As you know I live and hunt in Georgia, I was just inspired by Tyler Jordan. He drops (2) 160+ deer from the same tree in just a few short days. We have Jeff Foxworthy and his farm and the Banks Farm. These are all working farms and or Deer leases and they bag monsters for any part of the country every year. I also get to hunt suburbia and we have a legitimate shot at a 150 each year, as it is bow only and not much land...I am leading to this I know that most western states have great soil, nutrition etc...but alot of them have short shotgun only seasons, breaks in season etc. Here in the south most states have very liberal bag limits, LONG seasons and alot of deer. I think those last 3 are more of the reason we are not on par with the "big buck" states so to speak. What say ye???
Here in iowa we have advantage of an archery season that goes from Oct1st clear into December. Being able to hunt through the rut before any shotgun season is huge in my book. There is a youth season and an early muzzleloader season but being able to hunt deer that havent been chased through deer drives and pressured is nice. I know some of the big boys on tv here in iowa plant food plots but really Iowa is one big plot. Deer dont have to go far from feeding to bedding. I do though like my turnips after the beans are picked!
IMO, the biggest key to a buck getting big.....is just him being allowed to grow old. 1. Age Structure 2. Nutrition 3. Genetics Now.....Take 5 generations of bucks eating soy beans and corn in Iowa; OH; IL;WI; IN etc..., etc..., etc... v. 5 generations of bucks eating soy beans and corn in GA; SC; NC: etc..., etc..., etc........and you'll quickly see how important nutrition is. You'll also see how a good Midwest 2.5yr old can dwarf a Southeast 4.5yr old+.
Since I cannot control the nutrition and genetics of the bucks I hunt, the only thing I can do is focus on hunting areas that allow bucks to age. That has been my number 1 priority over the last few years...it is not easy.
Here in the vast majority of PA the limiting factor is age. In a few of the more remote areas that are huge tracts of mature forest, nutrition probably plays a bigger role. 2 weeks of rifle with as many hunters as we have takes its toll on the bucks. Add to that a culture of little willingness for the average person to refrain from shooting any legal buck they see and you get a lot of young bucks killed. I know "every" state has em, but poaching in this state IMO is out of control.
Hear hear VS. As far as this topic is concerned.. the poster must realize Georgia deer are not really even Georgia deer. Your deer are a combo of Wisconsin... Texas.. and S. Carolina if I remember correctly.. they were transplanted there years ago to regrow the population. So those 150 on up deer you see are a likely result of Wisconsin and Texan genes. Which is why I'll contend.. GENES are most important within whitetail.. if he ain't got those DNA's for 140 or bigger... age won't matter.. but giving him age is the only way to find out. The results your seeing are likely several factors including what you've already stated.. but you have to understand your herds history too. And heck.. if you have a shot at a 150 every year.. what are you complaining about..??
At breeding farms.. many whitetail are 140 and up at 1.5 years.. its part of their gene pools.. and high nutrition diets.
After living here in Ontario in the big woods and seeing the number and sizes of sheds and bucks from the area I would rearrange your 3 factors a little bit. 1. Age Structure 2. Genetics 3. Nutrition I believe nutrition is extremely important, but over a long period of time and multiple generations. Yes, it can help a bucks growth in the immediate future, but take it away and you lose everything. Genetics is just as important as age, IMO. Up here (like a lot of places) we have some great genetics, but little nutrition. I've seen 6.5 year old sheds/bucks that go over 200" and lots of others that won's go 100". Its all genetics here.
My comments would encompass ALL whitetails. They're not (comments) "just" regional. The same arguments could be made that a poor genetic whitetail can still grow a large rack (relative), given a high nutrition diet. Think about why a 2.5yr old in the big buck states is/can be a 120+" buck......and how many of them there are (vs. 2.5 yr olds, elsewhere). It can't be all genetics (sheer numbers of larger racked deer in the big buck states). He doesn't have to have good genetics to be considered a big buck (taking into consideration ALL whitetails). Not saying I'm right. Just saying why I said it. Good conversation.
Understood, my grandfather helped with one of the first releases in Greene County and those were in fact Wisconsin deer...I was just curious to everyone's opinion on why the deer do not get "there" is all. I should reiterate that "I" personally do not feel I have a shot/could kill a 150 every year (I am by no means that guy) and should have worded that better, but the fact one could walk by at any minute does exist where I am, more than than almost anywhere in the state...due to the bow only county I hunt in. This is based on cameras, sightings and what is killed/poached around us each year. The state record archery buck came from just up the road 2 years ago...a little over 184. I agree completely with the concept that he needs to get older to see what his make up is, that I believe is the reason we do not stack up with the other states. We start bow season here on Sept 11th, muzzy comes in 3 or 4 weeks later and then gun usually runs from the end of october until the middle of January with my bow zone running until the 31st. ALOT of deer die during that period. My local cooler brings in from 750 to a 1000 a year and I usually only get picutures of 2 or 3 good deer and maybe 1 or 2 slobs a year. He hunted with us, and now beside us so I see them all. I just think that if we moved gun season out of the rut, and shortened the season then we would see some serious bone, not like the mid west because that is comparing a V-8 to a 4 banger because those deer eat corn and ours eat pine needles. BUT......I am in favor of none of that because the heritage down here is based on hunting alot and killing alot. I want to stay around that forever, as I have never had a run in, or had to deal with an anti as some of you guys have up there. I love it just the way it is, and would not change a thing...just wanted some good conversation. Hope the talk continues as some good ideas have came up.
Just 2 weeks? Rifle season in GA runs from Oct 16 thru Jan 1 (northern zone) or Jan 15 (southern zone). Sounds like the same mentality as down here too.
