2023 Georgia Deer Season Off To Hot Start

Four weeks after having a baby, Rachel White, of Cumming, got her first-ever archery deer, this impressive Forsyth County buck.

Another Georgia deer season has kicked off, and based on reports from archery hunters, it’s going to be a good one. Lots of quality bucks—many of them still in velvet—were taken the first two weeks of bow season. We are also hearing some promising reports on the acorn crop this year, which is good news for hunters who like to set up on a natural food source, especially with corn prices so high.

GON has a great team of deer-hunting experts across the state who file regular reports as Hunt Advisors. Here are their reports on the opening weeks of archery season and on how the woods are looking in their areas for the upcoming gun season.

Here’s another great northeast Georgia bow-buck. Zak Germaine, of Commerce, shot this 10-pointer in Jackson County at 7:40 a.m. on Sept. 17. Zak said, “I sat through the rain early Sunday morning, and when it stopped, he came cruising through and gave me a 25-yard broadside shot and folded up 40 yards away.”

NORTH GEORGIA

Chattahoochee National Forest: Tim Dangar, of Ball Ground, reports, “To all my fellow mountain ridge runners, there’s acorns in them there hills (hunter’s GOLD)! It’s been a while since we have had this many acorns in the mountains. All three of the main trees types I look for are loaded. Red oak, white oak and post oak, which is in the white oak family, are hanging full and beginning to hit the ground as I am writing this article. And the good news is we have a good population of deer, bear and hog waiting to add a few pounds by eating every one that hits the ground. Another thing I love about this year’s mast crop is it’s best 2,700 feet and up. As all mountain hunters know, kill high and drag downhill is our motto. Please consider taking a bear this season, as I am convinced they do more harm to the deer population than coyotes in north Georgia. Find that oak tree with claw marks in the bark and with limbs broken out for best results on bear. For deer, look for leaves torn up at bottom of trees, fresh dropping and beds nearby. Hey, pack a lunch and stay all day, the beautiful season change will be worth it even if it takes a while to get something on the ground.”

Hunt Advisor Tim Dangar reports a good crop of acorns in the mountains this season. He found the mast crop on the Chattahoochee National Forest best above 2,700 feet.

“As for the rut, December is the magical month, don’t miss it this year! Til next time, stay calm and hunt on.”

Cherokee County: Tim Dangar reports, “The deer herd is in excellent shape number wise and health wise. We are growing some nice bucks and have identified some cull bucks that we are taking out so they won’t be breeding any does. Velvet is off and the boys are sparing, which means they will be singled out real soon. Our acorn crop is not as good as the mountains but still decent. Persimmons are loaded, which will come into play mid to late October. The wild grape crop is all but gone and was not great to begin with. As weather cools more, hope to get in the woods here at home and have more about rut sign next month.”

This opening-day buck for Cole Irvin will be pushing the top of the all-time Floyd County bow records when it is officially measured after 60 days. Cole, from Cave Springs, said an overall rough score had it just under 140 inches.

Madison County: Keith Ingram, of Comer, reports, “Well another deer season has rolled around once again, and it looks to be shaping up to be a good one. I didn’t sit in the stand to hunt myself until the morning of Sept. 23. I had been four previous times trying to get my son taking a deer on camera. We have seen a ton of them, and on the evening of the 22nd, we finally saw one of our hit-listers, but he stayed out about 75 yards.

“The rut must have been a great one last season because the woods are full of fawns. I kept them fed all summer with corn and proteins, so them and their mama’s all look good and healthy. I had pictures of bachelor groups all summer, with a handful of mature bucks, and a couple of them being very good deer. They have completely busted up now, and I’m getting very few daylight pictures of them. The bucks are starting to make a lot of sign—scrapes and rubs— and they are also harassing the does. I still see the rut happening about the same time again this year, early to mid November.

“We got our food plots in the ground, and as of Sept. 22, they are up and looking good. Acorns are starting to drop, and there seems to be plenty of them, and the deer are on them. So if you are bowhunting, find your best food sources, whether it is corn, persimmons, acorns or a food plot, and sit on it, because I’m getting pictures sent to my phone all day and night. Good luck and safe hunting to everyone this year.”

Bennett Carpenter, 10, with an opening-day 8-point buck from Troup County that he killed with a crossbow.

MIDDLE GEORGIA

Fayette & Meriwether Counties: Jeff Scurry, of Peachtree City, reports, “In both Fayette and Meriwether counties, there has been lots of deer seen, primarily does and young bucks. I have seen a few mature bucks on camera, but none from the stand. What I have noticed this year is bucks still in velvet on opening day and even a week into the season. Lots of velvet bucks have been taken this year and seen across Georgia.

