"It's hard to predict though since so much depends on the weather during the peak hunting times of opening weekend, Thanksgiving, and Christmas," he went on to caution. "If we get good hunting weather and good numbers of hunters in the woods, we should have a good year.

"The best counties for overall success in Region 3 are Burke, Washington, and Wilkes. Our best WMAs are the 8,100-acre Di-Lane in Burke County, which had a 19 percent success ratio last year; the 1,700-acre Big Dukes Pond WMA in Jenkins County, with a 14 percent success rate; and the 4,800-acre Oconee WMA in Greene County, which had a 13 percent success ratio."

Parnell also offered local knowledge that hunters in this part of the state may want to consider. "Both Di-Lane and Tuckahoe WMAs are underutilized by hunters," he said. "We've improved the facilities at both of them in the last year by constructing a bathhouse, so hunters might want to give them a try this season."

BEST BET WMAs FOR 2008
Locator	WMA	DMU	Acres
1.	Berry College	2	15,585
2.	B.F. Grant	5	12,000
3.	Bullard Creek	8	13,900
4.	Cedar Creek	5	40,570
5.	Chickasawhatchee	6	19,700
6.	Cohutta	1	96,530
7.	Coopers Creek	1	30,000
8.	Crockford-Pigeon Mountian	2	16,386
9.	Dawson Forest	2	25,000
10.	Di-Lane	7	8,100
11.	Dixon Memorial	9	36,100
12.	Flint River	4	2,300
13.	Horse Creek	8	8,100
14.	Lake Russell	2	17,300
15.	Oconee	5	4,800
16.	Ossabaw Island	9	9,000
17.	Paulding Forest	2	25,707
18.	River Creek	6	2,437
19.	Sapelo Island	9	9,000

REGION 4
Region 4 is in west central Georgia and is the region Charlie Killmaster calls home.

"The Region 4 deer herd is doing well," Killmaster said. "Most areas have very reasonable deer densities. However, there are a few that are still overabundant and even a few that have been slightly over harvested. The mast crop last season was spotty -- exceptional in some areas and a complete failure in others.

"This season should be good," Killmaster offered. "The population is lower in some areas than it has been in the last few years, a result of widespread quality deer management and the willingness of hunters to harvest does. This is actually a good thing though; populations are now at a healthier level."

The region has some good public lands available.

"The best WMAs in our region for overall success are B.F. Grant and Cedar Creek in Putnam County and Joe Kurz WMA in Meriwether County," the biologist pointed out. "B.F. Grant had a firearms success ratio of 11 percent last season, Cedar Creek had 17 percent, and Joe Kurz 28 percent.

"Archery hunters have some real opportunity in Region 4," Killmaster also suggested. "After firearms season opens, the Archery-Only areas turn into ghost towns. For bowhunters who stick it out, they have Berry Creek on Rum Creek WMA, Sprewell Bluff Natural Area, Fall Line Sandhills Natural Area, Standing Boy Creek State Park, Dixie Creek on West Point WMA, and Gum Swamp Creek on Ocmulgee WMA virtually all to themselves. Fall Line Sandhills Natural Area is brand new too, 876 acres of archery hunting in Taylor County."

REGION 5
In this region covering southwest Georgia, wildlife biologist Julie Robbins keeps tabs on the deer population. "The deer herd in Region 5 is stable overall," Robbins said. "Some counties in the northern portion of the region have seen declines in deer densities over the past 10 years -- Stewart County in particular -- where others have seen stable to slightly increasing deer herds. Declines in deer numbers can be attributed to increased hunting pressure, changes in the landscape, and possibly other factors such as predation from coyotes and domestic dogs, as well as competition with feral hogs."