Georgia Duck Forecast 2019

10/29/19 • 23 min

Georgia waterfowl biologist Greg Balkcom talks about the prospects for the 2019-2020 duck season. Details and info on the mallard and pintail limits that were cut in half this season, plus a look at a WMA opening up to quota waterfowl hunts for the first time.

Previous Episode

Lake Oconee Crappie Is Live Action

Scott Williams, of Cochran, knows how to catch Lake Oconee crappie. Him and his dad Billy compete not only in Crappie Masters tournaments but in Crappie USA events, tournaments that send them regularly as far away as Texas. They’ve both won Georgia Slab Masters and the Peach State Crappie classics, some Crappie USA tournaments on Clarks Hill, and Billy won some of those bigger national events on Lake Oconee years ago.

In addition, they are two-time Crappie Master Florida state champions, winners of an Alabama Crappie Master state championship and Crappie Masters anglers of the year.

Scott says October is a great month to vertical jig timber and shoot docks on Lake Oconee.

“I believe anybody right now can go to that timber—whether it be in Sugar Creek or in Richland Creek or up the Oconee River, wherever there is standing timber in that deeper water—and if you know anything at all about fishing, you’re going to catch some fish,” said Scott. “The fish are there.”

Scott said to look for timber that is in 18 plus feet of water. Timber as deep as 40 feet is no problem, but expect most of your crappie to be suspended about 10 to 12 feet from the surface.

Scott uses four different pieces of electronics to help him locate and stay on crappie: 2D sonor, Humminbird Side Imaging, Humminbird 360 Imaging and the Garmin Panoptix LiveScope. Each piece of equipment serves its own purpose.

Scott said October is a great time to shoot docks for crappie that are feeding up for winter.

“You don’t need a depthfinder, just start fishing docks,” said Scott.

In October, look for docks that are in 12 to 18 feet of water. While fishing with the author, Scott just happened to run across a dock in 17 feet of water, and it was easy to catch a dozen crappie from it. Yes, it can be that simple!

“I like a 5 1 /2- to 6-foot H&H rod,” said Scott. “It’s specifically designed to shoot docks. It’s got a fast tip with a good backbone.

“I like a light jig, a 1/32- or 1/24-oz. I can keep that jig in the strike zone longer before the jig goes below the fish. Color really doesn’t matter. I like red and yellow under a dock, but it’s a confidence bait for me. I know guys like white/yellow.”

Next Episode

Newton County Buck Gross 183 Inches

Dylan Kirkley, of Covington, has killed a deer that would make any midwestern hunter proud. His Newton County 17-pointer, only the second buck he’s ever killed, grossed 183 inches.

“This is the second year we had him on camera,” said Dylan. “He showed back up in July (2019), and then he just disappeared for like two months. We didn’t know what happened. I believe it was the week before dove season when he showed back up.”

Dylan and his buddies bowhunt, and one of his friends did see the deer one time in bow season.

“We went bowhunting for him a few times,” said Dylan. “It was one of those things where you go and you get down out of the stand, and 20 or 30 minutes later he was on the camera, and it would be dark. He was messing with us pretty much.

“A friend of mine saw him early one morning. It was too dark to do anything with him, but he could tell what it was,” said Dylan. “We saw him two times out of the stand in rifle season and couldn’t get a decent shot on him, and we didn’t want to take a chance on it, so we just waited him out.”

On the afternoon of Oct. 27, Dylan was in a tower stand with his buddy Josh Skaggs, of Covington, and they were overlooking an old, grown-up bean field. Around 6:30 a group of does showed up in the field.

“He tapped me on the leg and said, ‘I see some horns coming out of that bottom down there,'” said Dylan. “I got my glasses on him and looked, and it was him. I really didn’t know what to do. It was a long shot, so we waited and waited until he came up and bumped those does, and once they ran off, he just milled around eating some acorns out there on the edge of the field. He was quartering away from us, and I said we’re just not going to do it right now. We waited a few more seconds, and he turned broadside and gave us a good opportunity, and I took it.”

Dylan was shooting a 6.5mm Creedmor, a caliber that has been growing in popularity in recent years.

“We get within 100 yards of him, and his horns are sticking up out of the grass. We knew we had something pretty special there. He got bigger the closer we got,” said Dylan.

Dylan’s 183-inch deer will not be in Truck-Buck, but he will be having it officially scored after the required 60 days of Boone & Crockett drying time expires. It’s still unclear if the buck will score better as a typical or non-typical.