Posts by Nick Carter
Bear-Dogging In North Georgia Discussed
In December, a rumor reached GON that biologists with WRD were meeting to discuss the possibility of allowing dog hunting for bears in north Georgia. There was a bear meeting at Dawson Forest on Dec. 8, but the impetus for the meeting may have been the opposite of what the rumor suggested. Region I Supervisor…
Read MoreChasing Coons With State’s Top Dogs
The hounds struck soon after being dropped for the first time of the evening, raising a din that echoed across the valley and through the bright moon-lit woods of Oconee County. “Jake strike!” barked Jake Garner, of Zebulon, the elected president of the Georgia Federation of Coon Hunters and the judge of this evening’s cast.…
Read MoreThe Swamp Bottom Buck Of Beagle’s Demise Conclusion
Levi Garrett trudged through the thick privet hedges on the outskirts of the swamp bottom, an enormous array of 10 incredibly tall and almost perfectly symmetrical dark brown tines weighing heavily on his drooping head. On a cold, clear day, gunshots rang out around the county, and the sounds of thumping hooves and vocal deer…
Read MoreClutch of Mayhem, Georgia Coon Dog, Wins National Title
A dream came true for coon-hound handler Ross Jackson, of Madison, when owner Mary Simpson, of Farmington, told him to go get the best dog he could find. “She told me to find the one I wanted to win with, and we bought him,” said Ross. The result of his search was a 5-year-old, male,…
Read More2009 Year Of The Bear: Two Georgia State Records Broken
It was a remarkable archery season for black bears in north Georgia, and the gun opener brought in a flood of bear reports to the GON office. Judging from those reports from hunters across the state, this year’s black-bear harvest is on track to be off the charts. Here are two of the most impressive…
Read MoreThe Swamp Bottom Buck Of Beagle’s Demise Part 4
A few yards off a deer trail in the privet thicket, Jamie Sikes bent to inspect his doe in the beam of his headlamp. It was a fine kill; a mature animal that would make for many good meals. “We’re gonna eat good this weekend!” he said to his hunting buddy Clark Dickerson, who stood a…
Read MoreNew Lake Record For Carters Striper
The striper on Carters Lake are getting big. About a year and a half after a new mark was set for the Carters Lake striper record, the bar has been raised again. Angela Hawes, of Fairmount, landed a 36-lb., 42-inch striped bass on Aug. 22, beating the old record by a little more than 5…
Read MoreMonster 16 3/4-Pound Brown Trout From Chattahoochee
J.D. Blevins, of Buford, said his wife was livid when he decided to go fishing on the Chattahoochee River the morning of Sept. 4. He was very late for their trip to the beach, but she calmed down once she found out why. He caught this 16-lb., 13-oz. brown trout with a No. 5 countdown…
Read MoreThe Swamp Bottom Buck Of Beagle’s Demise Part 3
On the ride to the hospital, Mike’s right forearm had already swollen to nearly twice its normal size. The skin around the cottonmouth bite had blistered and turned a nasty dark purple. Bloody discharge oozed from two small fang marks just below his elbow. At the wheel, his hunting buddy Clark raced as fast as…
Read MoreThe Swamp Bottom Buck Of Beagle’s Demise Part 2
A thunderclap rolled over the swamp bottom of Beagle’s Demise, a harbinger of the heavy rain Mike Shaw dreaded. Stuck in mud with water up to his armpits, he cursed his luck. No matter how hard he stretched, he could not put a hand on his canoe. It was wedged under a blowdown just out…
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