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On Nov. 8-9 , Blake Jeffers of the Guide to Georgia Outdoors YouTube channel hosted the fourth annual Outdoor Dream Foundation hunt on his family farm in Tattnall County. Originally slated for the weekend of Oct. 8, the event was rescheduled due to the recent destruction of Hurricane Helene. “It’s been a mess down here,…
On Oct. 31, Chad Hutcheson, of Bladen, managed to take down a massive 14-point buck in the Jones County section of Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge during the area’s annual muzzleloader quota hunt. Like any good hunt story, the events that led Chad to that magical moment were pretty incredible. “Last season was my first time…
By Will Worn So, this hunting story is about redemption at the family farm in Worth County. Our farm as been in our family for well over 100 years, but during that time has seen many tragedies. My mother was brought home from the hospital and raised on the farm. During her time there, she…
Bob Chestnutt, of Ludowici, was deer hunting in Long County when a coyote that he shot turned into a moment where he thought he was in the middle of a sci-fi movie. “I shot this coyote on Oct. 29 while deer hunting in Long County,” said Bob. “When I walked up to him, I saw…
Waterfowl hunters can head to their favorite hunting ground for the Georgia duck hunting season when it opens on Sat., Nov. 23, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). Youth, active military and veterans should take note of an early hunt opportunity Nov. 16-17. “New this year, thanks to the…
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Deer Hunting
On Nov. 8-9 , Blake Jeffers of the Guide to Georgia Outdoors YouTube channel hosted the fourth annual Outdoor Dream Foundation hunt on his family farm in Tattnall County. Originally slated for the weekend of Oct. 8, the event was rescheduled due to the recent destruction of Hurricane Helene. “It’s been a mess down here,…
On Oct. 31, Chad Hutcheson, of Bladen, managed to take down a massive 14-point buck in the Jones County section of Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge during the area’s annual muzzleloader quota hunt. Like any good hunt story, the events that led Chad to that magical moment were pretty incredible. “Last season was my first time…
By Will Worn So, this hunting story is about redemption at the family farm in Worth County. Our farm as been in our family for well over 100 years, but during that time has seen many tragedies. My mother was brought home from the hospital and raised on the farm. During her time there, she…
Turkey Hunting
Although Georgia’s turkey season ended more than two weeks ago, it’s still newsworthy when we talk to a guy who killed a gobbler with a 16-inch beard. Milledgeville’s Bobby Day was just about to put an end to his frustration and give up on his morning turkey hunt. The hunting club where he hunts in…
If it comes as a surprise that an annual onion harvest could spawn a week-long festival that has spanned 47 years, you’ve probably never tasted the sweet goodness of a true Vidalia. The 2024 Vidalia Onion Festival was held April 25-28 and featured live music, vendors, rodeo and fantastic food—onions included. The grand finale was…
Jamal Lane, of Chula, is a rugged guy, a man’s man. He’s a landscaper. He farms on the side. He’s a dedicated turkey hunter who gets up before daylight to chase birds before beginning his regular workday. He never dreamed that the sight of a special turkey could bring out a different side of himself.…
Predator Hunting
Bob Chestnutt, of Ludowici, was deer hunting in Long County when a coyote that he shot turned into a moment where he thought he was in the middle of a sci-fi movie. “I shot this coyote on Oct. 29 while deer hunting in Long County,” said Bob. “When I walked up to him, I saw…
When I think about it, I realize the importance of cage traps. Back in the days of our mountain men, the steel leg-hold trap was the trap to own. They didn’t have the selection of traps that we have today. Trap designs and styles have upgraded, and in today’s market, we have a very large…
I have written to GON before about my experiences with the Georgia Trappers Association (GTA), particularly in regards to the annual Convention and Youth Field Trials (both of which are not only free and fun, but will teach you more about trapping than years spent watching YouTube videos), but today I wanted to talk about…
Hog Hunting
As the first rays of dawn broke through the fields, I knew I was on the brink of an adventure that would push me to my limits and fortify the connection to my ancestral lands. I’ve hunted for well over 20 years, but this time was going to be different. Today, I was leaving my…
It was the Friday of a Memorial Day weekend when I struck out for the Wilkinson County river swamp. With my climbing stand on my back, I slipped into my hunting spot around 8 p.m. and quietly ascended the tree with my safety belt attached. I took my Voo-Doo deer lure out of my fanny…
It’s dark now. DARK dark. Like a bear down a well. Without a flashlight. The sun went down hours ago on this second January Tuesday. Turbid clouds are rolling ominously overhead, fleeing a tornado-spawning system headed my way. The wind moans and, at times, howls. Limbs click, clatter and thump to the ground. The ground…
Alligator Hunting
Gator season closed after the first week of October and ended with 408 gators being harvested. That’s the second-best year recorded since WRD started hosting a Georgia alligator season in 2003. The season with the most gators ever taken was in 2023, when 471 Georgia alligators were killed. The biggest recorded gator from the 2024…
Ashley Bowlden first started putting in for her Georgia alligator tags back in 2018, when she got to attend her first gator hunt. She loved it so much that she immediately started putting in for herself and her children every year, as well. Six years later, on the opening weekend of Georgia’s 2024 alligator season,…
Gator season won’t officially close until Oct. 7, but this season has already been highlighted by some really big Georgia alligators and happy hunters. As we always enjoy doing in October, we show off some hunters who took the time to send in pictures and info. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get all of those photos on…
Bear Hunting
