Georgia game and fish [Vol. 3, no. 1 (Jan. 1968)]

ORGIA

VOL. 3, NO. 1 I JANUARY, 1968

~GEORGIA
~GAME&FISH

January 1968 Volume Ill

Number 1

The Mountain Lion Trophy Conservation Communications Award -1967 The Georgia Sportsmen 's Federation .
Contents
Dogged to Death . ....... .... . .... .. Jim Morrison 1 The Smallmouth-
Mr. " In-Between ". . .... .. ... . Dean Wohlgemuth 5 Insurance for Outdoorsmen . ... . ... .... . Bob Blair 8 Reap A Bountiful Harvest. . ..... Dean Wohlgemuth 10 Landowner-More Small Game.. . ..... . . Jim Tyler 11 The Outdoor World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Sportsmen Speak.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Sportsmen's Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Lester G. Maddox
Governor
George T. Bagby
Director, State Game & Fish Commission

COMMISSIONERS

Judge Harley Langdale,

Rankin M. Smith,

Cha irman

Vice Chairman

Valdosta-8th District

Atlanta-5th District

William Z. Camp, Sec.

Charles L. Davidson , Jr.

Newnan-6th District

Avondale Estates-4th District

James Darby

J. B. Langford

Vidalia-1st District

Calhoun -7th District

Richard Tift

Clyde Dixon

Albany-2nd District

Cleveland-9th District

William E. Sm ith

Leonard Bassford

Americus-3rd District

Augusta - lOth District

Jimmie Williamson

Darien -Coastal District

TECHNICAL SERVICES DIVISION Jack A. Crockford, Assistant Director
Leon Kirkland , Fisheries Chief Hubert Handy, Game Management Chief Charles M. Frisbe, Supervisor, Marine Fisheries Robert S. Baker, Special Services Coord inator

LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION Bil l Cline
Deputy State Chief, Atlanta David Gould
Deputy State Chief, Brunswick

GEORGIA GAME & FISH STAFF

Jim Morrison, Editor

Dean Wohlgemuth,

J . Hall, Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Ted Borg, Photographer

Georgia Game andFish is theofficialmonthly maf{azineofthe Georgia Game and Fish Commission, published at the Commission 's offices, 401. State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. No advert1smg accepted. Subscnpt10_ns are $1 for one year or $2.50 for three years. Pnnted by Stem Pnntmg Company Atlanta Ga. Notification ofaddress change must include both old and new address 'and ZIP code, with 30 days not1ce. No subscription re quests will be accepted without ZIP code. Article~ anc;t photographs may be reprinted. Proper credit should b_e g1ven. Contnbut1ons are welcome, but the editors assume no respons1bli1ty orilab1ilty for loss ordamage ofart1cles, photographs, or illustrations. Second-class postage paid at Atlanta, Ga.

General Assembly Should Act Now 'II

With the convening of the General Assembly for its annual session

in Jan uary, now is the appropriate time for mem bers of the General

Assembly and for wildlife conservatio nists throughout Geo rgia to

review proposed legislation that should and should not be approved

for the good of Georgia's one million hunters and fishem1en.

Here is the list of some of the most important requests for action

that have been made by the Game and Fish Commission , it's direc-

tor, and everyday sportsmen throughout the state:

..

1. The present State budget appropriation of the Game and Fish

Commission sho uld be increased by at least three-quarters of a mil-

lion dollars.

Approximately $350,000 is needed to increase the Commission's

understaffed force of 130 wildlife rangers by adding a minimum of

30 men to provide at least o ne ranger for all of Georgia's I 59 counties,

and to hire six new biologists.

r

Another $200,000 is neeaed for personal services to increase ranger

starting salari es from $359 to $396 a month, which is still lower than ,

the State Highway Patrol's $452 a month . Raises sho uld be given many

dedi cated rangers and biologists now working for the Commission to

make their salaries more competitive with other governmental agen-

cies and private industry, to attract and hold competent people.

Georgia now has six openi ngs for game and fish biologists under the

federal aid programs that it cannot fill because of low salaries in

co mparison to other states and the federal government. The re are

now more than 69 vaca ncies for biologists in the 13 southeastern

states alone, with more vacancies constantly occurring.

,..

