2021 WMA Special

Once again GON has looked at all the hunt data from public lands and crunched them into easy-to-read tables and charts, so that you can begin making your plans on where to hunt this fall.

We have hunt stats on 91 different WMAs, State Parks, Natural Areas and Tracts. If you’re a GON subscriber, you’ll have access to the following data—and more—on your phone at www.gon.com/hunting/wma-special-august-2021.

The best quota and non-quota deer hunts charts on pages 106-107 tell you how things fared last year as you make plans for this year’s WMA hunting season.

WMA Quota Hunts

The best quota hunt in the state last season actually came from a state park. The Nov. 3-4 either-sex hunt at Hard Labor Creek State Park had 121 hunters show up and kill 100 deer for a hunter-success rate of 82.6%.

When you look at WRD’s “Lottery Odds – Deer 2020” at georgiawildlife.com/hunting/quota#odds, it took three priority points for the guaranteed draw, although 66% were drawn and only had to use two points.

State Park hunts were established years ago in an attempt to keep deer populations at or below the carrying capacity of the land. Interestingly, even after a number of years, Hard Labor still brags of the best hunter-success rate in the state.

“Hard Labor reminds me of a WMA in central Kentucky,” said Tina Johannsen, WRD’s assistant chief of Game Management. “It was a narrow border around a big reservoir, so none of the deer had their entire home range on the WMA, and the surrounding properties were a great mix of deer habitat and hunted and unhunted small private parcels—150 acres is a huge tract up there, very different from here. It was like a bathtub drain—tons of deer killed year after year. Rarely big brutes, but a reliable place to fill a freezer.”

If you’re going to participate in a WMA quota hunt, you’ll need to apply online at www.gohuntgeorgia.com by the Sept. 1 deadline. You’ll have 47 different WMA quota deer hunts to choose from. You can select only one hunt or pick as many as three to up the odds of getting selected for one. Or, if you just want to earn one priority point and start saving points for some of the more popular hunts in the next few years, you can do that, too. Remember that WRD’s selection-odd tables at georgiawildlife.com/hunting/quota#odds will give you an idea of how many points it will take to get on the more popular hunts.

A fairly new change to the WMA system is that if you apply with three priority points, for example, and it only takes two priority points to get on a certain hunt, you will only be charged with two points. Same thing if you want to guarantee a pick and throw in all 10 of your points into one hunt. You’ll only be charged with whatever it took for you to get drawn.

The state’s hardest quota draw continues to be the second gun hunt on Flint River WMA, where chances of a quality buck are well above average. It took five priority points for a guaranteed draw, but 68% of hunters got in applying with four points. With a 44.4% hunter-success rate, this hunt ranked No. 14 of best overall WMA quota hunts. However, of the 27 hunters, seven of them bagged a quality buck. That’s why it’s the most popular quota hunt in the state.

WMA Non-Quota Hunts

Lake Seminole WMA’s Oct. 17 – Jan. 10, either-sex hunt only reported 36 hunters signing in to hunt, and they took 44 deer for a hunter-success rate of 122.2%. GON reported last year that these number are likely inflated to some extent because the only way to sign in on this area is by doing it online. However, there are some locals who hunt the area all season and are very good at it.

Elbert County’s two-week buck-only hunt was another eyebrow raiser with just eight hunters shooting nine bucks.

“Hunter numbers from some hunts may appear low due to lost sign-in sheets or data entry errors,” said Charlie Killmaster, WRD’s state deer biologist.

Even with electronic sign in as an option and all deer being checked out through Game Check, there will be errors in the data every year when dealing with this mass of information. However, in my 20-plus years of looking at these numbers, this is the best and most detailed information I’ve ever seen.

“Game Check is doing well and compliance is up since we went to the 24-hour rule. As far as it’s application on sign-in hunts, I think it’s as good or better than the self sign-out of deer at the check station.”