Georgia game and fish [Vol. 2, no. 1 (Jan. 1967)]

ORGIA .,y

VOL. 2, NO. 1 I JANUARY, 1967

R ~GEORGIA
;t!o-.;, GAME &FISH

* * *
We need Georgia's dog-deer law
"Any person may, and it shall be the duty of every

JANUARY 1967

wildlife ranger to kill any dog pursuing or killing deer

Volume II Number 1

in any locality other than that prescribed by the rules

Contents

and regulations of the commission permitting such hunting, and no action or damages shall be maintained against the person for the killing."

Score on Rabbits .. ........ . . . .. .F. R. Vergeer 1

(Actl955,pp. 483,518) This law was enacted in 1955 with the strong sup-

Powder Puff Parade .. . ........ . ... .Joe Kight 3

port of the Game and Fish Commission at that time.

lotor - The Bandit Face .... .. ...... .Jim Tyler 5 Just A Country Cracker . . . .... .. .. Jim Tyler 7 Let's Take Nature To The Very Young . . .Jim Tyler 8 Apples, Peanuts and 'Possums ..... . .. Glenn Smith 10

We feel that it is time some plain fa~ts were brought out concerning the reasons why this law was passed and why it is important to Georgia hunters.
The plain facts of the matter are that without the law quoted above, deer would be extinct in most

Meet Your Commissioner : . . . .... . . .. Jim Tyler 11

North and Middle Georgia counties, even though

Return of the Rockfish . . . ... Dean Wohlgemuth 12

They Were Eating Her Alive

.Jim Morrison 14

Sportsman's Calendar ... .. .. .

17

they are now found in all 159 counties with a hunting season in more than half of them. That deer in Georgia have been returned from the ranks of near-extinction to a large part is due to dog control efforts of the

Georgia Game and Fish Commission given legal sta-

r

tus by this law.

Carl E. Sanders

Except for man, the uncontrolled dog is_the only

Governor

serious predator capable of systematically destroying

COMMISSIONERS

Judge Harley Langdale, Chairman
Valdosta-8th District

Leonard Bassford, Vice Chairman
Augusta-lOth District

large numbers of deer, especially young fawns and pregnant does. This damage is done for the most part by stray or loose running dogs, rather than the valuable, well-trained hunting dogs of legitimate sportstnen.

William Z. Camp, Sec.

Charles L. Davidson, Jr.

Georgia's deer-dog law is not aimed at the quail

Newnan-6th District

Avondale Estates-4th District

hunter's pointer, the rabbit hunter's beagles, the

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

squirrel hunter's terrier, the fox or coon hunter's hounds, or thousands of harmless pets. The fact of the matter is that this law has seldom been used to destroy valuable hunting dogs and, then only when dogs were actually caught chasing or killing deer, if the chase could not be stopped. It has never been used as an excuse for wildlife rangers to go on a vendetta of destruction.
Georgia's wildlife rangers have always exercised con-

siderable restraint and discretion in their enforcement

ROSSER MALONE DIRECTOR

of the present deer-dogging law since its passage more than 10 years ago. Even though not required to do so by

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS

law, rangers have time and time again broken up deer

Howard D. Zeller Program Planning

Jack. A. Crockford Field Operations

chases without injuring the dogs involved,. whenever possible. Valuable dogs identified with a collar or tag

COORDINATORS

Leon Kirkland, Fisheries

Charles M. Frisbie,

Hubert Handy, Game

Marine Fisheries

RobertS. Baker, Law Enforcement Jim Morrison, Information and

Education

bearing their owners' name and address many times have been returned safely to their owners.
In the overwhelming majority of cases, the law has been used only against homeless stray or wild dogs turned loose to their own devices, preying on any

REGION MANAGERS

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

Wayne W. Thomaston,

David Gould, Brunswick, Coast

Fort Valley, M. Ga.

thing they can catch and kill. Without the strength afforded wildlife rangers by the existing law, little or nothing can be done to stop their wanton slaughter of Georgia wildlife and livestock, or even their threats

GEORGIA GAME & FISH STAFF

to human health and security. It would be highly unwise to gut the existing dog

Jim Morrison, Editor Dean Wohlgemuth,
Managing Editor

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

control authority of the Georgia Game and Fish Commission, and we urge the careful consideration of any such moves. - J.M.

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Georgia Game and Fish is the official monthly magazine of the Georgia Game and Fish Commission, published at th,e Commission's offices, 401 State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. No advertising accepted. Subscriptions are $1 for one year or $2.50 for three years. Printed by Stein Printing Company, Atlanta, Ga. Notification of ad-
dress change must include both old and new address and ZIP code, with 30 days notice. No subscription requests will be accepted without ZIP code. Articles and photographs may be reprinted. Proper credit should be given. Contributions are welcome, but the editors assume no responsibility or liability for loss or damage of articles, photographs, or illustrations. Second-class postage paid at Atlanta, Georgia.

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ON THE COVER Leaping eagerly to the chase, a pack of young Georgia beagles picks up the scent of a cottontail rabbit, and the excitement begins. Photo by Jim Morrison.
Photo Credits: Chester Gleason 14; Dan Keever I, 2, 3, 4, 5,
10, 11, 12, 13, 15; Jim Morrison 8, 9 r.; Jim Tyler 6, 9 1., 16.

By F. R. Vergeer

..

Game Biologist
Score

on

abbits

No matter what a man's favorite game is after he
has been hunting a fe wyears and tried several types ofgame, there's a better than 50-50 chance that the first game he hunted was the cottontail rabbit.
In later years, more sophisticated game might take the rabbit's place in the heart ofthe hunter. The cottontail may beforgot ten or even scorned by some aftera time. Yetmost sportsmen neverforget the little brown bunny with the ball ofbright white cotton for a tail, that taught him some ofthe basics ofhis sport.

Beagle m usic! It's clamourous, and really pretty much unmusical, yet it's a delight to the ears of any rabbit hunter as his pack of dogs yaps, yelps and yowls along the hot trail of a bunny.

Many a good lesson has been learned on rabbit hunts.
Perhaps the feeling for the cottontail is kept well hidden, deep inside some experienced hunters, yet others openly admit he's still a mighty fine adversary in the field, worthy of your challenge. Such sport as he provides in the initial field experiences of the golden days of boyhood are not easily forgotten. Experiences of those days are frequently among the most cherished of many an outdoorsman.
Actually, there are four definite species of rabbits in Georgia, but all are fairly similar and to the hunter, all are known simply as rabbits or cottontails. Basically there are cottontails and swamp or marsh rabbits. Each species, however, is found in a definite habitat or area.
Speaking of all species in general, the cottontail uses a wide variety of cover types. He prefers what may be called "edge-type habitat," such as fence rows, road right-of-ways, open areas adjoining woods and is frequentl y found in rather open woods. He prefers green succulent vegetation and is most numerous where land is being farmed.
The two swamp rabbit species of Georgia are found most easily by hunting the drier areas of a marsh or islands without a marsh. Swamp rabbits will not hesitate to swim and because of this, it isn't at all unusual to find them in such places.
All species of Georgia rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk. They tend to be inactive during daylight hours and conceal themselves in thicker cover during this time. In colder regions they will dig burrows to escape

the climatic conditions but in warmer regions they tend to rest in a brush pile or often in thick grass in which they hollow out a bed.
Because they like to move about at dawn and dusk, these are the best hours to hunt rabbits. The most productive areas for hunting would have to be the places which they prefer, such as around the edges of woods, brush or rock piles, downed trees and overgrown fence rows.
Because of the type of cover where rabbits are found, the most preferable weapon for hunting them is a shotgun. An open choke, either improved cylinder or modified is best and the gun should be light and short of barrel to allow it to be easily handled and swung fast on target. A heavy gun only tires the hunter unduly, detracting from the pleasure of the sport. A light gun , on the other hand , with an open choke, provides the hunter with the greatest chance of success. A rabbit in thick cover offers a fast, elusive target and often a hunter gets onl y brief glimpses of a furry blur through the brush. This also means that small shot is best, so the pattern is dense enough for some pellets to find their way through thick vegetation.
In more open areas, hunting with a small caliber repeating rifle can produce great sport. Not only does it put more sport into rabbit hunting, it is excellent practice for the hunter to learn to hit a fast, bouncing target and can help insure success on larger game, such as deer.
The most successful method of rabbit bunting is with dogs. It is almost impossible to attain much success bunting swamp rabbits without dogs. The

