More Georgia Deer Hunters Reporting Excellent Deer Seasons

We’re starting to wonder how much better Georgia deer hunting can get. For the 2020-21 season, 356 of our 1447 respondents, or 24.6%, rated their seasons as excellent, the best excellent rating in at least 20 years. Only 10.1% said they had “poor” seasons. That’s the lowest percentage of folks with a poor rating in at least two decades.

Last season’s stats are a far cry from 2012, when only 6.8% of hunters reported excellent seasons and an alarming 45.8% of folks said their seasons were poor. Georgia deer hunting has improved drastically in the last decade, and we’re sitting around the coffee pot wondering just how high that excellent rating can get. Will it climb next year?

In addition to the Rate Your Season Survey, GON readers also answered a question about turkey hunting regulation changes. Go directly to those survey results by Clicking Here.

The county ratings start below. For each county you will see a letter and number, which shows the number of season ratings for that county (e-excellent, g-good, etc.). Due to the large number of responses, we were only able to publish a very small fraction of the comments.

Appling Co. G-2, P-1

Poor: Too wet, too many permits issued to kill crop eaters and way too many coyotes. This is just some of the reasons for my poor season.

Atkinson Co. G-1, F-1

Good: 9-point killed, 18 1/2-inch inside and 20-inch outside, 190 pounds.

Bacon Co. E-1, G-2, F-1

Excellent: Harvested all I could use and saw lots of deer.

Good: Hunted only about three days and took a doe and an 8-point the first morning.

Fair: Most of the deer came out late at night.

Baldwin Co. E-2, G-2, F-3, P-1

Excellent: I saw plenty of deer and my plan came together. I had a good food plot and I protected about a 1-acre with plot saver until after the rut. I took down the plot saver fence the beginning of December and shot the buck I have been hunting for three years.

Good: Wasn’t able to hunt much. One buck with a broken tine.

Fair: The deer acted very pressured this year, moving more at night than in years past. Lots of food so they didn’t come to food plots as much as last year.

Poor: Saw very few deer. No shooter bucks. Most does seen during buck only. Weather not good. Plenty of mast.

Banks Co. E-1, G-4, F-3, P-1

Good: Saw more deer this year. Not sure if this is because there are more deer over the last couple of years or I had preferred food planted.

Fair: Not enough mature bucks. I wish the doe tags were lower and the rules on bucks were trophy minded. Too many “if it’s brown, it’s down” in Banks County.

Barrow Co. G-5, F-3, P-1

Good: Lots of movement but lack of large bucks.

Poor: Did not see many deer, especially not bucks.

Bartow Co. E-2, G-6, F-2, P-1

Excellent: I have seen nothing but bucks this year, and I killed my biggest this year.

Good: Saw plenty of deer but not near enough mature animals.

Fair: I put significantly more effort in improving the small tract of land I hunt than in years past. While I consistently saw nocturnal activity on the camera, we couldn’t see animals in shooting hours.

Berrien Co. E-1, G-3, F-3

Excellent: Multiple trophy deer harvested.

Good: Had to find a new property this year, took a while to locate one to lease. Got everything set up late so our season was so-so.

Fair: Don’t get to hunt much. Saw deer every time I did go but nothing shootable.

Ben Hill Co. E-4, G-2, F-2, P-1

Excellent: Killed my biggest bow buck on Sept. 17, grossed 142 2/8 and netted 133 1/8. Saw many more up and comers with plenty of does and yearlings.

Good: Lots of early season deer. As people on adjacent properties started to harvest, the deer have become more nocturnal. Still have deer just not feeding or moving in daylight.

Fair: Not much rut activity. Hard to tell when the rut really peaked.

Poor: Less sightings of bucks and does.

Bibb Co. G-2

Good: Low number of deer sightings but shot a 135 gross buck.

Bleckley Co. E-2, G-3, F-1

Excellent: Harvested two nice bucks. Saw a lot of deer between my land in Bleckley and land I lease in Dodge County.

Good: I only harvested one doe on opening day of firearms season. However, I saw many more deer during the season. I hunt my own land, and I chose not to take any more deer to allow the herd to grow a little for next season.

Fair: Only saw a little activity and the weather was warm again.

Brantley Co. P-1

Poor: Very few deer seen during daytime hours. The rut appeared non-existent compared to last year.

Brooks Co. E-3, G-2, F-5, P-2

Excellent: We have invested heavily in food plots, added farming and worked very hard to improve our property. We have also kept our doe harvest low for the last few years. This has helped a lot.

Good: Even though I never saw a good shooter buck while hunting, we had multiple ones on the cameras. Just couldn’t be in the right spot at the right time. I did miss a relatively easy shot on an old cull buck with my recurve. I did, however, take three slick heads so my freezer is full anyway. That’s the most important goal.

Fair: Saw only a few bucks but no trophies.

Poor: Hot weather and neighbors killing early bucks. Very few numbers of mature bucks and lower doe density.

Bryan Co. E-1, G-3

Excellent: Plenty of deer seen most sits, couple of nice bucks taken.

Good: Have seen plenty of deer, decent bucks and multiple good bucks on camera.

Bulloch Co. E-1, G-1, F-1

Good: Saw good numbers of deer, only few hunts with no sightings.

Fair: The weather was warm causing the rut to be off or so it seemed. A hot early season made for miserable hunting.

Burke Co. E-3, G-11, F-2, P-1

Excellent: I harvested the biggest buck of my life so far this season, and I tagged out with my 2-year-old son Barrett in the stand with me.

Good: I saw quite a few good bucks and had opportunities to harvest several had I wished.
Fair: Our property stayed flooded most of the season. Hasn’t been that way in years. We saw a lot less deer this year than in the past years, but I believe it had to do with the amount of water.

Poor: Saw no deer.

Butts Co. E-3, G-4

Excellent: I don’t think my wife, daughter or myself went on a hunt without seeing a deer! My daughter killed her biggest buck ever, and my wife got two very nice bucks, as well.
Good: Saw deer often, mostly does but never dull in the stand.

Calhoun Co. E-1, G-4, F-3

Excellent: I managed to fill both of my buck tags on big 8-points that both weighed over 200 pounds. That is the two biggest-bodied bucks I’ve ever killed, and I have been hunting in Georgia for 10 years now. I also saw several other nice bucks and took a nice 110-lb. doe.

Good: It was the first time I hunted this area. I did see a good many deer. I just need to get to know the property better.

Fair: Haven’t had much time to hunt.

Camden Co. E-3, G-2, F-1, P-1

Excellent: Killed five so far all on public land. Was able to harvest two nice 8-points.

Good: Saw deer pretty much all season long. The mature bucks went nocturnal early November but continued to see small bucks and lots of does. Saw more deer this year than normal.

Fair: Didn’t see very many deer but did kill one buck.

Candler Co. E-1

Excellent: Saw deer on about 80% of hunts. Got a very nice buck and freezer full of does.

Carroll Co. E-4, G-5, F-3, P-6

Excellent: Killed my biggest deer to date.

Good: Deer moved well.

Fair: I didn’t see a single buck.

Poor: Overharvest in our area of the county keeps the deer population low. Hunting clubs with high hunter numbers to small land area ratios promotes low deer sightings.

Catoosa Co. E-1, G-1, F-1, P-1

Excellent: Saw lots of deer and had success.

Good: Saw quite a few deer and learned a lot about patterning bucks, as well as does. Hopefully the upcoming 2021-22 deer season, as well as the upcoming deer seasons in the future, there will be quite a few more deer and turkey. I have really been going all out on my own little coyote death match vendetta in the past nine months, usually going at night, with my rifle and thermal scope, along with my hunting partner, my female Doberman Pinscher, who’s officially a pretty darn good coyote decoy dog. So, now that my decoy dog, Zara, is in tow, our success rate is nearly 100%. Together we’ve already taken out 49 coyotes from off of my friend’s and my other local properties.

Fair: Not seeing the quality of bucks we expected to see.

Poor: Since baiting has been allowed in north Georgia, I have not seen a deer in the day time.

Chattahoochee Co. G-2

Good: Saw a bunch of deer, lots of rutting activity, harvested a nice 8-pointer.

Chattooga Co. E-4, G-2, F-1

Excellent: I shot my biggest buck yet, 8-pointer with a hook, 19 1/2-inch inside spread.

Good: Did not get the big one I was after. Saw many deer during hunts on my land.

Fair: Out of eight days of hunting deer, I saw only five deer (four on same day). I rated my season as good because only one of the five came within range.

Cherokee Co. E-3, G-6, F-6, P-1

Excellent: Plenty of bucks. Let a lot of deer walk. Very seldom did I not see a deer while on the stand. Excellent season with plenty of upcoming bucks for next year.

Good: My season was good from the standpoint of quality deer kills. Places to hunt are dwindling, so I am blessed to be able to hunt so close to home.

Fair: I saw quite a few deer, but access is becoming more difficult, and I did not see the quality of deer I was looking to harvest. Additionally, with little to no local processor options, I have to choose when to shoot based on my ability (time available) to process the deer.

