2016-17 Georgia Deer Season Wrap-Up

It was sure different in the Georgia deer woods this season—extreme drought and very warm temperatures changed the game for many hunters. The lack of rain was a big factor, with deer-movement patterns altered simply because deer had to be near a water source and because food plots were non-existent. Another big change was the high number and great quality of the bucks killed. Judging by what we’ve seen, the pre-season prediction came true—that Georgia’s three-year string of down years for big bucks would end this season.

Here are the reports from our Hunt Advisor team in the field.

Steve Burnette’s Baldwin County buck has 12 scorable points that measure an inch or longer, and it’s been green-scored at 163 total inches.

NORTH GEORGIA

Cherokee County: Tim Dangar, of Ball Ground, reports, “This season has come and almost gone without much to report. Trying to stay positive, I’m thinking about how the abundant mast crop we had this season will impact the overall quality and quantity of the herd for next season. Hunting was difficult here at home. The rut was hard to nail down, as were feeding patterns. Warm and dry conditions made it difficult to get anything green in food plots. I don’t know if deer would have been on plots anyway, and I say that because fields that normally have deer in them have been empty even with recent rain and greening.

“I still have a mountain hunt left and a late-season Tuckahoe WMA hunt. Maybe can top off the freezers with some late-season kills. The mountains where I do most of my hunting should be good next year due to abundant food source and low harvest reported for this season. Seasons like we just went through have a way of humbling us and helps keep our skills sharp. Hope to have something to report for turkey season, until then God bless!”

Bucky Mitchell with a Brooks County 11-pointer he killed the first weekend in November. Scoring expert Bill Cooper said the rack exhibits a great combination of mass and tine length, and he expects it will net above 170 inches and make the Boone & Crockett record book.

Madison County: Keith Ingram, of Comer, reports, “It was sort of a Jekyll and Hyde type season for me here in my home county. That being said, I’ve had a pretty decent season seeing deer. I did see a couple of pretty good bucks, and if they survived, they will be takers next year. The reason I called it a Jekyll and Hyde season is because I saw a good number of deer, but no rut activity whatsoever. Food and water was limited, and that may have contributed to the lack of activity, or maybe it was more at night because of the warm temps. Won’t know the answer to this question until next spring when the fawns are born. I still feel I had a successful season. I killed two coyotes and hopefully saved some of those fawns—and everything else. I’m off for 10 days at Christmas, and I’m going to try to hunt a little during that time, but I’ve got a gang of Thumper Jumpers that are itching to get in a briar patch, so I’m going to try to get them primed by the time deer season closes. I have enjoyed reporting this season and hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.”

North Fulton County: Greg Grimes, of Ball Ground, reports, “The season was frustrating. The mature target bucks had no consistency whatsoever with limited daytime movement. I did have several good hunts mixed in with the slow ones and passed some 3-year-olds. We did manage to arrow four does but yet to get my son a successful crossbow kill.

“Well, since we are in north Fulton County and have over a month of the season left, here is the plan of how I’m going to go about getting some venison. Blowing off acorn flats has continued to work the entire season with deer coming to those areas that night and next day. I will continue to do this into January but move closer to thick cover, mainly privet hedge. I will add some Christmas tree trimmings to my stands, since they now stick out like a sore thumb with the leaves gone. It is even more critical now because deer will yard up, and you might have several eyes watching you try to draw back.

“Also keep in mind if you kill any mature does in January to use a fetal board. It provides great insight telling you the day that doe was bred. Don’t let this advantage of the late season pass you by because it is solid evidence. Although I must say most of the time it matches the GON rut map.”

Check out 11-year-old Eli Jerguson’s Crawford County 10-pointer. This big old buck weighed 216 pounds.

MIDDLE GEORGIA

Fayette County: Shane McMonigle, aka “rutnbuk” on the GON Forum, reports, “This is by far my least favorite report to submit, simply because it means once again deer season is coming to an end. However, there is still a little time left, and at press time the deer in my neck of the woods are still moving good, especially in the evenings. I think I have seen and had more deer in bow range this December than I did in October. On Nov. 26, I was finally able to get a mature buck to respond to a grunt call and closed the deal. He was a nice buck with a half-crazy rack on one side, but I went half crazy when I arrowed him, so we were a perfect match! Seriously though, what an incredible deer season for our state despite challenging drought conditions. Giant bucks have been coming off WMAs, as well as private land all over the state. I say it every year—yes, hunting the Midwest is exciting, but I would not trade anything for my Georgia deer hunting. These are certainly the best of times. I am pretty certain most of the nice bucks I had on camera this year have slipped through. Time will tell. We are asked to rate our seasons, and I would rate this season for me ‘excellent.’ My scale is a little different though, as an excellent season for me is getting to go hunting as much as possible. This year I was able to log more time on the stand than I can remember. After chasing Georgia whitetails for more than 25 years, measuring the ‘moments’ has really started to become more important than measuring the antlers. I was blessed to have a lot of moments this year, and I hope you were to. Until next season—God bless.”

Merritt Ainslie, of Madison, with a thick-racked Morgan County buck taken in November. The buck has double brow tines on its right side.

