Posts by Daryl Kirby
Tarpon Heaven
A giant tarpon brought boatside and released on Sept. 4 is the latest exclamation point on fantastic tarpon fishing off the Georgia coast. Jeff Pierce, of Atlanta, was fishing with Capt. Greg Hildreth when he caught and released what certainly would have been a new Georgia state record. However, like with almost every big tarpon…
Read MoreDoe Days Are Back
Old-timers will remember when there were two huge weekends for Georgia deer hunters—opening day of gun season, and then a couple of weeks later there was the first “doe-day” weekend of the season. Well, doe days are back… not nearly to the extent they once were, but there’s reason again to take some time learning…
Read MoreCiraulo Is State Duck-Calling Champ
It takes some competition duck callers years to win a major title and qualify for the World’s Championship in Stuttgart. Alex Ciraulo did it in the first year he was eligible. Alex, a 17-year-old from Buford, recently won the Georgia State Duck Calling Contest. In addition to joining an elite group of Georgia state champions,…
Read MoreGet Your Alligator Permit
From near extinction in the wild, Georgia’s alligator population rebounded rapidly under protection and continues to expand even with limited hunting. Estimates are there are about a quarter-million alligators in Georgia now. And there’s a growing army of wanna-be alligator hunters in the state. It’s been eight years since arguably my best hunt ever, an…
Read MoreLanier Striper Tops 45 Pounds!
A 45-lb., 4-oz. striper was caught from the north end of Lake Lanier the night of May 3, and the angler, Jody Pressley, of Dawsonville, was using an interesting and apparently very productive technique when the huge striped bass hit. Jody said he grew up on Lake Lanier and has been fishing hard for stripers…
Read MoreWRD Proposes 25 Fewer Doe Days For Most Of State
In response to hunter concerns and complaints about lower deer numbers, the state is proposing a 25-day reduction in either-sex deer-hunting days for much of the state. Except in counties with QDM regulations and some counties in the north Georgia mountains, antlerless deer would not be legal Dec. 1 through Dec. 25 next season. The…
Read MoreCoyotes Taking Down Mature Bucks?
When coyotes first started expanding their range and numbers in Georgia in the late 1990s and early 2000s, hunters were told they don’t eat deer. Then the trail-camera pictures started showing up. It’s hard to argue that coyotes don’t eat deer when you see pictures of coyotes carrying dead fawns around. Now, scientific studies confirm…
Read MoreBooner Bear Found At Ocmulgee WMA
On Nov. 21, Jimmy Rhodes, of Chester, and his buddy Frog Mullis, owner of Frog’s Buck Shop Taxidermy in Hawkinsville, went on a scouting trip at the Westlake Tract, an archery-only area of Ocmulgee WMA in Twiggs County. After splitting up, Jimmy stumbled upon an incredible find—a massive black-bear skull. “I didn’t know if I…
Read MoreAre Deer Numbers Too Low? Should Deer Limits Or Doe Days Be Reduced?
Another deer season, another round of complaints from deer hunters that they’re not seeing enough deer. Deer numbers are most definitely down in many parts of the state. Is that a good thing, allowing for better habitat management and higher quality deer? Or are you like a lot of hunters who state the obvious that…
Read MoreDiary Of A Rattlesnake Bite
He’ll be the first to tell you, he’d do lots different if he could only replay the events of Sept. 29, 2012, starting with leaving a rattlesnake well enough alone. Brian Hearn was at his Polk County property planting food plots when an encounter with a 4-foot timber rattlesnake, also known as a canebrake, just…
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