Clarke Co. G-1, P-1

Good: Killed a nice 10-point and a fat doe. Saw many more deer.

Poor: Worst season ever. No deer sighting in the five days I hunted. Never would have thought this could happen. Used to see deer on almost every hunt and passed up many bucks per season.

Clay Co. E-1, F-1, P-1

Excellent: We killed five great bucks and saw plenty of deer.

Fair: Just didn’t see a lot of deer this year.

Poor: South and east wind direction was a killer. Most of our stands are set up for north and west. Also too hot!

Cobb Co. F-2

Fair: I hunt in the suburbs, so I never know what might affect my season, but I did not see nearly as many deer during daylight hours. I had five possible shooters identified on trail cams early in the season. I killed one of my shooters but not until the last week of December.

Coffee Co. E-1, G-2

Excellent: Killed the biggest buck of my life this year. Great season, saw deer every time I went.

Good: Saw deer most every trip out.

Colquitt Co. E-3, G-2, F-2

Excellent: Population is healthy and balanced.

Good: I have not taken a deer of either sex; however I have enjoyed all my time in the outdoors and have had opportunities. I chose not to take a deer.

Fair: Tough season. Had mostly nocturnal activity on five game cameras. Saw a few good bucks during the rut but were well out of range for a recurve bow. Getting turkeys galore on camera, so I’m looking forward to chasing spring gobblers.

Columbia Co. E-3, G-2, F-3, P-1

Excellent: Only harvested one deer but sightings have been incredible. Herd seems to be very healthy. Coyotes continue to be a nuisance. Jury is still out on baiting, so not ready to make a call just yet.

Fair: Saw deer early season, not much daytime activity in late season.

Poor: I didn’t get out to hunt enough because of work, COVID and family issues. I did see some deer, but they were way off, and I didn’t get to follow-up hunt the next day or day after but one time. It was just a frustrating season. I live in Atlanta and just wasn’t able to get over there enough.

Cook Co. E-2, G-1

Excellent: All grandchildren killed a deer.

Good: Only killed a small buck.

Coweta Co. E-8, G-5, F-5, P-1

Excellent: This deer season was my best deer season ever, and I’ve been hunting for 40 years. I saw lots and lots of deer this season and killed my personal best on Nov. 15 with a green score of 155 1/8. I heard and saw deer do things that I had never noticed or seen before. Can’t wait to see if I won Week 10!

Good: Saw more buck movement than I usually see during the rut.

Fair: Not many deer during daylight hours.

Crawford Co. E-2, G-6, F-5, P-1

Excellent: Me and brother killed two monsters.

Fair: Two reasons: 1) Lack of quality (mature) deer and 2) availability of deer processors.

Good: Saw quite a few smaller bucks but not as many big bucks as past years.

Poor: Seen few deer and those were small.

Crisp Co. G-4, F-2

Good: We rated our deer season good because we saw plenty of deer, and we were able to fill our freezers.

Fair: Did not see any bucks until after Thanksgiving. Had a few mature bucks on camera at night only. Saw very few young bucks. Most does were smaller in size but did see a good number of does. Started seeing more deer in December when weather got cold.

Dade Co. E-1, G-1

Excellent: There are deer everywhere.

Dawson Co. G-2, F-4

Good: Plenty of deer if I had the time to hunt.

Fair: More bears than deer. The three month long rifle season is taking a heavy toll on the deer population. Limit needs to be way down. Two bucks and three does are plenty for one person. Wish we had a velvet season hunt like Tenn. and S.C. does.

Decatur Co. E-1, G-3

Excellent: Saw a lot of good bucks and my 13-year-old son harvested a 13-point that grossed 166.

Good: Family members harvested quality deer. Plenty of deer were observed. From a deer management perspective, it would be better to open deer season a week or two later and close it a week or two later. The rut is still active on land that I own and lease as I write this e-mail on Jan. 14.

Dodge Co. E-3 G-8, F-3, P-2

Excellent: Saw a lot of critters.

Good: Saw lots of deer. Both bucks and does. Killed a nice buck and had plenty of opportunities to kill others. Saw lots of does with two yearlings.

Fair: Saw a lot of does but very few bucks. The bucks I did see were young and small. But that really did not bother me much since I hunt for the pleasure of being out in the woods and enjoying the flora and fauna. I belong to a small hunt club with mostly family members, and we enjoy spending time with each other.

Poor: Number of deer on my 101 acres and surrounding area seemed to be way down. Normally I have at least four to five in the freezer, but I haven’t killed anything this year.

Dooly Co. E-7, G-3, F-2, P-1

Excellent: Have seen more quality deer this season than any of my prior 34 years of hunting. Killed my largest deer to date this year, also. Wife also killed her first buck after 22 years of hunting.

Good: Lots of good encounters. Fewer than average doe sightings, but more than average mature buck sightings.

Poor: Saw very few bucks, no legal shooters, saw no does.

Dougherty Co. G-2, F-1

Good: My daughter harvested her first deer this year. We also harvested a total of six within our group.

Fair: Was successful on public land but didn’t see many deer.

Douglas Co. E-3, F-1

Excellent: I tagged out on bucks with a 6-pointer and a 8-pointer I have been after for two years. Also my wife killed her first deer.

Early Co. E-3, G-3, F-2, P-1

Excellent: Great deer population and plenty of big bucks to go around. Over a decade of managing the deer in our area through our Spring Creek Co-op continues to pay big dividends.

Good: Unfortunately did not get to hunt as much as I would have liked. Saw a few decent bucks I let walk only to let them be shot on neighboring properties. Wish we had stricter policies on what size bucks we could take. The genetics in our part of the state are incredible if we could let the bucks get to 4.5-plus.

Fair: I did not see the buck movement I’m used to seeing.

Effingham Co. E-1, G-1. F-3

Excellent: Saw a lot of deer, plenty of bucks in different age classes. Harvested an older 9-point and an average 8-point, along with 4 adult females.

Good: I harvested my usual two does a year for the freezer and did not see any bucks.

Fair: Too many people kill young deer because they are scared that if they don’t kill them, someone else will. I think Effingham County has potential to be a big-buck producer, but with the mentality explained above, they don’t make it past 2.5-3.5 years old.

Elbert Co. E-3, G-5, F-3, P-5

Excellent: I don’t recall sitting in a stand and not seeing a deer this year. Harvested my second biggest Georgia buck.

Good: Seen more deer this season than normal.

Fair: Very few mature bucks on the property this year. We average on 1,000-acre tract five bucks over the age of 4.5. This year that average is only three. Plenty of young bucks and does, just not the age class we are looking for this year.

Poor: Too much trespassing and poaching on my land. I did not take a deer this season. We need a full time game warden assigned to Elbert County.

Emanuel Co. E-2, G-3, F-2

Excellent: I’ve got deer everywhere. Big bucks and a great number of smaller bucks and does.

Good: Saw more deer than I have in years. Lots of young bucks. Plenty of does, although no luck with tagging the big one this year.

Fair: Only two noticeable three to four days periods of more than average movements. Mature buck sightings were almost non-existent in person and on camera. Killed a 125-inch 8-point on opening morning. That was only real highlight of the season.

Evans Co. G-1

Good: Saw more mature bucks early season than normal. Weather really screwed stuff up I think. Saw a lot less deer as season moved on but had plenty at night on camera. Maybe more people are hunting around me now.

Fannin Co. G-1, F-3, P-1

Good: Four out of the five of us got bucks on a 180 acres. We were able to see really two nice shooter bucks that didn’t give us the opportunity to actually get the job done. We think the DNR needs to change our doe days. We need to be able to control our does on our property.

Fair: Deer did not seem to move as good this year as opposed to last year.

Poor: No bucks seen.

Fayette Co. E-1, F-1

Excellent: Six deer helps old guys like me that need lean meat for good health and others that are simply happy to have meat.

Fair: Small racked bucks

Floyd Co. E-3, G-7, F-6, P-2

Excellent: Lots of deer, good bucks.

Good: Saw plenty of deer. My son and I both got one.

Fair: Saw quite a few deer but not any really, really good ones.

Poor: Have not seen the number of deer in multiple locations this year. Lots of pictures of deer, but daylight hour sightings are down.

Forsyth Co. E-1, G-3, F-2

Excellent: 10-pointer taken and saw many nice 8-pointers.

Good: Saw lots of deer. Letting them grow, but they were plentiful.

Fair: Mostly on my own account. Didn’t have much time out and haven’t harvested anything (yet). But I have seen deer.

Franklin Co. E-1, G-4

Excellent: Tagged out by Nov. 12 killing my two best bucks to date.

Good: Took a decent buck and saw lots of deer.

Fulton Co. E-9, G-5, F-5, P-2

Excellent: First deer for me, an 8-pointer. Hoping for a doe or two before it’s over.

Good: Saw lots of deer.

Fair: Older age class bucks didn’t read the script well this year. They were hard to pattern overall.

Poor: No luck.

Gilmer Co. G-6, F-2, P-1

Good: Lots of deer activity, strange weather though during this hunting season.

