Georgia game and fish [Vol. 1, no. 1 (Oct. 1966)]

GEORGIA

VOL. 1, NO. 1 I OCTOBER, 1966

H ~GEORGIA
:~- -;, GAME &FISH
OCTOBER 1966
Volume I Number I

Contents

The Year of the Deer

Dean Wohlgemuth 1

Deer hunting prospects for this season

Keep Your Eye on the Deer Trails Dick Whittington 4 How to hunt Georgia whitetails

Fall is For Hunting-Usually . . . It's also a good time to go fishing

Jim Tyler 7

A Crop To Be Harvested . . . . . . ........ Jim Tyler 8 Management is the key to big deer herds

Meet Your Commissioner

...... Jim Morrison I0

Judge Harley Langdale, chairman

To Catch a Fish . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jim Morrison 12

Where the License Increase is Going

Big Medicine for Big Bucks . .... . Dean Wohlgemuth 14 Selecting the right deer rifle for you

Sportsman's Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Up-To-Date Hunting, Fishing Season Information

* * *
Carl E. Sanders Governor

COMMISSIONERS

Judge Harley Langdale, Chairman
Valdosta-8th District

Leonard Bassford, Vice Chairman
Augusta-lOth District

William Z. Camp, Sec. Newnan-6th District

Charles L. Davidson, Jr. Avondale Estates-4th District

James Darby Vidalia-1st District

Rankin M. Smith Atlanta-5th District

Richard Tift Albany-2nd District

J. B. Langford Calhoun-7th District

William E. Smith Americus-3rd District

Edgar B. Dunlap Gainesville-9th District

Jimmie Williamson Darien-Coastal District

ROSSER MALONE DIRECTOR

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS

Howard D. Zeller Program Planning

Jack A. Crockford Field Operations

COORDINATORS

Leon Kirkland, Fisheries

Charles M. Frisbie,

Hubert Handy, Game

Marine Fisheries

Robert S. Baker, Law Enforcement Jim Morrison, Information and

Education

REGION MANAGERS

C. V. Waters, Gainesville, N. Ga. Frank Parrish, Fitzgerald, S. Ga.

Wayne W. Thomaston,

David Gould, Brunswick, Coast

Fort Valley, M. Ga.

GEORGIA GAME & FISH STAFF

Jim Morrison, Editor Qean Wohlgemuth,
Managing Editor

Dan Keever, Photographer Jim Tyler, Staff Writer
Glenn Smith, Staff Writer

A New Voice for Wildlife Conservation

Dreams do come true ... yes, Georgia, now there is a

Game and Fish Commission magazine.

For quite a long time, now, the dream has been con-

fined to the minds of several people. For a dream to

become a reality, a great deal of action must take place

... action, effort and just plain hard work.

The names of some of these people appear on this

page in the lefthand column, but many others too num-

erous to name here deserve equal credit. These are the

men often described as "sportsmen" who provide the

backbone of the wildlife conservation movement in

Georgia, whether they are members of an organized

group or not.

These people felt strongly that the Game and Fish

Commission needed a stronger and more effective voice

for communicating to the sportsmen it serves. We be-

lieve that too, and we pledge to do our best through

these pages to accomplish this.

It is the purpose of this magazine to keep its readers

informed of the wildlife conservation activities of the

Georgia Game and Fish Commission to secure public

support for and cooperation with these programs. We

intend to help increase the enjoyment which sportsmen

receive from hunting, fishing and boating by furnishing

current, accurate information on the best methods, lo-

cations, and times to participate in their favorite out-

door sports. We want to "shorten the time between

bites," and help hunters find their quarry, without en-

dangering the safety of the participants or the future of

Georgia's wildlife resources, which will need even greater

protection and development in the face of a rapidly ex-

panding population.

To give everyone an opportunity to see what we have

to offer and what we plan to do with our new magazine,

the first four issues will be made available free of charge.

Beginning with the issue of February, 1967, readers may

continue to receive the publication for a smaJI subscrip-

tion fee of $1 for one year, or $2.50 for three years.

This small token fee will be used to help cover the ex-

pense of handling and mailing. "Georgia Outdoors,"

the free monthly newsletter of the Game and Fish Com-

mission for the past three years, has been permanently

discontinued. We hope that you will like its successor

well enough to subscribe for a full three year period.

*

*

Deer Story- In this issue you'll find the story in pictures and words of Georgia's growing deer herd-how it came about, where it can be found, and how to hunt it.

In future issues, we'll concentrate on other popular Georgia game species, including the bobwhite quail , doves, rab-

bits, and squirrels. For the fisherman , we'll have articles

throughout the year like the one in this issue on fall fishing.

During the spring and summer when there's little or nothing

to hunt, we'll concentrate on fishing. Stick with us. It's going

to be an interesting year.

J.M .

On the Cover-Breaking for cover, a whitetail buck, Geor-
gia's most prized big game animal , presents a target few
hunters can resist. Photo by Jim Morrison.

Photo Credits: Hubert Handy 8 and 9; Dan Keever 1, 6, b. r. 7, 13, 14, 15; Jim Morrison 2, 3, 4, 5, b. I. 7, b. r. and b. I. 9, t. and b. r. 11, 12; Jim Tyler c, 9.

* * *
Georgia Game and Fish is the official monthly magazine of the Georgia Game and Fish Commission , published at the Commission's offices, 401 State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. No advertising accepted. Subscription s are $1 for one year or $2 .50 /or three years. Printed by Steirr Printing Compan y, Atlanta, Ga. Notification of address change must include both old and new address and ZIP code, witlr 30 day s notice. No subscription requests will b e accepted without ZIP code. Articles and photographs may be reprinted. Proper credit should be gi ven. Contributions are welcome, but the editors assume
o responsibility or liability for loss or damage of articles, photoraps, or illustrations. Application to mail at second-class postage rates is pending at Atlanta, Georgia.

The big moment is at hand for this hunter, as he draws a fine bead on a dandy buck in Georgia's forest lands. There's better hunting for everyone this year.

Chances of getting a deer are better for more Georgia hunters, thanks to a continually growing herd

B y Dean Wohlgemuth Did you get your buck last year? If not, don't give up hope. There's probably a better chance you'll bag your venison this season.
For several years . ow, Georgia's deer hunting trend has been one of improvement. The state's deer herd is getting bigger each year, and chances are better for a hunter to get his game.

"Overall, the deer population ts mcreasing gradually, and so the number of deer killed also increases," said Hubert Handy, coordinator of game management for the Game and Fish Commission. "We should have a better season than last year," he said.
Deer season is about a week later in opening this year than it has been in the

It's a chore to ge t your buck out of th e woods, but have you e ver heard anyone complain about it? These hunters don't mind th e task a bit.
2

past. The reason for this is that Com-

mission experts believe the later open-

ing will allow the season to better

coincide with the rutting, or mating sea-

son of deer. This should increase the

crop of deer produced next spring.

Additionally, deer hunting is usually

better during the rut, since bucks be-

come more aggressive and less cautious

when seeking a mate. And visibility in

the woods is better later when more

leaves fall off the trees. All this is ad-

vantageous to the hunter.

