Georgian Takes Record Buck — In Florida!

Out-of-state hunters always seem to get the big bucks, and it’s apparently true as well of Georgia hunters traveling to Florida.

Cody Thomas, of Savannah, accepted an offer to go hunting with his girlfriend’s brother on some well-managed land in Leon County near Monticello, Fla., and the result puts him in the Florida record books with the 10th-best buck ever taken in the Sunshine State.

Cody’s trip to Florida produced a buck with 13 scorable points that grossed 165 4/8 and had a net score of 154 6/8. The 235-lb. buck had an inside spread measuring 19 1/2 inches. Cody’s buck should be the highest-scoring deer taken in Florida this season.

Dr. Robert Vanderhoof, biologist and leader of the Florida Wildlife Commission’s Deer Management Program, said the northern-tier counties like Leon produce the majority of Florida’s record deer.

“It starts with the soil,” Vanderhoof said. “Many of Florida’s northern counties share the same fertile clay soils found throughout Alabama and Georgia.”

Leon County is just across the Georgia state line from Grady and Thomas counties.

Cody Thomas, who lives in Savannah and plays football for Valdosta State, with a 13-point buck taken in Leon County, Fla. that ranks as the No. 10 buck off all-time from Florida.