Fair: Most bucks we are hunting are nocturnal.

Poor: It was poor like the last several years. Until they change the rules and limits, it is never going to get better.

Glascock Co. E-2, G-3

Excellent: Deer season has been great. Not very many acorns or natural feed. Legal hunting over supplemental feeding has been a huge positive. A few issues back someone was complaining about supplemental feed killing wildlife. The only way I can see that happening is if the feed is allowed to get wet and mold before being fed. Aflatoxin spores are everywhere in nature. If corn or other feed is allowed to get wet riding in the back of an open pickup bed and ride for a week or two in a warm environment, mold is going to occur. Personal responsibility goes a long way in avoiding problems in most of life’s situations.

Glynn Co. F-1
Fair: Did not get out as much as I would have liked to this season.

Gordon Co. E-1, G-5, F-4
Excellent: Lots of deer, obvious rut, saw a few good deer.

Good: My property is holding deer well, and my daughter shot our target buck for the season.

Fair: Bucks on our property have been nocturnal for most of the season.

Grady Co. G-2, F-1

Good: Have seen deer, just not what I wanted to harvest.

Fair: Seems there was a late rut this year.

Greene Co. E-10, G-9, F-7, P-4

Excellent: Saw a lot of deer.

Good: Saw more bucks this season of all ages.

Fair: Didn’t see a lot of deer. Only saw deer about 40% of my sits. No shooter bucks.

Poor: Too many hunters on limited public land.

Gwinnett Co. E-2, G-4, F-1, P-1

Excellent: I kill a good buck every year and always see a lot of deer.

Good: I saw more deer this year than the last couple. Saw several small bucks and was able to harvest a good one in December. Also, saw more rutting activity in December than November, so the whole season was fun.

Fair: Too many does.

Habersham Co. G-4, F-2

Good: Had pictures of several deer at night but few daylight pictures. Hunted a lot this year since recent retirement. Had pictures of two good bucks that were killed on adjoining property.

Fair: I saw very little rutting activity, but I was able to take a decent buck this season.

Hall Co. E-4, G-9, F-3, P-3

Excellent: Many opportunities at deer, including mature bucks.

Good: I had a successful season and explored some new (to me) public areas.

Fair: Too many does being shot/killed by predators.

Poor: I did not see the number of deer that I see normally during the season. I also noticed that there were no where as many mature bucks as in seasons past.

Hancock Co. E-11, G-14, F-4, P-8

Excellent: We have seen plenty of deer, met our management goals and had lots of fun with the kids!

Good: Several decent bucks taken this year but nothing great. A lot of cutting and thinning of pines on property recently may have affected our season, also.

Fair: Weather conditions.

Poor: Not seeing many deer, especially does. Makes me concerned for future years. Need to limit number of does taken and reduce doe days. Herd needs to be built back up.

Haralson Co. E-3, G-2, F-1, P-1

Excellent: Saw a lot of deer. Killed only what I needed, so I’m happy.

Good: I didn’t have the opportunity to hunt a lot this season but saw deer on nearly every hunt.

Fair: Bow season was good but once gun season started the deer went nocturnal. We did not have our normal rut, which made hunting harder. We heard this from several hunters in various parts of the state.

Poor: Too much forestry cuts and dogs, and people on surrounding club shoots everything that moves!

Harris Co. E-5, G-18, F-3, P-3

Excellent: Saw lots of buck movement and hard rut.

Good: Lack of rut activity.

Fair: I have not harvested any deer this season, as of Jan. 4, 2021. I missed the rut. I only saw a few scrapes and a few paw places. I have seen several does and a spike.

Hart Co. E-1, G-6, F-1

Excellent: Shot another Truck-Buck deer.

Good: Saw lots of deer and enjoyed the time spent with my family and friends.

Fair: The mid-November rut seemed to be hit or miss because of the weather. Only harvested one buck and passed up on chances at some medium-sized does.

Heard Co. E-3, G-10, F-1, P-2

Excellent: Saw many more deer than previously. Spent the season hunting with my children, so many great memories.

Good: Saw more deer this year.

Fair: Not many does, mostly young bucks.

Poor: Heavy poaching. Also I’m not one to hunt over bait, but baiting by others takes deer out of their natural habitat and travel patterns. Why would they dig in the leaves for a few extra acorns when they can eat from a corn pile?

Henry Co. E-2, G-4, F-2, P-1

Excellent: Killed two 8-points with bow by early November.

Good: Saw a good number of deer and some good but not great rutting activity. However, the age structure in the local herd still skews young.

Fair: Very few deer seen even during the peak part of the season.

Houston Co. E-3, G-1, F-4

Excellent: Saw lots of deer and was able to harvest the meat my family needs.

Fair: I hunted more than last year but saw fewer deer. However, I had multiple encounters with a large 12-point. Also the rut seemed to come in a week later than last year.

Irwin Co. E-4, G-1, F-1, P-1

Excellent: I saw deer over 95% of the time I hunted, ranging from small fawns to fully mature bucks and does. I saw more rut activity this year than I ever have! I was able to harvest two really nice bucks, and my husband was able to harvest a nice mature doe. Overall, this season was a success!

Poor: Too many dogs chasing deer.

Jackson Co. E-4, G-16, F-2, P-1

Excellent: Was able to secure a small private land lease that ended up being my best season yet.

Good: Saw deer on most trips out and saw a couple shooters.

Poor: Was not able to find a lease this year.

Jasper Co. E-7, G-18, F-2, P-3

Excellent: My wife and I harvested 10-, 9- and 7-point bucks.

Good: Saw a lot of deer and the weather was nice.

Fair: I haven’t seen as many deer this year as I normally do. I have hunted more and did get a doe, but the bucks I saw were non-shooters for our club.

Poor: I have hunted our 1,800-acre lease for 38 years. I saw less deer this past year than any of the previous 37 years.

Jeff Davis Co. E-1, G-1, P-1

Poor: No quality bucks.

Jefferson Co. E-2, G-5, F-2

Good: Overall good season, saw plenty of deer and took two decent bucks.

Jenkins Co. G-1, F-1, P-1

Good: Saw a lot of deer and my family was able to harvest some good bucks. We were not able to hunt some of our better stands due to poor weather (southeast and south winds a lot this season), hence the good instead of excellent.
Poor: Hunted 28 days, very few deer sighted.

Johnson Co. E-1, G-6, F-1

Good: Lots of deer. Saw quite a few nice ones killed.

Jones Co. E-3, G-10, F-5, P-2

Excellent: I have a 10 point at the taxidermist. I saw many young 8 pointers that will be nice bucks next year. Good doe population. Fewer coyotes on trail cameras than in prior years.

Good: Not much in rut movement!

Fair: I only got to hunt opening weekend with no luck, but I still got to go that one weekend.

Poor: Didn’t see many deer and almost no bucks.

Lamar Co. E-2, G-6, F-2, P-1

Excellent: I killed nice 10-point on opening day from my favorite stand. My grandson has been very successful and hunts a lot in a stand by himself now days.

Good: Harvested 12 deer between three people this season. Deer were healthy and antlered deer were of average or better size. We saw many sets of fawns reared into young adult deer who are healthy and participating in late rut.

Fair: The doe population seemed to be down. I saw more young bucks than does.

Lanier E-1

Excellent: Even with a sporadic rut that lasted the entire season, rutting is still ongoing into January. The number of deer I saw and the quality is the reason I give an excellent ranking.

Laurens Co. E-3, G-12, F-3, P-2

Excellent: Saw deer nearly every time I hunted, usually multiple deer.

Good: Saw tons of deer in numbers and filled the freezer.

Fair: The rut was very sporadic and not many quality bucks seen during daylight hours. Deer numbers overall were quite good.

Poor: Having a long season with too many deer being killed.

Lee Co. E-5, G-1, F-4

Excellent: Good numbers of mature deer; consistent deer movement.

Fair: Quality of bucks is not as good as I hoped.

Liberty Co. E-1, G-2

Good: Only two this year. Usually more.

Lincoln Co. G-4, F-1, P-1

Good: I shot an 8-point on opening morning and saw a few more deer during the season but didn’t see as many as I did the year before.

Poor: I hunt public land only in Columbia and Lincoln counties. The deer herd is being reduced to dangerous levels. I’ve run trail cameras for the past two years, and the drop-off of numbers this year is scary. I personally did not shoot any does this year to try and influence more reproduction in the area. The liberal bag limits, lengthy gun season and prolific use of corn are to much when coupled with predators (heard more packs of coyotes this year than ever before) and lack of quality food sources. The state needs to take a look at why herd densities and the health of deer are better in neighboring states where the firearms seasons are either shortened or public lands are primarily archery only besides specific gun weekends.

Long Co. E-1, G-5

Good: I saw a lot of deer. I harvested two antlerless deer. I saw a lot of young bucks and several borderline shooters to me, but I decided to pass on them.

Lowndes Co. G-3, F-1

Good: Saw a lot of deer, killed two nice bucks.

Lumpkin Co. E-2, G-1, P-1

Excellent: Regulations for no doe days on the Chattahoochee National Forest are paying off. I saw more deer than in recent years up there. More quality bucks showing up.