").

So this year, most sections of the state will herald in the deer season on

Nov. 5. In northern and middle sec-

tions, the season will continue through

Nov. 28. In southwest Georgia, the

season will remain__ open through Jan.

5. Coastal counties, in southeast Geor-

>

gia, will be the first to open with the



dates of the season there running from

Oct. 29 through Jan. 5.

,

As usual, the William Tells will have

their season first with the bow and ar-

row clan taking to the woods in search

for a deer from Oct. 1 through Oct. 29

in all counties that are open for the gun

season.

Complete details on seasons and open

counties can be found in the Sports-

man's Calendar, just inside the back

cover of this magazine.

In outlining deer populations in var-

ious areas of the state, and pinpointing

hotspots for the coming season, Handy in that area. Also, in the Fort Stewart

said the Piedmont or Central Section of area, game is plentiful.

Georgia has probably the largest deer Coastal counties will also put veni-

herd.

son on a lot of hunters' dinner tables.

"Putnam, Jones, Morgan, Jasper,

National Forest lands in the moun-

Monroe, McDuffie and Greene coun- tains of north Georgia which are open

ties have the largest deer herd in the to public hunting during the open deer

state and there should be very fine hunt- season, will account for their share of

ing in that area," said Handy. Because deer kills by Peach State sportsmen.

of the large deer crop, one day of either- Lumpkin, White, Towns, Union and Ra-

sex hunting will be allowed on the final bun counties all should produce very

day of the season in Jasper, Jones, Mon- fine hunting.

roe, Putnam and McDuffie counties.

Deer hunting should rate at least

Another area that is expected to pro- fair in northwest Georgia, said Handy.

duce good hunting is around Columbus "You can't say it will be 'good,' but it

-Stewart, Chattahoochee, Muscogee and will be at least fair. The herd there is



Marion counties.

not as large as in northeast Georgia."

Directly across the state from Colum- The only section of the state showing

bus to the east, the area around Augusta a decline in its deer population is the

and Clark Hill Reservoir will yield good southwest corner, according to Handy,



sport for deer hunters.

apparently because of over hunting in

"There is a good deer herd all up some sections. Because of a slightly

and down the Savannah River," said lower population, southwest Georgia will

Handy. "If we could eliminate all the likely produce less deer to hunters this

wild dogs that chase deer in that area, season.

we could have a lot better herd here." Management areas will also continue

Bulloch, Screven and Jenkins coun- their trend over recent years to provide

ties should be among the best counties better and better hunting.

The youngsters get into the act too, like 14-year-old David Pettigrew of Forsyth in Monroe County. Each year, more and more youngsters as well as adult hunters try their hand at hunting deer -and a good number of them get their bucks.
Adding to the excitement and atmosphere of th e hunt is the deer camp. Such camps spring up all over Georgia when the season opens. More than 100,000 Georgians hunted deer last year, and even more are expected this season.
3

No matter how you hunt you can get your deer if you remember to
Keep your eye on the .deer trails
By Richard W. Whittington
4

The native range of the whitetail deer is the largest of any single big game species in the United States. Its popularity to hunters nationwide can be attributed to this fact. Certainly you could say it is the most popular big game animal in Georgia. Of all the game animals in this state, the whitetail deer is spreading at the fastest rate. They are simpl y popping up in places that have had no deer since the late 1800's. Changing land use has created excellent deer range and has greatly accelerated the rate of spread. Total coverage of the state by our deer herd is possible within the next decade.
Whitetail hunting takes on a variety

of forms which are largely determined are being used heavily. Deer will use dark. It is good strategy to do a con-

by the type of terrain, local customs and the same feeding area day after day, siderable amount of sitting and watch-

regulations. Mountain and Piedmont sec- but they will seldom bed in the same ing a feeding area during these two

tions of Georgia are usually still-bunted spot on consecutive days.

periods. Any trails leading to the feeding

while the Coastal Plains are still-hunted

Some fundamental knowledge of deer area should be located and considera-

and drive-hunted with and without dogs. habits is important in tracing their tion given to the wind direction before

Both methods have their merit, but still- movements. In addition to feeding at choosing a stand since these trails will

hunting is growing in popularity even in night, deer feed mostly in early morning be used by deer coming to the feeding

the traditional dog-hunting sections.

and late evening. They eat a variety of area in most cases. Tree stands are very



Knowledge of the country is valuable leaves , twigs, shrubs, weeds and fruits . effective, but not essential. This type of in determining where and how to hunt An especially tasty fruit is acorns from hunting is called still-hunting.

a an area effectively and is equally im- almost any species of oak. A heavy

Another productive method of hunt-

portant to prevent becoming lost. Pre- acorn crop will concentrate deer and ing is to sit on trail or at the junction

hunt scouting trips give the hunter an provide some excellent hunting.

of two or more trails and intercept the

advantage in knowing the general di- Feeding movements are apt to begin deer moving to or from feeding or bed-

rection of deer movements to and from at daybreak and end by mid-morning ding areas. The area to sit should be

feeding areas and the exact areas which and then start again a short time before open enough to shoot without interfer-

5

ence since the deer will probably be moving at a steady walk. Always check the wind and be careful not to step in the trail the deer will travel. Human scent will remain for several hours under dry conditions and considerably longer if the ground and vegetation are wet. Deer have a very keen sense of smell and will spook quite easily at human scent.
Stalking deer is a form of still-hunting since the hunter is motionless a great deal of the time. Sneaking along the edges of creek bottoms and hollows, always walking into the wind, and standing still frequently to look and listen will often reveal a deer that is unaware of your presence. Continuous walking produces noise that is not natural and will spook most deer before the hunter is ready for a shot. Stalking is best in fairly dense cover since the hunter would be detected quite easily walking in the open.
Drive-hunts are conducted by bunters walking through large areas of dense cover which deer normally bed or feed. The object is for the "drivers" to flush the deer into sight of the "slanders." The standers should be positioned on firebreaks, deer trails, logging roads or in natural openings which will give them the clearest view of any approaching deer. The drivers should be in a long line across the area to be driven with the hunters on each end of the line slightly ahead of the others in order to detect any deer trying to sneak around the

edge of the line. Drivers or standers should be a safe distance from the hunter on either side.
Both noisy and quiet drives are used. A noisy drive tends to stir up deer and often the standers get only running shots. The quiet drive tends to move deer to the standers slowly so that a walking or standing shot is presented. The drive should move downwind if possible to prevent the deer from scenting the slanders.
Dog-hunting for whitetails where legally allowed in South Georgia is popular in sections with very dense cover. A hunt may be conducted in much the same manner as a drive-hunt with the exception that dogs are used for driving the deer. In some instances small areas are completely surrounded by standers. Positioning of the hunters on each existing deer trail is important since many deer will use them as escape routes.
Another method of dog-hunting widely accepted is using natural barriers such as lakes or streams to guide the chased deer through a line of slanders. These barriers tend to turn the deer in the desired direction; however, hard pressed deer will frequently swim to elude the dogs.
Weather conditions determine, to a great extent, the amount of movement
by deer during the daylight hours. Deer feed heavily immediately before a cold front regardless of the time of day. Another peak period of movement is fol-

