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The 20" Spread Club
"GSO dominates The 20 Inch Spread Club" — Quality Deer Management at its finest.
GSO and Quality Deer Management (QDMA)
"It has been said that one man's cull is another man's trophy." For most beginning hunters, taking an animal of any size is an exciting conclusion to a day spent in the great outdoors. For more seasoned hunters however, a beautiful trophy often becomes a family treasure, an heirloom handed down for generations, and a source of inspiration to young hunters.
Picture a group of youngsters sitting around grandpa's rocker in front of the fireplace with a shoulder mount hanging above the mantle. They look at the height and width of the antlers, count the number of points, and carefully measure each one. They also measure the length of the main beams, the inside spread and the greatest outside spread.
These elements and others combine to score the trophy; but they also tell a story of the property where the animal was born and how his habitat was managed. The three basic factors that determine antler size are (1) genetics, (2) nutrition and (3) age.
We plant hundreds of acres of supplemental feed in spring and late summer, providing a variety of nutrition sources designed to produce a healthy herd. We manage our harvest with the goal of maintaining a 1.4:1 doe to buck ratio.
Quality Deer Management at Great Southern Outdoors dates back over many years, and we were among the first to support the DMP (Deer Management Program) implemented by Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources over 30 years ago. Our management program goes far beyond collecting data for scientific analysis — it also involves our many repeat customers.
We have clients from all over America (and a few foreign countries), many who have been coming to Great Southern Outdoors for 7, 8 to 10 years; and some who have been regulars for 15 to 18 years! They support our management philosophy, and frequently pass smaller bucks because they have already booked a hunt for the next season and they want to give a nice buck a chance to become a 20 inch class trophy.
Our Standard
At Great Southern Outdoors Wildlife Plantation we have a rule about antler size: "8 points or better and antlers outside the ears." The average whitetail deer in Alabama will have an outside spread of about 16½ inches; since a mature buck's ears measure approximately 16 inches from tip to tip, this is a good standard to use.
Our thousands of acres of forest lands are carefully managed to provide our wildlife population with habitat diversity, natural food sources and cover. Last year, one of our customers took home a nice trophy with an outside spread of 23½ inches!
It is important to mention that hunting at Great Southern Outdoors Wildlife Plantation is for free range game, under the rules of Fair Chase.
The state of Alabama ranks #2 for whitetail deer population in America (2nd only to Texas). Texas is more than five times larger than Alabama, therefore careful, thoughtful, well-planned management of our deer population is extremely critical.
Call us today to schedule your hunt and join the prestigious "20 Inch Spread Club": (334) 738-5066