Podcast: Talking With Scott Hodges

Scott Hodges, a taxidermist who lives in Byron, Ga., has long been a friend of GON and the people who work here. Editor Daryl Kirby catches up with Scott just before the primitive-weapons deer season and youth week to talk with Scott about his background in the outdoors, his relationships with GON, and how the…

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Relax… Angst Can Kill The Joy Of Deer Hunting

Ever lived in a neighborhood with a homeowner’s association? Thank goodness I don’t. I can’t imagine having someone down the street complaining—maybe even issuing me a fine—because my truck is parked in the yard or because I left my trailer beside the house. Reminds me of a theory. Goes like this… once someone takes on…

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Georgia 2019 Duck Season Forecast

If you’ve seen the articles from Ducks Unlimited or Delta Waterfowl, you know overall duck numbers are down this season. The estimated duck population is the lowest it’s been in 12 years and about 5 1/2 percent below the 20-year average. Does that matter for Georgia duck hunters? Not so much. Most Georgia hunters are…

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Podcast: Georgia Duck Forecast 2019

Georgia waterfowl biologist Greg Balkcom talks about the prospects for the 2019-2020 duck season. Details and info on the mallard and pintail limits that were cut in half this season, plus a look at a WMA opening up to quota waterfowl hunts for the first time. Get After The Latest Episode

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About Killin’ Snakes

As soon as I saw the photo, I knew two things. One, we were going to do a story on it. Two, I knew it would make some folks mad. I never thought it would make a few folks that mad. In 30-plus years of making GON magazines, this is something we come across most…

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Best Georgia Counties For Big Bucks 2019

The Top-4 Georgia counties for big bucks remained the same as last season. Worth County is still No. 1 based on the big bucks it has produced in the past 10 years, followed by Lee, Dougherty and Macon counties. There was some movement for the next grouping. Pulaski County came in at No. 5 in…

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GON’s Big-Buck Contest Back For Year 31

A buddy killed a nice buck last season and would have won a $1,200 Browning deer rifle and a chance to shoot for a new truck. One problem, he didn’t have a GON membership. Why’d he drop his subscription? “Too many fishing articles when it wasn’t hunting season…” I just shook my head and reminded…

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GON Writer Glen Solomon Passes At 52

GON writer Glen Solomon, 52, of Hazlehurst, passed away on Friday, Aug. 16 while on his way to Appling Health Care in Baxley with what he told his wife over the phone were chest pains. Visitation and funeral services were held Sunday, Aug. 18 at Lighthouse Christian Fellowship in Hazlehurst, Glen’s home church. Glen’s relationship…

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Fab 40: Georgia’s Best Bucks Of 2018-19 Season

After several Georgia deer seasons in a row that fell below our state’s lofty standards for producing top-end, high-scoring bucks, last year was the rebound season we had been expecting. There were four Booners, bucks that scored high enough to make Boone & Crockett’s all-time record book. That’s the second-best year in the past 20…

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Lee Ellis Wins The 2019 Shoot-Out Truck

Lee Ellis is a name most Georgia hunters recognize. He’s killed some of the best Georgia bucks ever while bowhunting Atlanta’s tiny woodlots and pockets of habitat surrounded by neighborhoods and busy streets. Some of these Atlanta bucks grow stupid huge. This year was the third time Lee won a week of GON’s Truck-Buck Contest…

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