Non-Residents Hunting Without Licenses Progress To Night Hunting

The Conservation LE Corner is designed to highlight the efforts of Georgia DNR Law Enforcement Division (LED) officers who, among their many duties, protect Georgia’s wildlife, sportsmen and natural resources from game-law violators.

Chattooga County: It’s standard in this article to let the law enforcement officers tell the stories through their official incident reports. In this particular case that occurred Oct. 27, 2019 near the town on Menlo in Chattooga County, two officers had so much to report that the incident narrative went on for 14 pages.

Fortunately, one of the officers, Sgt. Mike Barr, included a summarized version of the events surrounding this case. While there was lots to this case, and lots of potential violations, here’s the gist of this case in Chattooga County.

Sgt. Barr wrote, “With facts and statements from the incident, a review of events as follows:

• Austin Potts and Tavontae (Tae) Harmon (along with a female) came from Henagar, Alabama to Gilreath Mill Road in Georgia in a black Chevrolet truck owned by Tae Harmon to hunt deer on the property owned by Potts’ uncle.

• Austin Potts hunted deer in a double ladder stand without obtaining a Georgia non-resident hunting license, big game license, or deer harvest record and without wearing the required fluorescent orange while deer hunting. Austin was hunting with a .223 caliber rifle. The female was observing and/or assisting.

• Tae Harmon walked to a previously set up area including a bait block and climbing deer stand and deer hunted there without obtaining a Georgia non-resident hunting license, big game license, or deer harvest record and without wearing the required fluorescent orange while deer hunting. Tae was hunting with a .308 rifle.

• After daytime deer hunting and during hours of darkness, Tae Harmon drove his truck, the female was sitting in the middle, and Austin Potts was sitting in the passenger seat. They left the uncle’s property and turned left (north) onto Gilreath Mill Road. Between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8:40 p.m. (approximately 8:17 p.m.), the party stopped in the road at the edge of (a private landowner’s) field where they saw a deer. Austin Potts shot at the deer with a camouflage Mossberg bolt action rifle caliber .308. All three were party to hunting from a public road, motor vehicle, and hunting deer at night. Sunset on Oct. 27, 2019 in Menlo, Georgia was 6:54 p.m. Legal shooting time ended at 7:24 p.m., 30 minutes after sunset.

After hunting during the day without Georgia licenses, two young men from Alabama shot at a deer at night from the a vehicle on a public road.

• The party encountered and spoke with (the landowner) while returning to the uncle’s house to hide the guns and drop off the female. The landowner witnessed the black Chevrolet vehicle with an Alabama tag and with a red and white Honda dirt bike in the bed of the truck. Tae Harmon and Austin Potts then returned to the area. They encountered raccoon hunters about a mile north of the area of shooting at the deer, and while turning their truck around got the rear wheels stuck in the drainage ditch.

• Tae Harmon unloaded the dirt bike and rode the bike back to the uncle’s house to get assistance with getting their truck out of the ditch.

• Game Warden Gann encountered the uncle’s truck coming out of the driveway with Tae Harmon inside.

• Game Warden Barr encountered Austin Potts with the stuck truck in the north end of Gilreath Mill Road.

• Game wardens separated the parties and questioned on details. The female and Tae Harmon fully admitted the crime in their statements with verifiable details

• Statements were corroborated with facts at the daytime hunt and night hunting scene

• Confirmation was obtained that Austin Potts was suspended for his hunting privileges in Alabama through April 2022 and all compact states including Georgia. Austin Potts violated this suspension by hunting/pursing wildlife both hunting for deer during daylight hours and after dark. Austin Potts admitted hunting in violation of his suspension.

• Warrants were taken for the arrest of Austin Potts and Tavontae Harmon.

According to State Court of Chattooga County documents dated Jan. 20, 2020, both Potts and Harmon paid $330 for each of three counts related to the night-hunting incident: hunting across public road; hunting deer at night; and hunting from a vehicle. In addition, Potts was fined $2,000 for a fourth offense of hunting after suspension of privileges.