Deer hunting with a bow and arrow is becoming increasingly popular in Georgia. Last year, more than 8,000 archers hunted deer of both sexes during October.

lowing rain. With either of these conditions prevailing, the hunter should remain on his stand or continue stalking through the entire day. Weather conditions are not nearly so critical in drive hunting.
In extremely cold weather, deer will frequently seek sheltered areas from the wind. The south side of slopes or mountains are good bets to find deer sunning themselves during the middle of the day. Contrary to popular belief, deer get cold and seek the sunny areas for warmth. Movement is high throughout the day in this type weather.
Choosing the weapon for hunting whitetails is a matter of personal preference. Weapons commonly used are bow and arrow, rifle and shotgun. Any of these are adequate providing the hunter knows the limitations of the particular weapon. The effectiveness of the bow and arrow is determined by the position of the hit and the ability of the hunter to trail the deer. Any legal bow, which must have a pull of more than 40 pounds, that is properly used will do very well on white tails.
The shotgun with buckshot has a large limitation which is badly abused by hunters. Unfortunately, few people realize how close deer must be for buckshot to kill effectively. The range at which a particular gun will consistently put five pellets on a deer size target is the effective range of the gun. The shotgun with rifled slugs is a very good killer at much greater ranges than with buckshot.
Any legal caliber rifle will effectively kill deer provided the shot is placed correctly. Any shot from the last rib forward to the head should do the job unless the deer is only "nicked." Neck and head shots are spectacular killers, but they will frequently ruin a trophy head for mounting. If the hunter is not sure of himself, he should aim for the ribs or shoulder and squeeze off the shot.
Needless to say, it's a good safety idea to wear a red, yellow or orange hat or coat while deer hunting. Be sure you have clearly identified your target before pulling the trigger. Don't make "sound" shots.
The identification of a legally antlered buck is very important to the hunter. In many instances a deer . may be identified as a doe unless it has a large rack. The use of binoculars or a scope will aid the hunter in inspecting each deer closely. A large group of deer will usually be does and fawns. Any
deer following the group at a distance could be a buck trailing one of the group. The hunter should be suspicious
of any deer traveling alone. This may be the trophy buck he has waited a lifetime for.

6



A bi g bass, all green and white and

November, and the first part of Decem-

black, whacking a stout fishing pole silly

ber. Allatoona creel records show Oc-

. . . in October? .. . just doesn't ring

tober is the high bass month for the en-

true. October is for birds on wing, puffs

tire year. Rubbing shoulders with both

of shotgun smoke, and the solid belt in

South Ca rolin a and Georgia, Clark Hill

the shoulder of Mr. 12 gauge.

Reservoir has crappie fishing at its best

And then November ... a saltwater

in N ovember. It's this way for most

living fi sh called a trout, pulling with

waters throughout the state. Usually one

autumn vigor against the baited line he

or more popular fi sh is the bitingest in

so fooli shl y fell for .. . again, it doesn't

the fall.

seem quite right. November blurts in

Not to be left out of this excellent

with deer ghosting through trees and a

autumn fi shing, Georgia streams and

thousand human eyes looking for the

rivers make good showings. Mountain

p rize rack.

streams flow low and clear and fish

The gist of this little calendar game

congregate in pools. Trouters get an

is to point out a fishy fact. Fishing is

added treat this year. In the past,

great in Georgia in the fall! In fact

stream s have closed on Sept. 15. This

sometimes better th an that wonderful

year closing is scheduled for Oct. 15,

spring fishing .

a whole month's reprieve.

Game and Fish Commission creel

Down south , in the Suwannee, fall

reports show th at many times, fall an-

fi shing might even be a shade better

glers pull in more fi sh than spring an-

th an spring angling. The Alapaha River

glers. Probabl y the same people, though .

lowers and clears, and chain pickeral

If a gu y is going to pull them in like

(or jack ) fishing is tops.

crazy in the spring, he will probably

This is also the happy season for

Coastal fi shing has its fall champions.



give a repeat performance in the fail. some of the seasoned anglers. They like Where onl y a few large channel bass Or will he? Rip the August page off to see hunting season come- just to are caught during the warmer months,

the calendar and many fishing rods thin the ranks of fish catchers. Water the bigger channel bass move inshore

are stashed and whole bevies of guns skiers also dwindle away. "Tough and concentrate off the \Jeaches and in



a re dug out of storage. Fi shing follows break! "

the mouths of inlets, during October

the migrating bi rds.

Fi shing is good in the fall for the sim- and November. And that old phoney

ot all outdoorsmen are so speedy ple fact th at the fish start hitting again . trout, the speckled sea trout, which is

about storing the tackle box. They Wh y? Water temperature. It cools, nat- reall y a weakfish, find s his way to more

lin ger on . Some handil y combine morn- urall y. And as the water temperature creels, stringers, or ice boxes, during the

ing fi shing and afternoon shooting. A slides down the Farenheit scale, fish fa ll season.

day of dove shooting and fishing, any- shake their summer sluggishness, and

No w, suggestions are as plentiful as

one? Or they will utilize the lulls in start feeding with vigor.

fl eas on a mang y mutt. But remember.

fi shin g to whack a few birds with buck-

eed proo f? In the large Jakes, bass Fall is for hunting - yet, fishing is great,

shot.

fi shing is par excellence in late October, too.











Th ere are plenty of fish to go around in th e autumn , with less com petition on th e wa ters. Y ou're sure to get m ore and bigger
fis h th an you did durin g hot weath er.

Y ou'll fin d action aplenty, but don't expect to land them all. T he big ones start
hitting when the weath er begins to cool dow n and whet th e appetites o f all fish .
7

Photo Credit: Hubert Handy
a crop to be harvested
More deer for Georgians through better management By Jim Tyler
8

Deer stocking was an important factor in getting Georgia's deer herd on the road to return. Now , deer are found in all of G eorgia's !59 counties, with a hunting season in 85 counties.

Picture 100,000 deer feasting hungrily People for years had taken deer with

throughout the forests of Georgia. Each no limits, no seasons, no nothing. They

year a new crop of fawns raises the literally exterminated the deer popula-

number by 30,000. Deer, deer and more tion. North Georgia was, therefore, de-

deer. This sounds great to the hunter. void of deer by the late 1890's. In fact,

And if this were all there was to it, it the last known north Georgia deer of

would be great - we would have an this era was run down and killed by

abundance of deer. But wait a minute. dogs in 1895 in Fannin County. Prob-

Actually Georgia does have about a.bly some deer were present, but in

100,000 deer within its borders. Good scant numbers.

healthy deer. Yet this great number of In J 928 , a deer stocking program was

deer needs plenty of food to be healthy, initiated by the U.S. Forest Service.

to function properly, and to reproduce. Deer were moved from Pisgah National

This is one of the catches of a big deer Forest in North Carolina to north Geor-

herd. Food. Good nutritious food . Deer gi a. With this start, deer were again in

have to be managed so there are not too north Georgia.

many for the available food supply.

