Letters To The Editor September 2005

Perry Meeting A Joke

Dear GON,

I attended the August 19 public meeting in Perry about the legalization of hunting deer over bait in Georgia. In attendance was the panel that was set up to study this issue, then make recommendations on legislation concerning baiting. I figured these representatives were chosen because they could keep an open mind about this until all the public meetings were held, and then make their recommendations.  Boy, was I fooled! At least two of the panel members adamantly proclaimed they were for baiting. I thought the purpose of the panel was to discuss the issue with an open mind and then make a decision.

In my opinion there is already a law in place that is very sufficient, and I feel that it should be left as it is. A law that says it is O.K. to pour out a bag of corn just so one can shoot a deer is ridiculous. I don’t know everything about the biological aspect, or the possibility of disease from deer congregation. All I know is that pouring out bait in a pile removes any chance of a fair-chase hunt, and it is a lazy man’s way of quick self-gratification. There were comments made that a food plot was the same as baiting, and if a law on baiting failed, then food plots, Tink’s #69, and even using crickets to catch bream should be made illegal as well. Ain’t that a hoot?

We as hunters already have enough to worry about without dividing  ourselves over this. Public image has a lot of impact on anything, and in this day and age, especially hunting and hunters. We don’t need the non-hunting public’s perception of hunters as somebody waiting over a bait pile to kill a deer. It isn’t all about the kill, you guys! As long as regulated hunting is left in the hands of politicians instead of qualified wildlife experts, we could, in the future, possibly lose our freedom to hunt and fish. I’m still studying the upcoming vote on the constitutional amendment on the right to hunt and fish in Georgia. Don’t forget what happened in England. People who had hunted foxes for hundreds of years suddenly found it illegal. Please, let us not forget that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Thanks for letting me vent.

David Alligood, Social Circle

Baiting Would Control Does

Dear GON,

I am 53 years old, and I have hunted deer with my great grandfather before I could hardly walk. I hunt deer in Georgia about 25 days each fall.

I think hunting over bait would be a good thing to help control the doe population and take out some of the inferior deer in the herd. As I am the president of a Florida hunting club, we never take 10 does per person. We usually take about two apiece.

With the use of feeders we can study the herds in our area and pick and choose to harvest the older does and to study the younger bucks in the area. Most hunters know that the big mature bucks won’t come to a feeder in the daytime hours. Also feeders would give our children and grandchildren the chance to see deer and learn to love the outdoors and regard it as one of God’s greatest gifts to man, besides his Son. Thank You.

Stephen Collins, Deland, Fla.

Thanks For The DVD

Dear GON,

We wanted to thank you very much for the GON hat and the Monster Buck DVDs. We were very surprised. Out of all the excitement of J.C. and his fish being in the magazine, we never read the bottom of the page and did not expect the package. He was so excited! The personalized framed certificate will be hung under his fish which we had mounted.

Thank you again. That really put a huge smile on his face, and I know he will be so proud to wear the hat.

Van, Sandy and J.C. Newsome, Forsyth

A Hotel On Clybel WMA?

Dear GON,

In the May issue you wrote of the $6 million hotel/conference center that the Wildlife Resources Division recently built. I am personally appalled by this obvious waste of public resources for such a ridiculous endeavor. Who are they building these seven hotels for in the middle of nowhere? If DNR wants to educate people and house them, why don’t they use existing facilities around the state like the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth? How about spending money on some decent rifle ranges, some bathroom facilities on the larger WMAs, some wildlife-restoration projects or maybe even replacing some of those little yellow signs on our WMAs that are never in the budget and have been torn down for years.

Fellow sportsmen, we are really getting snowed. I urge anyone who pays for a hunting license in this state to call your legislator and get the word out this is a plain mismanagement of funds.

Joe Fagan, Loganville

Hunting Is Part Of Life

Dear GON,

First off, I would like to thank GON for such a quality magazine, and thank you for standing up for hunting and fishing in Georgia. I think all of this animal-rights stuff is a bunch of garbage. I have hunted and fished all of my life, and to me hunting and fishing are a way of life. I count on these activities to feed my family. These are things that I can enjoy year-round, and there is nothing better than teaching our children the art of catching a fish or how to pattern that buck.

Thanks.

Scott Lewis, Deepstep

Call Washington About PETA

Dear GON,

We as a nation should all do something to make a voice heard in Washington about what PETA is doing. They are trying to take away every right that we have to fish, hunt, own pets and any other kind of animals. I’ve read some of your articles on what PETA has done to animals.

Maybe we as sportsmen and farmers and everybody that has an interest in preserving the outdoors can get some letters written and sent to all of our representatives in Washington that we don’t agree with what PETA is trying to do.

I’m just trying to find a way to make everybody aware of what is going on and trying to find out what we can do to stop it.

Terry Wray, Sylvester