MORE DEER COVERAGE • 2004 Deer Outlook, Part 1 • 2004 Rut Report in North American Whitetail Forums

By Dottie Head

Any way you look at it, the 2003-04 deer season was a banner year for Peach State sportsmen. Georgia hunters harvested 484,000 deer last year, making 2003-04 the best year on record from a sheer numbers standpoint. In addition, a large number of big deer were added to Georgia's Whitetail Deer Registry. Some of these animals were taken in counties with a long history of producing big deer, and some came from counties that rarely give up "big 'uns."

"Most deer experts will say that last year was probably the best year ever for antlers in the state of Georgia," says Kent Kammermeyer, a senior wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division and a member of the White-Tailed Deer Management Committee.

The highlights of last season were two Boone and Crockett all-time-record-book bucks taken in Hancock County, including a 170 3/8 B&C buck taken by Gary McMahan that won the annual Georgia Big Deer Contest. Part of that success was just chance and part of it came from the fact that Hancock has been a quality deer management county for years. People have been planting food plots and hunters have brought the deer population down, allowing the bucks that are left to grow bigger, says Kammermeyer.

"One Boone and Crockett buck a year is great, but the odds of two coming out of one county are unbelievable. Hancock County has never had a Boone and Crockett buck before. Now it has two!"

There are a plethora of reasons why last year's season will go down in the annals of Georgia deer history. In Hancock County for starters, last year was the second year of a new antler restriction requiring bucks to have four points on one side. This regulation went into effect in 2002, and its effects are already being seen. Over the next few years, wildlife managers expect the liberal doe harvest, coupled with the antler restrictions, to give hunters more chances to take some big bucks.

The dismal statewide weather of the previous hunting season also contributed.

"It rained from start to finish in the 2002-03 season," Kammermeyer notes. "It kept hunters out of the woods and it kept big deer from being killed. It also made for heavier bucks on wildlife management areas and in the counties last year."

The excellent acorn crop in Middle and northern Georgia during fall 2002 helped as well. Acorns - or "mast," as wildlife managers refer to them - are an important food source for Georgia whitetails. Years with good acorn production yield bigger, healthier deer in the following season. The 2002 acorn crop helped provide deer with the nutrients they needed.

Photo by Jeff Palmer

Finally, last season's record harvest of 484,000 deer, of which 61.1 percent were does, reduced the deer herd to 1.2 to 1.3 million animals. The White-Tailed Deer Management Plan created by the Georgia WRD has a goal of reducing the deer herd to around 1 million animals. While the herd is still larger than that, fewer deer in the woods translates into more food available and a healthier herd.

With all of these positive events, it is little wonder that hunters harvested a lot of big bucks last season. At the end of the season, there were 72 names added to the Georgia White-Tailed Deer Registry. The number of entries varies from year to year, with only 47 names added during the rainy 2002 hunting season, but 76 names making the list in 2001. The registry includes all of the individuals who entered the Georgia Big Deer Contest and provides a good overview of where the big bucks came from at both the regional and county level in the previous season and what method hunters used to harvest them.

Sponsored by Georgia Sportsman, the Georgia DNR and the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association, the statewide competition recognizes the top gun- and bow-killed typical and non-typical whitetail bucks taken during the previous season. To be eligible for this contest, deer must be measured by an official WRD scorer (using the Pope and Young Club standards for archery kills and Boone and Crockett Club rules for firearms kills) and must meet the minimum qualifying scores. The minimums are 120 P&Y for typical archery, 145 P&Y for non-typicals. For firearms, the standards are 145 B&C for typical bucks and 170 B&C for non-typicals. Deer harvested with crossbows must meet firearms standards.

Taking a look at last year's 72 entries, 49 of them were harvested with firearms, including one crossbow buck. Last year was the first year that crossbow-harvested bucks were required to compete in the firearms category. In addition, 23 deer were entered in the bow category. All told, there were 44 Georgia counties represented in the contest.

By taking a closer look at the Big Deer Contest entries, you can get a good idea of what areas of the state are producing trophy deer and where the best bets are to plan a hunting trip. When last year's contest was finished, eight of the nine deer management units (DMUs) produced at least one entry. The DMUs are boundaries set by the WRD for management purposes. They are groups of contiguous counties with similar land-use patterns, herd history and natural habitats.

While hunters have a good chance of harvesting a big buck in just about any part of the state, the best options lie in DMU 6, in the western upper Coastal Plain. Year after year, DMU 6 walks away with the prize for the area producing the most trophy bucks in the Big Deer Contest. Last year DMU 6 produced 27 of the 72 entries, with 12 of the unit's 32 counties represented. All 12 of these counties produced firearm-killed entries. Macon, Baker and Mitchell counties also had bow entries on the list. Worth and Lee counties had the largest number of total entries, with five deer being added to the registry from each county.

In distant second place, DMU 3 added 12 deer to the list last year. This DMU is notable because it contains nine metro Atlanta counties. Five of the nine counties in this area produced contest entries. Since hunting with firearms is illegal in most of these counties, the area generated primarily archery-killed bucks, though both deer taken in Gwinnett County were firearm kills. Of particular note was the largest ever non-typical taken with a firearm in Gwinnett County - a 176 1/8 B&C buck downed by Duane Sudderth. Fulton and Rockdale counties each produced four entries.