In the next three years the State

To do this, to keep a balance be- Game and Fish Commission trans-

tween deer and food , crowded deer can planted another I 00 deer and the For-

sometimes be moved to different areas est Service brought in about 50 more.

where food is plentiful. Or they can be As this small number multiplied, sev-

harvested by hunting.

eral were trapped and moved to other

Let's go back a bit. In the late 1800's suitable areas throughout the state. The

Georgia didn't have to worry a whit first legal deer hunt from this scanty

about too many deer in certain areas. beginning was in 1940. The whitetails

There weren't any wild deer in north were back.

Georgia. In south Georgia, deer were But Hubert Handy, coordinator of

found on the coastal islands and a few game management for the State Game

were scattered throughout the planta- and Fish Commission, says " a problem

tion lands, but hunting was almost nil. shows up with a deer population that

J
' .
' .

Wildlife rangers play one of the most important roles in deer management. Control of illegal hunting and free running
dogs are two of tfte biggest current problems in Georgia deer management.
Food patch es on gam e management areas are just one of many techniques used to in crease the deer and turkey population . Control of th e harvest by hunters is th e m ost important.
Carefully watch ed-o ver management areas not only provide excellent hunting, they also helped to form a nucleus for the big rebuilding job across the state.

isn 't managed . It never gets off the ground when hounded by poachers and dogs. It just stays about so, never really getting any larger. Deer have to be managed."
To combat this, the Commission began establishing wildlife management areas in 1938 . The original idea behind the areas was that they would provide a center point where deer could be watched over and dogs kept out. The deer would flourish and spread out. The idea didn't pan out. Outside the protected areas, dogs slaughtered them.
Deer just can't shake dogs from their trail unless they can get in water to lose their trail of scent. In hilly or mountain areas, a deer will keep circling a mountain on the same contour until he is finall y exhausted and at the mercy of dogs . Dogs give no mercy.
Because the deer were not spreading out to any great extent, the Commission continued trapping deer from areas that contained too many deer for the available food and moving them to areas of abundant food . Catching a live deer is done by one of two ways. They can be lured into wooden traps baited with corn or salt, or they can be shot with a dart gun containing a tranquilizer that stuns them . Over 600 captured deer have been transplanted . But it is a slow and expensive way.
It wasn't until 1959 that the statewide

deer population was given a solid shot in the arm which took it, as Handy said, above the level where it just stayed about the same to its present level of about 100,000 deer. From 1959 to J961 , 1,000 deer were brought in from Texas and Wisconsin. With this big boost, stocked in areas of good deer habitat with no or few deer, Georgia's deer population was on its way.
Establishing out-of-state deer and restocking Georgia deer have done much to establish the deer population. It's a matter of putting the deer where the food is. No matter how you look at it, a certain amount of deer food will only support a certain amount of deer.
When the deer are stocked in areas of abundant food they still have to be watched. The critter will sometimes eat himself out of house and home. The population has to be kept at a level consistent with the amount of food the area will grow.
It is important, therefore, to keep the number of deer at a certain level. If the Commission doesn't do it by regulated hunting, nature will harvest in her own way. Disease and starvation enter the scene.
Deer management by the Commission is a delicate business. Good scientific management, that is.
But that is what managers are for-to manage. And when something unusual does appear, research is initiated to see how serious the situation is. For example, some cattlemen once thought deer carried anaplasmosis, a blood disease fatal to young cattle. They don't. But it had to be scientifically proven.
Game and Fish rangers play a vital role in the deer management picture. Law enforcement, control of free rangi~ dogs, and putting the grips on night slaughter of deer by poachers using spot lights are all significant factors that have caused the deer herd to spiral upward.
Without planning as such, another event has favored .the deer. The agriculture trend in Georgia has changed rapidly in recent years. Farm crops are being replaced by forest stands. Over 200,000 acres are converted yearly into forest areas. This helps the deer - and the hunter.
Deer hunting will continue to increase in magnitude and the Commission hopes to see the near future usher in regulations that will open every county in the state for deer hunting.
In a way, then, the deer is a crop. And just like a crop of corn, it has to be looked after and managed. Deer managers, your State Game and Fish Commission, will probably not be able to produce more deer to the acre in the future, but will have more acres to work with. The harvesters of this bigger crop? The hunter.

9

meet your commissioner

The State Game and Fish Commission is a constitutional body composed of II members, one from each of the ten congressional districts in Georgia, plus one member from the six coastal counties.
It's members are appointed by the governor for seven year terms. Each member serves without compensation, except travel expenses to and from meetings.
In this series of articles, you will meet individually the men who represent you in the conservation and development of Georgia's wildlife resources.

Judge Harley Langdale of Valdosta, Soon, he had built up a woods empire

chairman of the State Game and Fish that now totals more than 175,000 acres

Commission, can be described as a leg- in 11 Georgia counties and two counties

endary figure in his own lifetime.

in Florida, which also includes exten-

Born on the edge of the Okefenokee sive farming operations.

11

Swamp near the Georgia-F lorida line,

Now one of the wealthiest men in

Judge Langdale's early years were spent Georgia , Judge Langdale has used his

in the woods with his father, a turpen- money and his influence to help his fel-

,,

tine farmer who killed bears and wild- low men . Many a struggling South

cats in the swamp by the score, and Georgia youngster has completed his

who fed his family on wild turkey, college education with the judge's un-

venison , and wi ld honey.

pub licized help. One of his favorite

From the time the judge was 10 years projects is the Valdosta-Lowndes County

old , he dipped turpentine from his Hosp ital Authority. As chairman, the

father's pines, cutting cypress crossties judge attends every meeting faithfully.

in the depths of the swamp during the

President of the American Turpen-

'I

winter, when turpentine trees are dorm- tine Farmers Association from its

ant. Leaving the woods behind, he ob-
tained hi s law degree from Mercer University and began practicing law in

founding until recently, Judge Langdale played an important role in obtaining government stab ilization of the turpentine industry, bringing prosperity to

Quail hunting is Judge Langdale's favorite pastim e, along with watching his dogs work .

Valdosta, where he was soon elected thousands of turpentine growers and for his three sons, all of whom were

judge of the city recorder's court. He their employee all over the United sent to work in the turpentine woods at

began investing every dollar he earned States.

the age of ten , just as their father was.

or could borrow to buy pine timberland,

Judge Langdale has always believed

The judge believes that hard work

then selling for as low as dollar an acre. in hard work, and made no exceptions and plenty of hunting and fishing is the

secret to preventing juvenile delinquen-

The Langdale Company's operations at Va ldosta are centered around a 250 acre plan t where 50,000 barrels of gum turpentine are processed a year, along with 100 million

cy. Even when he was deeply in debt, he aw that his sons always had access

board feet of lumb er from a sawm ill and wood processing plant .

to fishing tackle, shotguns, and shells.

To this day, they are all avid hunters

and fishermen , just as their father is.

The judge's favorite recreation is

quail hunting, in a style that can be

seen only in a few places in the world,

mostl y in the pl antation area of South-

west Georgia, the "Quail Capitol of the

World." During the quail season, the

judge hunts his 20,000 ac re private

shooting grounds every day of the week,

unless pressing business keeps him

away.