areas they inhabit are so thick that a man can hardly get through them. Small, slower dogs are most preferred because they can get in and under thick cover where rabbits are most likely to be found during daylight hours.
The beagle is the type of dog most often chosen for rabbit hunting. Indeed , he was bred for this sport and thus has all the desirable characteristics, such as endurance, a clear voice and small size. He moves fast enough to keep the rabbit moving, yet slow enough to give the rabbit assurance that he is winning the race and therefore often he tends to circle and return to the point where the chase began. This habit of the cottontail can be used to the hunter's advantage if the hunter will choose an open area in the rabbit's path to get a shot as the bunny crosses the opening.
Some success in hunting cottontails without dogs can be had by walking through cover that rabbits like. The best way to do this is to find cover where droppings or nests are present, showing there are rabbits in the area. Then it's best to walk through the area two or even three times before moving on. Rabbits will sometimes allow a person to pass very close without being startled into running, but if a person passes the rabbit several times in a short span of time it will usually run, providing a target.
Annually, rabbits are the most sought-after game in the nation, and Georgia hunters spend a good many hours enjoying this ex.cellent sport. To many a hunter, the thrill of the chase and music of the dogs on the trail of a bunny is all the reward they ask of a day in the field.

Cooped up in their pen mounted on a pickup truck, these beagles are only too
happy to see their master's hands
unfasten the latch and set them free to seek out the cottontail.

It was a good da y, and not just because of that generous strin g of rabbits th ese hunters have bagged . Th e re wards of a rabbit hunt aren't limited to th e fin e bunnies, such as th ese hunters admire as th e cottontail is dropp ed into th e game back. Th ere's comradship, fr esh air . .. an y number of reasons fo r enjoying th e da y afield.
2

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Thick cover along the edge of woodlands are a rabbit's delight. He also likes fencero ws, old abandoned buildings, piles of rocks and brush and just about any where that provides good hiding plus an ample food supply .
owder Puff Parade by JOE KIGHT Game Biologist

Som e of the first questions that enter There are two large front teeth on top, usually more common in the north-

and two small teeth behind them western half of the state. Its coat is

a sportsman's mind when he sees an which may be easily overlooked.

darker and it is considerably larger

Four species or kinds of rabbits oc- than the eastern cottontail.

animal might be: What is it? What kind cur in Georgia. The eastern cotton- The marsh rabbit (Sylvi/agus palus-

tail (Sy lvilagus floridanus) is the most tris ) inhabits the southern part of the

is it? Male or female? Young or old? common rabbit in Georgia and is state and is found in swamps and

found throughout the state. This is the marshes. This rabbit is a little smaller

Most people, seeing a rabbit, dis- cottontail that most Georgia hunters than the eastern cottontail, swims with

miss it simply as being a "cottontail" cut their teeth on. The underside of its ease, and can walk like a cat or dog,

and let it go at that. There are, how- tail is white and looks like a ball of moving one foot at a time. Its "powder

ever, different kinds and several ways cotton , hence its name. Its coat may puff" is gray or buff colored.

to identify them.

vary from a grayish-buff to buffy The New England cottontail, (Syl-

F or example, rabbits are in a group brown and has a reddish patch behind vilagus, transitionalis), is found only in

..

of mammals called Lagomorpha (pro- each ear.

the northern part of the state. It pre-

nou nced lag-o-mor-fa), which have six The swamp rabbit ( Sylvi/gaus aquati- fers brushlands or wooded areas and

incisors or front teeth. These teeth are cus); also known as "cane cutters" or is distinguished by its pinkish-buff coat

similar to rodents which have four in- "bucks," are the largest wild rabbits and a narrow black patch between its

cisors. In the rabbit, two of the teeth found in Georgia. Their habits are ears. This rabbit is about the same

are on the bottom and four on top. similar to the marsh rabbit but are size as the marsh rabbit.

3

Although there are four different species in Georgia, their life cycles are similar.
A cup-shaped nest is dug in late February or March. The doe, or female rabbit, lines this nest first with grass or leaves and then with fur plucked from her breast. An average litter contains four or five young but may vary from two to eight. These nestlings are completely helpless at birth - blind, deaf, naked, and not much larger than a man's thumb. However, cottontails grow rapidly. Their eyes are open within a week and they are able to leave the nest for short periods within two weeks. They usually leave home for good when they are 15 to 18 days old.
The rabbit's gestation period (pregnancy) is about 28 days and it is possible for the mother to mate again on the same day that her litter is born. Two or three litters are commonly born in a season with a total of 12 to 16 young.
Rabbits are herbivores or plant eaters and eat almost any kind of plant. The bulk of their spring and summer food is made up of the succulent new growth of grasses, leaves, shoots, buds, and sprouts. In the late fall and winter, it must resort to twigs, bark, shoots of woody plants, and waste grain. Young apple trees, willows, hawthorn, sumac, and blackberry shoots seem to be pre-
Here's Mr. Cottontail himself,
the most widely sought prize of hunters
everywhere. And not only that, he's
usually the most easily found in
most places. He's tricky, yet not so much so as to make him unduly difficult '
to hunt.
ferred although oats and winter wheat are always welcome.
Almost any carnivore or meat eating animal will prey on rabbits. This is one of nature's ways to provide food for every creature and keep the rabbit population in check. This balance should not be tampered with very much by man who has a bad habit of doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. The more logical thing to do is to provide proper habitat, especially in regard to food and cover, and let the rabbits take care of themselves as they have been doing for centuries. However, dogs should be watched dur-

ing the summer to prevent undue destruction of nests and young rabbits.
Rabbits, like man and the other animals, have assorted diseases and parasites. One of the more common diseases is fibroma disease, or rabbit horn, which appears on the skin as a black, warty growth. The growth, caused by a virus, may be extremely contagious among rabbits but it is harmless to man. The growth is usually removed when the rabbit is skinned.
Tularemia, or rabbit fever is a different matter. This bacterial disease is transmitted to man and care should be taken to avoid it. The disease is mainly spread among rabbits by ticks. A heavy frost will cause the ticks to drop off animals until the following spring. Since this disease is always fatal to rabbits, the infected ones will die within 6 to 8 days, so it is wise to wait about two weeks after the first heavy frost before going rabbit hunting. The traditional opening day of rabbit season, about November 20, is usually just after this period for most of Georgia.
Whether or not a rabbit's liver is spotted is not an indication of a diseased or healthy rabbit. The best protection for the rabbit hunter is to wait until after a heavy frost before going hunting, avoid getting rabbit blood on your hands as much as possible and wash thoroughly with soap
and hot water, and always cook rabbits thoroughly.
Another parasite, the warble fly larvae or "Wolves" usually drop off rabbits before cold weather sets in. They are the larval or immature state of a small fly and, while they are quite unattractive, are harmless to man.
Most rabbits have small watery-like cysts in their body cavity. These cysts are actually immature tapeworms. They are harmless to man and rabbit, because the worms can never mature while in man or the rabbit. However, if the rabbit should be eaten by a dog, fox, cat, etc., these worms mature and