Jones County: Tanner Edenfield reports, “As the season comes to a close, my deer sightings have significantly slowed down. Late season is usually hard, and this year is no exception. If you haven’t made it happen yet, there is still hope. With this rain we’ve had, all of my plots are green, and the deer have taken notice. Also, there are a few remaining water oaks still dropping and plenty of deer sign to accompany them in my neck of the woods. The deer are also feeding heavily on Chinese privet where I hunt, so that might be something to check out if you have any available.

“Overall, the season went pretty well, despite the lack of rain for much of the season. Personally, I saw more big buck activity than ever before and was able to tag out on bucks with my bow, including a 9-point I killed in early December. I was able to witness plenty of rutting activity and even got to see a buck snort-wheeze.”

Monroe County: Greg Grimes, of Ball Ground, reports, “I rate this season as successful at getting kids on does. My passion and the main goal of this property is to introduce the outdoors to kids, so I was very happy with our success. However, I continue to struggle to see any good rutting activity on my property. Neighbors seem to have enjoyed much success harvesting some really nice bucks this year. While we were in a drought most of the spring and summer, the early spring rains added a few extra inches to the bucks. Also, the recent rains have greened up the plots going into the winter. I look forward to what next year will bring managing and chasing these great animals.”

Hunter Advisor and freelancer writer Tanner Edenfield with his nice bow-kill, a Jones County 9-point buck killed in early December.

Walton County: Darrell Dickens, of Loganville, reports, “With the warm and dry weather we had this deer season, the hunting was definitely different than in years past. I’ve kept records of my sightings from the stand for the past four seasons. Afternoons have been better for sightings since I’ve been keeping records. This season the mornings were far better.

“The first part of November when I typically see the best rutting activity it was in the 80s, and the deer just weren’t moving much during daylight. I did see some chasing here and there up until Thanksgiving though. The first week of December I also started seeing chasing and bucks cruising. They were chasing yearling does. By the middle of December I was seeing bucks back into bachelor groups, which is not unusual for that time of year.

“With the rain we got at the end of November and through December, the food plots that were planted in September finally sprouted, and the deer are using them heavily. It’s good to see they will have plenty of food to get them through the winter and into the spring.

“Next season looks promising for bucks. I saw and let a lot of 2.5- and 3.5-year-old deer walk. I’ve seen more 1.5-year-old bucks this season than I ever have. I’ll run cameras after the season to inventory what bucks are still around.

“In conclusion, it was another fun and successful season—filled with great memories of hunting with my family and friends. I can’t wait to see what next season holds. Good luck to everyone during the rest of your season.”

SOUTH GEORGIA

Colquitt County: Adam Childers, of Moultrie, reports, “It’s hard to believe that the end is already near. I feel like early September was only a couple of weeks ago. Now begins the long wait to hear a gobbler light up the woods just after daylight! Fortunately, quite a few deer hunters will have the memories of a great deer season to keep them going. I believe that despite the drought and heat, this past season will go down as above average for quality of bucks killed. It will also be interesting to see what kind of data will be generated from the new online deer registry system (Georgia Game Check) implemented this year. Hopefully, DNR will be able to make some fine-tuned adjustments to the regulations that will make our state’s hunting even better.

“In my small corner of the world, the season went about as expected as far as movement goes. I was fortunate to have some irrigated ag fields nearby in the early season that kept the deer close. As November neared and crops were harvested, it became a bit tougher than normal to pinpoint activity because of the lack of food plots due to the drought. However, any oak trees that produced made for some good hunting. Then came the rut, which seemed to be right on schedule, and if you were in the right place at the right time, you got to see some good chasing action. Based on the pictures passed around through text, the GON Forum and the Truck-Buck contest, quite a few hunters found themselves in the right place at the right time.

“Now that late season is here, there should still be some good opportunities to finish filling the freezer or possibly tag a nice buck. I’ll focus on any green patches that have come up since the rains. If you can find a buck coming to food in daylight this time of year, there is usually a good chance to kill him. I also really like to use these last few weeks to scout and begin to get a game plan together for next season. Good luck to all during the remainder of the season, and have a happy new year!”

Adam shot an amazing buck with his bow—see the picture on page 69 in Truck-Buck coverage.

Crisp County: Jodi Manders, of Cordele, reports, “As we begin to wrap up this year’s deer season and look back on the success and failures of this year, I can say that it has been an eventful year. I believe early season drought and heat played a role in deer movement during daylight hours. We relied on natural vegetation for feeding because planted plots were a loss without the rain. We were able to watch some bucks develop from velvet to hard bone from start to finish, and we were able to harvest two of those deer in early December that we watched all year through trail cameras. We did witness more rut activity in early to mid November this year than last year as far as young bucks chasing does. There was not as much mature-buck chasing. One of the two we took in December was chasing a doe at 8 a.m., and the other one was feeding through a thicket early morning.

“Overall, this year seems to have been a good year as far as mature buck harvest for Crisp County. Hope everyone had a safe and bountiful season.”

GON Hunt Advisor Jodi Manders and her husband Randy both got nice bucks while hunting in Crisp County in early December.