Approximately $200,000 in additional state funds are needed so

that Georgia can obtain an additional $800,000 in federal aid funds

for the purchase of public hunting land. Much of this money will be

lost forever to Georgia sportsmen unless the State puts up matching

funds of o ne dollar for every three dollars of federal aid money avail-

a b le.

In add itio n approx imately $ 100,000 is needed in state funds to '

match $100,000 worth of federal money ava ilable for the construc-

tion or purchase of public fishing lakes unde r the 50-50 matching ~

fund Land and Water Conservation Fund.

2. The State Water Quality Control Board should be authorized to

levy fines o n polluters who allow wastes to escape into a stream or

lake, and the State Game and Fish Commission sho uld be autho rized

to collect damages from poll uters killing fish to pay for restock ing

and restoration projects.

3. Owners of all size motorboats and sailboats should be required

to register their boats wi th the Game and Fish Commission to provide

identification of the boats and their owners in case of an accident to

the operator o r a violation of the law by the operator. A small fee of

$3.25 for a three year period o n boats under 10 horsepower would

help finance boating safety patrolling now paid for o nly by the owners

of mo to rboats ove r 10 horsepower in size. Even so. motorboat fees wi ll not completely finance the cost of boating safety enfo rcement.

4. The top fi ne that a judge can levy for hunting deer at night sho uld

be increased from the present $200 limit to a maxim um allowable fin e

of at least $ 1,000, which is the limit for other game and fish misde-

meanor cases. 5. The law governing night hunting should also be amended to

outlaw hunting rabbits at night with a light "not attached to the body," .(

a practice now legally allowed th at is ofte n used as a coverup by deer

spotl ighters.

6. The alligato r season should either be closed or the Game and

Fish Commission should be given authority te close the seaso n to

protect alligators from becoming extinct in the next few years.



In addition to these positive steps, the General Assembly can also

greatly help the cause of wildlife conservation by taking no ac tio n on

these two matters: 1. There sho uld be no weakening of the legal autho rity of wi ldlife

rangers to destroy dogs in the act of illegally chasing or killing deer.

Thousands of deer that could otherwise be hunted by legal hunters

are killed each year by wild and free running dogs. Without the exist-

ing law, the toll wo uld be much higher each year if wildlife rangers

(Cont. on Pg. 15)

ON THE COVERS: Nature can be beautiful ... and cruel. T he sight of uncontrolled dog packs attacking, killing, and eating deer is almost never seen by Georgians, even though it occurs daily. Thousands of 1 deer and li vestock anim als are slaughtered senselessly each year, yet little o r nothing has been done to stop it. More beautiful, but eq ually rare for Georgians is the winter wonderland scene of deer standing in a new fallen North Georgia snow. Which picture do you prefer? Cover photo by Dan Keever. Back cover photo by Jim Morrison.

PHOTO CREDITS: Associated Press 15 ; Ted Borg 31.,8, 13; Callaway Gardens 10; Dan Keever I b.; Jim Morrison I t., 5, 6 b.. 7. 9, 14; Walt Stephens II 1. ; Jim Tyler 6 t. : U.S. Army Corps of Engineering , 0. H . Monroe II r., 12; U .S. Public Health Service 3 r.

tt!J!JCtl It tle;tfll
Uncontrolled dogs kill thousands of deer in Georgia each year, preventing their spread into thousands of acres of goo d deer habitat and robbing sportsmen of the
better hunting they would enjoy t/ roaming dogs were controlled.

While damage to wildltfeand livestock by roaming dogs is worse in rural areas, loose dogs are even more numerous in large Georgia cities where they are f requently run over by cars and t111cks, sometimes being left to die an agonizing death. A dog license and a leash la w, combined with humane disposal of un wanted dogs, would go a long way to solve Georgia 's dog problems.