Of his 20,000 acres of hunting land,

Judge Langdale practices his most in-

tensive quail management on about

10,000 acres, including some 5,000

acres at "Kinderlou" in Lowndes

County, hunted only by the judge and

guests who never forget the experience.

10




JUDGE HARLEY LANGDALE, SR.

Judge Langdale's Valdosta office
reflects his life-long devotion to hunting and fishing , which he has never neglected while building a multi-million dollar turpentine, timber business, said to use everything about a pine tree "except the shadow it casts on the ground."

by Jim Morrison

Judge Langdale is one of Georgia's longtime dog trainer, Crawford Corbett, greatest joy, and he takes a personal in-

leading advocates of controlled burning could hardly find words to express their terest in the performance of each dog,

for quail in mature pines. Divided into disappointment. "Worst hunting we ever calling him by name and recalling his

squares by fire lanes, his land is bu rned had," said the judge. "I don't know most unusual covey points.

in checkerboard fashion every two what's wrong. We always get a covey Since his appointment to the State

years, insuring that quail can escape out of that patch."

Game and Fish Commission from the



to a nearby unburned block while pro- Over the past half century, the judge Eighth Congressional District by former

viding a diversity of habitat. In addi- has worn out three 16-gauge Winchester Governor Ernest Vandiver in January

tion to burning, the judge has planted more than 100 food patches of mixed quail foods throughout the area, which concentrates the birds for easier hunting along the firebreak roads, many of

Formerly a great horseman, the judge at th e age of 78 now prefers to drive himself around at the wheel of his Ford, watching the pine trees and quail grow .

of 1961 for a seven-year term, Judge Langdale has taken an active role in the protection and development of Georgia's wildlife resources throughout the entire state. He is a staunch believer

which are seeded to bicolor lespediza.

in the importance of law enforcement

In areas where light cattle grazing is

and public education in protecting wild-

permitted , food patches are fenced in.

life from poaching, out of season bunt-

Hunters from less fortunate areas

ing, and over shooting. He especially

are amazed that the Judge hunts only

detests quail trapping and alligator

coveys, never single birds. He never al-

poaching, along with the use of illegal

lows more than four birds to be shot

fish baskets in rivers and streams. He

in the same covey, and feels that hunt-

knows all of the wildlife rangers in his

ing is poor if his dogs don't find more

district personally, and follows their ac-

than one covey every 15 minutes. On a

tivities closely.

recent visit to "Kinderlou" by Field &

In addition to demonstrating the im-

Stream humorist Corey Ford, the day's

portance of sound biological principles

I

hunt produced 21 coveys in five hours

I

of hunting. Judge Langdale and his

in managing game and fish on his own personal hunting and fishing areas, the

Judge leases some 60,000 acres of tim-

berland free of charge to the State in

The judge does his quail hunting from a specially designed cart which is also a mobile dog pen capable of holding as many as a dozen pointers at a time.

pumps, and recently bought a 12-gauge Winchester automatic with a fiberglass barrel. In addition to quail hunting, he is an avid dove and deer hunter, and enjoys duck shooting.
The judge's deer hunting is restricted primarily to a timbered 30,000 acre tract near the Okefenokee Swamp, which also has a few turkeys, but not as many as the judge would like.
Judge Langdale is a bird dog lover of the first order. He owns at least 15 or 16 pointers at any given moment, along with a setter or two, carefully and lovingl y trained by Mr. Corbett, who has served as the judge's fulltime dog trainer for more than 12 years.
Watching the dogs work is the judge's

the Suwanoochee Game Management Area, the largest public hunting area in Georgia.
Judge Langdale threw his great personal influence in full support of the recent increase in the hunting and fishing license fees to provide more funds for wildlife conservat.ion. In addition to wildlife, the judge has always practiced and advocated soil, water, and forest conservation, and has received many honors for his conservation activities, culminated by his selection as "Conservationist of the Year" by the Georgia Sportsmen's Federation in 1964, and his election as chairman of the State Game and Fish Commission
in 1966.

11

Landlocked striped bass like those that grow up to 55 pounds in South Carolina's
Santee-Cooper reservoirs may soon be a reality in Georgia lakes, thanks to the increase in the price of hunting and fishing license fees .
To Catch
A Fish
by Jim Morrison

the story of the hunting and fishing license increase

It's a hot, still day on your favorite reservoir in midsummer.
Things have been pretty slow on the lake, like they always are in late July and August. Bass aren't biting, and the crappie have gone deep.
About the only action you hope for is to spot a school of white bass, while several small white birds fly lazily over your head under the blazing sun. Suddenly, they dive toward the surface of the lake. The realization hits you that fish , big fish, are tearing the calm water apart! A long slim form leaps clear of the water, diving back with a thrashing motion that sends a white spray cascading behind a glimpse of an unusually wide tailfin disappearing into the water.
With a quick yank of the starter rope and a frantic burst of speed, you gun your motor in time to see other sliver shapes, smaller in size, urgently leaping from the water, followed by more large silver torpedoes.
Casting your silver spoon into the middle of the turmoil, something big and brawny inhales your lure and heads for the other side of the lake, while the drag on your reel whines furiously!
It's a long hard struggle. He won't be "horsed" in , and running under the

boat a few times sets your heart pounding with the thought of losing the trophy fish of your life.
Finally, a long, dark shape with flaring fins is brought near the boat, the net dips behind him, and you are looking at your first landlocked Georgia striped bass!
Sound impossible? Not if the plans of the State Game and Fish Commission made possible by this year's increase in the cost of fishing licenses work out. Striped bass fishing and many other surprises for Georgia's fishermen are in Santa 's sack, read y to be delivered during the next few years.
Just like any program of far reaching consequence, many of the improvements Georgia fishermen will be seeing for their extra license dollar will take time to produce. but progress is underway or on the drawing board in many areas.
The saltwater striped bliSS stocking program is one of the more popular projects that Georgia fishermen are rooting for. Biologists of the Game and Fish Commission are hard at work now on developing successful techniques for economicall y ratsmg sub-adult size striped bass for stocking in large Georgia reservoirs.

Trout stocked in Lake Lanier less than three years ago have already reached m ore than seven pounds in size. Expansion o f th e program will allow more trout stocking in coldwater lakes.

12

Encouraged by the spectacular suc- River coosae bass, which is similar in by mule-drawn implements that don't

cess of rainbow trout stocking in Lake size and appearance to the northern hold water, and ponds that are almost

Lanier even without natural reproduc- smaUmouth. These fish commonly grow impossible to drain and safely remove

tion, fisheries men believe that good to five a_nd six pounds in size, and re- fish from them. The answer is construc-

striper fishing probably can be main- produce in greater numbers than large- tion .of a concrete catch basin around the

tained in an y large reservoir that has mouth bass in streams. These fish may pond drain where fish in a drained

a heavy population of gizzard shad as eventuall y be stocked in the Ocmulgee, pond can be easily seined up without

food fish, provided the stripers can be Oconee, Alcovy, Towaliga, Broad, Ogee- muddying the water to such an extent

raised in hatcheries in large enough chee, and Little ri vers, provided that re- th at it kills small, immature fingerling

numbers at a low enough cost.

search projects on these streams show fish .