are parasitic on the animal that ate the rabbit. Therefore, rabbit entrails should never be given te dogs as they may become infected with tapeworms.
Intensive management is not necessary to provide good rabbit hunting. About all the rabbit needs is something to eat and a place to hide. He is a "home body" and doesn't like to . wander too far away from it. Even when pursued by beagles, he will usually circle back to where he was jumped.
The cottontail prefers "edge" type habitat. This is available along fields , fence rows, cut over lands or any "brushy" area. Perhaps the easiest way of improving rabbit hunting is to build brush piles. Grass and weeds will grow in and around them providing food and more cover. The piles should be 10 to 15 feet in diameter and 4 to 6 feet high. This is an immediate step to improve rabbit habitat, but permanent strips of food and cover should be developed and maintained for continuous good rabbit hunting.
Diversity is the keynote here. Several small patches of food and brush are much more valuable than one large area of each. Strips are perhaps the easiest to provide and are just as valuable to rabbits. Strips left along fence rows, drainage ditches, pond edges, streams, along wood lots and orchards, field roads, or any area that can be allowed to revert to weeds, briars, sumac or other brush, will greatly benefit rabbits.
Strips of food planted beside the strips of cover make life easier for rabbits and also help in erosion control. Lespedezas provide good food during the spring and summer and oats, wheat, and other small grains furnish good winter food . Clovers of all types are excellent rabbit food. Recommended agricultural practices as to when to plant, kind and amount of fertilizer, and other necessary information can be obtained from your county agent.
Heavy hunting does not seem to bother the rabbit population from year to year. As with most animals, rabbits cannot be stockpiled. If the hunter does not harvest them then disease, weather, starvation, and predators will.
So by all means, go rabbit hunting. They are found throughout the state, and are easy to hit. It is an excellent excuse to get out and just loaf around in the out-of-doors, and old B'rer Rabbit is noble game no matter whether you shoulder a Purdey or tote Grandpa's old single shot. It's high sport for kid or king. And for best results all the way round, take a boy with you.

4

fee tng secure behind his mask, this raccoon
through the branches a. e hunters have him up a

LOTOR
The Bandit Face
by JIM TYLER
Everyone knows him. The anxious looki ng face has peered from the pages of books and from the confines of a zoo. And the same face has looked down, from his position in a tree, at the baying hounds and the men who jab beams of light, upward, through the night.
He is the common ringed-tail raccoon. In Georgia the raccoon has for some time been on the unpopular pelt list (will bring less than two dollars) and not many have been trapped . But the raccoon is hunted by a special breed of hunter, and is indeed popular. It takes a different kind to gather at night with lights, boots, guns, a lungful of air, and most importantly, dogs. Yes, a coon hunt is a dog hunt. The dog hunts - the hunters go along to enjoy the dog's working. The hunt starts with "Old Blue" (every other coon dog must be named Old Blue ) and perhaps another or more dogs turned loose to set his excellent nose to the ground. When a trail of scent is crossed, the dog lets loose a howl that warms a coon hunter's heart. Then, in the darkness, the hunters will settle down to listen to the "chase." And it is grand listening, especially on a chilly, clear, starstudded night. The dog can have a short chase or a long one. When the coon is treed the coon can be brought down with a wounding shot or the tree can be toppled and the dog finishes the coon amid a flurry of fighting. Coon hunting is not all sitting and listening. Much walking, wading, and fighting briars is necessary, for the hunters can travel much country while the dog ranges close by searching for a raccoon trail. In the early season, corn fields are the best bet to hunt. Coons love corn. A coon, belly heavy with corn, isn't as cagey and will probably not use such antics as swi mming creeks to lose the dog. Also, in the early season, young coons are plentiful and have not learned all the tricks as they are still traveling in family groups. During this togetherness period, unscrupulous coon hunters have been known to wipe out

Come on out, 01' Blue! Ifs time for the hunt to begin! Bob Russell, a north Georgian who hunts coon as much as anybody, is ready to turn loose his dog, which is only awaiting his master's command.
A corn field is as good a place as any to begin a coon hunt. A raccoon's love for corn is evident to Grady Pearson of Ball Ground, Ga. , who is looking for scattered corn to provide him with a sure sign that th ere is a raccoon around.

an entire family at one tree, unsporty to say the least.
River and creek bottoms and swamps are good areas to hunt. But some, like Bob Russell, a devoted north Georgia coon hunter, prefer the high ridges up where the creeks are trickle small and the briars are not so bad, and coons will take longer runs.
Coons, like all animals, are not distributed evenly throughout the state.
Mother Nature says South Georgia is where coons shall grow in numbers. Consequently, South Georgia with its many swamps and streams has many coons, but North Georgia with many small streams and dry ridges does not have as many. For this reason, south of the fall-line there is no closed season.
In addition to the basic natural facts of available food and climate, coon hunters in South Georgia are not as numerous compared to the traditional coon hunting North Georgians; however, they are more numerous than expected. Over a third (36.5 % ) of the raccoon hunters last year were from South and Coastal Georgia. Interestingly, the South Georgian cooners killed half of the raccoons reported to the Game and Fish Commission. And it took them about half the hunting time to make a kill as their northern counterparts (if statistics are your pie, in North Georgia it took an average of 1.7 hunt days per coon. In South, Coastal, and surprisingly Central Georgia, it took an average of .9 hunt days per coon).
In the past, and even today, coons are being trapped in South Georgia and moved to the north in an attempt to improve hunting. This isn't a smart move. First, it is against the law to transport any game animal without a permit from the Game and Fish Commission. Second, biologists believe

there are enough native coons for the available food supply in North Georgia to populate the area adequately if hunting pressure is controlled. Transporting more into the area could cause an overpopulated situation, that is if they survive. Parasites and diseases could be introduced, too, and could wipe out or seriously reduce the native population.
Third, it is dangerous. Rabies. Dr. John Richardson of the State Health Department is quick to point out that right now an epidemic of rabies carried by raccoons is located in South Georgia. The epidemic stretches from the coast to Alabama and as far north as Wilcox County. He doesn't believe the epidemic will spread northward as the coon population in middle and North Georgia probably is not large enough to support the wide spread epidemic that is now present in South Georgia.
To add punch to this fact, he has figures to show that 77 per cent of the rabid coons reported last year in the United States came from Georgia and Florida. So far this year, in Georgia, there have been 100 cases of rabid animals recorded by the Health Department. Of this number, 70 were coons from South Georgia. And, Dr. Richardson added, these are only the reported cases. This may represent as low as 1 per cent or as high as 10 per cent of the number of actual rabid raccoon cases. This gives some idea of the danger in bringing coons northward. Luckily, no rabid coons have been reported north of the fall line, but luck is a fickle lady.
Regardless of rabies, and natural limitations-last year old lotor, properly Procyon lotor in scientific talk, was hunted by over 26,000 Georgians. They killed about 219,000 raccoons. Now that's a Jot of sniffing, running, and howling. And a lot of fun.

6

JUSTA COUNTRY CRACKER
by JIM TYLER

Crude m eth ods of finding sport sometimes employ crude m eans. R owell shows his supervisor, District Chief Mallory Hatchett, an old shotgun equipped with a crude homemade stock that was taken from a deer poacher.

Standing on the banks of the Satilla River in his beloved Brantley County, Ranger
of th e Y ear A . M. Rowell is a devoted wildlife guardian.