Dogged to Death (cont.)
by Jim Morrison
Buford Withrow has a problem. Like most people who have a big job to
do, Buford has big problems, even for a quiet, hard-working mountain boy.
For two years now, Buford has been the area manager of the State Game and Fish Commission's popular 17,000 acre Lake Russell Game Management Area.
Buford lives in a small frame house near the foot of rugged Currahee Mountain, a distinctive landmark in Stephens County a few miles from Toccoa. There are no neigh-
bors for four miles inside the locked gates of his area. But the locked gates only keep out a part of Buford's problems.
They don't keep out the dogs. Sometimes when he finally goes to bed after patrolling his big area all day, Buford lies awake, still hearing in his mind the distant persistent barking of dogs, hot on the trail of a deer inside his refuge. "I have trouble with them almost every day," S!lYS Buford wearily. "Sometimes I
won'thave any trouble for awhile, and then they'll pop up in three or four places at one time. I had one chase the other day that I never could get broke up."
"I had some reports here IateiJ Buford went on. "I've been trying to catch them , but it's almost impossible to catch a dog chasing a deer. You just can't get your hands on them. Sometimes I can chase them off, but they're right back again."
"I don't have many problems during the deer hunt on the area," Buford said. "People seem to keep their dogs up better then. A lot of hunters have told me they'd shoot any dog they saw chasing a deer on the area, and I guess folks around here know that. It's in the spring when I have my worst problems. That's when the dogs really work on pregnant and young deer. Some of the kills I find are on deer that were crippled on the highways, but that's just a few of them. Last week I found a doe and a little fawn .The dogs ran the old doe into the Creek and killed it, and ate her fawn. "
"A year ago I found two nice bucks that I know dogs killed-one was a nice sixpointer and the other was a four. One of them was lying in the edge of the lake where it tried to get away. "
Just how many deer are killed on his area by dogs every year, Buford doesn't know, but he does know that the figure is shockingly high- much higher than most hunters on the area or nearby residents suspect.
Buford's feeling isn 't just a wild guess. Part of it is based on his personal observations as the chief field investigator in a recently completed research project jointly financed by the State Game and Fish Commission and the federal government to see how great the dog-deer problem is.
Over a six-month period beginning last
winter, Buford devoted 89 days in 25 weeks to full-time patrolling to observe and record every dog-deer chase that he heard or saw, assisted by wildlife rangers in the surrounding counties of Habersham, Ste-

phens, and Banks, along with game management personnel. When possible, the result of the chase was also recorded.
On such a typical patrol day, Buford rises before dawn, eats breakfast, jumps in his pickup truck, and begins driving the many winding dirt roads of the heavily wooded Lake Russell area. Reaching an overlook on a ridge, Buford cuts off the truck engine, rolls down the windows, and begins listening and looking for signs of a
chase. Usually, it doesn't take long.
After determining which way the dogs are headed by listening to them for a few seconds, Buford attempts to head off the dogs at a possible crossing which the deer may use. If he can get there ahead of the dogs, sometimes Buford can break up the chase, saving the deer. Sometimes.
On five occasions during those 89 days, Buford arrived on the scene too late to stop the senseless slaughter of his deer. On ten other occasions, he couldn't be sure if the deer escaped or not when the chase ended too far from the road for him to reach, so as many as 15 deer could have been killed. Happily, Buford and the other rangers were able to stop seven chases before the deer were killed and eaten. Only twice in a chase observed by Buford was the deer able to escape the scentof the dogs unassisteda discouraging record. Except for small80acre LakeRussell and a few smaller creeks, there is no water on the area where deer can throw pursuing dogs off their scent before the dogs catch sight of them, typical of many areas all over Georgia, with the exception of the Georgia coastal area.
Buford is the first to admit that he didn't see and record more than a fraction of the chases and kills that actually occurred on Lake Russell during the past year. He did record more than 55 separate chases during the 89 days, participated in by 115 dogs of various species. The actual figure including the 276 days when no records were made must be higher. 'Some of them could be running in there now, and I wouldn't know it," Buford honestly pointed out.
"I suspect I have more deer killed on my area alone by dogs than are killed by hunters in a lot of counties," Buford says. Even so, the Lake Russell area each year produces one of the largest total legal kills of any State Game Management Area. But without the dogs and night hunters, Commission game biologists believe the total number of deer taken would be much higher. The Russell area is understandingly popular with Georgia hunters. This season 2,248 of them bagged 289 deer there, one of the best success ratios in the State.
"I don't know how many fawns they got this summer," Buford said. "The spring is a real bad time. Old does so big with unborn fawns can't run 15 minutes before they get her. On this area, I think two out of three of my does have twins, so the dogs probably did away with three deer instead of the one I find ."
Buford doesn't have very many sympathizers. A few local residents know abo ut

