Posts by Daryl Kirby
Bill To Legalize Deer Baiting Active In Legislature
It’s usually good news when fewer proposed laws and law changes are introduced during a Georgia legislative session. So far this year it’s been a quiet session as budget concerns have dominated the scene. However, for hunters, a significant piece of legislation has dropped. HB 277 would legalize hunting deer and hogs near food or…
Read MoreDNR Proposes Fees for Non-hunters on Some WMAs – Public Meetings Start Jan. 3
We’re not going to rename state-managed hunting areas as recreational areas, but other users of some Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) will have to purchase a stamp or short-term pass called a GORP. Those are the recommendations of a DNR steering committee that looked at WMA uses and users. When revealed last May, both proposals drew…
Read MoreFee System For Non-hunters On Some WMAs
We’re not going to rename state-managed hunting areas as recreational areas, but other users of some Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) will have to purchase a stamp or short-term pass called a GORP. Those are the recommendations of a DNR steering committee that looked at WMA uses and users. When revealed last May, both proposals drew thousands…
Read MoreWilliams New DNR Commissioner
Georgia now has a die-hard hunter heading up the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). On Dec. 8, Mark Williams, of Jesup, took the helm of an agency that began almost a century ago, funded by sportsmen, to protect and enhance wildlife. DNR’s days of being the Game & Fish Commission may be history, but to…
Read More18-Point Booner From Worth County
In this age of instant information from emails and text messages, it’s common for the folks at the GON office to receive lots of photos of giant bucks supposedly killed in Georgia. Most are photos we’ve seen dozens of times of bucks actually from Kansas, Texas or some other state. We don’t get overly excited…
Read MoreGeorgia Counties Ranked For Big Bucks 2010
When it comes to producing big bucks, the agricultural fields and the Flint River bottomlands of Macon and Lee counties are still king, and Worth remains third-best for the 19th year in a row, but the gap is narrowing between the south Georgia stalwarts and some counties to the north. Morgan County is poised just…
Read MoreAre WMAs About To Be Changed To Recreation Areas?
If your favorite wildlife management area (WMA) was changed to a “recreation area,” would that make the property more marketable to other users like bikers, hikers and horseback riders? And would that be a good thing for hunters? DNR is seeking public comment at four public meetings next week — and through mailed and emailed…
Read MoreBuck Attacks Teen And Mom In Woods Behind Madison County Home
A 13-year-old Colbert teen and his mom were fortunate to escape serious injury after both were attacked by a 9-point buck on Feb. 11. Kyle Watkins, his twin brother Tyler, and two friends were playing with airsoft guns (used similarly to paint-ball guns) in the woods behind the Watkins’ Madison County home when the buck…
Read MoreWMA Land Totaling About 51,000 Acres To Be Cut
It may not be as bad as originally expected, but the WMA cuts settled on by the Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) are significant — approximately 51,000 acres on three and a half areas, said Mark Whitney, WRD’s Chief of Game Management. Sportsmen should be upset by any cuts to services provided by WRD to hunters…
Read MoreNo Word Yet On Which WMAs Will Face The Budget Axe
While the budget news for sportsmen could have been worse, the reality of losing up to a half-dozen Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) is starting to sink in, and rumors of which WMAs will close are spreading through local communities. Dan Forster, director of the Wildlife Resources Division (WRD), said he could not yet identify which…
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