On October 16 the big day finally arrived. Opening morning of Georgia’s traditional firearms season for deer dawned clear and cool to the delight of thousands of Georgia hunters. There is no other day that stirs the passion of sportsmen more than opening day for the elusive white-tailed deer. Everyone is out there enjoying the relaxing feel of nature while they envision bagging their personal best or even a record-setting animal. As a bonus many will enjoy plenty of savory venison prepared in ways that any chef would be proud of.
We start the season with a spot check of how our area hunters fared in the first couple of weeks and offer a historical scorecard from years past to see what we might have in store for the coming months. A summary of Bulloch County’s all time best deer plus the biggest deer from surrounding counties is included in this analysis.
In order to get a handle on how the season got started we contacted the owners of a couple of the local deer processing businesses. Here is that report.
Dennis Hulsey owns and operates Community Deer Processing on Highway 46. Hulsey reported that the number of deer brought in is about the same as last season to this point. Their biggest deer to date was a brute that weighed in at 205 pounds with a beautiful eight point rack. Hulsey also reported that hunters are seeing a lot of deer and that the deer are in a rutting mood. Their phone number is 912-839-9009.
Alan Best has re-opened Best Deer Processing on Whetsell Road in Twin City. Best reports that they have also taken in a couple of deer over 200 pounds and the biggest rack they have seen is a big ten pointer. Best also reports that the rut has started and deer are moving at a steady pace. You can contact them at 478-763-3207.
Now let’s take a look at the best deer killed in the history of Southeast Georgia. If you want to get into the record books here’s what you are up against. These are the current record holders in each of the counties charted (a fourteen county region surrounding Bulloch County). This information is courtesy of Georgia Outdoor News Magazine (GON). We have listed the top five deer for Bulloch County and the top two for the surrounding counties. Deer are not included that were pickups or illegally taken.
With the beginning of the rut this is the best time to bag a white-tail that will make this list. Get out there and enjoy the woods. Take a kid hunting and get even more enjoyment. Always be safe.
Name County B&C Score Year
Jerry Joiner Bulloch 154 7/8 1998
Bobby Overstreet Bulloch 174 3/8 (non-typical) 1981
Matthew Tolbert Bulloch 148 3/8 1996
Michael Ansley Bulloch 146 4/8 2006
David Mallard Bulloch 143 4/8 2001
Foss Williams Bulloch 143 4/8 2003
Will Toole Bryan 146 3/8 2007
Susan Henderson Bryan 135 7/8 2002
Glen Ashe Burke 158 1/8 1982
Mike Gray Burke 154 6/8 1995
James Edwards Jr. Candler 150 2/8 1997
Eddy Jones Candler 168 0/8 (non-typical) 1983
Steve Dearing Chatham 162 7/8 (non-typical) 1993
Tim Boykin Chatham 132 1/8 1998
Robert Marsh Effingham151 5/8 1986
Edward Hoove Effingham168 4/8 (non-typical) 1985
Harry Lumley Emanuel 154 4/8 1983
Randy Ansley Emanuel 149 4/8 2002
Michael Fries Evans 153 7/8 2005
Patrick Wilbanks Evan 145 0/8 1994
Ron Prather Jenkins 148 5/8 2002
Carlos Terrell Jenkins 147 4/8 2002
Michael Stevens Liberty 140 0/8 2005
B.J. Edenfield Liberty 127 5/8 (bow) 2002
Lenwood Eason Long 136 7/8 2000
Clint Mallard Long 132 6/8 2002
Joe Porterfield Screven 158 1/8 —
Alan Bradham Screven 157 5/8 1995
Mark Durrence Tattnall 153 6/8 1997
Jay Leggett Tattnall 142 3/8 1995
Dennis Smith Toombs 158 2/8 1999
Andrew White Toombs 154 6/8 1996
(If anyone has conflicting information you can contact me at dar8589@bellsouth.net and we’ll try to get it sorted out).