Good: Saw many young bucks. Should be good for next year.

Poor: No deer and no sign. I don’t think there’s hardly any deer whatsoever left in the mountains. Not sure if it’s coyotes or bears or both that’s taking them out. This past summer I saw more fawns than I think I ever have, and I’m 50 years old and hunted my whole life here in Lumpkin County.

Macon Co. E-4, G-9, F-3, P-2

Excellent: Several mature bucks (125” and above) seen from stand and on cameras. Intense rutting activity over a three-week period.

Good: Saw lots of young bucks but no real large bucks. The rut was very quiet this year and not nearly as much in the open as in years past.

Fair: I just didn’t see the deer I usually do. Just flat bad luck I think. But my boys had an awesome deer season. They killed two bucks that grossed over 152. So maybe that’s why I think I had a bad season. I bowhunt and I didn’t have any chance to shoot a legal buck, but it’s not all about the killing. I still love the outdoors.

Poor: Not many deer seen. Wild hogs and coyotes are taking over big time. Less deer, turkey and quail.

Madison Co. E-5, G-4, F-2, P-1

Excellent: Terrific deer season. Scored on two really nice bucks, numbers were way up. Woods were full of bucks, rut was incredible. Hope it’s a signs of a bright future in the Georgia deer woods.

Good: I have a controlled environment with 30 acres of private property that I own and manage.

Poor: Saw only a few deer this year. Have seen less on our property during the last three years.

Marion Co. E-2, G-4, F-1, P-1

Excellent: Killed my three of my personal best bucks, two of them on public land and the other on private. One was on a quota hunt on a WMA where the buck didn’t count against my state limit.

Good: Saw deer most sittings.

Poor: Poor deer population

McDuffie Co. E-1, G-4, F-2, P-1

Excellent: Three bucks, two 8-pointers and one 10-point on a check-in hunt. Two does.

Good: I saw one yearling and one doe on different days. I wasn’t able to get a shot off on the doe, but just seeing any activity made me have a good deer season. I had not been hunting in years, so seeing wildlife was enough for me.

Poor: This is the first time in the three years I have been hunting this property that I’ve seen zero deer except on game cameras. Last year I was in the blind for ten minutes before harvesting my deer.

McIntosh Co. G-1

Good: I had multiple opportunities at shooter bucks. I missed one during bow season and killed one during bow season. My son harvested his first deer this year, and I saw deer almost every time I went hunting.

Meriwether Co. E-17, G-16, F-7, P-2

Excellent: Enjoyed being in the woods. Saw lots of deer.

Good: Didn’t get to hunt much. But I got to go about 10 times this season. Killed three does. Saw deer every time I went.

Fair: Plenty of young ones running around in the early season. No sightings after Dec. 1.

Poor: Hunted a lot and feel like the mature buck numbers are down on property that is managed. Didn’t have the typical numbers on camera. Had foot plots and feeders.

Miller Co. E-1, G-3

Good: Saw a lot of deer but nothing big enough that I wanted to shoot.

Mitchell Co. E-2, G-4, F-2

Excellent: Saw lots of does, yearling and young bucks.

Good: One medium 8-pt buck. Would like to get a nice doe to fill freezer.

Fair: Very little rut activity.

Monroe Co. E-3, G-12, F-3, P-1

Excellent: Lots of sightings, harvested five mature does.

Good: Had our land clearcut right before the season started, seen does more than bucks.

Fair: Sporadic rut.

Montgomery Co. G-1, F-2, P-2

Morgan Co. E-4, G-8, F-2, P-1

Excellent: My son killed a nice buck.

Good: Saw several really nice mature bucks and harvested one buck that was on our hit list, a 6 1/2-year-old 190-lb. 8-point with lots of mass, very gnarly lots of trash.

Fair: As far as deer, we had plenty, just very few mature buck encounters.

Poor: Trophy hunting has resulted in zero does. Zero does equals few bucks during the rut. Good news we have shooters on camera. I did see four bucks after one doe but none were shooters.

Murray Co. E-1, G-3, F-1, P-1

Excellent: Both killed and saw more deer than any season before.

Good: Saw average number of deer.

Poor: Hunted Cohutta and never saw a deer.

Newton Co. E-5, G-6, F-3, P-4

Excellent: We took a 10-point , two 8-points and two does. We saw quite a few other big bucks. Next year looking great.

Good: Abnormally hot through the rut with intermittent cold fronts.

Fair: Not many deer sightings as usual.

Poor: Got COVID in late August and never got back on track.

Oconee Co. E-1, G-1

Good: Great early season action and rut action.

Oglethorpe Co. E-9, G-23, F-7, P-3

Excellent: Lots of deer seen and lots of bucks. Young and older bucks.

Good: I voted good, although I only killed one buck so far, a 9-point. I saw a lot of deer this year, probably the most in several. They were mostly all young deer except for the one I killed. I saw deer almost every sit, and I hunt almost every weekend from bow season through gun. The mature does I saw had fawns with them, so I passed on them. I’m not a trophy hunter by any means, in fact I despise it, but I don’t like shooting small deer either. I had plenty of opportunities, but I am just getting picky I suppose.

Fair: Rut activity was down from previous years. We have a four-member club that hunts 225 acres of planted pines with only a few trees that produce acorns. Since the corn law was passed, we have seen fewer deer and heard much more shooting from neighboring properties. We don’t have any area to do food plots, so we are limited on food sources. I believe we have been “outcorned” by our neighbors.

Poor: We did not see anything but very small deer, even though we have about 12 acres in planted food plots and five digital timed feeders going. I really believe the feeders have given us a significant amount of hogs on our property as well as the property near us, and since we have the only thick bedding areas, the hogs are using our property as a refuge and marauding other properties at night. We still see small yearlings and a few mature does but no mature bucks. We have started killing pigs now and will totally shut the feeders down next week.

Paulding Co. E-2, G-3, P-4

Excellent: Killed 9-point and 8-point.

Good: Saw plenty of deer. I was skunked very few times. A lot of rut activity, also. I base my season upon how many deer I see, not kills.

Poor: Didn’t see any deer at Paulding Forest WMA during the December hunt or Sheffield WMA during archery.

Peach Co. E-1, G-2

Excellent: From the opening of the season, it was awesome for us. Lots of game, plenty of bucks, lots of does. Way too many hogs on our property.

Good: We took the most deer we ever have at our property, and I took my most deer as well. It was not an Excellent season for trophies, as the hot weather seemed to make the bucks more nocturnal, but we otherwise did great with the doe we took.

Pickens Co. E-1, G-3, F-2, P-3

Good: I predictably saw deer.

Fair: Didn’t see as many deer and no big bucks.

Poor: Didn’t see any bucks worth shooting.

Pierce Co. E-1, F-1

Pike Co. E-1, G-3, F-1

Excellent: All my hunting buddies and I killed wall-hangars this year First time we have all done it in the same year.

Good: I hunt 33 acres, harvested six does and a nice 9-point. Saw a lot of button bucks, also saw three coyotes prowling the property. Will try to harvest the coyotes this winter.

Fair: Deer were nocturnal for the month of November. They were not pressured as I am the only hunter. I believe the huge acorn crop kept them from moving around as much as last year.

Polk Co. E-1, G-2, F-3, P-1

Excellent: Deer numbers and quality.

Good: Harvested two deer.

Fair: Same deer, not much growth.

Pulaski Co. E-2, G-3, F-1

Good: Rated good because saw lots of deer. Saw five bucks in 130- to 140-class several times and let them walk.

Fair: Fewer deer seen from the stand.

Putnam Co. E-6, G-9, F-8

Excellent: Lots of deer.

Good: Saw deer 80% of the time, killed a nice 8. No reason that I shouldn’t have put at least a couple of does in the freezer.

Fair: Only saw four does in two trips.

Quitman Co. E-2, G-1, F-1

Good: Saw lots of deer.

Fair: Poachers from neighboring leases and people who live down there. No wardens around.

Rabun Co. P-2

Poor: Rabun county deer season was as bad as I have seen. My wife just started deer hunting last year. She hunted 12 times last year in Rabun and saw zero deer. I hunted as well and saw two does and a spike. This year she hunted 16 times and finally saw a small 8-point running a doe after Christmas and she got it, her first buck. Needless to say it sure would be nice if we could hunt and see more than a couple deer a year. I think eliminating shooting any doe in mountains would be helpful, along with maybe just one buck. Maybe some partnered management ideas for landowners. We own two, 30-acre tracts and both border the forest, so any guidance would be great.

Randolph Co. G-2

Good: See good bit of deer. Just a lot of small bucks.

Richmond Co. E-1, G-3, F-1

Good: Could have been better if I could have gone more.

Fair: This area has a very poor chance of ever even seeing a truly large whitetail. This year the rut never seemed to happen. The deer scrape year-round, and it seems like they breed from mid September to February. I saw as many predators as deer this year.

Rockdale Co. E-1, G-2

Excellent: Numerous large buck encounters, lots of rut and second rut activity.