Lakes which may one day feature their desirability.

Largemouth bass, bream, and chan-

striped bass fishing if the project is

Present efforts to establish walleye nel catfish for new or renovated private

successful include Seminole, Black- io the large northern reservoirs will be pond stocking at a lower cost to the

shear, _Worth, Walter F . George, Sin- concentrated on Lake Allatoona, Nott- state will continue to be necessary,

clair, Clark Hill , and Hartwell. Natural ely, and the new Carter's D am reser- and more efficient hatcheries will fill

spawning of striped bass might be pos- voir, along with possible stockings fur- the need.

sible in Lake Seminole and Blackshear, ther south.

One possible use of such hatchery

but proposed dams on tributary spawn-

How will it be possible to stock these pond space is rearing of threadfin shad ,

ing streams may doom the self-sustain- new fish as a result of the fishing license a small warmwater food fish , for stock-

ing population possi bility, making peri- increase? All of these programs depend ing in north Georgia reservoirs too cold

odic restocking necessary to maintain on new research that must be conducted for the shad to survive in the winter.

striper fishing.

by increased technical personnel , but Brood fish stocked every spring would

Another study will soon be under- one of the most fundamental needs spaw n heavily in lakes such as Burton,

way to determine what can be done for such a program is improvement of producing _a tremendous food supply

about increasing spawning runs of one of the most useful and one of the for trout, bass, and other species during

striped bass up the coas tal plains rivers most misunderstood tools of a fi sheries the warm part of the year, which will

from the ocean, especially in the Sa- biologist - the fish hatchery.

then be-eaten by the thousands as they

va nnah, Ogeechee, Altamaha, Satilla,

Although Georgia presently has eight die during cold weather that winter.

and St. Mary's rivers. Research may fi sh hatcheries in all areas of the State, Hatchery ponds are needed for all

indicate the possibility of stocking most of them were built more than 20 the experimental stocking programs of

hatchery striped bass in these streams years ago when little was known about the department where it is desirable to

to enter the ocean and later return to modern standards of hatchery construc- stock a slightly larger fingerling fish,

spaw n and be caught by fishermen , par- tion. Because of the shortage of money especiall y walleye, smallmouth bass,

ticul arly in areas where pollution has in the G ame and Fish Commission in Flint River bass, and striped bass.

almost wiped out reproduction .

recent years, little has been done to H atcheries scheduled for renovation

Other new species of fish being modernize most of these hatcheries since during the next two years include Wal-

groomed for stocking introductions in- they were built. Now, with license in- ton near Covington , Richmond Hill

clude the northern smallmouth bass, crease money, the efficiency of these near Savannah, Bowen's Mill near Fitz-

which may be the answer for man y hatcheries to produce fish for experi- gerald, Dawson, Cordele, and Summer-

north Georgia streams, especially in mental stocking programs such as ville.

northwest Georgia, that are too cold for striped bass wi ll be greatly increased In the north Georgia trout areas,

largemouth bass and too warm for by construction renovation .

greate r efforts will be made to increase

trout.

The specific things to be done to the production of native stream-raised

For fas t-flowing middle Georgia hatcheries to achieve these goals don't trout, rather than use of hatchery



streams on the fall line with extensive sound very exciting, but they are fun- stocked trout. In some streams, dams

shoal areas, Commiss ion fish biologists damental needs which can't be ignored will be built blocking the upstream mi-

are stud ying introduction of the Flint any longer. Ex amples include dams built

C o ntinued on Page 16

where your money's going

This "la unching area" on Lake Tugalo near Clayton is typical of th e poor access
for fishermen to many of th e state's fin est fishing waters.

Under the license increase program , concrete launching ram ps will be built on
m ore than 32 m ajor Georgia rivers and lakes which presently have no such faciliti es .
13

With hundreds of calibers to choose

from it's no wonder that hunten se-

lecting their fint deer ri8e manap to

be pretty confused.

Whether you've nevec hunted deer

before, or you're an oldtimer that has

decided it's time to turn Old Betsy out

to pasture and invest in BOme firepower

of the newer moclela, there's a big de-

cision ahead of you.
There DO such thins 81 the perfect

rifte for everyone. Each cartridp il made for a specific job. You could aet

10 deer hunters togetller, aad youd

probably aet l 0 aatWei'B Oil bich cali-

ber il best..

-Daht? In aB

cam. likelihood, eadi OIW ~ They bave

selected tbe

perfonDI

wbat . expected of ~for tile

maa doiD8 the tl'ip P811PIJI. U'illess you're q Of

who cea aftord a raeltf81~M

most Jibty lootins

QDe -..poll

that WiJl serve well IUlY ~ for which you plan to use a~

rifle.

So the first thins to CibDilider in buy-

w-... "" a rifte, il detenniliiaa the to

which it win be put.

8IJSUIDina

that you are lookina for a J8D. to be

used entirely -. or Deady 10 - 011 deer
huntin and that yQUr huatin& will be

for the most part limited to Gecqia.

Once we've gotten this established, that narrows the field considerably. Obviously, your shooting will be at rather close range. Most of your shots will be through brush or timber. What you need then is a caliber that is heavy enough to be able to fight its way through the brush and still be accurate and deadly up to perhaps 150 yards. Light bullets won't stay on line as well, once they hit a few small limbs. Nor do you need a light, high velocity cartridge that will drop only three inches in 250 yards.
True, the heavier cartridge will travel much slower. This may seem that it would have less impact when it hits the deer. But a slower, heavier cartridge will not deflect as badly when it hits a few branches. Its weight still delivers shock power at lower speed, because of that weight.
Generally speaking, a good Georgia deer cartridge should have a weight in the neighborhood of 100 to 180 grains, depending on the caliber. Heavier weight is unnecessary, unless you expect to shoot through extremely heavy brush. If you go much lighter, the bullets may go astray at the first twig. It should .be pointed out, however, that heavy, powerful cartridges don't make it possible to disregard brush. All bullets will be deflected some if they hit too many or too large twigs.
A velocity of between 2500 and 3000 feet per second on a bullet of 170 to 180 grains is powerful enough to put down the biggest deer you'll ever see, as long as you've hit him in a vital spot. To get more velocity, you'd have to get a lighter bullet. Then again we'd be headed back toward the fast, light bullet which would veer off target by tiny limbs more easily.
Certain calibers are outlawed in Georgia for deer hunting. Perhaps you'll hear someone tell how he's killed plenty of deer with one of these calibers, and you'll wonder why they're not allowed. Sure, you can kill with them. But the odds are heavily stacked against it. Unless your name is Davy Crockett, I wouldn't advise going bear hunting with a switch.
The deadliness of a rifle is measured in neither the speed or weight or the bullet alone, but rather in the shock power delivered by the combination of those two factors . A pedestrian bit by a bicycle at 40 miles per hour might be hurt worse than if he'd been hit by a I0-ton truck doing only two miles per hour. Yet if the truck is doing 30, and it hit a man inside a car even, death would be just about certain. Going similar speeds, the heavier vehicle is certainly more deadly.
Now, let's gef down to cases on which calibers are among the best choices, and

