were kept. I'm lucky to live in a county that had both Texas and WI strain placed. There here just dang hard to find...


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## HossBog

I noticed that neither Columbia nor Lincoln counties are listed, but I guess the deer from Clarks Hill WMA must've increased and migrated over in the early '60s. When I started deer hunting in 1964, I had never met nor heard of another deer hunter in my part of Georgia. I had never even seen a deer, just some sign, so I knew they were around. I killed the first wild deer I ever saw, a nice little 8 point buck, whose head is in my office at home. November 5, 1966 at 2:05 pm, 45 yards through heart shot from shotgun slug. Hehehe, I was a bit lucky, eh? Senior in high school. Then, went to Vietnam returned, and everybody and his brother was deer hunting! I felt as if I had lost my secret! Oh well, man, those were the days!


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## AnchAk1961

*Ground zero Harris County...*

Looks like my lease is very close to the area of Harris County's release site.  Kinda cool.   Thanks for posting.


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## Glenn

I wonder if I am related to the Whittington fellow?


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## Youngbuck29

Very cool...Thanks for sharing. .


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## palerider

Good information about the restocking program.  I remember when the deer were stocked in Upson and Pike counties.


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## Zeus

Were the deer released on public or private property?  I'm wondering where the deer were restocked in Hall County.


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## Hornet22

OmenHonkey said:


> I just saw this thread. It's Great BTW. I had the pleasure of getting to know Mr. Whittington. Great Man, unbelievable outdoorsman. He never sat in a deerstand. And according to him he has some Giant horns...He was our caretaker at our club in Crawford county. he walked our lease many times and gave us detailed instruction on browse line and how many does needed killing. We shared many conversations and i learned alot about the restocking from him directly. Yes there were great numbers restocked privately. Usually still had the DNR's help just no real records were kept. I'm lucky to live in a county that had both Texas and WI strain placed. There here just dang hard to find...



Mr. Whit is still the great outdoorsman. One of the stupidest things I ever did was selling the '89 Z71 I bought from him. He's a tough ole feller too, rattle snakes can't even put him down for long.


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## ProAngler

Weird they used some of the island deer as broodstock. Wish we did not introduce the genetics of those tiny deer to the rest of the herd.


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## C.Killmaster

ProAngler said:


> Weird they used some of the island deer as broodstock. Wish we did not introduce the genetics of those tiny deer to the rest of the herd.



The islands don't have poor genetics, they just have poor soils and habitat.  The areas on the mainland with good habitat that were stocked solely with island deer produce really nice bucks.


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## Thunder Head

Ive heard various stories all my life about this. I find the records very interesting.

 For instance we all know Dooley countys reputation as a big buck county. Of there original deer stocking a 3rd came from the islands. Another 3rd came from PNWR. Im not sure where they came from originally. Makes you wonder how much genetics plays a role period.


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## Milkman

BornToHuntAndFish said:


> In case you have not seen this document from 1975, Georgia Deer Restocking from 1928 to 1974, below is its web link, and then below that is a couple of its interesting summary tables that has answered many of my questions and hopefully some of yours:
> 
> http://www.gohuntgeorgia.com/assets/documents/Deer Restocking_1928-1974.pdf



Glad you posted the image. It appears the link no longer works.


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## Shep23

Interesting stuff


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## BuckNasty83

What does BES mean under source?


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## Crakajak

BuckNasty83 said:


> What does BES mean under source?


Berry College WMA


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## BuckNasty83

Great,  I've got Berry College deer


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## C.Killmaster

BuckNasty83 said:


> What does BES mean under source?



Berry Schools WMA, known as Berry College WMA today.  The abbreviations on listed on page 27.


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## bear claw

Hey killmaster where could we find a new link the one in the op doesn't work now?


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## coolbreezeroho

So the deer are from out of state down in Georgia ......


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## BornToHuntAndFish

Milkman said:


> Glad you posted the image. It appears the link no longer works.



Sorry for the delay.  I just saw your helpful update.  Original Post #1 is updated for web links that work now.  Thank you for pointing this out.





bear claw said:


> Hey killmaster where could we find a new link the one in the op doesn't work now?



Sorry for the delay to you, too.  I just noticed the issue being pointed out.  Original Post #1 is updated with web links that work now.  Thanks for pointing out the need for an update after the website was reorganized.


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## BornToHuntAndFish

The Original Post #1 is updated with web links that work now after the DNR website was reorganized.  The link to the original document offers much more helpful info in case you are interested.

Appreciate everyone's patience.