his problems and think that something should be done , but they seem to be in the minority to Buford. "I don't think the deer huntersaroundherehave really woke up to the fact of how great the problem is yet. If we didn't try to keep dogs off the refuge for three or four years, they'd just take it over, even with as many deer as we have no'!Y. I think some people'd just sit right there and never say a thing, just let 'them carry it off and kill every last deer we've got on the refuge- it wouldn't take the dogs long."
Where do the dogs come from ? "I don't have much trouble with the fox and coon hunters," Buford says. "They keep their dogs put up when they're not hunting, and they'll do everything they can to pick up their dogs as soon as possible after the hunt is over. Once in awhile their dogs might come over on the refuge, but it's usually accidental. "
"It's the local people who let their house dogs run loose who give me the most trouble. Some people just don't seem to care what their dogs do. People around here won'tput their dogs up, and theydon'tcare enough to put a collar on them, let alone get them vaccinated. They get real careless. A lot of folks don't know what their dog does, especially at night. He may run all night and be laying right back in the yard the next morning."
"My biggest problem is with all kinds of house dogs and stray dogs. The hunting dogs don't give me much trouble. Collies and shepherd dogs are the worst there are to chase deer and catch them. 90 per cent of them don't bark, so I never know they're in here unless I happen to see them ."
"In this area, people are getting bad about puttingoutstray dogs they don't care for. They'll drive out on the back roads where nobody'll see them and turn them loose because they're too chicken to kill them themselves. If an old bitch has pups and they manage to live for three or four months,I'll hardly even catch sight of them again. They're quieter and harder to see than a deer. They won't get within a hundred yards of me before they run off."
Whatisthesolution to stray dogs? "Well , in Atlanta you can take them to the pound and they'll kill them for you, but there's nothing like that here in this small county. If we had a place like that set up, even one for every two or three counties, they'd take them to it," Buford believes. Now, there are only 35 counties with pounds in the entire state of Georgia in 159 counties and more than 500 towns. And in many Georgia towns and counties, open garbage dumps provide free food to hundreds of dogs.
Buford says that the problem isn't limited to his refuge alone. "Last year a man next to the refuge had two or three calves killed by wild dogs. A man down in Franklin County had some of his calves and pigs killed by wild dogs, and three or four head of cattle were killed over at Alto Prison by dogs."
"We need something to go by to tell the wild dogs from the good dogs, like a collar

2

A survey just completed by the Georgia Cattleman's A ssociation sho wed that ra vaging dog packs killed more than 5,000 calves and mature cattle last year in Georgia worth more than $885,000! More than 113,000 head of cattle were harassed by dogs, running valuable pounds off beef cattle and reducing milk production of dairy cattle.

The estimated 300,000 to 500,000 un vaccinated stray or wild dogs in Georgia are a f rightening potential rabies threat, especially to small children. Uncontrolled dogs often come into contact with wild rabid raccoons,foxes, skunks, bats, and other wild animals that sometimes are infected with rabies. Unvaccinated infected strays may bite unvaccinated domestic dogs that have ample opportunities to bite humans.

with a vaccination tag. I think we need a gia with thousands of acres of suitable deer and responsibility to help control this

state Jaw passed to require it. If you don 't habitat where a track is never seen , with dog problem o n county or area levels."

care enough about your dog to put a collar only a few deer sticki ng to their escape "We are against a bounty on dogs," Nash

and a tag on it, then you don't care much route in the ri ver swamps which serve as says. "Then you get everybody killing dogs,

about it. That's no strain on anybody. You Janes of travel for harassed deer.

even pet dogs that are from out of state."

could put a small license fee on each dog to While dogs have their most dramatic de- Wildlife biologists are quick to point out

pay a man to keep the strays cleaned up and structiveeffectondeer, since these animals that bounty systems have never worked

run a pound, even if it was just one man for cannot escape by running into a hole or by effectively because of abuses.

each two or three counties. If he had some climbing a tree, dogs also kill and destroy "We do need a law to protect a cattlehelp in putting on a campaign in the county thousands of other game birds and animals man who kills a dog in the act of attacking

first, be could handle it by himself."