At least the Global Positioning System—so now you know what GPS stands for—kens where they are. Even from a couple hundred or so miles skyward, it keeps up, spot-on, with the race. While we, somewhere or other in the vastnesses of the Okefenokee Swamp in Clinch County, can only go from experience in attempting to…
A 16-year-old hunter killed one of the biggest bears ever taken Georgia—the second heaviest ever from north Georgia and the fifth heaviest overall. On Oct. 22, Grayson Collins, of Blairsville, managed to take down the bear of a lifetime. The behemoth weighed 620 pounds on certified scales. Grayson was hunting a few miles from Ball…
There’s no accounting for the bug that bites you. Or when it happens. For some, it’s a process of growing into whatever activity they eventually fall for and become consumed. Others are suddenly smitten. Like Don Butts. His parents didn’t see it coming during a vacation trip to the Great Smoky Mountains all those…
Dove Hunting
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Richard B. Russell Project, will host dove hunts for youth and the general public on Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, 2024, at two fields in Elbert County, and one field in Abbeville County, South Carolina. Youth and public hunts will begin at 2 p.m. The youth hunts start…
It’s hard to believe we’ve only got about a month to go before hunters will file into prepared dove fields in hopes of collecting a limit of 15 birds for the grill. Thankfully, WRD does a really nice job of providing public fields for hunters to shoot. To the right is the latest list of…
The new hunting season is just around the corner as we print GON’s annual Pay Dove Shoots list. Dial these phone numbers, reserve your spots and shoot straight. Dove hunting will legally begin one-half hour before sunrise on opening day, Saturday, Sept. 7. Some of these shoots may wait until the traditional 12 p.m. start…
Duck Hunting
Waterfowl hunters can head to their favorite hunting ground for the Georgia duck hunting season when it opens on Sat., Nov. 23, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). Youth, active military and veterans should take note of an early hunt opportunity Nov. 16-17. “New this year, thanks to the…
Another season of duck hunting will roll around soon, and all duck hunters wonder how the Georgia duck forecast looks. Duck hunting here is dependent on many factors, and at the forefront is bad weather up North. Wet conditions in the spring and summer is good news in the breeding-ground wetlands, and nasty, cold weather…
Hunters can get a jump on the waterfowl season with the upcoming early teal and Canada goose hunting seasons. Early Canada goose season for 2024 is Sept. 7-29, with a daily limit of five geese. The early teal season for 2024 is Sept. 14-29, with a daily limit of six teal. “Teal migrate earlier than…
Squirrel Hunting
“There’s a season for squirrels?” That was the reaction of a young kid when told of the upcoming squirrel season opener on Thursday, Aug. 15. The 2024-2025 squirrel season in Georgia runs from Aug. 15 to Feb. 28 with a daily limit of 12 squirrels per hunter. The simplicity of squirrel hunting and potential for…
Looking for a healthy, sustainable source of protein and a good woodland hike? Squirrel hunting season, which opens Aug. 15, can meet those goals, and get everyone excited about fall hunting seasons, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). “Squirrel hunting season is a great introduction to hunting,” said Alan…
It had been 23 years since I stepped foot on Redlands WMA in pursuit of critters. A return trip was certainly overdue, and Saturday, Jan. 15 was the perfect opportunity to take a trip down memory lane. The occasion was the 2nd Annual Squirrel Master Classic with a great group of folks who run a…
Quail Hunting
Did you ever wonder what it was that inspired your love of fishing or hunting or just being outdoors? Was it a parent, a friend, a book, or movie? Maybe you can’t put your finger on one person or thing. For me, the answer is crystal clear, my Uncle Suggs. I will soon celebrate my…
Now that the white-tailed deer season has ended, hunters will likely turn their attention once again to small game like rabbits, squirrels and the bobwhite quail, although quail hunting is nothing like it once was. When fence rows from small farms and family gardens crisscrossed Alabama and the Southeast, the bobwhite flourished. Since large-scale farming…
When I grew up in the late 50s and early 60s, my house, in a suburb of Jacksonville, Fla., backed up to a large pine forest with underbrush that was about knee high but not too thick; perfect quail habitat. I can remember waking to the sound of the northern bobwhite quail calling to each…
Other Georgia Hunting
Hunters can get a jump on the waterfowl season with the upcoming early teal and Canada goose hunting seasons. Early Canada goose season for 2024 is Sept. 7-29, with a daily limit of five geese. The early teal season for 2024 is Sept. 14-29, with a daily limit of six teal. “Teal migrate earlier than…
In the fall of 1999 I had a bad case of the melancholy. My up-and-coming grouse dog had died and had left me feeling down in the dumps. Little Mac, our young Brittany spaniel, had died from what was evidently a brain tumor. Little Mac started having seizures in his second year which progressively became…
In the Southeast, when a person mentions upland hunting, the bobwhite quail is usually the first, and sometimes only game bird that people think about. The late Charlie Elliott named the bobwhite the “prince of game birds.” When you go into the Appalachians, the ruffed grouse enters into the conversation, but the lack of timber…
Georgia Hunters on the Road
By John Holbert Jonah and I both drew either-sex muzzleloader tags for Colorado elk this fall. Neither of us had undertaken such a challenge before, and we were eager to try. We spent all summer researching, preparing, packing and training for the safari. The rut forecast predicted we would have good timing to see some…
Gathering around the campfire at Camp Isilwane (lion) in Matetsi, Zimbabwe we look out at the vlei, which is a prehistoric river bed. The buffalo come into the dying waterhole for that last drink as the day succumbs to darkness. It is the end of the dry season, the last of the water before the…
When I think of exotic animals, I envision animals being created in a lab through experiments and test tubes. However, my husband Paul and I decided to read more and more about exotic hunting ranches and we decided to peruse the Internet for research. Although these animals are not indigenous to North America, they are…