Bucksnbears thread got me thinking about different land types we hunt so I loaded some videos to YouTube to share.

I’ll start off with my lock-on stand in a drain. It has a patch of Beauty Berries in it and oaks. First video is a little buck that came in when I rattled.



This is looking South of the same stand when a few gobblers came by. We only take 3-4 gobblers a season. Mostly just 3 though.

Now a little funny video…titled it “turkey food”
As you can tell this is recent, lol.

Can’t have a deer thread without a dead deer, lol. First video is what my DIL couldn’t get a shot at and made her want to go back. Her first time archery hunting.

[video:youtube]https://youtube.com/shorts/bvzOmzpa-BI?si=SbqLMcIEJd77b8Vf[/video]

And what she ended up with!

[video:youtube]https://youtube.com/shorts/3PtJkdeaklA?si=ipOQbRVEtPSGXOCf[/video]

A buck I passed a couple years ago only because I’d seen The Ghost just prior and he was tending a doe about 125yds away!!

[video:youtube]https://youtube.com/shorts/DvlfPnKAIPU?si=b_ljUyL-kUiO0zr4[/video]

Can’t have deer hunting without some rutting action…



[video:youtube]https://youtube.com/shorts/UlI7W3ATmZM?si=-OcIc-XUDyd-TR2U[/video]

A couple little bucks sparring…

WB,
You are blessed to have access to that level of quality deer hunting in Georgia. Quality managed tracts in upper SW Ga are the best the State has to offer. The only other part of the State that can compete with your area for large bucks are the metro Atlanta counties....where bucks age out in small wood lots in the suburbs.

When you can grunt’em in…

[video:youtube]https://youtube.com/shorts/2t2ECteTlw8?si=by8Q1Trl8ElLA9vM[/video]

[video:youtube]https://youtube.com/shorts/50SPGQrk3yY?si=AVbfSEceL4a3HxLc[/video]

You ain't lying on the metro. I've scraped up bigger deer out of Atlanta yards hit by cars or hanging off ornamental fence spikes than I've ever laid eyes on in the woods.

Got a couple nice ones I see pretty often on that former federal property I trap.

BTW the forage in Atlanta probably beats all the food plots as well. Probably as much fertilizer gets dropped on Atlant's urban lawns and golf courses as does on South Georgia agricultural.

WB,

The farm / plantation / property you reference in helping to manage, I take it from reading your posts that the operation is mainly for quail? You mention pretty strict self regulation on taking mature bucks. I’m curious how many you all take on average in a season and how you manage the doe herd. I assume y’all are pretty aggressive with that? Any thoughts on what your buck to doe ratio is roughly?

Our buck to doe ratio isn’t anywhere it needs to be…yet.

Yes this is a Wild Bird plantation and is managed as such. I “lucked up” getting on this place. The manager didn’t care about deer when I started, but has since unofficially put my son and I over the deer hunting aspect. His policy was 3 does per person and 1 buck that MUST be mounted.

It wasn’t until several years back that his youngest son wanted a nice buck. They went and sat in a stand and saw 34 does and 5 scrub bucks one morning. That’s when he wanted to know what to do to get decent bucks?
What he didnt realize was we had some really nice bucks that could spend all rut in a 10ac spot and breed as many does as his body would allow.

Our first recommendation was at minimum everyone shoot their limit of 10 does each. There’s only about 4-5 (full time) hunters with 3-4 others that’ll hunt some. We also told him we need to take older age bucks regardless of “score”. When you have 5.5 - 8.5 year old 8’s and below running off your 2.5 -4.5 year old 10’s and above that will score 130” by 2.5 then you have issues.

He agreed to all of it and told anyone if they didn’t know what a mature buck was to text my son and I. So far it’s working. I’m not an expert or educated on the matter, but I know what a mature deer looks like and we know what needs shot vs what doesn’t. Even the managers wife will text with pics asking yes or no.

We had a 172” killed in ‘21. A 168” killed in ‘22. Nothing over 160” last year, but we definitely have a few roaming the woods this year that should make it.

Now for the part that will upset a few folks, we will shoot the does. All meat finds a home. I take several with my bow just because and that’s hunting. After that it’s just pure killing. Laws are obeyed as much as possible, but when folks can’t get it done we’ll step in and help them. I know between my son and I we kill close to 50-60 a year.
And believe it or not we still have folks wanting deer at the end of season.

My son and I only archery hunt bucks now. I have no problem with anyone shooting whatever makes them happy and when we have youth out to hunt they are given free rein to shoot anything from spots to the State record. We’ve made a lot of young folks some great memories and hope to continue to do so.