Good: Milder temperatures is my best guess as to why the season seemed better.

Schley Co. E-2, F-1, P-1

Excellent: Shot my personal best archery buck.

Fair: Saw a lot of 8 points but no mature, bigger bucks. Surrounding lease properties are culling all the does and small bucks.

Poor: Didn’t see anywhere near the deer this season as in recent years, and bucks were few and far between. I heard from some locals the storms messed them up this year

Screven Co. E-4, G-6, F-2, P-2

Excellent: I’ve seen more deer this year than anytime in the past five years. A lot of smaller bucks but deer herd is healthy.

Good: Deer are plentiful, thick as fleas on a dogs back.

Fair: Lots of immature bucks each year. Never seem to be able to hold the mature deer on the property, but our neighbors who don’t try to manage at all sure do love our efforts.

Poor: I suppose the weather/moon was iffy all this season to where it threw off their cycle. I even feel like the rut itself was way late.

Spalding Co. E-2, G-4, F-2, P-1

Excellent: I was able to hunt a lot more than normal this year and worked on patience. I am on a great piece of property, as well. I saw a lot of deer activity and a lot of activity, especially during the rut.

Good: Killed a great deer. Doe numbers are down because so many people around us are killing every doe they see. We should reduce the doe limit to two.

Fair: I saw deer, just didn’t take any.

Poor: Moved mostly at night.

Stephens Co. E-1, G-1, F-1, P-1

Good: Got a deer.

Poor: Saw very few deer.

Stewart Co. E-5, G-8, F-3, P-2

Excellent: Saw several deer but let most walk. It does appear that we have a ton of small bucks on the property.

Good: Primarily spending time with friends and family at deer camp. We enjoyed safe trips to camp and while hunting. Saw a deer 75% of hunts. Killed a mature buck and doe. Shot several pigs and a yote. Did not see a great rut, but some.

Fair: Weird rut.

Poor: Over run with feral hogs.

Sumter Co. E-2, G-5, F-3

Excellent: Lots of big bucks.

Good: Saw a lot of deer, didn’t have to shoot just anything. We can only shoot 8 are better on our club. We have been doing this going on 20 years. I see the benefits from this just about ever time I hunt.

Fair Didn’t see many big bucks.

Talbot Co. E-10, G-18, F-10, P-1

Excellent: The amount of mature bucks seen this year was higher than previous years.

Good: I saw a lot of deer with the limited time I had to hunt.

Fair: Didn’t see much activity during the season.

Poor: Saw very deer. No shooter bucks.

Taliaferro Co. E-3, G-9, F-5, P-3

Excellent: Saw many bucks.

Good: I did shoot a 9-point on Oct. 28 but after that barely saw any does. Like the deer just disappeared.

Fair: Property is loaded with deer but unfortunately had very limited opportunity to hunt.

Poor: Too many doe days

Tattnall Co. G-1, F-2

Good: Lots of activity and would have rated excellent if I could have hunted more.

Fair: Never really had a “peak rut.” Weather just seemed too warm in the early season. Bucks didn’t chase like year’s past. Also timber to adjacent property was cut during the first month of season until it got too wet to cut, so I’m sure that didn’t help things

Taylor Co. E-5, G-7, F-2, P-2

Excellent: Early season rain provided for planting sooner, and our food plots flourished. Saw more deer this year, could be contributed to the conditions of the land as the clearcuts are growing more cover and browse. The acorn crop was productive, which contributed, and the deer looked healthy with lots of fawns. Only down side was it was very warm.

Good: Saw big groups of deer but not every outing.

Fair: Numbers good, size way down.

Poor: Saw a lot of does but only one small buck.

Telfair Co. G-2, F-3

Fair: I did not see a lot of quality deer this season. I missed the peak of the rut because of work requirements.

Terrell Co. E-4, G-6, F-4

Excellent: Saw a lot of deer as well as a lot of quality deer.

Good: Saw lots of deer and have good rut activity.

Fair: Harvested a 5 1/2-year-old buck.

Thomas Co. E-2

Excellent: Very good deer movement while actually hunting and on trail cameras. Most bucks nocturnal but some good quality deer. Didn’t go on a hunt where something wasn’t actually moving. Seems like we have a lot of does on our property all year long.

Tift Co. E-1, G-3

Excellent: Saw lots of deer. Young and mature, killed a nice deer.

Good: Because all the shooter bucks broke their antlers. Other than that it was a chance to thin out some does so good season.

Toombs Co. E-1, G-8, P-1

Good: I have seen a lot of deer this year and saw some bucks, just not the buck I wanted to shoot.

Towns Co. G-1, F-1, P-2

Good: I think the increase of acorns helped this year.

Poor: Medical issues kept me out of the deer woods almost all season.

Treutlen Co. E-3, G-2

Excellent: I’ve hunted the same property on the Oconee River for the past 14 years, and this has been one of the best. Even though it was wet at the beginning of bow season and the mosquitoes and heat didn’t want to go away until well into gun season, we still had a record amount of bucks on cameras and encounters in the stand. Patience and selectivity paid off and the three of us who hunt together were blessed and fortunate enough to kill good, mature, quality bucks. After a cold snap in late December, bucks were back tearing up the woods and hitting scrapes and chasing again. A lot of activity caught on camera. Can’t wait for next year!

Good: Harvested one 8-point and one doe this year. Could have harvested several more but chose not to.

Troup Co. E-3, G-3, F-9, P-1

Excellent: I hunt a small piece of private land where hunting is always great, but mostly I hunt West Point corp land bow only, and the deer hunting is great. I always see lots of deer.

Good: Got a mature buck this year and plan on killing a doe before season is over. For most of the season, I saw deer at the majority of my hunts.

Fair: No big bucks.

Poor: Medical problems.

Turner Co. E-1, G-4, P-1

Excellent: I’m at the age in my deer hunting life where all time spent in the woods is excellent. I see multiple deer practically every time I hunt, and I am selective about what I shoot. This year, I didn’t see the right ones, and wound up not killing a deer. But that is ok, I still enjoy what God has made.

Good: Passed up multiple mid 130’s and many smaller ones. Bigger ones were moving mostly at night.

Poor: I didn’t get a lot of hunting in because of work.

Twiggs Co. E-1, G-5, P-2

Excellent: Took three deer off new property! One was largest ever! Eight years old! Mature buck!

Good: Lots of deer activity. Took a mature buck with my bow.

Poor: All the deer have gone nocturnal because of the excessive logging going on at our lease. Nonstop all deer season.

Union Co. E-1, G-5, F-3, P-2

Excellent: Got a nice 7-pointer, son got a good 6-pointer and saw plenty of does and fawns.

Good: I saw deer almost every time I hunted. They looked fat and healthy. I killed a buck and a doe. I did not see any real big trophy bucks from the stand, only on camera.

Fair: Didn’t see many mature bucks. Killed one small 8-point.
Poor: No deer in the mountains to speak of.

Upson Co. E-4, G-9, F-4, P-1

Excellent: Not able to hunt but saw many good deer on trail cams at feeders.

Good: Good activity, just didn’t bag the mature buck I was looking for.

Fair: Few sightings of deer.

Poor: Not seeing any deer.

Walker Co. E-6, F-4, P-2

Excellent: I bagged a very nice 10-point and let several nice 8-pointers walk. I saw rut activity as early as Nov. 10 and well past Thanksgiving. The acorns were plentiful. I don’t hunt over bait, so finding good white oaks paid off.

Fair: Low deer numbers on public land.

Poor: Lack of quality deer, saw higher bear and coyotes in the county.

Walton Co. E-5, G-13, F-2, P-1

Excellent: I saw plentiful amounts of deer and was my most successful season yet.

Good: Not many shooter bucks on our property.

Fair: Not much movement this year during the rut.

Poor: No consistent rut activity.

Ware Co. G-1, F-1

Good: I hunt 2 different tracts that I own. One tract I am seeing more deer and have more shooter bucks than ever. The other tract my herd has been decimated by the neighbors the past couple of years. Bucks and deer may be 10% of previous numbers.

Fair: Just didn’t get to go much this year.

Warren Co. E-2, G-5, F-3

Excellent: I have hunted whitetail deer for 54 years and killed my best ever.

Good: Only hunted primitive-weapons season and saw deer almost every time out. Would rate it higher but never saw a shooter buck.

Fair: There were plenty of does but not many big bucks this year.

Washington Co. E-4, G-11, F-2, P-2

Excellent: Got my first opening weekend buck this season. Plenty of acorns this year. Let’s of deer and turkey on camera.

Good: I have harvested enough meat for the freezer and have been able to harvest several hogs, as well. I observed several bucks that were shooter bucks, but knew we had some younger hunters that could harvest these deer.

Fair: Deer movement was very slow most of the year.

Poor: Lack of deer, pigs are on our property. They destroy any feeders and food plots. Their numbers are out pacing the deer; therefor the deer leave the area. Other than that, warm temps and full moon during the anticipated rut had an adverse effect, as the deer went nocturnal.

