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Salary Issues Reach Critical Stage As Morale Suffers Among DNR Rangers

A passion for hunting, fishing and the outdoors is something that can get in your blood. For some, the passion is so great they decide to make it their life’s work. Those are the types of individuals that fill the ranks of Georgia DNR’s Law Enforcement Section. Referred to by some as game wardens, these…

Hurricane Creek Hunting Club Hosts 3rd Annual Squirrel Hunt

On January 6, 2007, the third annual squirrel hunt hosted by Hurricane Creek Hunting Club took place in Lumpkin County on private property. We began this program three years ago after WRD reported declining hunter numbers and declining license sales. We wanted to help. One of the things we decided to do was host an…

WRD Hears From Hunters

The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) held a series of eight public meetings in early January to give hunters an opportunity to comment on the state’s hunting regulations before new regulations are finalized. Overall, 285 people attended the meetings. The January 9 meeting in Athens was dominated by a recent dog-shooting incident in Clarke County…

Georgia Legislature Begins 2007 Session

Gov. Sonny Perdue gave his State of the State address at the capitol two weeks ago, outlining his budget proposals for the coming year. For the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), it must have seemed like Christmas all over again. First, the governor is not asking for budget cuts, which means the Wildlife Resources Division…

Eye on the Antis – February 2007

Spill hot coffee, sue the fast-food establishment. Slip and fall, sue the department store. Not getting your way with a federal or local bureaucracy? Take ’em to court. The litigious nature of our society is amazing and often repulsive. For sportsmen, lawsuits have been extremely harmful. Court actions by anti-hunting and environmental groups have stopped…

Darien Annexation Proposal Includes Altamaha WMA Duck Ponds

The City Council of Darien has passed a resolution to propose legislation that would allow it to annex 20 square miles of state-owned wetlands, including approximately one-third of Altamaha WMA. The city plans to zone the property as conservation land and develop the land for “eco-tourism” including hunting, fishing and bird-watching. The land proposed for…

Who Gets $4 Million Of Sportmen’s Dollars?

The Game Management, Fisheries, and Law Enforcement sections of WRD, departments with long histories of dedicated, professional service to wildlife, fisheries and sportsmen in our state, don’t have the resources and manpower they once had to do the work that sportsmen depend on them to do. Yearly budget cuts have meant positions formerly held by…

Possible Record-Setting Success At Fort Yargo Park Deer Hunt

With 52 hunters bringing down 100 deer, the November 29-30 quota hunt at Fort Yargo State Park was a success on every level. The park was able to thin its deer herd, and a lucky group of hunters got the chance to hunt a 1,814-acre tract that hasn’t seen a rifle or bow in more…

Lawmakers Mum On Possible Legislation For 2007 Session

With the attention of lawmakers focused closely on last month’s elections, it may be a little early to know what issues may affect sportsmen when the Georgia General Assembly convenes on January 8, but there is a good chance legislation that — for whatever reason — didn’t make it through during the last session may…

Opening Day Duck Hunting Reports

Georgia’s 2006-07 duck season opened Saturday, November 18, and a half-hour before sunrise duck hunters all over the state were watching the skies with high hopes. The number of birds to be plucked after the hunt varied from place to place, with wood ducks being the predominant duck killed during the early part of the…