2021 Georgia DNR Big Deer Contest Winners

Hunters who attended the awards ceremony hosted by the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association were Adam Lomax, Benny Overholt, and Cory Croft.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, in conjunction with the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and sponsors The Southern Company and Glock, announced the winners of the 2021 Georgia Big Deer Contest. The competition is the oldest continuous deer contest in the state, with the first awards being handed out in 1967. The contest is managed by retired Georgia DNR biologist Bill Cooper, along with a host of volunteer deer scorers and with the assistance of GON. The winners were recognized at the recent Georgia Outdoor Writers Association (GOWA) annual awards banquet, which was held at the Neely Center in Rome on June 18, 2022.

Awards are presented in four categories. The divisions are for the largest typical and non-typical racks taken by archers, and for bucks taken by firearms hunters. Judging is based on the rack’s score using the Boone and Crockett scoring system for firearms kills or the Pope and Young Club scores for bucks taken with a bow and arrow. Both systems measure the antlers using the same formula in increments of one-eighth of an inch.

 The winners for the 2021 season are:

TOP TYPICAL BOW: 165 2/8 Adam Lomax, of Cumming. Taken: Sept. 29, 2021 in DeKalb County 

TOP NON-TYPICAL BOW: 222 4/8 Benny Overholt, of Marshallville. (Velvet) Taken: Sept. 13, 2021 in Macon County

 TOP TYPICAL GUN: 179 4/8 Jason McGovern, of Tifton. Taken: Nov. 4, 2021 in Worth County

 TOP NON-TYPICAL GUN: 192 1/8 Cory Croft, of Pine Mountain. Taken: Nov. 12, 2021 in Harris County

Any Georgia buck that is officially measured by a certified scorer—and the score sheet provided to GON or Bill Cooper—is eligible for the Georgia Big Deer Contest and awards ceremony hosted by GOWA.