Wayne Co. E-2, G-2, P-1

Excellent: Invested in planting food plots, experimented with cover scents, estrus scents and grunts/calls. Learned a lot about behavior and movement on family land.

Poor: Hunted very little. Saw one 4-point while small game hunting, and the weather has been very poor. I turn 86 in March, so it is not as easy to get up and get going! Did hunt not the private lands I have permission to hunt on. Mostly hunt WMAs anyway. Poor season, overall.

Webster Co. E-3, G-5, F-2

Excellent: Although I have not harvested a buck this year, our trail cameras tell a tale of a much higher percentage of 4 1/2-year-old bucks and older moving in and out of our hunting areas. I listed Webster County as my main county where I hunt, but it’s actually Webster, Stewart, and Randolph Counties that I hunt equally. I say this because each of my hunting areas in all those counties saw an increase in mature bucks. Whether I take a mature buck or I know for a fact that they are using my hunting areas and coupled with seeing lots of younger bucks on most of my trips to the woods makes for an excellent season.

Good: Shot nice buck opening day.

Fair: Killed four deer. Hogs are trying to take over lease.

Wheeler Co. E-1, G-1, F-4, P-1

Fair: Saw a few small bucks and several does. Nothing to get excited about.

Poor: Not many deer sighting at all.

White Co. E-2, G-2, F-3, P-2

Excellent: The quality of the bucks I have seen in northeast Georgia this year exceeds anything I have seen in my 35 year hunting career.

Good: Saw deer but all smaller 1- to 2-year-old bucks

Fair: Did not see a lot of mature bucks.

Poor: I hunted on the Chattahoochee WMA two different hunts and did not see any deer at all. I have been hunting on the Hooch and most of the mountain WMAs in my zone for 41 years. I shot my first deer on Swallow Creek WMA. I am seeing less deer year after year in this zone! Seeing more hogs and bear than deer almost every year. Not so concerned for me but for the young and new hunters. It is very discouraging to hunt six or seven days and not see any deer for a new hunter. Not sure what the fix is, but I hope with no doe days it will help bring back the population.

Whitfield Co. E-2, G-1

Excellent: Seen plenty of deer, just didn’t see the size I was looking for. I had two shooters on camera.

Wilcox Co. E-4, G-1, F-2, P-4

Excellent: Good midday movement during the rut.

Good: Saw plenty of deer on a new lease. Saw a lot of fawns and few predators

Fair: This season we did not see as many deer as usual. Movement was very sporadic.

Poor: Rain days and bad weather when I was able to go hunt.

Wilkes Co. E-5, G-6, F-6, P-3

Excellent: Saw many deer. Some quality bucks killed.

Good: I probably saw more deer in a single season than I have seen before, but I hunted a lot harder, as well. Saw several bucks while in the stand, including a couple of larger 6-pointers but never saw one I wanted to shoot instead of let walk.

Poor: Only saw small- to medium-sized deer. Bucks had bad antler genes.

Wilkinson Co. E-4, G-4, F-2, P-1

Excellent: We have had a great year for big mature bucks. In total, our hunting club harvested three big 9-pointers, a 12, an 11 and two big 7-pointers. All of these bucks were 4 1/2 years old or older. It has been our best year since our club was established in 2013. We took about eight big mature does and saw plenty more. All of the deer looked healthy that were harvested.

Good: Saw good rut activity.

Poor: Property cut over in the summer.

Worth Co. E-4, G-11, F-2, P-1

Good: Saw deer on a regular basis. Killed two nice bucks and a doe.

Fair: Saw plenty of deer, killed two bucks, one cull buck and one 8-point that was all broke up.

Poor: Weather changes.

Question 2: Which turkey season changes would you support?

More Than Half Turkey Hunters Want Reduced Gobbler Limit

A seemingly high 55.2% of GON’s 1,277 respondents voted that they would like to see the gobbler limit reduced to two. When GON asked the same question last January, only 47% wanted the gobbler limit reduced to two.

Even more evidence that a growing group of hunters desire a change in the turkey hunting regs is that only 18.9% of hunters selected “No Change” in this year’s survey. During last years cover ballot, 33.7% voted “No Change.”

As WRD formulates a plan to address a decreased turkey population, GON has shared the results of its cover ballot survey with them.

Comments

• One bird limit in the first 10 days should help the population grow.

• I think bag limit should be reduced to one per season until population increases back to normal numbers or limit the number of hunters allowed to hunt in Georgia. Only sell a certain number of licenses per year based on a drawing system. Example: I do not know the numbers but say we have 250,000 turkey hunters in Georgia each year, cut that number in half and only sell 125,000 permits.

• I would be okay with targeted zones for turkey populations. Limit certain counties or zones struggling with turkey populations to one or two birds per person.

• Only saw one flock of six with one being a gobbler. Absolutely no scratching. I covered lots of miles, all mountain walking.

• Have a limit of two gobblers a year and have the season split between spring and one during fall/deer season.

• This year was the worst year for turkeys in Harris County that I have ever seen. Normally I have hundreds of pictures of turkeys in the exact same spot every year. This year for the first time ever I didn’t get a single turkey picture.

• I have heard Dr. Chamberlain’s presentation in person the data is quite convincing to delay season opener.

• We have plenty of turkey and think Georgia should have a winter season for one gobbler and the spring season for two gobblers.

• More poults survive, more turkeys to hunt. I say put a bounty on coyotes.

• Require all gobblers harvested to have at least a 6-inch beard (no jakes) except during the youth/handicapped hunter weekend prior to the regular season. This is an obvious and easy change that needs to be made, but the length of the season does not need to be changed whatsoever!

• Hunters are not the problem. Ten years ago I hunted turkeys every chance I got. Turkeys were plentiful around my house. Hunters didn’t kill them. Something else did but not sure what. I would love to see better reproduction at any cost. Many great memories. Beautiful animals!

• Anything to slow down the number of toms being killed.

• If we’re really hurting the turkeys, I would suggest (particularly after reading Dr. Chamberlain’s excellent article) that the state consider a statewide limit of one gobbler per season.

• More predator control.

• I am in favor of any and all actions that would help restore and rebuild turkey populations. I hunted over 30 days last spring and heard only two gobblers the entire season. There are areas of Floyd and Chattooga counties that don’t even hold turkeys anymore that had large flocks 20 years ago.

• Too many predators killing poults.

• We’ve got a good population of turkeys in Ben Hill County, no problem seeing and hearing them.

• Trapping and predator management would do more for the turkey population than the season and regulation adjustments in my opinion.

• Timed feeders and legal baiting of deer is the No. 1 cause of the turkey decline in my opinion. Predators are following hen turkeys back to the nest by site or smell and destroying eggs. Look at pics from trail cams and see the coon numbers explode. Turkeys are also easy prey at the feeders themselves.

• Problem is many hunters pay no attention to limits and kill way over the limit. Bigger problem is predators, like coyotes, hawks are very bad in our area of Johnson County, possum on nest. Need programs to help rid predators and assist property owners to plant habitat.

• Regs are fine. Turkey population is on the upswing in Dade County.

• The turkey population where I hunt in Effingham County is in great shape. Saw numerous flocks, including many toms and jakes.

• I think most importantly is to limit daily bag limit to one gobbler. Provides more opportunities for hunters to get back into woods and do what is most important; thin out the predators that prey on poults and eggs.

• Close turkey season on the last day of April, no need for it to go into May 15.

• I think we do need some changes to the spring turkey season to combat the decline in the population. They need to be science-based changes.

• Turkey population seems stable in my area of Hancock County, but I am ok with adding a couple of regulations to help it.

• Is breeding the problem with poult production? If so, reduce bag limits. Is weather the problem with poult production? If so, reduce impacts to nesting sites. Is predation the problem? Bounties for predators.

• I have turkey hunted Lake Russell WMA for 15 years. Since baiting with corn has been legalized, I have noticed a complete disappearance of turkey in areas I have seen many birds for many years. I conclude the land adjacent to the WMA is being baited and drawing the turkeys off the WMA and onto private property. Birds imprint on the area where the bait resides and frequent it because once they find the corn in abundance they will stay in the area and create a habit of feeding. The true sport of turkey hunting, which requires scouting, calling skills and shooting skills has been sacrificed for the convenience of taking a bird quickly over a bait source, which is generally corn. So, the reason we see so much fewer turkey is because we as hunters have succumbed to the easy and lazy kill. We are more efficient at it, and we are simply killing too many birds. We have observed hunters killing birds off of the roost. People have to understand that it is a privilege to have birds to hunt. The only way to truly enjoy the satisfaction derived from taking a bird is by calling him in on his terms. Any other kill is wasted to convenience. This is a hunter ethics issue that could be addressed and written about in GON. We do agree there is predation to the nests by raccoons, opossums, bobcats and coyotes. But we think the largest predation is by man. That is the problem.