* *

In south Georgia where the pine tree is king and the soil is whitish sand, the coffee-black waters of the Satilla River flow softly through Brantley County . . . bass, redbreast, and bream lurk beneath the lazily swirling urface. Along its bank deer prints are found. In the trees, fox squirrels scurry about.
Some 63 years ago, Avery Rowell was born in this country, in the town of Nahunta. Today, a bachelor, he lives in the same house where he was born. This is his country. He knows it. He feels it.
Avery is one of the 151 wildlife rangers of the State Game and Fish Commission. His beat . . . Brantley County. Here, for the last 16 years, he enforces hunting and fishing regulations, helps people enjoy the taking of the wild, does what he can to make the sport a bit better - and besides doing a whale of a job, he receives deep pleasure from his efforts.
The year 1966 marks a high point in his career. He was chosen as the State's "Outstanding Ranger of the Year." This is a yearly honor given by the Game and Fish Commission and the Southeastern Game and Fish Commissioners' Law Enforcement Section. The selection was based on his overall work abi lity.
He's dedicated. "One of the most dedicated men I know," his supervisor, Chief Mallory Hatchett of Waycross, ays with ringing sincerity. "He won't go to bed at night. He patrols all night. Why, one time he found an illegal fish

basket in the Satilla River. This was on a Monday. He camped close by and watched the basket. It wasn't until 4 o'clock on Saturday morning that two men came to look in their fish basket. One of them was stringing up the fish they had caught and said to his partner, "If a game warden would get up early, he would know something."
"I'm up," Avery said from his position at the man's elbow. Dedication ... beat that!
He has a philosophy on illegal hunting and fishing practices: "It was a goal from the start of my job to see better fishing and hunting for everyone. People breaking the law hurt everyone but there will be illegal hunting as long as the world stands. We are making progress, though. When I first started, I couldn't walk out of the house without catching a violator. Now I seldom make a case. People are getting educated about the need for wildlife laws. "
What does he like best about his job? "I like best just to get out and see the people have a good time, to help them out, and tell them where they will have the best luck."
When there is a quiet sunset or perhaps a break in his work in a peaceful setting, he will settle down, pen in hand, and work thoughtfull y at verse about his two loves - the outdoors and his job:
I love the air at twilight When the heat of day is thru When sitting in my old arm chair On the porch - I talk with you.

The mocking bird keeps singing And the honeysuckles bloom Seems fishing time in Georgia Guess we'll be going soon.
There's nothing in the country That brings such joy to me For I'm just a country cracker And I guess I'll always be.
I love the nearby rivers Its perch, bass, and bream Where'er there lives a fisherman It's good enough for him.
With baited hooks they go forth And from the waters blue Bring forth in numbers bream and bass And catfish for a stew.
You can see them cast And you can see them snatch it But they are always looking For Rowell and Hatchett.
The moon beams stealing softly Through the old magnolia trees Shines on the country cracker Who's happy as can be.
When my life's work is ended I hope his call will be "Come on you country cracker You're good enough for me."

7

"Let's take nature to

Nature study is first hand for Luke Howell, Canton vocational agriculture teacher, and Atlanta science teacher Mrs. Sara Prescott, who was Georgia's STAR teacher for 1966.

Up to his neck in teaching conservation at the Rome workshop was Ho ward Z eller, assistant director of the State Gam e and Fish Commission, seining a pond for fish to show tedcher-students.

e very young" By Jim Tyler

Controlled burning of wire-grass and pineland to improve th e habitat for quail is explained by Dr. Clyde Cannel, chairman of th e Department of Biology at Valdosta State College.

Wildlife management principles are explained by Dr. Ernie Provost of the University of Georgia's Forestry School, while Rome students enjoy nature's air conditioning.

And they will

They, the Georgia Natural Resource title of such a venture, but it does im- Dr. Ph ilip Greear, chairman of the

Education Council, want the children ply a break from a strictly academic biology department of co-sponsoring

of Georgia to learn, in their formati ve approach. In this instance, work might Shorter College.

years, about nature: the reasons why be defined as field work. You know, In Valdosta, 16 teachers (again, ele-

trees grow tall, why deer roam the getting out in the woods and on the mentary through high school) attended

forest, and why the once pretty river water, and actu ally seeing, feeling, and the workshop centered on the Valdosta

now runs frothy brown with pollution. smelling.

State College Campus under the lead-

..

This is an enormous task, to say the Field trips to net fish out of farm- ership of Dr. Clyde Coone!, cJ:!airman

least, considering the million plus chil- ponds, gather leaves, watch men fight of the biology department.

dren in grades one through twelve a mock forest fire, observe how pol- The teachers received five quarter

within the Georgia school system last luted water is treated, see the various or three and one-third semester col-

year.

layers of soil, leisurely boat through lege undergraduate credit hours for

How do you reach this vast number the wonders of swamp land or stop attending. The 1967 workshop will be

of children and young adults and tell awhile to rest on a Georgia mountain- worth five undergraduate or graduate

them about natural resources and the side - these are just a sprinkling of quarter credit hours. wise-use or mis-use of such resources? the three weeks activities the teachers What Were the Teachers Taught?

.

The Council decided the best way to participated in. The field trips were The workshop started with geology

get the message to the greatest number sandwiched between lectures given by (rocks and the like). Scientists say the

of children, would be through the experts from the various conservation earth began, after some time, as one

te achers .

agencies. Here, the workshop deviated huge rock. Later water accumulated

Okay . . . but a stumbling block in from the normal procedure. Lecturers and after several million years, soil

their scheme had to be met here. N ot were not limited to professional edu- was formed. Plants and animals came too many teachers have background cators; many field men and profession- into existence and millions of years

..

or formal education in this area. al administrative men with little teach- later man made his appearance on the

Therefore, the Council set out to edu- ing background brought their actual planet earth. And this man creature,

cate the teachers, so the teachers working knowledge to the classrooms who has been on earth for just a breath

could, in turn, educate their students. and were able to talk with authority of time, now has the ability to utterly This past summer a "teach teachers" on the field trips. Every agency went destroy or deplete natural resources

program was started and called the all out to make their portion of the that have been created throughout the

Natural Resource Use Workshop.

workshop an educational and interest- vastness of time.

In fact there were two workshops - ing experience.

So, the course followed this develop-

one in north Georgia (Rome), and one At Rome, 21 teachers (elementary ment for a study pattern. First rock,

in south Georgia (Valdosta) .

through high school) attended the then soil, then vegetation, then water,

What is a Workshop?

workshop centered on the Berry Col- then fish and wildlife, and then the

"Work" might not be the proper lege Campus under the leadership of ways man uses the resources for recre-

8

ation. Most segments of the course went into the basic sciences and all segments illustrated the wise-use and the mis-use to which the resources have been exploited.
What Did the Teachers Think of It?
At the completion of the workshop the teachers were asked to make candid remarks:
"I was left with a feeling that truly I must be about the business of creating through any possible medium , good basic conservation concepts and attitudes in our children - of respect for law and order, a reverence for life, and a sense of responsibility."
"It was just great and worthwhile." "The workshop will help me tremendously as a teacher. Of course, nothing is perfect and the teachers made several good suggestions for improving next year's workshop.
Who is in the Council Behind the Workshop?
All state and federal agencies concerned with the natural resources of Georgia make up the Council. Water, forest, land, wildlife, recreation ... all are represented. The agencies joined hands and approached the State Education Department with their idea. In due time a working plan evolved; two workshops for the summer of 1966 and two

for the summer of 1967, and the possibi lity for more in the future.
The Future?
With the encouraging remarks of the teachers who attended the workshops and the pleased remarks of the educators of the three colleges involved, the sky could be the limit for the future. Who knows ..:... maybe, in time, there will be 8, 10, or even 20 workshops every summer.
This depends on the people of Georgia. Many private and civic organizations donated money to make the first two workshops a smashing success. They ran the gamut from women's clubs and garden clubs, to sportsmen clubs, to the Sears Foundation and the Georgia Power Company. But more money will be needed next year. Any contribution by an interested club or group, will help pave the way for one more teacher to attend next year's workshop. Contributions in any amount may be made payable to the Georgia Natural Resource Education Council and mailed to the Council's treasurer, David Almand, care of the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgi a, or may be sent directly to the host colleges.
And the teachers, really the ones the whole program is balanced upon, need to know about the program.

