Posts by Craig James
Want To Start A YouTube Channel?
It’s that time yet again… time to kick back in the old La-Z-Boy and thumb through the pages of GON magazine. For me, that usually means a roughly two-hour trip or so from the cover to the back that takes me on one adventure to another, and it could be anything from rabbit hunting the…
Read MoreSouth Georgia February Crappie
Sitting at my kitchen table staring out the window at a backyard that’s been blanketed by the morning frost, I close my eyes for a split second, and I can almost see the dense spring fog floating slowly off the water, slowly making its way up toward the warm morning sun. Yes sir, a month…
Read MoreSatilla River Black Crappie Record Comes On Minnow
On Jan. 19, Chas Strickland, of Nahunta, decided to make a late-afternoon trip to the Brantley County section of the Satilla River, despite less than optimal conditions. “The river was running high, and the temperature was dropping fast, but me and my buddy Caleb Sarrows grabbed some minnows and decided to go see if we…
Read MoreChatham County Bow Buck Lands At No. 1
On the afternoon of Oct. 23, 2024, Phillip Johnson, of Wilmington Island, decided to knock off from work a little early to make a mad dash for the deer words. Little did he know, that pivotal decision would set in motion events that would lead to him crossing paths with the buck of a lifetime…
Read MoreDeer Dogging Offers Family-Type Atmosphere
Though I write for GON monthly, this makes the first hunting story I’ve worked on in quite some time, and that’s not by accident. I’ll be upfront and honest. I’m not particularly fond of the direction the hunting sector as a whole is headed, and I haven’t been for a long time. Now, let me…
Read MoreOutdoor Dream Foundation Hunt In Tattnall County
On Nov. 8-9 , Blake Jeffers of the Guide to Georgia Outdoors YouTube channel hosted the fourth annual Outdoor Dream Foundation hunt on his family farm in Tattnall County. Originally slated for the weekend of Oct. 8, the event was rescheduled due to the recent destruction of Hurricane Helene. “It’s been a mess down here,…
Read MorePiedmont NWR Gives Up Giant 173-Inch Buck
On Oct. 31, Chad Hutcheson, of Bladen, managed to take down a massive 14-point buck in the Jones County section of Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge during the area’s annual muzzleloader quota hunt. Like any good hunt story, the events that led Chad to that magical moment were pretty incredible. “Last season was my first time…
Read MoreCrews Makes Most Of His Time, Catches Withlacoochee Redbreast Record
On Sept. 1, Jacob Crews, of Waycross, punched the clock at work and headed for the Withlacoochee River near Valdosta. Jacob arrived at the river around 4:30 or so and quickly unloaded his kayak before beginning to fish. “It’s a good little ride from Waycross, probably an hour and a half or so, and I…
Read MoreSt. Marys River Offers Last Chance For Rooster Reds
You could sum up my priorities in life in a few short words. God, family, work and big rooster redbreasts! I’ll add that work wouldn’t even make the list, but let’s face it, you’ve got to keep the lights on and gas in the pickup truck. When it comes to those big rooster redbreast,…
Read MoreTeen’s Bear One Of Georgia’s Heaviest Ever
A 16-year-old hunter killed one of the biggest bears ever taken Georgia—the second heaviest ever from north Georgia and the fifth heaviest overall. On Oct. 22, Grayson Collins, of Blairsville, managed to take down the bear of a lifetime. The behemoth weighed 620 pounds on certified scales. Grayson was hunting a few miles from Ball…
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