Posts by Daryl Kirby
WRD 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…
Read MoreWMA Hunter Murdered
A month after a north Georgia man was murdered during a deer hunt at a Georgia Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Wilkes County, there’s been no arrest. That fact is enough to keep nerves on edge among hunters in the Holliday Park area of Clarks Hill Lake, but authorities say hunters don’t need to fear…
Read MoreHow To Give An Aspirin A Headache…
If the Army tried it and recommends it for our fighting soldiers, instinctive shooting could certainly help wing-shooters. Instinctive shooting is an improved version of the “Quick Kill” system soldiers learned and used during the Vietnam War. It allows a shooter to fire quickly and accurately at fleeting enemy targets. James Rutland, of Box Springs,…
Read MorePurple Heart Wounded Warrior Hunt
Sportsmen have a rare opportunity to show their gratitude and support for military men and women who sacrificed for our country while also enjoying a morning of wing-shooting standing shoulder-to-shoulder with those heroes. High Point Quail Shooting Preserve in Locust Grove is hosting the “Purple Heart Wounded Warriors” continental pheasant hunt on Oct. 20. This…
Read MoreFortner Is State Duck-Calling Champ
A new venue and sponsorship from Ducks Unlimited only added to the prestige of Georgia’s top duck-calling event, which has become known for attracting top callers from across the country. The Georgia State duck-calling contests were hosted by GON at the Outdoor Blast hunting and fishing show at the Gwinnett Center on Aug. 5. State…
Read More5 Booners Cap Best Season Ever For Georgia Giants
Based on the bucks that made GON’s exclusive Fab 40 list, we just experienced Georgia’s best deer season ever for high-scoring bucks. Georgia produced five bucks that scored high enough to make the elite Boone & Crockett record book, which tied the all-time record for Booners killed during one season. The best non-typical killed last…
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