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Deer can be found all over Georgia, but some regions have more white tail than others. However, comparing one Georgia region to another isn't an accurate comparison. We'll break it down for you by getting to the points in the article, Georgia's 2008 Deer Update.

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Northwest Georgia

This area is the Ridge and Valley, the western edge of the Blue Ridge, and the Piedmont geophysical regions.

Overall Prediction:
There are some great deer in this area, but there are also a lot of people around which make it difficult because of the competition. The state-managed wildlife management areas in this region offer some good hunting, along with some national forest land outside of the WMA system.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• Berry College firearms hunters had an 18 percent success ratio last season and hunters at Crockford-Pigeon Mountain had an 11 percent firearms success rate.
• Down in the Piedmont area of Region 1, hunters at Paulding Forest WMA enjoyed an 8 percent firearms success rate on this very popular tract near Dallas in Paulding County.
• Moving from the Piedmont up into the Blue Ridge, the Cohutta WMA in Fannin, Gilmer and Murray counties offers tough, but rewarding mountain hunting.
• Firearm hunters had just a 3 percent success rate last season --respectable, given the rough terrain and reduced numbers of deer in the mountain habitat.

In conclusion:
Generally hunters in this part of the state expect to see more deer in the more-developed areas at lower elevations and few deer higher up, where the deer depend solely on what Mother Nature chooses to deliver in terms of the mast crop.

Northeast Georgia

This is the heart of the Georgia mountains, and some northern Piedmont counties as well. Things are expected to be looking up this season.

Overall Prediction:
Wildlife biologists say hunters will be more successful is there is more vegetation this year than last.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• Barrow, Madison, and Hart counties in the Piedmont are our best for overall success rates. However, there is very little public land in those counties, so it may take some work to find somewhere to hunt.
• Our top three WMAs for overall success most years are Lake Russell, Dawson Forest, and Coopers Creek for numbers of deer. All of these WMAs have a proven track record.

New Opportunities:
Wilson Shoals WMA is in Banks County. Last year was the first year of a new season structure there. Wildlife biologists felt the small 2,800-acre area was getting too much pressure, so they changed the seasons around a little to more archery and fewer firearms either-sex days to reduce the harvest a little. Coinciding with the change in season structure is an effort to improve habitat. They planted 70 acres of shortleaf pines this year with plans to plant 200 more, and thinned about 100 acres to create more early succession habitat and improve food and cover for the deer.

Northern Central Georgia

Senior wildlife biologist I.B. Parnell has several tips on the upcoming season.

Overall Prediction:
The upcoming season will be about like last season, maybe a little better.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• 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.

New Opportunities:
Both Di-Lane and Tuckahoe WMAs are underutilized by hunters. The facilities have been improved in the last year by constructing a bathhouse, so hunters might want to give them a try this season.

West Central Georgia

Region 4 is in west central Georgia.

Overall Prediction:

• 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.
• 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.

Best Hunting in the Area:

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

New Opportunities:
Archery hunters have some real opportunity in Region 4.

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.

Southwest Georgia

Wildlife biologist Julie Robbins keeps tabs on the deer population--

Overall Prediction:

• The deer herd in Region 5 is stable overall.
• 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.

Best Hunting in the Area:
Look closely at Chickasawhatchee, to the southwest of Albany, with a firearms success ratio of 17 percent, and the quota hunts at Flint River WMA in Dooly County and River Creek WMA near Thomasville.

New Opportunites:

• The 9,000-plus-acre Silver Lake WMA in Decatur County will be open for hunting this year. This area includes the newly-acquired Silver Lake and Hog Farm Tracts which are part of International Paper's Southlands Experimental Forest, as well as about 1,000 acres of what used to be part of Lake Seminole WMA.
• The area is planning to offer either-sex archery and primitive weapons hunts, two quota hunts, and two buck-only firearm hunts. The projected deer density is 15 to 20 per square mile. The area is a mix of open longleaf pine stands, industrial forest stands, and hardwood drains and should be good hunting.

Southeast Georgia
This covers Southeast Georgia on the Coastal Plain.

Overall Prediction:
The Altamaha River cuts through the region and its extensive bottoms are good deer habitat. Several large WMAs offer hunters plenty of room in which to spread out.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• Bullard Creek WMA provides 13,900 acres of public-land hunting on the Altamaha River near Hazelhurst.
• Another Altamaha River tract, 8,100-acre Horse Creek WMA west of Hazelhurst, isn't quite a true river bottom, but is proper lowland nonetheless.
• Another WMA that hunters may want to take into consideration is Dixon Memorial WMA just south of Waycross near the Okefenokee Swamp.

Coastal Georgia

Senior wildlife biologist Brooks Good has advice to offer hunters--

Overall prediction:

• The deer herd in the coastal region is in good shape, and continues to offer hunters high percentage hunting opportunities. This past season's mast crop was good to excellent throughout the coastal plain and provided a viable food source for deer late into the season.
  
• Getting some rain this spring was encouraging and as long as the summer was not too dry, browse should be good going into fall.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• Top counties in the Lower Coastal Plain are Wayne, McIntosh, and Camden. While deer on the coast tend to be smaller than their cousins in the Upper Coastal Plain and Piedmont, these counties still produce for hunters in good numbers.
• The best chance for harvesting a deer is on Sapelo and Ossabaw Islands. Both of these barrier islands offer hunters a unique experience to hunt deer in some of the most beautiful maritime forest in the country.

New Opportunities:
The state of Georgia purchased Clayhole Swamp WMA in Glynn County and Penholoway Swamp WMA in Wayne County. These recent acquisitions have already produced some quality deer and should only get better as improvements continue to be made in wildlife habitat on the property. I would rate these as the up-and-coming WMAs on the coast.

In conclusion... 
Wherever you live in Georgia you will be able to find a great hunt. It's time to get started, and with gas prices decreasing, maybe you can even travel to a part of the state you've never visited before.

Photo Credit: (Flickr, By: Alodor)

Labels: deer hunting, deer hunting in Georgia, Deer in the fall, Georgia hunting, hunting season, white-tailed deer

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