Teachers attending last summer's workshops did so under individual 100 % scholarships of $150, each provided by the various organizations mentioned. All teachers who successfully apply for the 1967 workshop will receive a full paid scholarship this summer, plus the added incentive of the course being elevated to graduate credit level. Funds for the scholarships will be provided from donations made to the Council, or State grant-in-aid scholarship money may be used . The first three week workshop will be in Rome at Shorter College starting June 12, 1967. The second will start on July 24, 1967 at Valdosta State College, each for three continuous weeks.
Any teacher interested (or if a reader knows any teacher who would profit from this program) - should contact the Registrar of Shorter College or Valdosta State College, and they will gladly fo rward the applicat ion.
The old saying that the future is in
the hands of the young was never so
true as concerning our natural re-
sources. And the teachers are in the
ideal position to reach them, to pro-
vide them with weapons to fight for
the wise use of our natural resources.
Remember, knowledge is surely the
biggest weapon man has.

9

APEPAPLNEUSTS

When the 'possums git fat, And the taters git sweet, It's time for 'possum eaters to meet.
"You got your Yeats apples and roasted peanuts?"
"No." "Well , you can't go 'possum huntin' without 'ern."

Served late at night with fried rabbit, sweet potatoes, "rabbit fillet," 'possum gravy and barbecue sauce, 'possums were a delightful surprise, even to a timid newcomer like myself.
Every January since 191 2, the Possum Eaters Convention has held a dinner much like the one I just described

APONDSSUMS

That was the way it all began , and when it was over, I was just as confused about hunting 'possum as when I began , but it was an experience.
Now, when you've never gone 'possum hunting before, you naturally want to make proper preparations, so I asked several experts in the field of game management. They all agreed that a .22 caliber rifle or small pellets

with 50 or so 'possums as the main course. The problem in organizing the big dinner is the fact that a date can't be set until all the members have caught enough 'possums.
Now, not all hunters go after 'possums the way we did. In fact , most hunters who want sport alone, or furs, will simply tree their quarry and shoot him down with a .22 rifle or a shotgun.

in a shotgun was best for shooting The 'possum is as unusual an animal

by Glenn A. Smith

treed 'possums down. I drew a hearty as the different ways we hunt them. laugh when I arrived at Newnan to They are scientifically classed as mur-

begin the hunt in what Middle Geor- supials, the only ones known on the

gians like to refer to as the " 'Possum orth American Continent. In Geor-

Capitol of the World. " The laugh came gia, they can be found everywhere,

../'

from old time hunters who know that but particularly above the fall line.

"'Possum's on a limb .. ."A line from a song once popular, that's a likely place to find Mr. Possum, especially after he's been chased across the countryside by a pack of baying hounds.
R eady to go in search of the white-nosed marsupial are eager hunters Bob McCoon, Steve Morgan, Joe Camp, David Morgan, Jerry Banks, Malcolm Leach, and Bruce Banks.

you don't shoot 'possums. You climb up the tree and shake them out!
With those ground rules established, we set out on a rainy Veterans D ay to hunt 'possum and have a 'possum, rabbit, and tater dinner. The hunters were all experts at their trade and members of the annual Possum Eaters Convention of Newnan and environs.
Conditions being what they were, with wet ground and muddy footing, the dogs weren't able to tree any 'possums, but it didn't matter, since you never eat the ones you just caught anyway. As scavengers, 'possums need to be penned and fattened up on more wholesome food before they taste just right to us less hearty humans.
With th e hunt all over for the nigh t, a late supper is in order. And th e menu? Wh y, baked 'possum, what else? And th e gourmets are standing by with the 'possum all ready for th e table, along with a pot of hot coffee. Th ey are Malcom Leach, J. T. Miller, Albert Powell and Bob McCoon.

The females give birth a few days after breeding, but the newborn 'possums are in a larval state at birth. They manage to find their way to the mother's pouch, a characteristic of marsupi als. The litter, ranging from one to fourteen in number, attaches itself by the mouth to one of mama's mammaries and there they stay for about 60 days. By this time they are an inch long and the diameter of a pencil. Then they leave the pouch and again cling to mother by her fur, using their extremely large mouths. The eyes are open now, and they feed on whole food which the mother finds for them. In three more weeks they are on their own forever.
Everyone knows that Mr. Marsupial plays 'possu m. He does it for defensive reasons, hoping predators will leave him alone long enough to slip away to safety. He has "hands" much like ours that give him an unusually good ability to climb around trees to elude predation . He uses his tail mainl y for balance

in trees, and while it's strong enough

to hang by, few hunters can say they

ever saw a 'possum famil y sleeping

side by side, hanging by the tail.

Possum hunting is a way of life

with many Georgians, which brings us

back to Newnan and those apples and

peanuts. I asked my host in Newnan

why the Yeats apples and peanuts, to

which he replied that when he was a

boy, the children (boys and girls) went

out 'possum hunting and took food

with them to nibble on since dinner

would be delayed by the hunt. From

that a tradition developed, much like

the tradition of 'possum hunting in

Central Georgia, and, of course, the

annual Possum Eaters Convention.

10

TAX COMMIS
OFFICE

by JIM TYLER

Like so many small Georgia towns, the main roads into Newnan lead to the courthouse. There the motorist makes a circle or partial circle around this building, and a short time later is out of the city limits and again on the open road.
A dark night, good companions, good dogs ... Commissioner Camp is an ardent 'possum hunter.
But, if on one of these trips through Newnan, you happened to stop your car and enter the courthouse, you would find it is about like any other. It's old, cheerless, and somehow seems to give off a stuffy musty odor without really doing so.
Perhaps it was the autumn season when you stopped and you happened to stick your head into the Tax Commissioner's office. If you did, you would immediately take notice of a change of atmosphere. Incongruously, a desk would be laid out with a display of fruit cakes centered around a sign, "Buy a Fruit Cake Here - Proceeds Civitan Charity." And various gourds would sit atop file cabinets or be draped along with ears of black speckled corn in a harvest display of contrast to the business-like color of the office furniture.

If you were his friend, you would walk up to a large man, shake hands and say, "Hello, Bill." For William Z. Camp is the Tax Commissioner of Coweta County. He is also the Game and Fish Commissioner from the sixth congressional district.
The warm atmosphere of Commissioner Camp's place of business reflects his personality. He is down-toearth. And so much a part of Newnan, it would remind you of a glove fitting a hand. He has been a resident of Newnan all of his 52 years save two days when he journeyed to a job in Dublin, got homesick, and returned.
Besides Civitan, he is a member of the Elks, Moose, and Shrine. He is on the Executive Committee for the Flint River Council of Boys Scouts and in 1962 was awarded the Boy Scouts' highest award , The Silver Beaver. By the way, his oldest son , Tom, is an eagle scout.
Being a Game and Fish Commissioner further brings out his passion for people. He says, "I just enjoy people. I enjoy helping them out." This is a strong reason for his devotion to the Game and Fish Commission. First appointed in 1961 by Governor Ernest Vandiver to fill an unexpired term, he is in his second term which started in 1964 with an appointment by Governor Carl Sanders.

Among his activities within the Commission, he is highly interested in small lakes and ponds, and is a staunch supporter of the State's program of stocking catfish in such waters. He was also instrumental in the transaction whereby the Commission acquired High Falls Lake, now part of a state park.
Naturally, he is a hunter and fisherman, with fishing his favorite. Some of his success stories about bream fishing are fabulous , and if you doubt them, some time in the future he would probably dump an ice chest full of saucersized bream at your feet.
This year his eleven-year-old son bagged a four point buck on his first deer hunt. The Commissioner is proud of this, for he spends considerable time in the woods and on the waters with his two sons. He is a firm believer that a hunting and fishing boy will never get into serious trouble.
At his home, you would meet his charming wife, Elizabeth, notice the serenity, and with dogs, boats, guns, and other equipment about, you would know it was an outdoors family.
Amid his devotion to the other fel low, Commissioner Camp is a busy man. And most assuredly, whether it is a Civitan project or a game and fish project, or a hunting trip with his sons, he will be in, elbow deep, giving. his best, and enjoying it immensely.

