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Sportsmen Flood DNR With WMA Comments

With little time to review and comment on a DNR plan to change the name and focus of WMAs to attract more “recreationalists,” sportsmen reacted quickly and with a strong voice to stake a claim to traditional hunting and fishing lands in Georgia, much of which they paid for through license-fee increases. This DNR plan…

64-Pound Flathead Catfish Caught At Clarks Hill

Like no other Georgia reservoir, Clarks Hill is the king when it comes to producing gigantic catfish. There’s something about this sprawling impoundment on the Savannah River above Augusta that grows huge catfish. Jake Manley, of Plum Branch, S.C., knew the lake’s potential already, and on May 8 it was confirmed in a huge way.…

DNR Wants To Change WMAs To Rec Areas

DNR is in the midst of creating a plan to market WMAs to all Georgians for recreation by changing what the areas are called. DNR also is considering options to charge some of these other WMA users. Many sportsmen have lamented that only hunters and anglers had to pay to use these areas. But the…

Tragic Boating Accident At Lake Russell Pot Tournament Kills Angler

Jimmy Kelley, 68, of Lilburn, died the morning of May 20, 2010, just a month ahead of his 50th wedding anniversary, of complications from injuries sustained in a boat accident. Three other men involved in the accident, which occurred during the blast-off of a Lake Russell pot tournament on May 8, suffered non life-threatening injuries.…

Are WMAs About To Be Changed To Recreation Areas?

If your favorite wildlife management area (WMA) was changed to a “recreation area,” would that make the property more marketable to other users like bikers, hikers and horseback riders? And would that be a good thing for hunters? DNR is seeking public comment at four public meetings next week — and through mailed and emailed…

Changes For WMAs And Hunting on State Land?

Note: The following DNR press release offers no details about what the state is considering. Public meetings are to give people an opportunity to comment, but it is impossible for the public to comment on proposals, alternatives or ideas they know nothing about. GON will provide details as soon as they are made available, so…

Wayward Coastal Gator Spotted 20 Miles Offshore

Researchers conducting North Atlantic right whale work spotted a 5-foot alligator March 9 about 20 miles offshore from the mouth of the Altamaha River. At first, whale observers thought the animal was debris. After getting closer, they realized the gator was very much alive. The researchers snapped a few photos and moved on because they…

Lanier Striper Record Falls

Almost a quarter century ago, Roger Snipes caught a 46-lb. Lake Lanier striped bass that became one of the longest-standing, most sought-after lake records in Georgia. Imagine the hours of striper fishing that have been put in at Lanier since Roger’s catch. On April 3, the Lanier striper record finally fell — and to a…

Forest Service Officer Shot And Killed By Coyote Hunters Using Night Vision

A coyote hunter using night-vision equipment on a .223 rifle shot and killed a U.S. Forest Service law-enforcement officer March 5 at the Ocmulgee Bluff Equestrian Recreation Area of Oconee National Forest in Jasper County. Officer Christopher Arby Upton, 37, of Monroe, was on patrol at about 11 p.m. when Norman Clinton Hale, 40, of…

Trout Fisherman Drowns On Chattahoochee River

On Monday, March 8, DNR Law Enforcement officers recovered the body of a man who drowned on the Chattahoochee River in Suwanee after his boat flipped following a water release at Buford dam. The body of Ira Braitsch, 64, of Lawrenceville, was pulled from the water just south of McGinnis Ferry Road about 24 hours…