“Starting to see a few rubs here and there, and now that the temps are dropping, we should start seeing more action. Fawn production is high this year in my areas, partially due to predator control. Food plots are slow starting due to lack of rain in most areas, but lots of deer are showing up at my supplemental protein feed stations. Seeing lots of persimmons drop, mostly in Fayette. With the cool weather finally coming in, we should start seeing more mature bucks show up during daylight hours as the bachelor groups continue to bust up and bucks mark their areas.”

Jacob Davis, of Pendergrass, with a big velvet 8-point buck he killed on opening day in Jackson County. GON receives way too many photos for all of them to make the magazine, but being a subscriber and wearing a GON hat just might increase the odds of making it!

Hancock County: Matthew Gilbert, of Loganville, reports, “This season we are expecting to have lots of fun and enjoy a great time in the woods. We have been seeing lots of sign, so the deer numbers seem pretty good. As we have been moving around on the property getting everything ready, we have noticed there should be lots of food for the deer this fall. We have had some pretty significant timber changes, which will make figuring the deer out a fun challenge. There is a lot of potential for us to enjoy this season in lots of different ways, especially watching the success of the kids!

“Food sources seem plentiful this year. Persimmons are above average and are turning ripe a little later than normal. Water oaks are loaded. This always makes it tougher to locate deer concentrations since we have so many across our property, but the challenge is fun. As normal, the food plots are ready to go, and the dry weather makes it frustrating as we always want them to blow up. But, we always eventually get some rain, and they seem to do well.

“With the timber changes on our land, we are going to have to learn some newer bedding areas and travel routes for the deer. Getting high up into a tree on the edge of the cutover will be a fun way to learn some new spots, and no telling what can be seen. We are excited for the rut to get here to see what may happen.

“With the kids being more independent hunters, we are counting on them to help with the scouting and growing their woodsmanship skills. The boys have pitched in on the food plot work, learning about planting and fertilization. They have done a great job doing what it takes to help get ready for the fall. A few of the plots have been work done by just the boys. The reward of getting to hunt over something they put together will be such a great reward. As a dad, I’m excited to see it all come together even if it’s just managing some does. It’s going to be a good one!”

Here’s a big velvet bow-buck from the suburbs. Cobb County produced this bruiser for Cody Appling.

Jasper County: Tim Zech, of Monticello, reports, “The best time of the year has arrived.  It’s great to finally be pursuing the elusive white-tailed deer again, and we are getting after them. The cooler weather has finally arrived, and deer are moving off their summer patterns now that food sources are changing along with the testosterone levels of the bucks. I have been living in the woods the last few weeks and finally found a few new scrapes around Sept. 15.”

As if killing a buck with 170 inches of antler wasn’t enough, Graham McDonald was able to make the recovery with the help of his three sons. Graham is hoping his buck ends up being the new No. 1 bow-kill for Jasper County once it is officially scored.

“The bucks that are showing up on the cameras are no longer bunched up in bachelor groups. This is a sign of the events that will unfold about a month from now when the does finally get ready. A buck is capable of breeding as soon as his antlers shed velvet until they fall off… now it’s just a matter of time until the does have weaned this year’s fawns and physiologically prepare for the next go round. A lot of does are in their worst shape of the year right now after nursing for the last three to four months.   

“White oak acorns are starting to fall, and the squirrels are concentrating on them. The food plots are in the ground as of Sept. 20 and good moisture seems to have the early planted plots looking good. Army worms have not been an issue. We shoot for Sept. 15 in Jasper County, but this year we could have planted earlier. We are trying some triticale in the mix again this year.   

“We have not harvested any deer yet as of this post, but not for lack of trying. A cat-and-mouse game ended with a nice buck being at the stand my daughter in law had been hunting hard… when she was not there. This nice buck is still in the area, and she is still in hot pursuit.    

“Enjoy the hunt, and be sure to use every safety precaution when up off the ground. Check and recheck your stands, straps, climbing sticks, etc. Never hunt elevated blinds without a safety harness. If you have not found out about the usefulness of a lifeline system, do yourself and your loved ones a favor by buying and installing them on your ladders and lock-on stands.”

MaKenna Moose, 20, and her dad Scott, of Cleveland, killed these two Fulton County bucks four minutes apart while hunting 40 yards from one another. This is MaKenna’s first kill.

Monroe County: Greg Grimes, of Ball Ground, reports, “Well, we will be changing our patterns this season since we’re in the middle of some clear-cutting and a mosaic of untouched and select cuts on the property. The property is all beautiful hardwoods, but is just way too open for deer to feel comfortable. Next year the natural regeneration will start creating some cover for bedding deer and nesting turkeys. However, right now it’s just made everything wide open. It might be OK if I was a gun hunter, but we just like the stick and string.