11

by Dean Wohlgemuth
Return of the Rockfish
These are th e kind of striped bass that have been caught in the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers in south Georgia, before the days of Lake Seminole. And if things go according to plans, it won't be long until anglers can again land such trophies.
This young striper carries with it the hopes and dreams of fisheries biologists of th e Gam e and Fish Commission, plus th ose of Georgia anglers, as it is released into Lake Seminole to become part of what th e Commission hopes will be the start of a comeback for the striped bass in Georgia waters.

N ot so long ago an annual pilgrimage, brought on by inborn instinct, took place from the waters of the gulf up the Appalachicola River in Florida, on up into the waters of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers.
Each spring, sea-going stripers would make the trek up these freshwater streams to spawn. By the thousands, they would battle their way upstream to attend to their annual task.
In these days, there was an annual bonanza on the saltwater strippers. The fishing was good in the Flint River, particularly around Radium Springs, near Albany, where an occasionallunker was hauled in. And in the Chattahoochee, stripers were caught as far upstream as Columbus.
But progress stepped in. A dam was built just south of the Florida-Georgia line where the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers combined to form the Appalachicola. Behind the dam was formed a massive freshwater reservoir, shallow Lake Seminole.
Passage was blocked. The stripers congregated at the dam when they found they could go no farther. Within a few years, the stripers no longer came up the Appalachicola, for it was

futile. They couldn't get far enough upstream to spawn. A striper must discharge its eggs in water swift enough, and in a river long enough to carry the eggs afloat for up to 72 hours in order for the eggs to hatch. Once an egg touches bottom, it is soon dead.
For a time, there still remained some stripers in Lake Seminole. Stripers are an unusual breed. While they're a saltwater species, they seem to have an affinity for remaining in freshwater for long periods of time occasionally. Some of these were trapped upstream by the dam, and could return to their briny home.
But little by little the population of the large silvery scrappers disappeared from Seminole. Why? Were they not able to reproduce when landlocked? This was an early theory. But that has been disproved by the Santee-Cooper Reservoirs in South Carolina, where there is a large population of landlocked stripers, or as they are called locally, "rockfish." And they spawn, even though they never taste saltwater.
Apparently, demands of fishermen, and particularly of commercial netters were too much to meet the supply of the spawn, if indeed there was any. The striper disappeared.

Biologists believe that the biggest reason for his disappearance was the special gill netting season allowed in the lake. Until a year ago, nets of twoinch mesh were allowed. The smaller mesh nets took a heavy toll of all game fish. Last year, the limit was raised to a minimum of three-inch mesh for nets, which has long been the statewide requirement for all other lakes.
However, this still catches a lot of big stripers. And a striped bass must reach a size of about five pounds before he can spawn.
In his absence came rough fish , such as gizzard shad. Already these species were present, but now they flourished without the striped bass.
In Santee-Cooper, it was noted that an overabundance of these rough fish was kept under control by the rockfish . It was feared when the shad which provided food for the stripers disappeared, the huge appetite of the striper would devour the game fish.
But rather than harm game fish populations, the stripers themselves reflected the rough fish decline. And fish such as bass, bream and crappie not only maintained high numbers, but attained extraordinary size, regardless of the number of stripers.

12

In fact, the better the striped bass numbers were, the better was the fishing for freshwater game species, presumably because the high rough fish populations harmed the game fish.
There are several lakes in Georgia with good populations of freshwater

The stripers ate, and they grew. And grew. They reached as much as two inches in six weeks, better than anticipated, and in 11 weeks some of them were seven or eight inches long.
However, some of them were only th ree inches long in that time, and be-

The firs t few stripers placed in th e lake were released slowly so th eir actions
could be observed. One cause for concern was th e difference in water tem perature
between the water in th e truck and that o f th e lake. But th e ultrasensitive stripers were
apparently able to make the adjustment.

game fish, but these populations could came prey of the larger fish. It was

be better, and size could be greater if time to turn them loose.

.

it weren't for the presence of rough The dam was broken, and the fish. These waters seem quite capable stripers were freed into the huge lake,

of supporting landlocked striped bass, off to seek their own fortunes .

except for one thing - there's no way It was some two months later, in

for the stripers to spawn, and thus mid-November, when another 10,000

sustain themselves.

fingerlings were released into the lake.

South Carolina, pioneers in the The first 50,000 were those raised at

field of hatching stripers and stocking Seminole. The second group were

them in fresh water, began a program those that had been detoured to Bur-

a few years back of stocking stripers ton, then later transported the long

annually in such waters . The project cross-state ride to their new home.

has met with modest success.

It may still be several years before

Success probably would have been stripers are present in good numbers

greater bad the stripers been raised to in many Georgia impoundments. Ev-

fingerling size, instead of being put out erything hangs in the balance on how

on their own within hours of birth. well the first group does in Seminole.

So Georgia, with a helping hand If the stripers survive well , and are

from her neighbor state to the east, able to reproduce in the Flint and

has begun its own striped bass pro- perhaps in the Chattahoochee, Geor-

gram. Georgia raised striper fry to gia may soon have its own supply of

fingerling size - three to eight inches eggs and can form its own hatchery

- and just this fall has released them. on the shores of Seminole.

Some one million fry were obtained Prospects appear good for rep roducoriginally, and about one in 10 sur- tion in Seminole's tributaries. The vived to fingerling size. This may Flint, in particular, seems able to sup-

Som e of the striped bass fry were raised to fi ngerling size at the Lake Burton
Hatchery in northeastern Georgia, th en

sound like a dismally small number to port reproduction. The Chattahoochee

took th e long ride across th e state to

the layman, but as fi sh populations go, it is exceptionally good. Particularly, it is noteworthy that South Carolina achieved less than one per cent sur-

is something of a question mark. In the first place, it is shortened by more dams upstream. Further, where there is a dam there is usually more oollu-

the opposite corner, to th eir new hom e in Lake Seminole, by trout hatchery truck. Once there, Commission personnel netted
them from th e truck and released th em .

vival of stripers from stockings of fry tion. The striper needs relatively clean

directly into the lakes.

water in which to spawn.

At the fingerling stage, the striper is pretty well capable of caring for himself in the wild. In fact, if they were not released at that size, survival would be lower since not all would be the same size and the larger ones would eat their smaller cousins.
The Georgia Game and Fish Commission divided the fr y they received within a few hours of their birth at Santee-Cooper, between a hatchery pool at Lake Burton, in northeast Georgia, and a specially created pool at Lake Seminole.
The Seminole pool was formed from a small pocket of the lake which was blocked off by a dam , cleaned of all fi sh and insect life, then fertilized in order to provide microscopic plant and animal life for the tiny rockfish.

Before the fem ale striper can spawn, she must reach fi ve or six pounds, perhaps even more. This means at least two more years, maybe more, before Georgia will have striper eggs of its own to put in other waters.
If the project is as successful as hoped, within perhaps three to five years anglers will be pulling the rugged rockfish from lakes all over the state.
While these lakes are unable to support a spawn, the stripers can thrive there and grow to good size. To maintain a good population of the species, the Commission will bolster their numbers with annual stockings of fingerlings, reared in the hatchery.
The lake that will be the first to get a non-spawning landlocked line of stripers will be Blackshear, scheduled to receive a stocking this year. Others to

When the stripers grew large be among the first probably will in-

enough, forage fi sh were added . The clude Walter F. George and Sinclair.

fo:age fish - threadfin shad , golden If efforts are successful here, and

sb10ers, fathead minnows, goldfish and other lakes appear to have the basic

freshwater shrimp - were adult when requirements for stripers, they too will

added in order that they could spawn be added to the list of Georgia waters

rapidly enough to meet the demands where a saltwater king will reign over

of the stripers' appetites.

a new fresh water domain .

They were eatingher alive!

