Posts by Daryl Kirby
GON Editor Brad Bailey Retires After 22 Years
The knowledge base in Georgia’s hunting and fishing community took a serious hit when editor Brad Bailey decided to retire and make this his final issue with GON. Hired during the launch of GON, Brad has been with the company since 1987, and during his 22 years, no outdoor writer in Georgia has fished with…
Read More16 WMAs, Trout Hatchery And Up To 30 WRD Positions On The Chopping Block
Budget cuts and the resulting loss of services are nothing new to sportsmen. Most years, cuts have been in the 3 percent range, but a sour economy and dipping state revenues could result in 10 percent cuts this year and next. The budget cuts are applicable to every state agency, including DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division…
Read MoreKeith Hardy Killed After Fall While Preparing Treestand
Keith Hardy of Winder had a knack for getting on good Barrow County bucks, typically late in the sea- son. During the 2002 season, a late- season non-typical that netted almost 140 put Keith in the Truck-Buck Shoot- Out, and he finished second to win a 4-wheeler. Last season, Keith used summer scouting to get…
Read MoreHunting Is Honorable And Glorious
I saw a buddy of mine over the holidays. Good guy, lives in Atlanta, works as an architect, doesn’t hunt. “How was your harvest?” he asked. “Pretty dang good — 42 bushels an acre.” “No, your deer harvest.” “Oh. I killed two, but we’ve eaten one of ’em up already. Freezer’s pretty empty. By the…
Read MoreFeds Delay Decision On Snapper Grouper Limits, Seasons
Georgia charter-boat captains and the businesses that rely on angler tourists got a temporary reprieve from federal regulations that could spell doom for bottom-fishing charters, but indications are that the federal government is intent on imposing regulations that would hammer the recreational saltwater fishing industry. At a June 10 meeting in Orlando, the South Atlantic…
Read MoreFood Plots Touted As “Canned Hunting” By HSUS
While the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is getting tons of publicity and is adding to their $100 million bankroll during the Michael Vick mess, don’t forget that those people feel the same way about hunting as they do about dog fighting. Next year, HSUS could be on Good Morning America or picketing…
Read MoreThe HSUS Shell Game, Duped Again And Again… And Again
It’s been almost 10 years since I found myself wandering through a local arts-and-crafts festival in the north Georgia mountains. To say it wasn’t where I wanted to be on a beautiful Saturday afternoon would be an understatement. It was pay-back of sorts — after two nights in a tent, a couple of days of…
Read MoreNo. 1 Buck Of The 2006-07 Georgia Season
It began, like many hunts for a giant buck these days, with a trail-camera photo. The camera was put out by Hawkinsville’s Blake Smith, 39, on one of his two Pulaski County farms. On August 19, Blake got a photo of a wide, impressive buck, and when deer season started, his hunt began. “I couldn’t…
Read MoreNo Place To Hunt
Spend a quarter century hunting a piece of ground, and it becomes a big part of your life. Countless hunting clubs across Georgia have played out the same scenes over the years — gathering at the skinning pole to share the successes and the near-misses, the fellowship around the campfire at night. These hunters spend…
Read MoreJonboat Bass On Lucas Lake
The booths at the Waffle House in Gray were filled with a bunch of EMC line crews who had been working all night. Five inches of rain and a tornado had swept through the county overnight. But less-than-ideal conditions weren’t going to stop Chris Day from going fishing that morning. After being closed for five…
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