nosfedgta

Hy my name is Drew I jsut recently joined here and though I would ask a few questions.

I moved from ny to ga 5 years ago. I hunted in NY with much success at locating deer, patterning them, knowing where I would and would not see them etc.

Then I move to ga. I find out many things. Almost all land is leased, rented, owned etc. Then I findout hunting clubs are not CHEAP! Public land is not abundant in my location, the wma's are just filled with people and I was just getting upset about the whole thing.

3 years ago I finnaly had some good friends and one of the was in a huinting club. A spot came open 2 years ago and it was affordable. He shows me pictures of some nice bucks killed, shows me nice mount from other hunters etc.

Well Know I am excited about the whole thing. The first year I was in the club I never even saw a shooter buck, never even saw a nice buck period. We have 500 acres that borders 2500 acres of ga power property and have 2 hunitng clubs on each side. property is mainly mature pines with a few hard wood bottoms and a few small planted food plots. all planted with rye grass "why I dont know". well I never shjot one last year, but there were 6 big bucks killed and many saw some decent bucks.

The this year happens opening day I saw a little basket 8 and some little bucks. spikes and 4 pointers. our gun season is almost 3 months long. So far we have had 4 bucks killed on our property. All from stand overlooking logging raods on our propery. I have only missed 13 days of this whole season. I hunt mornings, evenings, mid day etc. The bucks were all killed by hunters who spend little time in the woods they all walked to atripod stand that has been up for 5 years or so sat for a little and then shot the buck that stepped out onto the road. I have a m climber and go inot the bottoms, draws, over acorns, edge of pines meeting the hardwoods, over scrapes, near small rublines etc.

I am tired of not seeing anything!!! its like I jsut cant seem to locate the deer. I see does all the time but never any good bucks. I saw one that was ok but decided to let him walk untill later this year. Well I ahve not seen that deer since. I saw him over a month ago and never again. I feel like I am lost here and dont know how to hunt anymore. I have tried calling and no luck, I have tried rattling with no luck AT ALL!! then one guy comes up for the first time in the season last week and rattles up a buck out of a dead wood boottom that I have hunted several times. The buck ahd an 18in spread and is a NICE 10 pointer.. I am about to give up here in GA and fly home to ny every to go hunting!!

Whats even more aggrivating is hearing and seeing pictures of all the NICE bucks here in the area I live.

Any help would greatly be appreciated. Any calling tips, things to try, I mean anything to help me get a good ga buck!!!!

Here is a buck that I took my last year in NY before I moved here..

eddie_v21

Man do i know the feeling,I have been in the woods since Oct. 2nd and have only saw 3 bucks total to this day.As of right now all I have under my belt is a doe which is some mighty good eating.Just hang in there and be patient and your day will come.BTW that is a nice buck on your wall.

nosfedgta

thank you... I kinda took my frustration out on a few does this year about 4 of them

Mike01

Where in Georgia are you? Just outta curiousity. Up in the nothern part of the state around blue ridge, or North about 1.5 hours north of Atlanta is a fair share of pretty good public land. Don't get discouraged though, Georgia might not hold the biggest bucks but I promise if you keep at it you're bound to find a shooter sometime.

ButchA

Getting frustrated?!?? Sheeeeot, you aint' seen frustration until you've hunted the WMA's here in Virginia!

Take a quick look at my hunting log in my signature. I'll tell you all about frustration.... [:@][:-][:'(]

Butch A.

nosfedgta

I live in milledgeville ga. its about 1.5-2 hours south of atlanta.

Mike01

I've only been hunting once down that way a last year back when I was very unexperienced, so I can't really commet on it, but several friends of mine often head down there for hunting. What you've said pretty much matches their word, many small bucks around 4pt or smaller and absolutely no sign of bigger deer for this year. It's a shame, although it might be those big bucks are just holed up somewhere. Anyway, Best of luck to you, and stick with it. Hopefully you'll see something....

davidhardegree

nosfedgta - hang in there. Like you said, it's hard as hell finding land to hunt down here. I'm in Columbus and this is the first year in several years that I've found a place. I am seeing signs but no deer. I know they are out there, but you have to play their game. I suggest you get into some articles out of Southern hunting magazines such as, GA Outdoor News. The Rut is still in full swing around here and you can't count on your previous patterns. Just stick with the does and if you don't get your buck. Then there's always next year.

I killed my first buck this year, other than a cow horn spike several years ago. Maybe I should have let him walk, but I figured I'd have to start somewhere. He's the only buck I've seen this year.

Hang in there and if you do give up give your buddies my name, I'll take your place in your club.

UncleBubba

Since you are foregoing the practice of hunting out of box stands on food plots, you are a sportsman who will take greater satisfaction out of your harvest than your electric sock wearing counterpart. You should be proud that your method requires skill, knowledge...and a little luck. Keep at it and I am sure it will pay off.
I, personally hunt individual deer. It may take all season or longer, but I learn the habits, and concentrate on the one deer that has clued me to his existance by an impressive hoof print in a scrape or his particular cruelty to saplings on a grassy knoll. I concentrate on the days following a rain. Rain resets the "activity clock" for hunting. If it stopped raining at daylight, and you check a scrape at 2:00pm and the buck you are persuing has not tended the scrape then assume he checks his scrapes in the afternoon or night. Hunt until dark at a visable distance of the scrape, as far away as you get. If you do not see him, and feel confident you diddn't alert him. he may check that scrape at night...you get the picture. Now, it may take more that one weather front pushing rain to peg his routune because your buck may only check his scrapes every few days but, It is my experience that the dominate buck in the area will tend his scrapes more agressively out of frustration with younger bucks trying to pork his does.
I use a Primos Rubberneck grunt call imitating a young buck(YB) when I feel the buck is within earshot. But, calling and attractants should be used with caution. If you teach a buck that humans can smell and speak their language he will stop communicating and most likely die of old age.
I don't kill the number of deer that plot hunters kill. I hunt WMA land and very often deal with inconsiderate hunters, but I never get tired of hunting....

AUWinMag

Ga does hold some amazing deer, and in places you wouldn't even consider would be able to. Near where i live in Roswell on the Chattahoochee there are small forests close to residential areas that trophy size deer walk, i know of a recent 140 class buck taken in my area.