• Mike Chamberlain’s research is very interesting and makes sense. I would also recommend the MeatEater pod cast Ep. 214. I have been turkey hunting since the late 90s, some public but mostly private property, and I will tell you firsthand that when a property is clearcut, the turkeys disappear. When a select cut is done, the turkeys slowly disappear when the sweetgum understory gets thick. It would be reassuring to think they moved over to better habitat. However, around where I hunt there has been constant tree cutting of some form going on for the past eight years or more. Luckily (so far) the property I hunt is individually owned and the logging around us has created an island of sorts. I look around and wonder how a turkey could find suitable habitat when there isn’t any. The 500 acres I hunt can’t support but so many birds even though I do everything I can to help (food plots). My fear is they are dying out because of lost habitat and no matter the bag limit or the season length is going to change it, but I am for trying something. Maybe it will help someone somewhere.

• Legal gobblers to take should be adult birds. Jakes should be limited to hunters under 12 years of age. No bearded hens allowed.

• I would reduce the yearly limit to one gobbler per season and only one gobbler on any WMA hunt. We have way more deer in Georgia than turkeys, and we are allowed to kill two bucks/season, but for some reason we have decided to let Georgia hunters kill three gobblers/season. That doesn’t make sense.

• Guessing changing gobbler hunting won’t affect population much.

• Turkeys in this county need help.

• Help out the coon hunters more. More coons we can get the better it will help the turkey population.

• There is no shortage of hens in south Georgia. I would like to see the gobbler limit dropped to two and add a fall hen permit that could be purchased.

• I know the DNR hired a biologist dedicated to turkey management a couple of years ago. I’d like to see a story in GON about what activities/studies she and her staff have been conducting and what her findings have been.

• Science supports moving the opening day until later. Follow science and not tradition so that the turkey population can rebound.

• Our club doesn’t hunt turkeys but we have seen a noticeable difference in the amount that’s on our club in Tattnall County, and we’re not sure why.

• Actually be OK with limiting to one gobbler per season.

• Do what needs to be done to save the turkey population. I would support delaying the season opening date and reducing the number of gobblers per season to one per hunter per season. The habitat in Glascock County has dramatically declined. Very few areas of mature hardwoods exist as they did 20 years ago. Turkeys have to eat every day and where there is no food, there will be no animals.

• I believe the decline in turkey numbers is due to the increase in hogs. Where we hunt, the amount of hogs we see now is much increased over past years.

• We don’t have many turkeys on our lease in Oglethorpe, so I voted to lower it back to two. We are overrun with hogs though and is probably why.

• Have actually seen a dramatic increase in turkeys on the 3,200 acres we lease in Dodge County over the last six years. Population is definitely improving.

• Honestly, my turkey population around my property in Floyd County is booming the last several years.

• I think the biggest problem with declining turkey population is the increase in predators. Coyotes, raccoons, possums, fox, etc. all take a toll on the eggs, poults and adult birds. Predator hunting needs to be emphasized more, perhaps offering bounties on coyotes and coons would help.

• Reduce limit to one gobbler and one either sex.

• Haven’t really seen a “shortage” of turkeys in Laurens County. Consistently have four to six toms on camera and 16 to 20 hens and jakes.

• Our turkey population has been steady in Oglethorpe County, with two to four birds taken per year for the last few years.

• I would support reducing the season bag limit to one gobbler. We need to protect the population as our population has reduced significantly in Jenkins County.

• Give only kids the first two weeks of season.

• Consider a fall season.

• I hunt have hunted public land in Dawson County for the last 10 years, and I have seen a clear decrease in turkey activity (gobbling, hens yelping/clucking). I know this is anecdotal, but I think my experience is consistent with the macro changes going on with the turkey population in the Southeast.

• We need to be aggressive on helping to stop our decline in the turkey population. Our WRD needs to accept science and research and base their decisions on the data. Doing nothing is not the answer! It won’t kill any of us to have a shorter season and a reduced limit.

• Biggest factor affecting turkey population is spring burning season. Followed by predation. Followed by many hunters taking over the limit.

• I’ve read and seen comments on the turkey population being down in some areas. Our population is down some in Crisp County but not drastically from three or four years ago. We do have a high predator population that we are trying to take care of, which I believe is a big part of the problem.

Misc. Comments:

• I saw several bobcats all before Dec. 1. Why the short season on bobcats?

• Hope our hunting rights are not taken away by the government. Kids not into hunting as we were as kids. Sport seems to be fading to me. Small game hunting has been lost due to deer season being in so long. The long season does not allow much time for small game hunting. A lot of kids grew to love the sport through small game hunting. Not worth having beagles anymore or any hounds due to land being locked down for large leases. Just my thoughts.

• Remove the hunting over bait provision.

• Lower the amount of participants on WMA lottery hunts.

• Increase deer season. Begin gun season earlier.

• There are many fields on WMA land that haven’t been plowed or seeded in many years.

• A lot of us retired hunters would jump at the chance to restore these plots if the DNR provided a tractor and seeds. We have the time most departments don’t and the willingness.

• I think we should have a longer bow season either by it being welcome for extended all through Georgia or we need to cut gun season back some and put in two different bow seasons. With so many bowhunters and such a short season, it’s hard to get the enjoyment or success from it when gun opens so early compared to other states, and we have the longest gun season so it’s hard for those who like bows.

• Great state for hunting and fishing. Kudos to GADNR and a voice like GON.

• Archery season should run statewide until last Sunday in January.

• Do away with antler restrictions on private property.

• I would prefer not to keep track of either-sex days. I would like to see it go back to either sex all season and maybe lower the doe harvest limit.

• More doe days in Gilmer County.

• Change the anterless deer limit to five a season. Move the bow opener to later in September or Oct. 1. Have a longer primitive-weapon season. Have a shorter gun season.

• I think deer season is too long, maybe have a break similar to years ago. Give the deer a chance to recover along with the hunters.

• Coyote population seems to be rising in my area of Houston County and is having an impact on turkeys and deer.

• Would like to see some quota dove hunts on weekdays.

• Drop the doe tags back to five. Your notion of not many hunters kill 10 deer is just plain wrong.

• Late season dove hunting is very hit or miss. Early season when sunflowers and millet are still producing is best, even though it gets rather warm in south Georgia.

• Hunters be more mindful of disposing of your corn and other feed bags so that they don’t end up on the highways and other people’s properties.

• I would like to see a statewide bounty on coyotes that pay a credit to your annual hunting license, say $10 per coyote up to maybe $50 max. Not sure how you would verify your kill, photo and dated newspaper/GON or the online check-in system for deer.

• Delay archery season two to three weeks, just so hot.

• Wish the state would do a longer small game season ( especially coon season). Hard for us to hunt when we only have public land to hunt on and season ends at the end of February.

• One buck limit. Start deer season later. End deer season on Jan. 1. Bow season should start Oct. 1. Gun season Nov. 1. Five-doe limit.

• We need some way to expand public access on Toccoa River.

• How can we better curb coyote population increase?

• We saw no turkeys during deer season. We used to see big flocks and don’t understand why they have disappeared in the last two years.

• Change the waterfowl seasons to one week in November, two weeks in December and three in January. Cut a week. or give us a weekend or two in February!

• Begin deer firearms season earlier in October and end on Jan. 1.

• Need more dead coyotes.

• Need better ways to report hunters without license and over shooting of bucks.

• Do away with QDM on public land, not working on corp land in Troup County.

• I want to see more game wardens out working the woods.

• Decrease overall deer bag limit back to three does, two bucks.

• Warmer Novembers are killing duck hunters. The last few years many hunters are seeing a lot of duck movement later in the season. Is there any discussion of starting duck season later?

• Would like to see grant money to help increase quail population.

• More doe days in north Georgia to include WMAs. I think there were only four doe days in Fannin and Union counties. If it is a number thing, then reduce dies from 10 to five.

• I wish the state would outlaw hunting over bait statewide. Today’s kids, our future hunters, are being taught that all there is to deer hunting is to throw out some corn and wait. They are not being taught about pre-season scouting, reading sign, identifying food sources, bedding areas and travel patterns during different stages of the season. The issue of baiting is a wildlife management issue, not a political issue. Any decisions on baiting should be made solely by biologists (without political pressure), not by politicians in the legislature. It is insane that impactful decisions on management of our wildlife resources are being made by politicians.

• Need much more night enforcement and road hunter prosecution in Taylor County.

• Deer limit should be reduced to two bucks and six does. Farmers already wipe out a lot of does on permits. Have seen a definite reduction in doe numbers. See more bucks than does.

• Would like to see the WMAs open up more dates for deer hunting. I know in my case I didn’t see any deer this season, but there are many deer in that area.

• I really believe the Coyote Cull has made a positive impact on our deer population.

• Originally from GA, now living in SC. You don’t realize the great work GADNR does until you’re away from it. Keep up the good, hard work.

• More attention to national forests needed.

• I would like to see the DNR raise the non-resident hunting fees for licenses. I recently lost a lease due to Florida hunters almost offering double the price per acre to the landowner. Georgia hunters are losing land to these out of state hunters, and the DNR needs to help us Georgia residents keep it.

• The dog hunting of bears on Chattahoochee and Chestatee has to stop. The bear population isn’t sustainable with that kind of annual harvest rate. I hunted nine days during Thanksgiving and no bears were seen anywhere. It’s not fair to hunters like myself. STOP IT!

