There’s No Difference In City & Country Bucks

Dear GON,

I have a response to some of the letters sent to GON about hunting deer in populated areas. I have been fortunate enough to have hunted deer for more than 40 years in all types of hunting areas, including WMAs, private property and mostly timber company land. I am by no means an expert deer hunter, but I have been fortunate to harvest a lot of deer and some good bucks.

In my opinion, deer in populated areas are not much different than deer in non-populated areas, unless you shoot them around your house.

I have a 26-acre tract of land in Putnam County that is surrounded by smaller tracts of land with homes.  I mostly hunt this land with a bow and have never seen a deer that even remotely acted like a tame deer. If they were tame deer, I would not hunt them.  These deer may act tame when they are close to a home, but these deer are used to seeing and smelling humans around their homes. Get out in the woods and let them smell or see you, and see what happens.

I am with Duncan Dobie on the fact that Lee Ellis should be given just as much credit as any hunter hunting anywhere for killing this magnificent deer. He killed this deer with a bow and only hunting natural food sources with no baiting or attractants. Enough said.

David Long, Cumming

Was Baiting Once Legal In The Northern Zone?

Dear GON,

Can someone explain what Reggie Dickey, the president of the Georgia Hunting and Fishing Federation, was talking about in the March issue of GON? Mr. Dickey stated it was never illegal to hunt deer over feed in Georgia until around 1995 when they put yardage and out-of-site restrictions in place.

I deer hunt in the Northern Zone and feel sure if I had put a pile of corn or a few buckets of apples out and a game warden had happened by while I sat close that I would be in a heap of trouble. I have always understood since the 1970s when I began deer hunting this would have been an issue.

Terry Doran, Cornelia

Editor’s Note: GON contacted DNR Public Affairs Officer Mark McKinnon, and he responded, “Hunting deer over bait in the Northern Zone has been illegal in Georgia for many years before the mid-90s, when the sight and yardage restrictions were enacted. Before that time, the Game Warden would make a judgement call, based on the circumstances of each incident, whether a charge of hunting over bait would be made. Since the sight and yardage restrictions have been in place, it is much clearer for the hunter and the Game Warden to determine if the hunter is violation of the law.”

GON Social

GON Twitter: Ron Allen tweeted: “@GONMagazine, Michelle Allen, 210-lb., 130-inch, 10-point, Clay County, Nov. 26.”

GON Facebook: Camden Hall, 7, killed his first turkey during the 2018 youth season. The longbeard had 1 1/4-inch spurs.

GON Instagram: That’s some mighty fine shooting from Chase Collins, of Blairsville, who was bowhunting in Union County on Sept. 25. “I realized the coyote was around because an ambulance went up the road near where I was hunting with the siren going, and it caused it to start howling. Only shot that I had was at the back of the head at 28 yards.”