Since there is a new limit of 10 images in a thread post, here's the first 10 of 15 Updated Recreated images that are a bit easier to read from Georgia Deer Restocking Program document continued in the next thread post with the last 5 of 15 Updated Recreated images. 

Click, select, or touch image to view a larger image. 



https://georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/wrd/pdf/management/1928-1974_Deer Restocking.pdf














Counties in Alphabetical Order:


Appling to Catoosa from Page 32 below:




Catoosa to Clarke from Page 33 below:




Clarke to Dade from Page 34 below:



Dodge to Fannin from Page 35 below:



Fannin to Gilmer & Murray from Page 36 below:




Gordon to Heard from Page 37 below:



Continue the rest of the Counties in the next post below.


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## BornToHuntAndFish

Continuing the previous post above, here's the last 5 of 15 Updated Recreated images continued below: 



Houston to Lowndes from Page 38 below:




Lowndes to Pickens from Page 39 below:




Pickens to Treutlen from Page 40 below:




Treutlen to Whitfield from Page 41 below:




Wilcox to Wilkes from Page 42 below:


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## lworley

Anyone who is interested in this should check out “The Last Deer Trapper.” I don’t know who wrote it. It’s about the game warden that trapped off of Berry and the islands to stock the state.


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## Bananaslug22

Neat. My great uncle was (I believe per my father) was very involved in the deer release in Troup County. I also believe he was instrumental in starting the Outdoorsman Club in Troup County. 
My dad says my great uncle has pictures of the Deer release. I need to ask him(still living) if I could see them. The location, “8 Miles NW of LaGrange”, lines up exactly where my dad told me they released them.


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## herb mcclure

Thant's to "Born To Hunt and Fish" for posting this highly informative thread pertaining to Georgia's deer stocking. 
As a former Georgia Game and Fish personnel during the years of 1958-1963, I can relate to many of the names of game management people and the area  game wardens back in my days, where those deer where being released. I also witness many of those stockings actually taking place, although I was in fish management. 
As many older sportsman know, I am  more known as a turkey hunter than a deer hunter. However, I have many great memories in the deer woods, before hunting clubs were the norm, and I have just recently written a book telling about my deer hunting.  
Could someone possibly post-up a thread on the G O N's turkey forum, like this thread,for turkey hunters to learn from? 
I my self starting turkey hunting the 1956 season. The Blue Ridge WMA was the place, which is where the late Arthur Woody had saved the turkeys there.   
Herb McClure


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## Bananaslug22

herb mcclure said:


> Thant's to "Born To Hunt and Fish" for posting this highly informative thread pertaining to Georgia's deer stocking.
> As a former Georgia Game and Fish personnel during the years of 1958-1963, I can relate to many of the names of game management people and the area  game wardens back in my days, where those deer where being released. I also witness many of those stockings actually taking place, although I was in fish management.
> As many older sportsman know, I am  more known as a turkey hunter than a deer hunter. However, I have many great memories in the deer woods, before hunting clubs were the norm, and I have just recently written a book telling about my deer hunting.
> Could someone possibly post-up a thread on the G O N's turkey forum, like this thread,for turkey hunters to learn from?
> I my self starting turkey hunting the 1956 season. The Blue Ridge WMA was the place, which is where the late Arthur Woody had saved the turkeys there.
> Herb McClure



Good Morning Mr McClure.
Were you involved in the 1962 Troup County release?

Thanks,
Larry


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## herb mcclure

Bananaslug22 said:


> Good Morning Mr McClure.
> Were you involved in the 1962 Troup County release?
> 
> Thanks,
> Larry


No Mr. Larry I was not there for that release of WISCONSIN deer, which were being stocked then as well as Texas deer. The records show a Mr. Robert (Bob) Howarth was the game management man from THE Gainesville district office that did the stocking, and a personal friend.


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## Bananaslug22

Thanks for the reply. My father had told me they were from Wisconsin so thanks for confirming that along with the pics of the paperwork that another gentlemen posted in this same thread. 
I will try to get the pics of the release that my great Uncle supposedly has.
 - Larry


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## herb mcclure

Hope someone can post information about turkey stocking that the state did, like the deer stocking information that *Born to Hunt and Fish *did 20 years ago. Herb McClure


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## Milkman

https://georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/wrd/pdf/management/1928-1974_Deer Restocking.pdf


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## psedna

It is not listed in the records, but I distinctly remember seeing a game wardern truck with a wooden cage in the back bed of the truck, coming through Miller county when I was around high school age give  or take that would be 1968 through approximately 1973.  The owner of the gas station told us youngsters that they were stocking deer....


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