Hunting Regs

As we turn the corner on another summer, most of y’all have started back to school. For a lot of us, going back to school reminds us that the beginning of the fall hunting season is here. We’ve planted food plots, hung our tree stands, put our deer cams out, shot our bows, sighted in our rifles, and now, we’re ready for some action! 

So all we have to do is wait for opening day to get here, right? Well, let’s cover a few things first. 

In late summer, the 2015-2016 Hunting Seasons and Regulations were released. Did you know that our hunting regulations are set by DNR’s Board of Natural Resources, acting on the recommendations of Wildlife Resources Division professional wildlife biologists and other field personnel? Are these regulations that govern our hunting the same year after year? No! It’s your responsibility to know and be aware of the regulations that affect the game you are hunting. So, here are 10 true or false questions for you:

1. Starting in 2016, turkey hunters are required to carry a harvest log and report their harvest.

2. Deer season ends on different dates for the Northern Zone and the Southern Zone.

3. It is illegal to harvest bears in DeKalb and Fulton counties.

4. In the Northern Zone, the bear season dates are different from deer season.

5. Shotguns for hunting deer, bear or feral hog are restricted to a maximum shell capacity of five.

6. Resident deer hunters under the age of 16 are required to have hunting and big game licenses.

7. For deer, scopes are legal on muzzleloading firearms.

8. When deer hunting with a muzzleloader or rifle, hunters must wear at least 250 square inches of visible hunter orange above the waist.

9. You are deer hunting on private property, but it is illegal to use a suppressor on your rifle even with landowner permission.

10. You’ve just shot a doe, but it is too dark to look for it. Because it’s only a doe, it’s legal to make no effort to retrieve it. 

The answers will be posted next month. Hopefully you answered all of them correctly. If not, pick up the 2015-16 Hunting Regulations and read them!

Good luck, and stay safe in the field.