Dog Versus Deer: A Losing Contest

It was a rather pleasant early fall day in the North Georgia mountains. Autumn leaves were just beginning to turn, and the babbling mountain stream was flowing low and clear, speckled by an occasional fallen leaf floating on the surface.
The year was 1948, and the young game biologist, one of Georgia's first , was making a deer browse survey in the Blue Ridge Game Management Area near Rock Creek. He was alone in the woods, more than half a mile from the nearest road. Three miles away, that road was blocked to civilization by a locked gate. The only sounds were the constant running rush of water over the stones of the creek.
Intent on his work, the young man was suddenly jarred from his thoughts by the sound of voices talking nearby.
Coming through the thick undergrowth, he was startled to find that the "voices" he had heard were actually the barking of two small feist dogs.

"Neither one of them could have weighed more than 20 pounds. They were brown mongrels, standing on one side of the creek."
"They had bayed a handsome eightpoint buck. There he was, standing exhausted in the middle of the creek, legs outspread, head down , tongue out, hair bristled up."
"He just couldn't go. I walked up to within 10 feet of him, and he couldn't move. He was a nice, big buck, with hardened antlers, but he was exhausted. They could have killed him in a few minutes, if I hadn't come up."
Now a veteran game biologist with the State Game and Fish Commission, his recollection of loose-running dogs chasing, baying, and killing deer have been repeated in his sight many times.
In 1955, the General Assembly passed a law giving wildlife rangers the power to destroy dogs chasing deer. The new law had the full support of the State Game and Fish Commission at

that time, and was passed at the urging of the Commission. It is still just as strongly supported.
But since that time, game men of the Commission have continued to witness tragic scenes in the forest, such as that recounted by a district law enforcement chief who saw two big hounds run a doe down in the Cooper's Creek section north of Dahlonega after a chase of 15 to 20 minutes.
"When I got there, they were eating her alive. They had already torn out her hams."
Most such chases witnessed by woodsmen end out of their eyesight, but the sound and sight of an exhausted deer limping past a man in the woods, followed by steadily trotting baying dogs, is one that few wildlife rangers or hunters can ever forget.
Wildlife specialists of the Commission say that it usually doesn't take long for the dogs to catch up to a deer in the mountains or Piedmont section,

14

depending on the size of the dogs and how fast they can run. Most chases they ay, last only 20 to 30 minutes. The only way the deer can escape the dogs unassisted is to get to water and Jose their scent, since they can't run into a hole in the ground or in a tree like a rabbit or a squirrel. Getting to water is not easy in the mountains or the rolling hills of the Piedmont, unless he can get to one of the few large river and swim it before the dogs catch sight of him. But in parts of outh Georgia where there's plenty of tand ing water in the swamps and many river and creek swamps, he has a much better chance of getting away. This is the only reason that deer can be hu nted legally with dogs there without being wi ped out.
Game management area managers and wildlife rangers find many carca ses in the forest of deer that have been attacked and eaten by dogs, but most such kills go unseen by the eyes of men. It's extremely difficult to be at the end of the chase miles off the nearest road. If the deer is a small doe or a faw n, what the dogs leave is usually quickly finished off by buzzards, opossu ms, and wood scavengers.
Any breed of dog will chase a deer, u ually when he teams up with another dog, either for food , or just for the pure love of hunting and killing anyth ing that jumps up in front of him, especially if he has never been trained to hunt one species exclusivel y. But Georgia's game managers are quick to poi nt out that most of the trouble with deer is caused by free-running "stray" dogs that apparently have no permanent home, rather than by well-trained and cared for dogs .
Dog owners who value their an imal s don't let them run loose without knowing where they are, especially if he is an expensive hunting dog. Serious dog owners keep their dogs penned up or on a leash at all times, except when exercising or hunting them. During the hunt, they keep them under control hunting the species in which they are interested. If the dog won't accept training, most hunters soon get rid of them for an animal that will.
In the case of valuable hunting or pet dogs whose owner can be identified from a collar or tag, Georgia's dog appreciating wildlife rangers make every po sible effort to capture the dog uninjured and return it to its master. Mo t hu nters appreciate this, and usuall y try to keep their dogs under better control in the future.
As to just how many homeless dogs there are in Georgia is an ybody's guess. Based on the national average of one dog to every four to seven

Georgia has an estimated 300 ,000 unwanted stray dogs, many of which were abandoned by th eir owners. Th e State's deer population numbers only one-third th is number.
people, health offici als pl ace the number of dogs in Georgia at about 800,000. Of this number it is estimated from vacci nation tags that 500,000 dogs are owned, leaving from 200,000 to 300,000 ownerless dogs roaming loose over the State. This is two to three times as many as the e timated 100,000 deer in Georgia. Fulton County picks up 9,000 stray dogs a year alone, but most smaller Georgi a cities and towns where the wildlife deer problem is greatest simpl y don 't have such faci lities to control loose dogs.
Where do these ownerless dogs come from ? It's been common practice for years to get rid of those extra female pups or the old sick fami ly dog by taking them off for a one-way trip to the country, dumping the poor animals out to live off the land a best they can. Tenant farmers move off from shacks, leaving three or four

curs behind. Unscrupulous deer hunters gather up a truck load of stray dogs and dump them in deer country, hoping to strike up a chase. After the hunt is over, the unwanted strays are never picked up. Existing laws against abandonment and cruelty aren't strong enough to solve the problem, and enforcement of them is difficult.
Some of these unwanted dogs die of starvation or disease, but many adapt to their wi ld existence. All such animals for at least a short period of time are quite capable of causing damage in the meantime not only to deer, but also to rabbits, qu ail nests, young squirrels, and wi ld turkey nests .
In recent years, Georgia's mushrooming li vestock industry has been considerably aroused by the senseless slaughter of valuable calves, pigs, and sheep by wild and free running dogs. Conservative esti mates by livestock men place the annual damage figure at more than $200,000 a year. Many dairy and cattle farmers carry guns with them to kill dogs harassing cattle. Dogs are credited with suppressing what once appeared to be possibilities of a flo urishing heep herdin g industry in Georgia .
In add ition to the livestock threat, loose dogs present a fri ghtening threat to the safety of small ch ildren fro m actu al ph ys ical attack. Obviously, stra y dog are n't vaccin ated for rab ies, and their presence is always a potential public health epidemic threat, especiall y in areas infe ted by rabies-carrying raccoons, bats, and foxes , all animals that come into contact with dogs, which in turn are the most frequent tran mitter of rabies to hum ans. Dogs also transmit tetanus, miscellaneous infections, and parasites like ringworm to humans and to li vestock. More th an one million people are attacked and
Many deer killed by dogs are never found . If any thing at all is left of th e carcass, woods scavengers such as buzzards, possums, and foxes may fin ish it off.

