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Latest Hunting Articles

A Beginner’s Guide To Georgia Hog Hunting

If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to Georgia hog hunting, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I break down when and where you can hunt feral hogs in Georgia, what licenses you need, what weapons are legal, and which wildlife management areas (WMAs) offer you the best chance of putting fresh…

Do You Love It? Georgia Duck Hunter Gets Asked Hard Question

“Do you love it?” That is the question that startled me awake. It was asked by Grayson Crews. To give some back story to that quote, it’s 5:01 a.m, and the first good duck hunt is on the horizon. To say I was excited is an understatement. However, when he asked me that, I still…

Complete Guide To Georgia Coyote Hunting

Coyote hunting has gained popularity in Georgia as the coyote population has increased across the state. As a versatile and adaptive species, coyotes have managed to make themselves at home here in the Peach State. Their success has resulted in increased human conflicts, as well as negative impacts on deer and other wildlife populations. But…

Georgia Trappers Association Teaches Coyote Trapping At Coweta County Baptist Church

“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1: 28 You can’t wait to plug in your SD card from the trail camera…

Graphic of Georgia turkey season dates with a turkey fan background.

Quick Guide To Georgia’s 2024 Turkey Season

Season dates and regulations have been set for the 2024 Georgia turkey season, and the season structure and regulations are nearly identical to last season. The 2024 Georgia turkey season will open Saturday, March 30 on private lands and Saturday, April 6 on public lands, and will wrap up May 15 statewide. Keep in mind…

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Deer Hunting

The Hunting Land Buying Process

I’ve been avidly hunting my whole life, starting with my dad. I harvested my first deer when I was 6 years old. My family takes it way more serious than most. We’ve always had a few clubs we’ve been in and even managed a few hunting clubs over the years. I’ve experienced the club atmosphere,…

Hunter Loses Ring Finger In Tree Stand Fall

  Jimmy Collins, of Hamilton, was climbing down from his Harris County deer stand on Dec. 13, 2003 when his wedding ring caught on a screw-in step above him. “I let loose with my right hand and was going for the next step,” said Jimmy. “When my ring hung, it threw me off balance, and…

2 Booners From Hancock County

A Booner stepping out was the last thing on the mind of a newcomer to the area. Gary McMahan, of Franklin, N.C., was enjoying his first year in a Hancock County club during the 2003-04 season. On the evening of Nov. 22, Gary made a decision that would place him in Georgia’s deer-hunting annals forever.…

Turkey Hunting

Graphic of Georgia turkey season dates with a turkey fan background.

Quick Guide To Georgia’s 2024 Turkey Season

Season dates and regulations have been set for the 2024 Georgia turkey season, and the season structure and regulations are nearly identical to last season. The 2024 Georgia turkey season will open Saturday, March 30 on private lands and Saturday, April 6 on public lands, and will wrap up May 15 statewide. Keep in mind…

2024 Georgia WMA Turkey Special

With WMA quota-hunt drawings being held a few weeks ago, some hunters have already put in for a vacation day or two in preparation for warm weather and hopefully gobbling birds. However, as low turkey populations across the Southeast continue to get the focus from biologists and researchers, there’s a big question mark on how…

100 Gobblers With A Bow!

It was Thursday morning before opening day of the 2023 season. I stood in the pre-dawn darkness in anticipation of the first gobble of the season. I did not have to wait long as the horizon started to lighten and a barred owl awakened the woods followed by the first gobble of the season. After…

Predator Hunting

Complete Guide To Georgia Coyote Hunting

Coyote hunting has gained popularity in Georgia as the coyote population has increased across the state. As a versatile and adaptive species, coyotes have managed to make themselves at home here in the Peach State. Their success has resulted in increased human conflicts, as well as negative impacts on deer and other wildlife populations. But…

Georgia Trappers Association Teaches Coyote Trapping At Coweta County Baptist Church

“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1: 28 You can’t wait to plug in your SD card from the trail camera…

GTA Youth Field Trials Host A Record 43 Kids Over Christmas Break

The Georgia Trappers Association (GTA) hosted their ninth-annual Youth Field Trials event Dec. 30 to Jan. 1. This year’s gathering hosted a record 43 kids between the ages of seven and mid-teen. Kids and their parents were paired up with experienced trappers and spent two days on private properties learning to trap. Trap lines were…