In order to have bucks reach their full potential they have everything on this place including time. Yeah, it’s tough sometimes to pass some really great looking young bucks, but we’ve seen what can happen when you do. Yes it can be a gamble. This isn’t a high fenced property, just 2500 continuous acres. We talk with the surrounding hunters (my son started that) and we’ll talk about what we have on cameras and make a gentleman’s agreement of bucks we’d “like” to see the following year. Last year they killed a deer we’d agreed that was a trophy and they ended up killing him. He was high 160’s as well and we all honestly thought he wouldn’t get any larger antler wise. So far everything is working out pretty good. I will say, after I killed what I consider a true “trophy antlered” buck it changed me. I no longer think if I don’t kill a trophy my year is ruined. Nor do I get upset when someone else does. In fact, I found and put the stand up for the deer my DIL shot in the above video. I get happy with others success because I feel what we’ve done contributes to that success, so technically I’m a part of it.

Our only issue we’re running into now is the other hunters have seen what can be produced and they’re wanting to let everything go, lol. Hoping once everyone gets their cameras out we’ll start getting pics and text and get some of these older bucks killed.

Here’s a pic the managers wife sent of a young 10 and asked shooter?



My response was you’re the Bosslady you can shoot whatever, but no Ma’am he really needs another year.

She then sent this pic….



Immediately I sent “Send it, shoot!! Definitely a shooter!!”

She did…



That buck I know was at least 7.5 cause I had his pics for 4 years, lol. Believe it or not that deer scored either 141 or 142 and doesn’t have tine over 7”. Just an OLD buck that needed taken out and a true trophy!!

WB,
Ya'll should check into Georgia's Deer Management Assistance Program.

It allows legal take of does and bucks that need to go....limits are bypassed.

Also extends the season beyond regular closing dates so managers can get it done.

There are a few details that landowners are required to do to meet the guidelines, but it would fit intensively managed tracts like your plantation perfectly.

There are different levels, based on acreage and goals. Higher levels allow more harvest flexibility.

https://georgiawildlife.com/DMAP

That's good stuff. I have the same issues with my neighboring farms. They take 3-4 does and feel like they've done something where they really needed to take 15, or killed a 17" 8 point that was 3.5 years old, swearing it was 5.5 years. I'm just happy that many in the area are doing things like 16" minimum, etc. Wasn't a whole lot of management at all up till 10 years back or so. I don't fault anyone for what they're killin' because it might be their best ever or they work shift and only get to hunt twice a year. I control what I can control on my place and am fortunate that either farm beside me has wanted to grow healthier herds and better bucks as well.

Y'all are fortunate to have that amount of continous acreage.

Great post and videos.

The buck MUST be mounted? What sense does that make? I've shot plenty of big bucks and never will have one mounted. Am I missing something? Or misunderstanding something

Might be a Southern thing? It's a common practice in VA as well. Keeps someone from shooting a buck that's not what the landowner or lease owner has determined to be the trophy class they want to take. I know that some folks frown on it, but if it's your land or $$$, I guess you have a right to set that standard. In places that I've seen it used, it makes folks x3 check that it's the 'right' buck to take. If not, you potentially have to pay a fine OR not have access to hunt that property again.

You’re not apt to be trigger happy when you have to mount one, lol.
Before I started hunting out there I thought a 110-115” buck was a STUD! It wasn’t until I realized what a true stud was when I started hunting out there. It was just a deterrent. If you want meat, shoot does. Let the bucks grow.

Good read WB

Thanks Swamp. I don’t want anyone thinking we’re shooting past legal hours or even before or after season. All hunting/killing is during regular season with appropriate weapons.

And I realize not everyone thinks or hunts like this and that’s fine. Heck, when I started out hunting all I wanted to do was kill. Once I saw what could be accomplished, I changed. Yeah I enjoy killing a mature high scoring buck, but I think I enjoy patterning and getting pics and videos more so, lol.

This isn’t meant to brag in any way either, the stars just aligned and I got on out here. I will say this, treat whatever land you hunt as yours to take care of throughout the entire season and landowners notice. When they know they have an extra set of eyes and hands, it leads to trust and access. If they need help during the year, be the first there. If they go on vacation or have a surgery, step up. Who knows, they may decide to start paying you, lol.

One of the landowners I trap for over on the Savannah River is enrolled in DMAP. They have 3500 acres.

They remove bucks that are pre-selected as "inferior". Those don't have to be recorded on a harvest record as they are included in the DMAP report. They shoot deer thru end of January to try and meet their doe and buck harvest goals.