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2009 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…

TVA Plans To Draw Lake Blue Ridge Down To Lower Than 60 Feet Below Full Pool

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is set to pull the plug on Lake Blue Ridge during the late summer of 2010. Plans call for the lake to be drawn down to more than 60 feet below full pool. TVA officials recently announced the final project plans for the deep-water drawdown necessary to repair and reinforce…

Snakebite Kills Hunter In Oglethorpe County

Winder hunter Richard B. Rupert, 68, died Oct. 10 after being bit on his calf by a rattlesnake, according to Oglethorpe County Deputy Coroner Howard Sanders. Rupert, his son and his 12-year-old grandson were hunting a tract of land near Thaxton Wynne Road in Lexington. Upon arriving at their hunting property just before daylight, the…

New 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…

Monster 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…

Will Dawson Forest WMA Become A Water Supply Reservoir For Atlanta?

In three or four years, there is a possibility 2,000 acres of the 10,000-arcre Dawson Forest WMA will be under water. A reservoir to supply water for the Atlanta area has been proposed. It would be open to angling and other recreational uses, according to an official with the development firm pushing the project, at…

Troup County Cougar Is A Florida Panther

On Nov. 16, when a big cat was killed in Troup County west of LaGrange, DNR indicated it was probably a captive-reared cougar. Now that genetic testing has been conducted, it turns out the cat in question came from the endangered Florida panther population, of which there are only an estimated 100 to 120 individuals…

103-lb. Flathead Catfish Pulled From Ocmulgee River

An Ocmulgee River flathead catfish weighing 103 pounds on certified scales was caught the morning of Aug. 19. The giant Appaloosa, taken above the Highway 96 bridge in Bonaire, would have swamped the current 83-lb. state record. However, the fish was caught on a trot line, meaning it’s not eligible for WRD’s state-record status. When…

Chad Poole Wins 2009 Georgia State Duck-Calling Title

Chad Poole, of Soperton, used a Buck Gardner Kryptonite call and plenty of wind to earn the title of Georgia’s 2009 State Duck Calling Champion. Chad faced tough competition to claim the title in this year’s event, which was held in Macon at the Outdoor Blast on Aug. 7. Placing an extremely close second was…

Hog Attack!

It was his last cartridge and his last hope. The 192-lb. wild boar had already gored Dr. Joseph “Larry” Jackson Sr. twice and had him right where it wanted him. It had all happened in a whirlwind… the quick tremble of leaves in the thicket, the scrape of tusks and teeth against his rifle. Dr.…