Hog Hunting

A Beginner’s Guide To Georgia Hog Hunting

If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to Georgia hog hunting, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, I break down when and where you can hunt feral hogs in Georgia, what licenses you need, what weapons are legal, and which wildlife management areas (WMAs) offer you the best chance of putting fresh…

Woods-N-Water’s Trophy Boars

It’s dark now. DARK dark. Like a bear down a well. Without a flashlight. The sun went down hours ago on this second January Tuesday. Turbid clouds are rolling ominously overhead, fleeing a tornado-spawning system headed my way. The wind moans and, at times, howls. Limbs click, clatter and thump to the ground. The ground…

GON Youth Shoot-Out Winner Takes Dream Hunt

When 15-year-old Wyatt Coleman downed a Harris County buck the third week of the 2022 season, he was hoping a little luck was on his side. Little did he know… The gross 124-inch whitetail, which netted 117, turned out to be big enough. Big enough, that is, to earn Wyatt a spot in the Georgia…

Alligator Hunting

13-2 Ocmulgee River Gator On DIY Hunt

When my friend Garrett Harrison, of Hazlehurst, texted a photo of him and his wife LeeAnn standing beside a giant dead alligator, I was impressed. Garrett is not a small man, and just the gator’s tail was longer than Garrett was tall. I was curious as to whether he got it with a guide on…

2023 GON Gator Gallery

Gator season won’t officially close until Oct. 2, but this season has already been highlighted by some really big Georgia alligators and happy hunters. As we always enjoy doing in October, we show off the ones who took the time to send in pictures and info. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get all of those photos on…

Husband And Wife Finally Seal Deal With Seminole 12-Foot Gator

By Jeana Quirk I patiently waited seven years to draw a gator tag in Georgia. After a year-long debate on which zone to apply for, we decided to proceed with Zone 2 (Lake Seminole). We currently live in Harris County on Lake Harding (Zone 1), which is where “Big Al,” a 12-6 gator, was taken…

Bear Hunting

Of Bears, Dogs—And Friendships

  There’s no accounting for the bug that bites you. Or when it happens. For some, it’s a process of growing into whatever activity they eventually fall for and become consumed. Others are suddenly smitten. Like Don Butts. His parents didn’t see it coming during a vacation trip to the Great Smoky Mountains all those…

Quitting Is For The Enemy

Normally, this is a period fraught with chaos. Never mind the ever-present and who-knows-how-deep black water, claustrophobic brush, vines and briers clawing and ripping; just hurry as best you can. Hounds are roaring out of their minds, hunters sloshing, tripping, bleeding, pushing on… Because some 987 interminable yards into the Okefenokee Swamp, a bear is…

Middle GA Bear Hunters Take 10 Bears

The temperature was a crisp 38 degrees, the wind was still, and the skies were partly cloudy as the sun rose across middle Georgia for the annual one-day bear hunt in Houston, Twiggs, Bibb and Bleckley counties. The good weather meant the bears should be moving, and Sam Land, of Swainsboro, was patiently sitting in…

Dove Hunting

More Than Just A Dove Shoot

Of a morning, stumbling to perform my ablutions, the framed photo is likely the first thing bleary eyes are able to focus upon. Father And Son, it’s entitled. It’s 15×19, shot from the darkness of what appears to be a cave cut through a mountainside. With the camera at their backs, the subjects are a…

Youth Dove Hunts At Lake Russell

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, has two youth dove hunts scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16 and 23 at the Richard B. Russell Project Office. For both hunts, a parent or guardian must accompany youth participants, ages 9-16, and will be permitted to hunt along with the youth hunter. Hunters will be selected…

Opening Day Dove Hunts Rich With Southern Tradition

I watch the green glow of the numbers on the bedside clock and know that I will sleep no more on this morning. I carefully slide out of bed so as not to disturb my bride or the little brown bird dog that sleeps curled up in the crook of her legs. Today is the…

Duck Hunting

Do You Love It? Georgia Duck Hunter Gets Asked Hard Question

“Do you love it?” That is the question that startled me awake. It was asked by Grayson Crews. To give some back story to that quote, it’s 5:01 a.m, and the first good duck hunt is on the horizon. To say I was excited is an understatement. However, when he asked me that, I still…

2023-24 Georgia Duck Forecast

Editor’s Note: After this article was published in the October 2023 print edition of GON, WRD announced that all Butler Island waterfowl hunting would be closed for the 2023-24 due to recent storm damage. See WRD Release. I knew the ducks were roosting in the back of a local farm pond because I saw them…