15

Damage to Georgia's
important livestock industry
by uncontrolled dogs is estimated
to exceed $200,000 a year. Freerunning dogs
slaughter hundreds of calves, pigs,
sheep, and chickens.
bitten by dogs each year in the United States, and the figure for wildlife and livestock is undoubtedly much higher.
Many public health officials would like to see existing laws requiring vaccination of all dogs given some real teeth of their own. Many landowners, humane societies, and animal enthusiasts as well as livestock interests, public health officials, and wildlife conservationists favor adding strength to the law. Many of the western states with important cattle herds already have such laws, along with northern deer states. Virginia is one of the southern states with a stringent dog control law.
All dogs should be vaccinated against rabies by the time they are three months old for the protection of the public, the dog himself, and the dogs and animals of other people. If homeless dogs are not freely running loose, fewer such dogs would be run over and maimed by automobiles or shot and wounded by irate landowners and left to die an agonizing death or require rescue by humane societies.
Many states already have such laws, and the results have been very satisfactory to both dog owners, conservationists, stockmen, public health officials, and humane societies. The serious effect of loose dogs in preventing the spread of deer herds is not just a Georgia problem, but is one which is looked at with a great deal of increasing concern by most Southeastern states, who have similar problems.
Thousands of acres of good deer habitat in Georgia could support deer in large numbers. Because of the dog problem, many Georgia counties have no deer in 60 to 90 per cent of their areas, except in a narrow strip of land up a river or creek swamp where deer can escape from dogs. If the unproductive deer land between these strips

can be protected from uncontrolled free-running dogs, Georgia's deer would rapidly expand into them and the deer harvest would soar within a few years. Hunting success would jump dramatically, and a lot more happy hunters would have venison in their freezers than is the case now.
There is little doubt that the loose dog is the most effective predator on deer that bas ever lived in Georgia. At their peak, there were never very many mountain lions or wolves in Georgia, probably not as many as 10 per cent of the estimated 300,000 homeless dogs in Georgia. Wolves had to get along primarily on deer in good and bad times, while many dogs are fed, at least part of the time, at the back door of a human abode. This prevents many of them from starving to death as soon as they otherwise would. Because of this, dogs are not subject to the natural law of survival of the fittest as wolves and mountain lions were. And production in stray female dogs is high, usually two litters or more a year of from six to 12 pups.
That public sentiment favors tighter control of dogs is indicated by a mail survey of hunters just completed by the Game and Fish Commission that showed that more than 90 percent of Georgia's dog owning hunters favor some kind of control over dogs, especially during the spring breeding season when small game nests, fawns, and weakened pregnant does are especially open to predators.
In the control of dogs chasing deer, the Game and Fish Commission does not wish to interfere with legitimate quail, rabbit, squirrel, fox , coon, or possum hunters. The mere existence of the law allowing wildlife rangers to destroy dogs actively pursuing or killing deer simply serves as an effective deterrent to prevent widespread deer

dogging in prohibited areas. Wildlife rangers seldom find it necessary to use that authority on legitimate hunting dogs, even though they may get the blame for the actions of irate landowners or sportsmen who take the law into their own hands by killing dogs. Little if anything can be done to prevent this, especially in the case of dogs turned loose without permission on private land. A contributing problem lies with a handful of deliberate illegal deer doggers who pretend to be hunting other game, such as coon or fox, giving legitimate hunters a bad name.
But in the experience of the Game and Fish Commission, it is usually only the ownerless dog or the deliberate violator that causes trouble. Nine out of 10 dogs taken in dog control programs on State game management areas are "just dogs" without an owner or a home.
Even in areas where dogs do not catch and kill large numbers of deer, studies by game biologists have shown that reproduction drops off sharply in areas where deer are harassed by dogs. In such areas, does frequently have only one or no fawn, compared to the average of two a year. In addition, the presence of the dogs keeps deer from spreading out naturally into thousands of acres of good deer habitat. Instead, they remain crowded together, increasing the risk of starvation , disease, and parasites.
Uncontrolled dogs and their wanton slaughter of wildlife and livestock are serious problems in Georgia, and they are growing more serious. It is the job of the State Game and Fish Commission to protect wildlife, and this cannot be effectively done without control of free-running dogs, especially homeless strays. The present deer-dog destruction law has not been abused by wildlife rangers of the Commission, most of whom are dog lovers themselves. These men have no quarrel with "man's best friend," in his place at man's side. When dogs roaming by themselves threaten Georgia's wildlife, the wildlife ranger must do what he can to protect our wildlife resources from destruction, to insure that hunting will always be a great American form of recreation.
Even though existing Georgia dog control laws may not be as strong as they should be, the law against illegal deer dogging certainly should not be weakened or repealed. It is the only effective tool that the State Game and Fish Commission has in its hands to prevent the wanton slaughter of Georgia's growing deer herd.
(See editorial on inside front cover, "We Need Georgia's Dog-Deer Law." )

16

Sportsman's

Calendar

SEASONS NOW OPEN
QUAIL, BOBWIDTE Season-Nov. 19, 1966 through Feb. 28, 1967. Bag Limit-12 Daily, possession limit 36.
GROUSE, RUFFED Season-Oct. 15, 1966 through Feb. 28, !967. Bag Limit-3 Daily, possession limit 6.
SQUIRREL
Season-Oct. 15, 1966 through Feb. 28, !967. Bag Limit-10 Daily.
OPOSSUM
Season-Oct. 29, 1966 through Feb. 28, 1967, Exception : Coweta County opens Oct. 1, 1966 through Jan. 21, 1967. No Bag Limit.

Bag Limit-Two (2) Bucks, except in Baker, Calhoun, Grady, Dougherty, and Thomas counties where the bag limit is two (2) bucks or one (1) buck and one (1) doe. Exception: The Worth County bag limit shall be one ( 1) buck only for 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.

DUCKS, MERGANSERS, AND COOTS
Season-Nov. 24, 1966 through January 7, 1967.
Bag Limit-Ducks: 4 daily, including no more than 2 wood ducks or 2 canvasbacks. Possession limit 8, including no more than 4 wood ducks or 4 canvasbacks. Mergansers: 5 daily, including no more than 1 hooded merganser. Possession limit is 10, including no more than 2 hooded mergansers. Coots: 10 daily, possession limit is 20. See federal waterfowl regulations avai lable with the required $3.00 federal migratory bird (duck) stamp at all main U. S. Post Offices. State regulations for waterfowl hunting are the same as the federal regulations.
GEESE
Season-Nov . 7, 1966 through January 15, 1967. Bag Limit-2 daily, possession limit 4. See federa l regulations. Migratory stamp required. Liberty and Mcintosh counties closed.

RACCOON
N . Ga. Season-Oct. 29, 1966 through Feb. 28, 1967. Bag Limit-One ( 1) per night per person. S. Ga. Season-No closed season. No Bag Limit.
RABBITS
Season-Nov. 19, 1966 through Feb. 28, 1967. N. Ga. Bag Limit-S Daily. S. Ga . Bag Limit-10 Daily.
WILD TURKEY Southwest Ga. Season-Nov. 19, 1966 through Feb. 28, 1967 in the counties of Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, and Thomas. Bag Limit-Two (2) per season.
SEASONS CLOSING THIS MONTH
GUN DEER SEASON
Southwest Ga . Season-Nov. 5, 1966 through Jan. 5, 1967 in the following counties:
Baker, Calhoun, Chattahoochee, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee County west of U. S. 19, Marion, Mitchell, Muscogee, Seminole, Stewart, Terrell, Thomas, Webster and Worth County south of U. S. 82.

if you miss the February issue of Game & Fish. If you do not send us your subscription before January 15, 1967, we will not be able to send you the February issue, so don't miss the next 12 action-packed issues of
Game & Fish . Use the handy
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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, Glascock, Glynn, Jefferson, Jenkins, Liberty, 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 aU of the above counties.

WILD TURKEY
West Central Ga. Season-Nov. 5, 1966 through Jan. 5, 1967 in the counties of Chattahoochee, Marion, Muscogee, Stewart, and Talbot. Bag Limit-One ( 1) per season. Southeast Ga. Season-Dec. 1, 1966 through Jan. 5, 1967 in the counties of Brantley, Bryan, Bulloch, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Effingham, Evans, Glynn, Liberty, Long, Mcintosh, Pierce, Screven, Tattnall, and Wayne. Bag Limit-One ( 1) turkey gobbler per season. Hens are protected.
WOODCOCK Season-Dec. 12 through Jan. 30, 1967. Bag Limit-5 Daily, possession limit 10. See federal regulations.
DOVES Season-Dec. 6 through Jan. 14. Bag Limit-12 daily, possession limit 24.
SNIPE, WILSON'S Season-Nov. 26 through Jan. 14, 1967. Bag Limit-8 Daily, possession limit 16. See federal regulations.
SEASONS OPENING THIS MONTH
NONE
SEASONS OPENING NEXT MONTH
NONE

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