. each year, especially in the nest. Wild and his cattle. Even though a Jot of dogs are

"It'd help if people were more aware of stray cats are also a problem.

being shot, the cattleman could be sued for

the problem. They need to be told , but the. Just how serious the dog problem is to damages, as I understand it. The owner of

best thing that would help would be if we the important cattle industry in Georgia the dog ought to be liable for any damage

bad some legal backing. It's got to the point has always been a subject of speculation, that his dog does, but as far as I know, we

now where rangers are scared to do any- but cattlemen all over Georgia have been don't have any such Jaw on the books. It's
thing about dogs, unless they get some firm jolted by the shocking figures of a survey not that way with cows. If they get out on

backing and more support."

just completed by the Georgia Cattle- the highway and somebody hits one, the

Buford feels that rangers and other law men's Association. The cattlemen's poll cattleman's liable for damages."

enforcement personnel should be autho- showed that more than 5,000 cattle and "It doesn't do much good just to shoot

rized to deal with stray unvaccinated dogs, calves worth more than $885,000 are lost over their head," Nash says. "The next night

but that the main responsibility for seeing annually by cattlemen to dogs!

they're right back at it again. The prob-

that the job is done should be placed with The survey also showed that an esti- lem seems to be getting worse. I hear of

other full time personnel , not wildlife mated 113,000 head of cattle are affected some people killing six to eight or even a

ranfers, who wouldn't have time for any by the dogs, who can run as much as ten dozen dogs a night. We're trying to keep

other duties. "It's a job all by itself. You pounds off of one beef cow in a single day or cattlemen aware of the problem with our

can spend three or four hours trying to night of harassment. If a cattleman had 20 survey, but a strong state law is needed."

catch a dog and then not get it."

head in a pasture, be could lose as much as "A dog license would help to identify a

Buford's problems o n the Lake Russell 200 pounds in one night from dogs chasing dog. If a farmer sees a tag o n a dog. he'll

management area aren't unusual. They are cows. To regain the weight, the cattleman make a better effort not to harm him .If it's a

bared by every area manager and wildlife must keep the cows longer, losing money neighbor's dog, he'll return him and warn

range r in the state of Georgia. Partially on extra feed bills.

him to keep them up. A tag would help the

because of the study that Buford has made, Dairy cattle are affected less than beef person who wants to keep his dog, es-

something may eventually be done about cattle, since they are kept in barns more pecially if he strays away from home."

it. Buford's record keeping was part of a often, but dogs even enter loafing barns to "It's a pro blem that a lot of people in the

preliminary survey to show the federal harass cows. Cows that have been run all legislature recognize. I think if we pro-

gove rnment that a serious problem exists night usually give little or no milk .

posed a sound law, it could be passed. We

that is worthy of further study. The Com- lf a calf is lost, the cattleman loses a need to get all of the interested groups ro-

mission's game management chief, Hubert potential of abo ut $ 100 for the calf when gether and make a joint proposal," Nash

Handy, says he plans to ask for mo re de- it would have been sold . Since he must says.

tailed future studies to show what effect maintain the cow for a complete year at a Perhaps one of the most frightening as-

harassment by dogs has on deer repro- cost of $80 o r more, he loses more than pects of the dog problem in Georgia is the

duction, and what the fawn mortality is. $180 for each calf lost.

rabies threat, especially to more than one

Handy believes that Georgia's increas- "We need to do something," says Bob million susceptible children. Rabies is one

ingly more important deer herd would be Nash of Newnan, executive vice-president of the most dreaded diseases. Once it bas

twice as large as it now is, except for th e of the Georgia Cattlemen's Association. incubated in any susceptible animal , in-

problem of dogs, co mbined with serious "It's a major problem. Our survey shows cluding humans, it is always fatal , with no

night hunting. He cites large areas o f Geor- that. Someone needs to have the authority known treatment. Death by rabies is ag-