Hunters Growing Hunters Though Weekend Duck Hunt

Editor’s Note: Tina Johannsen is WRD’s Assistant Chief with Game Management. Olivia Menard helped tell the story. I probably don’t have to tell y’all that hunters are a small group (less than 10% of the population), and in most states, our numbers are dwindling. State wildlife agencies like mine (GA DNR WRD) are funded by…

Squirrel Hunting

Georgia Squirrel Season Opens Monday, August 15

Looking for a healthy, sustainable source of protein and a good woodland hike? Squirrel hunting season, which opens Aug. 15, can meet those goals, and get everyone excited about fall hunting seasons, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). “Squirrel hunting season is a great introduction to hunting,” said Alan…

1025 Sportsmen Redlands Squirrel Hunt

It had been 23 years since I stepped foot on Redlands WMA in pursuit of critters. A return trip was certainly overdue, and Saturday, Jan. 15 was the perfect opportunity to take a trip down memory lane. The occasion was the 2nd Annual Squirrel Master Classic with a great group of folks who run a…

Oaky Woods Squirrels With The World Champ

This is the way squirrel hunting ought to be—fast paced, lots of shooting opportunities and loads of excitement. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with sitting under a big oak and waiting for the squirrels to come out, but I’m telling you that hunting squirrels with a good dog is a boat load…

Quail Hunting

Uphill Battle Continues On Bobwhite Quail

Now that the white-tailed deer season has ended, hunters will likely turn their attention once again to small game like rabbits, squirrels and the bobwhite quail, although quail hunting is nothing like it once was. When fence rows from small farms and family gardens crisscrossed Alabama and the Southeast, the bobwhite flourished. Since large-scale farming…

Do-It-Yourself Quail

When I grew up in the late 50s and early 60s, my house, in a suburb of Jacksonville, Fla., backed up to a large pine forest with underbrush that was about knee high but not too thick; perfect quail habitat. I can remember waking to the sound of the northern bobwhite quail calling to each…

The Last Point

By Jason Dunn So there I was….. All good southern stories should start with the phrase “So there I was.” I began teaching my daughter that when she was in preschool. She never conformed to my teaching and much more preferred starting her stories with “It all started when I woke up,” yet those are…

Other Georgia Hunting

Mountain Grouse: Ghosts Of Craytonia

In the fall of 1999 I had a bad case of the melancholy. My up-and-coming grouse dog had died and had left me feeling down in the dumps. Little Mac, our young Brittany spaniel, had died from what was evidently a brain tumor. Little Mac started having seizures in his second year which progressively became…

Timberdoodle Quest – Georgia Woodcock Hunting

In the Southeast, when a person mentions upland hunting, the bobwhite quail is usually the first, and sometimes only game bird that people think about. The late Charlie Elliott named the bobwhite the “prince of game birds.”  When you go into the Appalachians, the ruffed grouse enters into the conversation, but the lack of timber…

The Fallen Outdoors Hosts Pheasant Shoot

Falling Feathers at Whitaker Farm in Harlem hosted the Georgia chapter of The Fallen Outdoors for a veteran’s pheasant shoot on Saturday, Nov. 28. The Fallen Outdoors is a national volunteer 501c3 nonprofit organization comprised of active duty and veteran military who use the outdoors as a means of therapy, and to help other active…

Georgia Hunters on the Road

A Georgian’s First Elk Hunt

By John Holbert Jonah and I both drew either-sex muzzleloader tags for Colorado elk this fall. Neither of us had undertaken such a challenge before, and we were eager to try. We spent all summer researching, preparing, packing and training for the safari. The rut forecast predicted we would have good timing to see some…

Africa Safari With Georgia Outfitters

Gathering around the campfire at Camp Isilwane (lion) in Matetsi, Zimbabwe we look out at the vlei, which is a prehistoric river bed. The buffalo come into the dying waterhole for that last drink as the day succumbs to darkness. It is the end of the dry season, the last of the water before the…

Hunting Exotics In Texas

When I think of exotic animals, I envision animals being created in a lab through experiments and test tubes.  However, my husband Paul and I decided to read more and more about exotic hunting ranches and we decided to peruse the Internet for research.  Although these animals are not indigenous to North America, they are…