• I also hunt in Charlton County. Bears and coyotes are getting out of hand.

• I think an early velvet archery tag would be fun. In my perfect world you could purchase one tag for $200-$300 and begin hunting Aug. 15 like South Carolina. This buck wouldn’t count against your two-buck total.

• Season needs to end Jan. 31 in Heard County since the peek rut is the same as Alabama.

• Open late season archery and firearm deer seasons to either sex, no restrictions.

• I am just getting back into deer hunting in Georgia after about a 10-year hiatus. I am amazed at the growth in the quality of bucks taken this year. Great management efforts by our hunters and conservation groups.

• The coyote are populations are unreal!

• Can’t hunt anymore since I am disabled. I really miss my deer hunting. I do try to fish two or three times a year though, and I enjoy every minute of it. Sorry that I don’t have any input about deer season and any of the other hunting. I just would love for the hunting and fishing to be kept around for the younger generations coming along.

• No one can agree on climate change, so there will never be an agreement on what actions to take. But let’s look closer to home as our great state is getting deforested. Instead of reprising the inner circle of big towns, cities or communities, we have the bad habit of bulldozing new land outside of that circle just to put in a new store because the exact same one that was in town is too dilapidated and/or has no appeal. As our metros grow larger, towns become cities and communities become towns, the wildlife/forest/streams we cherish disappear. In order to save our past times, we need to save the playgrounds we do them in. Support small businesses that stay within or renovate old buildings and be avid about attending/speaking against new planned developments in your local planning committee meetings.

• I think hunting over bait for deer should be illegal. It makes hunters lazy with no need for woodsmanship or skill. I think that is a travesty for the sport. Secondly, I think it is not healthy for the animals eating all the bait, and baiting is known by the scientific community to spread disease by congregating animals and by the potential for contamination with pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Those are a few of my thoughts. Thank you.

• I don’t know why we feel the need to ask hunters about game management. We have biologists who know what we need to do to properly manage our wildlife. Hunters will always want larger bag limits and longer seasons, but that is not necessarily supported by the science or what we need. We need to find a way to encourage predator hunting (all predators: raccoons, possums, foxes, bobcats, not just coyotes) in order to protect our fawns and turkeys. Contests, bounties, special seasons?

• Hire more enforcement rangers.

• GA DNR needs to focus on deer and turkey in the mountains. That’s where biggest problem is. Everywhere else seems to have ok populations.

• Change to 8-point or better statewide!

• Our limits are way too high. Too many does being harvested and bucks being taken prematurely. I would suggest a lower doe limit, antler restrictions for both bucks with smaller deer only allowed to be taken by youth under 16 and possibly only for youth weekend.

• Archery deer season should begin the first Saturday in September, instead of the second Saturday as it does now, in order to allow bowhunters a much greater opportunity to harvest a velvet buck without having to travel out-of-state. If necessary, this could be for the first weekend in September only—much like the special opportunity turkey hunting weekend prior to the start of the regular turkey season (but for all archery hunters, not just youth and handicapped). It should be limited to quality bucks.

• Need to stock more largemouth bass like Texas and Tennessee

• Reduce the total number of deer allowed to five, at least one must be antlered and no more than two bucks including button bucks.

• The deer population seems to be down in our area. We should reduce the number of does on each license.

• I would like to see more urban cities take on archery hunting within city limits to help reduce the deer population in regards to vehicle accidents. Open up parks or waste dump areas for bowhunting.

• Stop prescribed burns that are done while nest are on the ground and being destroyed, especially on public grounds. Have a statewide bounty on coyotes to encourage shooting them.

• I would love to see GA go to a one-buck limit and also go to a 10-day firearm season in December. Let the rest of the season be archery only.

• GON has been one of the best resources for hunting education, community and news. Keep up the great work.

• Would like to see more trout stocking in the winter if it’s possible. Stock more streams after deer season.

• Need to come up with some mandatory vacation days for hunting and fishing!

• Reduce doe tags to five and make it three bucks per season. There are more bucks than does. Change the turkeys for two gobblers in the spring and open a winter season for one gobbler. Also in my area the fox population is not looking to good, and I think something should be done about that I don’t know what to do to help them, but we are not seeing any at all on camera are anything.

• Chattahoochee National Forest needs to get back into managing the forest for timber production. The ruffed grouse are just about gone in the mountains.

• Figure out some way to kill more pigs. We are slaying them, and there are more every day. We are across the street from Sprewell Bluff Park.

• Split deer season into a first and second split for firearms. Break Georgia deer seasons up into more zones.

• Just do not let the crazy liberals take away our hunting rights.

• Lease prices are going up every year. More hunters crowded onto leases to keep cost down. Quality of hunting decreasing.

• Hancock County game warden needs to relax and be less accusing. By harassing people, he is on the way to reducing the younger generations’ desire to spend time in the outdoors by scaring them.

• The deer hunting regulations considers antlers above the hairline (button buck) an antlered deer. That would be impossible to tell unless he is very close to the hunter. My concern is if I had already harvested a buck that had less than 4 points on either side and a deer appeared at 50 yards or more and it appeared to be a doe but was a button buck and killed it I would be breaking the law but not intentionally. I’ve been hunting deer for 53 years (45 in New Jersey and eight in Georgia) and have never had a hunting violation and have no intention of ever receiving one. In New Jersey and other states to be considered an antlered deer, it would have to have antlers at least 3 inches, otherwise it’s considered and antlerless deer. I say that the Georgia antler regulation should be changed.

• I have been a subscriber to GON since almost day one and love the magazine.

• Getting tired of license fees going up. Not sure exactly what I’m getting for my money.

• Make all season either sex.

• Blue Ridge Lake please stock more smallmouth, but this time stock some 12-inch bass where they will have a chance. The big spots ate most of those fingerlings.

• Southwestern Georgia needs extended season for deer. Deer in Decatur Seminole and Grady are chasing as of Jan. 4.

• The wild hog population in Oglethorpe County is out of control. Deer processors quit processing hogs when deer gun season opened. It is obvious you can’t kill enough hogs to make a difference. Hogs eat the acorn crop, taking the valuable food source from the deer.

• Would like to see lower number of doe tags. Crossbows are making a difference on the harvest numbers it seems like.

• I feel that WMAs are too restrictive on hunting days. I feel like available days get shorter and shorter.

• Please continue the Coyote Cull Event. We have shot several this year and know we have lots more on our deer lease.

• Please cut doe days on national forest totally out before it’s too late on the whole Northern Zone.

• I recently became a landowner in northeastern Madison County, and there is a serious problem around here with wild pigs. In speaking with neighboring landowners, many have told me the problem only came to this area in the last 10 years, and it is really bad. The majority of agribusiness in this area is poultry and cattle, rather than row crops. I believe there is less incentive to getting rid of hogs compared to other areas in Georgia, as the pigs in this area are not affecting people’s livelihood. This area is rich with huge undisturbed tracts along with lush pastures, providing the feral population with both ample resources and habitat. The biggest impact (in this area) is to the natural habitat and native wildlife populations. The same neighboring landowners, when asked about turkey, say there used to be a lot around here, but within the last 10 years, they have seen less and less. I believe the reason has way more to do with the feral pigs, than pressure from hunting.

• More bear days in central Georgia.

• I personally think the doe days should be reconstructed so that they’re not during the whole month of November. It floods the processer with deer and most have to turn deer and business down due to not enough room in coolers.

• Need a better stocking program for shoal bass in the Flint River and Ocmulgee River.

• Why is there still a season on crows? Are you kidding me? You guys have got to provide better opportunities to the young hunters or you can forget selling licenses in 10 years.

• I squirrel hunt with dogs a lot, and I would like to see more support for small game hunters. Also, it would be nice if the WMA and NWR would not close some many gates right after their deer hunts are over.

• Killing deer over bait is not hunting and messes up the natural deer movement.

• I think archery season should be backed up three to four weeks later than early September. It is too hot to bowhunt. We are loosing way to many hunters.

• Need a spring bear season. That is when I always see the larger male bears that do not move much in daylight in the fall. Could generate a large revenue for spring bear license and would only have to be about two weeks long.

• GON please have a strong push for hog control and trapping (coon and possums because they are easy to catch). This will help the turkey population. These guys who are caught releasing hogs for future hunts (in other areas) should be a disgrace to all hunters and we need to do a better job shunning them.

• Need more statewide predator control, buck limit should be reduced to one per hunter per year, gobbler limit should be reduced to two per hunter per year.

• Let kids shoot one hen in spring.

• Need to increase alligator quota numbers for Zones 8 and 9. Tons of gators, and it shouldn’t take four to five years to get drawn for a tag.

• Make trapping great again. Online trapping license purchase.

• Ceylon WMA has been overused and abused, primarily by out of state hunters. What had the potential to be an exceptional property has been timbered and ruined by over access over the last year. Consider limiting access to quota hunt only and use the time to make improvements to the infrastructure before allowing everyone to utilize.