Days GON By December 2015

Each month we turn back the clock to see what was being reported in the pages of GON, both 20 and 10 years ago. Here’s a look back at what appeared in GON. 

20 Years Ago: December 1995

DNR Law Enforcement Ranger David Nugent with the Atkinson County cougar that was poached in 1995. The animal’s tail, three paws, claws and several teeth were missing when it was found along a highway.

Cougar Killed In Atkinson County: Four Atkinson County men were charged in the killing of a western cougar. The south Georgia cat may have been the offspring of a cougar released to test the habitat for the possible release of the endangered Florida panther. 

On October 29, 1995 a dead cougar was found in a ditch north of Willacoochee. No apparent bullet wounds were found, and it appeared the animal had been hit by a car. However, the cougar’s tail, three paws, claws and several teeth were missing, leading rangers to suspect foul play. The carcass was shipped to Florida for an autopsy and X-rays revealed that the animal had been shot. 

“A .270 caliber bullet had hit the animal in the eye,” said DNR Ranger David Nugent. “The bullet traveled down the neck and lodged in the chest cavity, so there was no apparent en-trance or exit wound.”

Rangers began a quiet investigation, and soon tips began to come in, leading to the arrest of four individuals from Willacoochee 

According to Ranger Nugent, one of the suspects was deer hunting and saw the cat walking the edge of the field. The cougar turned and entered the woods near the suspect’s ladder stand where it was shot from a distance of 50 feet. The suspect claimed he shot the cougar because he was afraid of it. 

Investigators believe the cougar was the offspring of one of the cougars released in north Florida as part of an experimental program to develop technology for the eventual release of the endangered Florida panther. All the cougars in the release program had been recaptured. 

Also in December 1995:

• DNR issued a new baiting law. Feeders needed to be 300 yards away and out of sight to be legal.

• A new 1995 Isuzu pickup was $7,995.

• Prime hunting land in Taylor County was going for $495/acre.

• West Point Lake’s Champion of Champions were Gary Meyer and Windell Lightsey.

10 Years Ago: December 2005

Sky-High Hunter Success At Hard Labor Creek State Park: The first deer hunt took place at Hard Labor Creek State Park. The 204 hunters shot 214 deer for a hunter-success rate of 106 percent.

For the park, it was a necessary management hunt designed to reduce an overpopulation of deer in the park. For hunters, it was like a trip to deer hunting Disneyland.

Also in December 2005:

• A man was charged with killing a bear illegally on B.F. Grant WMA in Putnam County.

• It was reported that the lake at Ocmulgee PFA  had a leak in the lake floor. It would later be closed.

• West Point Lake’s Champion of Champions were Dwayne Smith and Tim Malcolm.