Georgia help

[bigcat93]

So I am down in Smyrna, GA for almost year round for the next 3 1/2 years. Still looking to hunt and provide some venison for myself while I am down here other than from when I make the trip home for winter break for 3 weeks.. Not a lot of time to prepare or hunt and hope for a shot.

I was wondering if anyone had any direction to which WMA's would be worth checking out and relatively close, hoping for less than 1 hour away. Having a hard time finding a map of all WMA rather they are listed separately. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Stump06]

https://gadnrwrd.maps.arcgis.com/ap...243795d0&extent=-84.734,34.135,-84.527,34.239

Zoom out on this map and you'll see all the different WMAs in Georgia outlined in red. Its gonna be tough finding a good WMA within an hours drive from Smyrna thats not over run with folks. I can't speak for any of the WMAs up there as I have never hunted them.

http://forum.gon.com/threads/2017-2018-wma-deer-hunt-results.913284/

Heres a link to the GON forum. The thread I linked in particular has 2017-2018 data from most or all Georgia WMAs that a member puts a lot of time and effort into. You may have to create any account to view it but it might give you a place to start or at least weed out some spots. I always look forward to reading his report at the end of the year.

 

[EricS]

Joe Kurtz is a good wma that you can archery hunt. It’s also a great rifle hunt but you will need to apply every year for the quota hunt and maybe get to hunt it with a rifle your last year. It’s a good 1hr15 minutes from you. So is Cohutta wma. 90000 acres with like half of it wilderness area. Lower deer density but there are nice mountain bucks taken there every year and I can’t think of a better place to hunt from a saddle. On the years white oak acorns are tough to find you can have great success on deer,bear, and hogs if you can find a lone group of trees dropping acorns. You should be able to find some national forest land to hunt on not that far north of Smyrna.

 

[Stump06]

I hear about Joe Kurtz a lot on the Gon forum. Not sure if that a good thing or not lol. But I think it would be worth a few scouting trips.

I’ve looked at Cohutta some as a chance to kill a bear. If it were me I’d go north. I feel like the topography of some of those north Ga WMAs may keep a lot of folks away or at least close to the roads. I’ve heard white oaks are the ticket up there, just be sure to verify that it’s actually a white oak. Chestnut oaks look very similar and most WMAs have plenty of them. The bark is similar but the leaves are very different from white oaks

 

[bigcat93]

Thanks guys! the closest WMA's I have found within an hour are Paulding, Sheffield, and Allatoona. I'm going to dig into that report those and see what I can pull out. Being in class will make it tough to travel far for a sit but definitely do-able on weekends if I plan it right.

 

[EricS]

The GON magazine is a great resource as they publish success rates for all the wma and usually do a write up on different ones every year. There are several great Wma within an hour and a half of you. Not much within an hour. You might check out army Corp of engineers property around lake allatoona and lake Lanier. They all have their specific rules so check that first.

 

[gabowhtr]

So I am down in Smyrna, GA for almost year round for the next 3 1/2 years. Still looking to hunt and provide some venison for myself while I am down here other than from when I make the trip home for winter break for 3 weeks.. Not a lot of time to prepare or hunt and hope for a shot.

I was wondering if anyone had any direction to which WMA's would be worth checking out and relatively close, hoping for less than 1 hour away. Having a hard time finding a map of all WMA rather they are listed separately. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Are you a Cobb county resident? I believe there's some army corps land you can apply for a permit.

 

[bigcat93]

Are you a Cobb county resident? I believe there's some army corps land you can apply for a permit.

Yeah, I am down the road from Dobbins Airbase. I'm attending Life University that borders some of their property. Have seen some (maybe 2-3 does possibly during November, can't remember) on the soccer fields at the University late at night. And there are plenty of tracks on the trails.

 

[gabowhtr]

Yeah, I am down the road from Dobbins Airbase. I'm attending Life University that borders some of their property. Have seen some (maybe 2-3 does possibly during November, can't remember) on the soccer fields at the University late at night. And there are plenty of tracks on the trails.

Here's a link, https://cobbcounty.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=205

 

[Twenty Up]

There’s a lot of deer on public land in Georgia, you just have to stretch your legs some

 

[EricS]

There’s a lot of deer on public land in Georgia, you just have to stretch your legs some

If you really wanted to travel you could hunt the rut every weekend from mid October to the end of December.

 

[swampsnyper]

If you really wanted to travel you could hunt the rut every weekend from mid October to the end of December.

End of Dec! Lol. I got rutting action on video in March in Ms. , south Louisiana is the same too. Rarely a strong rut. Starts late Dec and drags all the way through Feb. Nothing like the Ruts I’ve experienced in the Midwest.

 

[EricS]

According to my experience and trail camera photos we get about a month of rut activity but only about 3 magic days in any given area. Working from the coast to the Alabama line you can have a chance of hitting those magic days every week as you move west throughout the season. I haven’t got to hunt the Midwest. I’m not opposed to it but have saved my big trips to chase game not available in my home state.

 

[TonyGreenway]

I'm going to be spending most of my season on Allatoona WMA, and Pine Log WMA. There's quite a bit of area that I think most guys are simply not going to work to access. I'm using a kayak to reach a lot on Allatoona, and hiking in on Pine Log. I'm new to hunting, so I don't have any sage wisdom to share, but you could do worse than these WMAs, as long as you're willing to do what others don't. I found one area that no one else seems to be hunting just because there's a dirt road that provides easy access to an adjacent area. I walk through some pretty thick stuff to get there, and everyone else strolls down the road. I even found a MASSIVE White Oak with potential bedding area close by. I'm hoping that tree produces this year. I'm also planning to spend a little time in Redlands WMA. It's more of a ride, but Anyway, like I said, I'm a rookie, so take everything I say with a grain of salt.

P.S.
I'm also going to be doing some suburban hunting in my neighborhood. I'm hoping to fill some freezers with does from those hunts pretty quickly, then focus on trying to fill my buck tags on public. I don't know your situation, but with our deer densities, it may be something to look into for grocery getting. You may be able to work some permissions. I've got a few in my neighborhood from people who's shrubs and small gardens take a beating from the deer population. May be worth a shot. Good luck this season!

 

[tree_ghost]

I grew up in Sutalee. The Allatoona WMA can be good if you put in the effort to find the honey holes. Pine log gets hammered pretty hard but there is one or two spots that hold deer when the pressure gets high. Good luck!


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[TonyGreenway]

Alright guys, now I need some help. Any advice or suggestions for rifle hunting at Berry College WMA on November 1st and 2nd? I've never hunted there, and was drawn for the quota hunt this year. I'm going to do some archery hunting/scouting up there beforehand, but need all the help I can get.

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