The 2nd Annual GON Coyote Cull

Here’s a bit of good news. About the same time the GON e-mail in-boxes began filling with trail-camera pics of newborn fawns and turkey poults, they also began filling with pictures of dead coyotes. A few are pictured here, and more will appear in the July issue. Taking out a few coyotes while critters are…

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Efforts To Raise Fees For Hunting & Fishing Licenses

Sportsmen are being asked to support efforts to raise hunting and fishing license fees. DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) has cut services to sportsmen over the years because of mandated budget cuts, and WRD says more money would allow the agency to return those services and also enhance and start new efforts. Georgia’s resident license…

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The Second Annual GON Coyote Cull

The history of our “Coyote Situation” would make an interesting case study in how different folks deal with an issue. When hunters first sounded the alarm that something was amiss in the deer woods, we were laughed at and ridiculed. Basically we were told to get off our lazy rear ends and learn to hunt…

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Doe-Day Map Making A Return

When it comes to setting hunting regulations, it’s quite impossible to please everyone. Based on reaction to proposed changes to next year’s Georgia deer season, quite a few groups are far from pleased. Small-game hunters aren’t happy that the Northern Zone deer season would now stay open until the second Sunday of January. Meanwhile, Southern…

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2015 Georgia Legislative Session: Harvest Recording System Coming?

Most sportsmen likely haven’t noticed, but your Georgia state senators and representatives have been meeting at the capitol in Atlanta since mid January. Lawmakers still haven’t adopted my personal belief that before any new law can be proposed they have to strike one existing law that’s overreaching or just plain stupid… Nor have legislators done…

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Bassmaster Classic Coming to Hartwell This Month

The rock stars of the professional bass fishing world are coming to Lake Hartwell as the reservoir plays host to the 2015 Bassmaster Classic Feb. 20-22. No Georgians qualified for this year’s event, but top pros like Aaron Martens and Skeet Reese will be fishing. Last year’s winner, Randy Howell, of Springville, Ala., returns with…

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The 8-Point DOE!

It’s not every day you kill a nice 8-point buck. So where’s killing an 8-point doe rank? We’re going to put it No. 1 among deer-hunting oddities we’ve seen this deer season. On Dec. 26, Tommy Clack, of Snellville, was hunting a 200-acre tract in Clarke County. “I was really hoping to kill a doe,”…

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Top Counties For Trophy Bucks 2015

Wonder how your county stacks up against the state’s best for producing big bucks? In Georgia, there’s a system that answers that question. Worth County is No. 1 for the third year in a row, and few counties in the state even come close to Worth’s ability to yield big bucks the past 10 years.…

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“Big Brow” Dooly County 18-Point Buck

One of the most impressive bucks killed in Georgia this season was an 18-point Dooly County deer that has total inches galore and brow tines that don’t quit. The buck, appropriately named “Big Brow,” was a family effort. It was shot by Scott Kirbo, of Atlanta, on Nov. 8. “My dad, uncle and I have…

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Wonder Week For Wilkins Brothers

Two brothers kill giant bucks two days apart on different properties. What are the odds? Anybody who hunts deer in Georgia knows the odds against it are astronomical. This isn’t Illinois or Kansas, where giant bucks are killable because of the narrow ribbons of habitat and small woodlots between farms. This is Georgia, where the…

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