which are not. For the conditions you'll find in Georgia, these calibers are excellent: .30/ 06, .308, .35 Remington, 7 mm, .280 and those of similar size.
The .308, a cartridge born of recent military engagements, is a fine weapon. The .35 Remington is best when brush is extraordinarily heavy. In my opinion, the best all-around rifle for the man who wants to bunt all big game in Georgia, and has hopes of someday going out west where he may meet other conditions, would just have to be the .30/06.
If you were doing all your shooting in the wide open spaces, you couldn't do much better for deer than a .270, but all that speed and flat trajectory won't help you too much in Georgia's forests.
The .264 is much the same as the .270 in ballistics. When you get much below that, below the .25 caliber class, you've probably got a dandy little varmint rifle, but it isn't a deer gun.
The following calibers, because of their extra light weight, low velocity, and consequent low impact, are not legal for deer hunting in Georgia: .218 Bee; .22 Hornet, .22 Jet, .221 Fireball, .25-20, .256 Hawkeye, .32-20, and the .30 Caliber M-1 Army Carbine.
This M-1 Army Carbine has thrown a lot of people in Georgia for a loop. They've been offered a good price on this neat looking little rifle, and are told by some that it is legal. It is NOT!
The confusion possibly is due to the fact that the so-called M-1 Army RIFLE is legal. The difference? Quite a bit! The carbine cartridge is a short, low powered cartridge that resembles a .32 special pistol cartridge. The M-1 rifle referred to here, actually is the very potent .30/ 06 cartridge.
Legally, in Georgia, any cartridge of .22 caliber or more that is centerfire, with those rifles listed above excepted, may be used for deer.
More confusion. People ask is the regular little .22 rifle legal? Answer: NO! It is rimfire, not centerfire. It has very, very low velocity, weight, and impact.
Another point on legalities: rifles which meet the requirements set forth may be used for deer in all parts of the state.
By now, let us assume you've decided which caliber best suits your needs. What you need to decide next, is the style of actiori. Do you want a bolt, single shot, pump, lever or automatic?
A single shot may do the job, and be inexpensive. If you're convinced you're a good enough marksman that one shot is enough, take a single shot. Otherwise, rule out that choice.
I personally frown on automatics because, for one thing, a shooter is tempted to snap off too many shots too quick, rather than to take careful aim . If you

hit a deer several times, you've spoiled a lot of meat. Even then if you shoot quickly, you may leave him wounded with poorly placed shots and he'll get away.
In recent years, some very fine pumps with box magazines have been built for big game rifles, and the results appear to be excellent. The fast reloading action of a pump, without taking the shooter's eye far off the target, makes it a potent weapon that produces a great deal of firepower.
That leaves us with bolt and lever actions, the two most popular types for hunting rifles. The choice here is more personal than anything else. The bolt action is generally accepted as the strongest, most well made of all for rifles. Many large calibers can't be bought in lever action. In fact, there are relatively few calibers available in that style. If your choice comes in lever, well and good. Otherwise, you'd probably be smartest to choose a bolt action. The .30/30 is usually lever action, and the popular .308 comes in probably the widest variety of actions, including automatic, lever, bolt and if I'm not mistaken, there are even pumps made for it.
Various types of actions in which favorite deer calibers may be found: from left, automatic, bolt, lever and pump.

15

Continued from Page 13

first ramps. Local county or city gov- under the Golden Eagle program, but

gration of rough fish, followed by the ernments must be willing to participate no fee will be charged for use of ramps

elimination of all trash fish in the in the acquisition, construction, and built by the Game and Fish Commis-

stream above it and restocking only maintenance of the areas, in order to sion.

)

with trout. Dams to dig trout pools will spread out Commission funds over as At present, region managers of the

be constructed, along with artificial many ramps as possible.

Game and Fish Commission are nego-

spawning areas where erosion and silta-

Ramps will only be built on areas tiating with county officials in 42 loca-

.)

tion has ruined natural spawning. Cover which belong to the state, especially tions which have been selected by the

'.

will be planted along stream banks in highway right-of-way crossings at Commission for ramp construction, pro-

the Chattahoochee National Forest to bridges, or on selected priority areas vided local support is given to the proj-

provide cooling shade and cover for which are deeded to the state by the ects and a suitable site can be found .

trout, as well as stopping bank erosion. county, city, or private individuals. No Here is a list of the projects :

To help alleviate problems of finding a good place to fish in areas of the state

state funds will be used to purchase the sites.

N orth Georgia:

without . any large reservoirs or large

Construction of the concrete ramp Chattahoochee River above Atlanta,

)

streams and public lakes, such as north- itself will be done by Game and Fish two ramps ; Lake Nottely; Oostanaula

west and southeast Georgia, several Commission workers. The county will River, two ramps ; Lake Chatuge; Lake

public fishing lakes will be built by the be required to build an all-weather road Tugalo; Etowah River; Lake Seed.

Game and Fish Commission in the next few years on locations which will be determined based on the local need.
For many fishermen , the most significant result they will see from their license dollars in the next year will be

and parking area at the rampsite large enough to accommodate anticipated needs, and must also agree to maintain the road and parking area. The Game and Fish Commission will repair the ramp itself, if necessary. If the local

Middle Georgia:
Oconee River, three ramps; Flint River, three ramps; Goat Rock Reservoir; Savannah River; Lake Oliver; Ocmulgee River, two ramps.

the boat launching ramps being con- government wishes, it may install other South Georgia:

structed for fishermen on Georgia's fin- facilities on the area, including picnic Flint River, four ramps ; Chattahoochee

)

est fishing lakes and streams, many of tables, trash cans, fireplaces, tentsites, River; St. Mary's River; Ocmulgee

which are almost unfished because of toilets, etc. Federal funds for this pur- River, two ramps ; Satilla River; Little

the great difficulty of launching a boat pose are available to local governments River; Alapaha River, Suwanee River.

and removing it from the stream.

under the federal Land and Water Con-

}

Because of rough banks and heavy servation Fund, which also pays for Coastal Georgia:

brush, many streams can be fished from part of the ramp construction done by Altamaha River, two ramps; Savannah

the bank only at highway bridges, even the Game and Fish Commission. Money River; Ogeechee River, three ramps; though excellent fishing is going to for the Fund is obtained by entrance Oconee River; Canoochee River;

,,

waste in the areas which can only be fees charged at federal recreation areas Ohoopee River, Ocmulgee River.

reached by boat.

Under the program made possible

by the license increase, the Game and

Fish Commission will build a launching ramp approximately every 15 miles on

CITIES 25.000 POP AND OVER

20 major streams more than 2,933 miles

long, plus one ramp for every thousand

acres of water not now served by a

ramp in 12 private power company and

T.V.A. reservoirs with a total acreage

of more than 33,000 acres.

In all , the Commission plans to con-

struct more than 219 of the more ur-

gently needed ramps over a four to five

u

year period. More than 10 years will

pro!>ably be required to complete the

program. There are 42 ramps planned

for construction during the current fis-

t}
j

cal year for a total anticipated cost of

approximately $100,000.