“Maybe the deer will travel through there for some kid hunts later in the year. For October, I may have a couple of observation sets and see if I can figure out the new patterns. I know I will hunt an area that wasn’t cut as I have found several white oaks just starting to drop. Judging by past success in October, my favorite pattern is to get on the first white oak close to where I predict a bigger buck has bedded. I’m in the process of moving my cameras right now to watch over white oaks close to where I think the biggest buck is bedded on a thicker timber stand. With any luck, I’ll get him figured out before the rut.

“Start looking for scrapes and rubs. I’ve figured out  bucks love to rub and create a licking branch on holly bushes. They hit this one tree almost year-round. Good luck everyone. Good times are coming.”

Lee Vinson, of Cleveland, was bowhunting in Jones County on opening day when she arrowed this nice buck.

Taylor County: Greg Grimes reports, “It is exciting to have new land where you just don’t know what you might see, and you have the challenge of figuring it out. This October this will be the case for me because with work I didn’t find much time to hunt this last month. We are blessed to have 159 acres that we can now hunt in Taylor County. The problem is there’s only about 10 acres in hardwoods, and I’ve yet to find a single white or red oak tree and just a few water oaks. The muscadines are in the rearview mirror. At this point I’m not seeing any sign that they’re feeding on the persimmons either.

“The pattern that seems best is to play the wind right and get close to cover and set up by the best browse. I’ve really been paying attention. The property is pretty wet and the deer are actually eating arrow arum, so that might be worth trying out soon.

“We have two feeders set up, and one is actually getting morning action. In my experience, they are just effective at the first hour or last hour of daylight. We will be planting soon if we can get some rain in hopes that maybe late October or November we could have a better pattern revolving around the food plots. I definitely plan for any early October hunts to be close to any food I could find, but by late October I’ll move to several pinch-points that appear to be near bedding cover. Forget  the October lull—there are big bucks to chase.”

Walton County: Xane Bennett, of Monroe, reports, “Throughout the summer we have been watching a great number of fawns compared to last year. The deer herd in general looks great, and numerous people I’ve spoken with throughout the county say buck quality is improving annually. These deer have been on a very set routine up until recently, as they are slowly starting to phase out of their summer pattern. Mornings and evenings seem to be the bread winner for hunting purposes, but as October rolls in don’t be afraid to scout at an off time. Some of the biggest deer I have seen are early season in the middle of the day.

“I implemented planting buckwheat during the summer this year to improve soil quality and to act as a natural weed control. I was thoroughly impressed with the results from this. I rolled over the buckwheat after about nine weeks of growth and then sprayed with glyphosate. After about a week of letting the glyphosate kick in, I tilled the soil and prepared the seed bed for my fall food plot during early September. Everything is coming up great so far.

“I hope everyone is as excited as I am to see what a year did to some of the more familiar deer on your property. Enjoy the memories made and lessons learned, stay safe and have a blessed season!”

SOUTH GEORGIA

Cook County: Josh Blackston, of Adel, reports, “This year’s bow opener came in hot down here in south Georgia. Coming into opening day most bucks I had on camera were in velvet or just beginning to shed. Deer movement was non-existent at my chosen spot for the opener. But all my other cameras showed good movement. As the velvet began to fall off following the opener, those old faithful scrapes began to reappear.

“As September begins to give way to October, the bachelor groups that have been like clockwork are breaking up, and new faces are starting to appear every day. The Saturday following the opener ended with no shot opportunity, but seven deer total sighted. With plenty of food in the fields, it seems the beans and peanuts are the place to be.

“The Blackston family is looking forward to an exciting deer season with family and friends, and that’s always a great recipe for lifelong memories. God Bless and wear that harness (the dirt hurts!!!)”

Here’s a tall-tined bow-buck from Colquitt County. Nick Giles made a 48-yard shot on Sept. 10 to kill the buck.

Crisp County: Jodi Manders, of Cordele, reports, “Finally time to get into the woods and hunt some deer. Thankfully we are seeing some deer movement early. Looks like we may have a good selection this year. Haven’t seen but a couple of fawns on camera—maybe they are just being camera shy. Most of the movement early season has been just at daybreak and some just before dark. We have had a few trail-camera pics in the middle of the day around 1 to 2 p.m.

“As always, the persimmons are abundant again this year. Lots of them have ripened and have been eaten. There are still a good many that are still green and will be around during early gun season. There are a few acorns that will be a tasty snack a little later on. The green plots will surely be good spots to hunt over when the deer are browsing for a change in late season.

“Archery season seems to have started off a little slow. Local processors have posted a few bow-bucks that have been taken. We have spotted a few rubbed trees and some scrape lines already being established.

“Hope you all find time to get out and enjoy they outdoors and even harvest a deer or two. Good luck, hunt safe, God Bless!”