In third place, DMU 4 lies west and south of the metro area in the western Piedmont. Six of the 19 counties in this DMU produced entries, with two counties - Meriwether and Harris - producing both firearm and bow entries. Harris County had four total entries in the contest.

Counties located east and south of the Atlanta area make up DMU 5. This unit had eight total entries on this list, including the two big bucks taken in Hancock County.

Located in south-central Georgia, DMU 8 had seven entries in the competition, all of them taken with firearms, while DMU 2, in North Georgia's foothills and Ridge and Valley terrain, had three entries. Rounding out the list, DMU 1, in the extreme North Georgia mountain region, had two entries in the competition. Only DMU 9, covering the sandy coastal region, was unable to add a buck to the list.

Now let's take a closer look at why each unit is or is not a producer of big deer and what public land offerings are available for hunters looking to harvest a big buck in the area.

Deer Management Unit 1 comprises 12 counties in extreme North Georgia. While the area is known for producing lots of acorns, the soils don't yield much other quality deer browse. This makes it an inconsistent area for big bucks. Still, some notable deer were taken in the DMU last season, including a new record in Rabun County. The 147 7/8 B&C buck was killed by Jeff McCrackin on U.S. Forest Service land and is the biggest deer ever taken in the county.

There are a large number of public lands in DMU 1 that are open for hunting, but the rugged terrain requires hunters to exert some effort to find a big buck. Over the years, Cohutta and Blue Ridge WMAs have yielded some nice deer in this DMU.

Just south lies DMU 2, which encompasses some mountainous terrain, Ridge and Valley counties, and a few upper Piedmont counties thrown in. While parts of the area are still largely undeveloped, a few counties such as Cherokee, Forsyth and Hall have experienced massive population growth that has impacted habitat quality. Still, several nice bucks were added to the registry last year from DMU 2. Steve Crumley harvested a 149 5/8 B&C in DMU 2. This is the second-largest deer ever taken in Dawson County and the biggest ever taken on Dawson Forest WMA.

Last year was just a good year for big-deer harvest in the mountains, Kammermeyer points out.

"I'm a Boone and Crockett scorer in the northeastern part of the state, and I had several deer come in that were No. 1, 2 or 3 in the county taken, including the top buck ever harvested on Dawson Forest WMA, the top buck in Rabun County, and the No. 2 or 3 ever killed in Lumpkin County."

The metro Atlanta counties make up the bulk of DMU 3. Despite the huge human population in this area, hunters take a number of quality deer from these counties each year. Most of the area is archery only, though there are exceptions. Unfortunately, there is virtually no public land available for hunting in this area, but if you are lucky enough to have access to private holdings your chances of scoring a big buck are very good.

Lying southwest of the metro area is DMU 4, in the center of the western Piedmont region of the state. Over the years, DMU 4 has added several whitetails to the Boone and Crockett all-time-records list.

There is a block of DMU 4 counties that are doing really well, according to Kammermeyer. They are Troup, Meriwether, Talbot and Harris counties.

In addition, four of the 10 WMAs that operate under quality deer regulations are found in DMU 4 - West Point, Joe Kurz, Blanton Creek and Big Lazer Creek. Any of these areas would be a good choice for hunters looking for a trophy.

Moving east to DMU 5, we encounter the "surprise" area of the season. For years, wildlife managers have referred to this DMU as the "Over the Hill Counties" because of past overpopulation issues with the deer herd.

"The deer ate up the best food supply and lost body weight," Kammermeyer explains.

In recent years, however, people have been planting food plots and performing other types of management, so the deer are coming back.

"It just goes to show you that counties can get better with good management," the biologist adds.

As mentioned, Hancock County produced two B&C all-time-record bucks this year. B.F. Grant WMA, located near Eatonton, is a quality-managed WMA that has produced some good bucks over the years. In addition, Morgan, Walton and Putnam counties, to the west of Hancock, are producing big deer year after year, Kammermeyer says. He also points to Cedar Creek WMA as a good spot that is not quality-managed but that consistently gives up big deer.

Let's turn now to the No. 1 DMU in the state. Why is DMU 6 so consistently successful? According to Kammermeyer, the answer lies in land use patterns and good genes in the deer herd.

"With the combination of agriculture and Wisconsin genetics in this area, DMU 6 produces big bucks year after year, especially along the Flint River corridor and in Dooley and Macon counties," he notes.

Years ago, when deer were being stocked in Georgia, most of the deer that went to DMU 6 came from Wisconsin, an area known for producing large whitetails.

The area has several quality-managed counties, including Randolph, Macon and Dooley. In addition, Chickasawhatchee and Flint River WMAs lie in the region. Both areas are managed for quality bucks.

While DMU 7 is very similar in landscape to DMU 6, it has not yielded the same quantities of big bucks as its neighboring region. Hunters in this area might turn to Di-Lane WMA in Burke County for a chance at a big one. Kammermeyer also points to Ogeechee WMA as a good spot.

Consisting of both upper and lower Coastal Plain counties, DMU 8 has not produced record deer on pace with other regions. The habitat is not as good as in other regions, but the area still has a number of farms and river bottoms that have been known to turn out some quality deer.

Finally, we come to DMU 9, along the coast. The sandy, infertile soils of this region have never been known for producing quality deer, and the herd depends largely on acorns for food and antler development. This DMU has never produced a B&C record book whitetail, but some of the remote island WMAs in the area are known for producing large quantities of deer.