GA huntin'

Didn't hunt while in GA, but did grab the regs. Boy, is it different from here at least in the regs. Derr season is September-January. No weapons choice, but different regs for each weapon type. The limit is 12; 2 bucks (one must be a 4-pt) and 10 does. An out-of-state license would run me about $300. In addition, one could get a couple bear, unlimited pigs, and so on. In the reg pamphlet, one of the Commissioners says, clear as day, that outing and fishing to feed your family is part of their mission.

Did I mention licenses were cheap? Even NR.

Several southern states manage their game like that and it's great. Whitetail and pigs everywhere. The WT's don't get very big compared to northern and western WT's (both in rack and body size), but they are plentiful. I always wanted to hunt SC when I lived there, but work kept getting in the way. Lots of managed leases where you can shoot multiple deer and pigs in the same day for very cheap. I believe pigs are open year round in SC - just as they should be. They are supposed to be good eaters compared to pigs from Texas, Oklahoma etc.

I don't know what the land/access situation is, but it sure looks like one could have a great hunt if you figured a spot.

WT seem to be much better adapted to humans than BT/Mulies. They produce more fawns and seem to live in higher densities. Also, most down there are resident. o, unlike the migratory species, the range is stock year around.

There are quite a few national and state forests down that way which have decent hunting. Most hunters seem to belong to a 'hunting club' of some sort or have leases on private land. We looked into hunting the 'low country' of SC and it's all private, so you gotta pay to play. But like I said, it's pretty cheap compared to western hunting. $1000 gets you a handful of days with a chance at multiple deer and pigs. It's not uncommon to pop a handful of deer and pigs on the same day.

As far as WT - yes, they are very habituated to humans compared to BT's and Mulies. For one, there is a LOT more agriculture (food plots) across the Midwest and south (more fawns). Second, they are not as nocturnal, so they tend to be around when humans are around. A Combine is the single greatest hunting vehicle made. Lastly, cold weather & snow in the Midwest and northern states tends to yard em' up in large groups over said food (or cover). On multiple occasions, I've seen several hundred WT's in a single field. I once took (4) WT's in about 5 minutes. A small buck and (3) does. They just kept coming out after that food plot and could care less about their brethren laying dead right there. You won't find such reckless foolishness with BT's. You also will rarely find multiple BT's in a single spot. They are much less communal and way more solitary & wary.

I think also think mountain lions, wolves and bears play a huge part in our Western states. Deer in the west can't afford to yard up or be as social, less they become dinner. That's my $0.02 - IMO....

Predators are certainly part of it but I think that WT just like each other more. That, and no migrating which leaves one range (winter or summer) essentially vacant half the year. At least for mulies...

Does look like fun, though. They (GA) allow pig hunting at night and with bait. They do warn you, though, that while bait os legal for some species it is illegal for others. So, while you can spread corn for deer you have better not pop a turkey in that same place.