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Big Fires Break Out Near Waycross

At presstime, more than 1,000 people were involved in a fire-fighting effort that began on Sunday, April 15, just west of Waycross in Ware County. By Wednesday, the fire had spread to the south and southeast and was said to be 12 miles long and three-quarters of a mile wide. The fire has covered 20,000…

Proposed 2008 Hunting Regulations Released, Public Meetings Begin April 17

The Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) has released the proposed hunting regulations for the next two Georgia seasons, and the document includes some changes that might be of interest to sportsmen. The entire proposed regulations document is available online at WRD’s Web site. If you hunt WMAs, there may be proposed changes to WMA hunts that…

Plum Creek Timber Co. Under Fire Over Hunt Camp Fee

The phones have been ringing off the hook at Plum Creek Timberland with calls from leaseholders over a new Plum Creek campsite program. “We have been receiving a lot of calls,” said Donnie Wood, Plum Creek recreational lease manager, whose answering machine once held a two-day backlog of calls. The callers aren’t happy. The club…

Legislative Update: DNR Kills SEEDS License Plate

Opposition by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to a specialty license plate that would raise money for SEEDS, a program that promotes hunting and fishing to kids, resulted in the SEEDS fundraiser being cut. Volunteers who have been organizing kids hunts and youth conservation work days through the SEEDS program expressed shock. GON is…

Anti-Hunters Going After Bond Swamp NWR

The anti-hunting effort is alive and well and living in Georgia. As we have reported several times recently in GON, the rampant anti-hunting organization The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is trying to stop all hunting on Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and 36 other recently acquired refuges across the country. Their weapon…

GEORGIA LEGISLATURE 2007 Sportsmen’s Update

Last month, GON’s legislative coverage detailed proposals introduced by Gov. Sonny Perdue to spend $50 million for land preservation and $19 million over the next two years to start the Go Fish Georgia program (see the February issue, page 24). Despite some media sniping at the governor’s proposal to make Georgia lakes and rivers more…

Georgia Trout Hatcheries Recover From Brutal 2006 Summer Heat

Despite a rough, hot summer at Georgia’s fish hatcheries, the WRD’s trout-stocking program is in good shape, and Georgia’s trout anglers have a good season to look forward to thanks to a mild winter and a little help from hatcheries outside the state. “We had a tough time at the end of last summer. July…

First Archery In Schools Georgia State Shoot

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invited all elementary, middle, and high schools enrolled in Georgia’s National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) to the first-ever NASP State Fun Shoot. The event was held February 24 at 12 Point Archery in Covington. Any school with NASP certified instructors was allowed to register as many…

Wood-Duck Conservation Day Puts Kids To Work Building 127 Duck Boxes

The GONetwork’s Henry County Committee and the Henry County Water and Sewerage Authority (HCWSA) held their second-annual Kids’ Wood-Duck Conservation Day at the Cubihatcha Outdoor Center on February 10. This year’s project exceeded all expectations and was a great success. Close to 100 people turned out, and 45 of those were kids. After a brief…

Marion County Passes New Camping Ordinance

On February 13, 2007, the Marion County Board of Commissioners passed a watered-down “recreational camp” ordinance that is an improvement from the ordinance passed in September, but the new rules are still of concern to sportsmen. Several other Georgia counties appear poised to begin the process of regulating, restricting and charging fees for hunters who…