Posts by John Trussell
2023-24 Georgia Duck Forecast
Editor’s Note: After this article was published in the October 2023 print edition of GON, WRD announced that all Butler Island waterfowl hunting would be closed for the 2023-24 due to recent storm damage. See WRD Release. I knew the ducks were roosting in the back of a local farm pond because I saw them…
Read MoreDNR-GOWA Big Deer Contest Winners
Georgia DNR, in conjunction with the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and sponsors The Southern Company and Glock, have announced the winners of the 2022 Georgia Big Deer Contest. The competition is the oldest continuous white-tailed deer contest in the state, with the first awards handed out in 1967. The contest is managed by retired WRD…
Read MoreFlint River Shoal Bass
Looking at the bubbling water racing across the rocky shoals, sprinkled with colorful spider lilies cramped within the crevasses, it’s hard to believe you’re in middle Georgia. While drifting down the Piedmont section of the Flint River in a raft, the rolling hills and rocky cliffs stretch upward to the sky, interspersed with many flat…
Read MoreThe Nuts & Bolts Of Hartwell Summer Linesides
Stripers and hybrids can seem like aquatic nomads in a vast ocean of water, says Capt. Cefus McRae, an expert fishing guide who operates on Lakes Hartwell, Lanier and Clark Hill. Cefus is also the producer and on-screen personality for the “Nuts & Bolts Of Fishing” TV show that airs on FOX Sports South and CarbonTV.…
Read MoreFlat Creek PFA Ready For Summer Anglers
Flat Creek PFA continues to be one of the more popular PFAs in Georgia. According to Brandon Baker, WRD fisheries biologist in the Fort Valley office, Flat Creek is ranked fourth in PFA usage, behind Rocky Mountain, Marben and Paradise PFAs. Its popularity could be due to its location close to I-75 in Perry and…
Read MoreAtlanta Coyotes Wearing GPS Collars
You don’t have to search long to find parallels and common denominators between the major U.S. cities of Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Atlanta. Employment opportunities, major sports teams, the availability of the arts, diverse populations and progressive attitudes are the reason that many give for making these cities home. There is one little-known…
Read MoreDodge PFA Still Going Strong
As Chris Bailey and I loaded up the boat near Perry, we were excited to be heading down to Dodge PFA near Eastman, featuring 104-acre Steve Bell Lake. The lake opened for fishing back on June 26, 1992. It’s been open for a little more than 30 years, so how is it doing today? Known for…
Read MoreOaky Woods WMA Adds Hunting Land
In a very fortunate turn of events, Oaky Woods, one of the most popular WMAs in middle Georgia, recently grew by 656.75 acres. The new land is open for hunting and fishing, says WRD’s Lee Taylor. As a huge bonus, the new tract borders the Ocmulgee River for 2 1/2 miles, according to Jimmy Paul,…
Read MoreThump Timber For West Point Crappie
Gentlemen, start your engines! But more appropriately, get your outboard motors up and running and get ready to fish. Spring is right around the corner, and now is the time to get everything in tip-top shape and ready to hit the lakes, streams and reservoirs of this great state. Yes, we are still in the…
Read MoreMiddle GA Bear Hunters Take 10 Bears
The temperature was a crisp 38 degrees, the wind was still, and the skies were partly cloudy as the sun rose across middle Georgia for the annual one-day bear hunt in Houston, Twiggs, Bibb and Bleckley counties. The good weather meant the bears should be moving, and Sam Land, of Swainsboro, was patiently sitting in…
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