Because of the number of ramps

needed and the limited amount of

money available each year for ramp

construction from license fees, ramps

will only be constructed this year in

areas where local interest in the project

is strong.

Selection of the areas for ramp con-

struction is based on fishing pressure

f)

and population studies of the areas in-

volved by Commission fisheries super-

visors, who must select the area as be-

ing a priority location. This year, ap-

I)

proximately 10 ramps each will be built

in the four Commission regions, to in-

sure fair geographic distribution of the



Sportsman's

Calendar

SEASONS NOW OPEN
DOVES
Season-Sept. 9 through Oct. 8, 1966 and Dec. 6 through Jan. 14, 1967.

SQUIRREL
Season-Oct. 15, 1966 through Feb. 28, 1967. Bag Limit- 10 D aily.

Crawford County north of U. S. 80, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd County east of U. S. 27 and north of U. S. 411, Gilmer County west of U. S. 76 and southwest of Ga. 52 and southeast of the Big Creek Gap Road

Bag Limit-12 D aily, possession limit 24.
MARSH HENS (GALLINULES & RAILS) Season-Sept. 15 through Nov. 23, 1966.

OPPOSSUM
Season-Oct. 29, 1966 through Feb. 28, 1967, Exception: Coweta County opens Oct. 1, 1966 through Jan. 21, 1967, N o Bag Limit.

to the Fannin County Line, Green, Habersham County west of U. S. 23 and south of Ga. 17 south of Hollywood, Hancock, Haralson, Henry, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Lincoln, Lumpkin, McDuffie, Monroe, Morgan, Murray, Newton, Oglethorpe


I

Bag Limit-15 Daily, possession limit 30.
SEASONS CLOSING THIS MONTH

RACCOON N . Ga. Season-Oct. 29, 1966 through Feb.

County south of U. S. 78, Paulding, Polk County east of U. S. 27 and south of U.S. 278, Putnam, Rabun, Richmond, Rockdale,

TROUT

28, 1967.

Schley, Stephens County south of U. S.

Open streams-Oct. 15

,

DOVES First half-Oct. 8

Bag Limit-One (I) per night per person. S. Ga. Season-No closed season. N o Bag Limit.
SEASONS OPENING NEXT MONTH

123 and west of Ga. 17 north of Toccoa, Talbot, Taliaferro, Towns, Union, Warren, White, Walton, Wilkinson, and Wilkes County east of Ga. 47 and south of U. S. 378.

SEASONS OPENING THIS MONTH

Bag Limit- Two (2) Bucks, except that in



ARCHERY DEER SEASON Archery Pre-Season Deer Hunt-Oct. l,

GUN DEER SEASON
Southwest Ga. Season-Nov. 5, 1966 through Jan. 5, 1967 in the following

order to harvest a bumper crop of deer, Jasper, Jones, Monroe, Putnam and McDuffie counties will be open for either-sex

1966 through Oct. 29, 1966 in any county counties:

deer hunting on the last day of the regular

or portion of a county which has an open gun season for deer hunting in the 1966-67 season.

Baker, Calhoun, Chattachoochee, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee County west of U. S. 19, Marion, Mitchell,

season, Nov. 28, 1966, with a bag limit of no more than one (I) doe deer. The regular season bag limits will also apply dur-

Bag Limit-As established by counties un- Muscogee, Seminole, Stewart, Terrell, ing this period, provided that no gun

der the gun season regulations, except that Thomas, Webster and Worth County south hunter during the entire year may take

archers may take deer of either sex during of U.S. 82.

more than two (2). bucks or one (1) buck

this special season. During the regular eason, all archers must conform to bag

Bag Limit-Two (2) Bucks, except in Baker, Calhoun, Grady, Dougherty, and

and one ( 1) doe by any method or methods.

limits and sex regulations as established Thomas. counties where the bag limit is

Deer hunting with dogs is prohibited in

for firearm regulations. In no case may a two (2) bucks or one (1) buck and one all of the above listed counties, and it is

.

hunter kill more than two deer during one (I) doe. Exception : The Worth County illegal to run, chase, or pursue deer with

year by any method or methods.

bag limit hall be one (I) buck only for dogs in any of these counties.

GUN DEER SEASON
Southeast Ga. Season-Oct. 29, 1966 through Jan. 5, 1967 in the following counties:
Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Camden, Candler, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch County south of the Atlantic Coastline Railroad and east of the run of Suwanoochee Creek, Echols County east of U. S. 129 and south of Ga. 187, Effingham, Emanuel north of U. S. 80, Evans, Glas-

the season.
Hunting with dogs will be allowed in all of the counties listed above during the season with the exception of Chattahoochee, Muscogee, and Worth counties, where hunting with dogs will be prohibited in order to prevent over-harvest of deer and to insure continued growth of the deer herd.

WILD TURKEY
West Central Ga. Season - Nov . 5, 1966 through Jan. 5, 1967 in the counties of Chattahoochee, Marion, Muscogee, Stewart, and Talbot.
Bag Lirnit- One (I) per season.
So uth west Ga. Season-Nov. 19, 1966 through Feb. 28 , 1967 in the counties of Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, and Thomas.

cock, Glynn, Jefferson, Jenkins, Liberty,

Bag Limit-Two (2) per season.

Long, Mcintosh, Pierce County south of



U. S. 82 and east of Ga. 121, Screven, Tattnall, Washington and Wayne counties.

Bag Limit-Two (2) Bucks. Hunting with dogs is allowed in all of the above counties.

QUAIL, BOBWHITE Season-Nov. 19, 1966 through Feb. 28, 1967.
Bag Limit-12 Daily, possession limit 36.



GROUSE, RUFFED
Season-Oct. 15, 1966 through Feb. 28, 1967.

N orth and Middle Ga. Season- Nov. 5, 1966 through Nov. 28, 1966 in the following counties :
Banks County east of U. S. 441, Baldwin, Bartow County south of the Etowah

RABBITS Season-Nov. 19, 1966 through Feb. 28, 1967.
N . Ga. Bag Limit-5 Daily.

Bag Limit-3 Daily, possession limit 6.

River west of U. S. 41, Butts, Columbia, S. Ga. Bag Limit- 10 Daily.

FOUR
IS THE LIMIT
I '

-.

j~

unless you subscribe to ''Game & Fish"

As a spec ial get-acqua inted offer, we're sending you the f irst four issues of GAME AND FISH Free . But beginning with the February issue, GAME AND FISH will be sent out only on a subscription basis.
GAME AND FISH is the only publication of its kind prepared especially for Georgia sportsmen. You won't want to miss a single issue.
BE SURE YOU RECEIVE THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF GAME AND FISH .. . SEND IN YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TODAY!
Only $1.00 buys you a year's subscription - 12 issuesof GAME AND FISH.
Special Bargain Rate: Only $2.50 for 3 years - 36 issues.

--------------------------, Fill Out and Mail Today to:
STATE GAME & FISH COMMISSION 401 State Capitol Build ing Atlanta, Georgia 30301
Make checks payable to: State Game & Fish Commi ssion
0 One year subscription, $1.00 0 Three year subscription, $2.50

Name

(please print)

Address

City

State

Zip Code

(zip code required)

L-------------------------