Early County: Sam Klement, Founder of Good Outdoor Technologies/Huntin is Good!, hunts a trophy-managed lease in southwest Georgia on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. “As I type this report Dec. 15, our deer are right on schedule for a super strong rut to close out the season. Over the last few days I have had several hunting buddies either shoot some great mature bucks with their bows or have some close encounters. Just this morning I was blessed with a full moon daybreak hunt for the books. Just after daylight I heard a snort-wheeze followed by three borderline bucks showing up in bow range. These jokers put on a show! It looked like a scene from a TV show filmed in the Midwest. They would almost tag in/out of spars like a WWE Monday night wrestling match, working nearby scrapes and posturing—very atypical for southwest Georgia!

“To say the least, the bucks are definitely getting tuned up. I have seen several chase scenes over the last week, and scrapes and splayed-out running tracks are showing up everywhere, which lets me know our bucks are covering some ground and cruising in search of hot does. You can almost set your watch—after the first cool snap in December, our deer in southwest Georgia get cranked up. Once it’s on, it will continue to wax and wane for the remainder of the season, with historically some of our biggest bucks taken the last week of the season. We have gotten plenty of rain now, and our food plots we thought we lost due to drought are actually coming up, and the re-plants are looking great, as well. Acorns are still dropping and cover the ground, but they should start to rot soon.

“My strategy pretty much stays consistent this time of the year. I like to hunt thick, tight edges close to bedding areas in hopes of catching a mature buck slipping in and around in search of a bedded doe. The only difference is that I will sit much longer, pulling a few all-day sits, and I will start to use my Voodoo deer scent as a curiosity lure. These deer are in the right frame of mind and are not near as spooky to scents and lures. I will also be doing more rattling and grunting. Earlier this week I grunted up a shooter buck. Unfortunately, as they often do, no shot was presented. My tip to fellow southwest Georgia hunters is don’t give up—it can happen at any time on any stand. Now is the time to pack a lunch and grind it out. Good luck out there. Enjoy all of the Good Lord’s beauty and every single sunset and sunrise and squirrel barking, etc. If you are fortunate enough to pull the trigger, that’s a bonus. Huntin’ Is Good! for the soul!”

Harris County: Jimmy Harper, of Hamilton, reports, “When looking back on this deer season in Harris County, it can easily be described in one word—unusual. In fact, ‘unique’ could quite possibly be substituted for unusual in that description. That’s because in almost 35 years of deer hunting in Harris County, I can’t remember another season when hunters didn’t have to contend with a single day of rain interfering with their time in the woods, all the way from the beginning of bow season through Thanksgiving weekend. That, coupled with pleasant temperatures, light winds, a ‘normal’ rut and limited food choices for the deer herd resulted in more good, mature bucks hitting the Harris County dirt than usually do.

“As this season winds to a close, I have to admit that with the season closing on Jan. 8 this year instead of on Jan. 15 as had been the case for many years prior, I’m disappointed that we’ve lost a week of deer hunting. I’ve usually found the late season to be a great time to put some meat in the freezer, especially if you have a dependable food source the deer are consistently using. I also never like to see our hunting opportunities diminished or reduced, even if just by one week. Hopefully, this is something which will be reconsidered in the future, possibly in conjunction with a reduction in doe tags.

“Wait… was that a gobble I just heard? It won’t be long!”

Twiggs County: Richie Green, of Jeffersonville, reports, “It seems like the season just started, and now we are at the end. This year was a strange one with the lack of rain and no food plots, but I was able to put an arrow through seven does on six different tracts of land, so I’ll eat good anyway. But this was the worst year ever for seeing bucks. The sign was never there, and the rut was just a trickle in my hunting area. The bucks that were showing up at night just vanished or are in someone’s freezer.

“By the looks of the pics coming in to GON, the quality is outstanding, so if that’s the reward for not seeing a lot of bucks, I’ll take it and wait my turn. The food plots are coming up and getting hammered, so maybe the big boys will come out for some salad these last weeks, and I can say I had an awesome year instead of a good one.

“Whatever happens, I am blessed to get to hunt as much as I do and feed my addiction, and then put a little piece of it in such a great magazine.”

Wheeler County: T.J. Fountain reports, “This season has been a weird one again for sure. We started it with a small acorn crop and extreme drought that carried well into late November. Food plots suffered greatly because of this. Live oaks seemed to do well, and we had a nice crop compared to others. The deer have stayed on them well throughout the season.

“Overall, I still believe the deer numbers are down. While we have seen deer, the numbers are still low. The rut was a trickle rut again in our area with warm temperatures and short cool spells. Most pictures were all night activity through the rut, which seemed uncommon.

“Things heated up around Thanksgiving with a few good bucks chasing and running in daylight. It was short lived, and that took us on into December when we finally began to get rain. The deer seem to be somewhat back to a feeding pattern now and going to the plots that are slowly beginning to grow a little. The sad part about this is there will not be much food plot to give the deer much green through the colder months ahead. While there seemed to be a record amount of big bucks killed all around our state, activity still seems a little off in our area compared to years past. While we haven’t taken any deer off of our property yet, it was a decent season.”