Posts by Duncan Dobie
The Story of Blue Ridge, The First WMA
The story about how Georgia’s first WMA was created is a rich blend of history, perseverance and vision. Being the first of its kind in the nation in which a partnership was formed between a state agency and the federal government, its creation in 1936 was a historic event and one of the Peach State’s…
Read MoreThe Story Of Arthur Woody And His Trout
Ask just about anyone in the Peach State who is even remotely familiar with the name Arthur Woody (1884-1946) about what this man did during his long career as a forest ranger, and most people will answer, “He’s the man who brought deer back to the mountains.” Although he is best remembered for restoring deer…
Read MoreThe Cherry Wood Gobbler Part 3
“I done tol’ you, Mista Will, that Ad’mral, he ain’t no ordinary turkey bird.” Jonas, Will and Greg were standing in the church parking lot on Sunday afternoon, the day after Will’s extraordinary encounter. Will had contacted Jonas and arranged the meeting, so he could tell about his strange experience. “I agree with you Jonas,…
Read MoreThe Cherry Wood Gobbler Part 2
Will Starr arrived at the cemetery promptly at 4 p.m. the following Wednesday afternoon just as Jonas had requested. Jonas and several other people were raking leaves and picking up small limbs. “Good to see ya’, Mista Will,” Jonas said with a big smile. “Mista Hardy, he got sump’n for you….” He nodded toward the…
Read MoreThe Cherry Wood Gobbler
Will Starr parked his truck on the side of the road next to the small country cemetery and got out. He patted the locked cover on the truck bed as he walked around the rear of the vehicle. Holding a hand-made box call in one hand, he walked over to the back corner of the…
Read More50 Years A Cohutta Mountain Man – The John Roy Brackett Story
The first thing John Roy Brackett will tell you if you’re lucky enough to meet him in person is how very blessed he considers himself to be after having spent the lion’s share of his 91 years pursuing his outdoor passions. “I’ve had a good life,” John Roy will tell you. “Hunting and fishing was…
Read MoreGON Fall Fiction: White Lightning Part 5
“An obsession is a turrible thing,” Rocky Cooper said with a smile. “You surely don’t wanna get afflicted with one of them thangs if you can avoid it. Why, ya’ get to the point where you can’t think of nothin’ else until the thang you’re obsessed with comes to pass, and if it don’t,…
Read MoreGON Fall Fiction: White Lightning Part 3
The Good Lord was really smiling on us the first time we ever hunted up on the Knob with Coach Smart on that memorable openin’ day way back in 1961. The temperature was in the mid 40s, nothing close to as cold as we expected it to be. “The old man of the mountain is…
Read MoreGON Fall Fiction: White Lightning Part 2
“Even if we don’t get us a big ol’ he-buck today, it won’t be a total wash-out because we’ve got plenty of time to chow-down at Jake’s,” Coach Smart told us as we rolled northward through the predawn darkness. Jake’s was a legendary diner on the main drag in Dahlonega that always catered to deer…
Read MoreGON Fall Fiction: White Lightning
In those days, I wanted to be a deer hunter in the worst way. I read everything I could get my hands on about how to hunt bucks, but that was only half the battle. Back in the early ’60s, there were only a few places in Georgia to hunt deer, and they were…
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