Harris County: Jimmy Harper, of Hamilton, reports, “The first month of archery season on the Harris County properties I hunt produced numerous sightings of does, fawns and young bucks, but no mature bucks were observed during daylight hours. Trail-camera photos revealed that the majority of mature buck movement, including at least three Pope & Young class animals, on our properties began about an hour after sundown and ended between 4 and 4:30 a.m. I realize every property is different, and there have already been several very nice bucks killed in Harris County during the first few weeks of this deer season—just as there are every year—but the reality on my properties is that most early-season archery hunting is done to thin some does and start refilling the freezer with venison. An intentional effort is also made not to overhunt our best areas early in the season, especially in the mornings, unless definitive trail-camera evidence shows mature buck movement during daylight hours on a fairly consistent basis.

“The late frost we had this past spring is having a noticeable, negative effect on the food available in our whitetail woods this Fall. Soft mast in the form of muscadines and persimmons, although still found in some areas of our properties, were produced in significantly reduced numbers. Hard mast, specifically white and red oak acorns, are still being produced this year as well, but it also appears that those crops will be dropping in greatly reduced numbers this season. Even water oak acorns, the most dependable hard mast in any of the woods where I hunt, are dropping in fewer numbers this year. But I’ve never seen a complete water oak acorn failure in my 40-plus years of deer hunting in Harris County, and that isn’t happening this season either.

“September has been a dry month, just as it is most years. So we’ve adjusted the timing of the planting of our cool-season food plots to account for that. For many years, we planted all of our plots in mid-September. But it’s always hot during September, and lately it’s also been very dry for the majority of the month, as well. So now we wait to plant our plots until early October—about the time you’re probably reading this—and then only when we have a high probability of rain in the forecast do we actually plant. Planting that late in the season still allows for at least a month of plant growth before the usual date of our first heavy frost, and it definitely helps to prevent having food plots being lost to drought and heat.

“Even though October is now here, not much will change about the way I hunt for the first three-plus weeks of this month. Just as I did throughout September, I’ll focus my efforts primarily, and almost exclusively, on evening hunts during the first portion of October. Those evening hunts will target food sources as well as the trails leading to them, and I’ll let my trail cameras guide me to the best stand locations. However, as the month progresses toward November, my hunting patterns, just like those of the bucks I’m hunting, will change significantly. Based on past experience, daylight buck movement will start picking up during the last week of October, especially if we have a cold front or two move through the area. That’s also the time period when I finally start hunting during mornings in addition to evening sits. My late-October hunting, while still including food sources such as isolated white oak groves, will primarily focus on travel corridors, pinch points, edges of doe bedding areas—anywhere a mature buck might be out cruising in hopes of crossing paths with the first hot doe of the season. Finally, if you asked me my favorite day to hunt in the entire month of October, I’d tell you it’s Halloween every time. And if you asked me why it’s Halloween, I’d tell you it’s because Oct. 31 is as close as you can get to November, most deer hunters’ favorite month, without actually being there yet!”

GON subscriber Duane Rabant got this Randolph County 8-pointer on Sept. 12. Duane is one of the record-setting Week 1 entries in Truck-Buck (see page 60).

Twiggs County: Richie Green, of Jeffersonville, reports, “Well the time has come once again, and it gets here faster every year it seems. Hunting season is the best season of the year for a lot of people, but none love it more than me, I promise. I have loved it from a very young age. From the first catbird I killed at 7 years old to the first deer I saw at 10 from a deer stand. It’s not about the killing either, as most of us hunters know, it’s just being there with all the critters of the world doing what they do. If this season is anything like last year for me then I’m in for some exciting hunts and I can’t wait. But if not, that’s OK too because I love just being there.

“This year is looking good for food plots for sure with all the rain we’ve had at the right time. Acorns on the other hand are spotty, but they are there if you look real hard. One thing I noticed is the water oaks are sketchy, which is unusual around here, so if you have some hunt them for sure.

“I’ve been getting a few fawns on my cameras and seeing them on the road a good bit, so maybe the herd is making a comeback. I hope. Some good bucks have already hit the ground on social media, but I haven’t even gotten a picture of a shooter yet. I did kill a doe on Monday the 11th, so my freezer won’t be empty at least.

“The scrapes and rubs are coming once the weather cools down a bit, and then the bucks will start their wandering around a bit. I’m ready but don’t want it to come too fast, but it always does. The rut hits here around the second and third weeks of November. I tagged out last year on the 18th—one in the morning and the other that evening, so I was ready for deer season this year for sure. It seems like forever since I’ve been in a tree.

“Good luck to all and stay safe. I’m looking forward to another great season. One day will be my last, so for now I’m gonna hunt. See y’all at the Outdoor Blast again next year…hopefully with a pellet gun in my hands, if you know what I mean.”

Colby Weeks, of Ailey, with a nice archery buck killed at Still Water Farms in Montgomery County on Sept. 10.

This big velvet 7-pointer was taken in Hall County on Sept. 10 by Chasten Parson. A video of the hunt appears on the YouTube channel MyBowRush.