3

onizing. The victim may go mad, just as a
dog does. Fortunately, the disease has such a long incubation period in humans that preventive vaccine can be given possibly infected humans before the disease takes hold. 14 painful, expensive, and possibly risky injections must be given the bitten person around their abdomen every day for 14 days. The treatment is especially rough on small children.
Ironically, many of the persons who have to take rabies shots probably would have not had to take them, but stray or loose dogs often cannot be found to be confined for signs of rabies.
In recent years, scientists have learned that there is a tremendous reservoir of rabies in infected bats all over the United States. For instance, 24 rabid bats were identified in 1966-67 from almost every section of Georgia. Bats may be the source of all wild animal rabies, even though some animals apparently do not get rabies directly from the bats,but may get it through unknown carrier animals.
Raccoons, foxes , and skunks are the most common sources of rabies in wildlife, although almost any animal can get it.
During 1966-67,84 out of 300 raccoons examined by the State Health Department had rabies.16 rabid foxes were found , and two of eight skunks tested were rabid. These three animals, especially foxes and raccoons, commonly fight with and bite dogs that are trying to kill them, making it especially important for hunting dogs to be vaccinated for rabies. However, unvaccinated stray dogs provide another excellent potential means of transmitting rabies from wild animals to domestic dogs, which frequently come into contact with humans, especially children. Thus the cycle of possible rabies infection to man is complete. The only way to break it is to vaccinate all of the domestic owned dogs and to eliminate the unvaccinated stray and wild dogs that provide the bridge to man and his dogs for rabies.
Within the abnormally high Georgia dog population lies the potential for a tragic outbreak of rabies before drastic control efforts could be taken, but most members of the public don't realize the situation, and public officials are reluctant to take drastic actions toward "man's best friend ," except after emergency situations develop and public opinion demands it. The present Georgia rabies control law leaves enforcement of vaccination requirements up to the county health boards, most of whom have never used the weak authority
they now have to force dog owners to get their dogs vaccinated. Only 74 counties require all dogs to be vaccinated and only the larger metropolitan counties and counties where a rabies outbreak has already occurred actively enforce the law with personnel and facilities assigned exclusively to dog control. Little or nothing is being done about stray or wild dogs, except in the larger counties and cities that can afford to operate a pound with wash-

able pens, feeding facilities, a means of exterminating unwanted dogs, and a method of disposing of the carcasses.
In most counties, nothing is being done about stray dogs. Most city and county law enforcement officers are reluctant to destroy the animals, for fear of political reprisals by negligent owners. Even in the case of cruelty or animal abandonment, existing laws are too weak to be effectively enforced, and no administrative machinery with personnel and facilities is set up on a state-wide basis to handle it.
For example, the only law enforcement officer who will normally make a case for cruelty is Bill Newman, the one man cruelty investigator of the Atlanta Humane Society, who is also a Fulton County special deputy sheriff. Newman frequently receives calls from sheriffs and law enforcement officers hundreds of miles away from Atlanta who are afraid to make cases.
Even though existing laws pr.ovide for up to a $500 fine or six months in jail for abandoning animals, Newman has never been able to secure a conviction under the abandonment law,because of the difficulty of catching the culprits in the act of kicking a dog out of a car or moving off and "forgetting" to take dogs with them.
The cruelty problem in the abandonment of animals or in allowing them to run lose is especially acute in metropolitan areas, where thousands of dogs are
run over and killed or maimed by automobiles every year. The unwanted animals create a nuisance of themselves, knocking overgarbage cans, defecating on sidewalks and yards, and menacing playing children. Thousands of Georgians are bitten by dogs each year. More than 500 dogs a year are referred to the Health Department for a rabies check. usu ally after biting someone.
What should be done? Well, as the old saying goes, "there's l)lore than one way to skin a cat," or in this case, a dog problem. In other states, the problem is handled in many different ways. For instance in 1965, 22 states and territories handled rabies control and vaccination through their state health department. In 14 states, the problem is the joint responsibility of the state health department and the agriculture department. In four states, the state agriculture department alone handled it. Five states leave it to local governments, while two states give the responsibility to the game and fish agency. Five states have no rabies law at all.
Provisions of the different state laws are as different as spots on two hounds, but the basic functions are similar, especially in states with the strongest and most effective laws.
Generally, the best of such dog control laws provide for a dog license, issued to the dog at the same time that he is vaccinated , usually by a qualified veterinarian. The dog is required to wear a collar with a numbered tag whenever he is not con-

fined or on a leash, although some states like Tennessee relax this requirement if the dog is actively hunting with his master. A certificate bearing the same number is issued to the dog owner, one copy kept by the veterinarian, and one copy forwarded to the health department, so that the lost dogs can be identified from the tag number.
A small fee for each dog license is charged for three purposes: to raise revenue to finance dog control efforts, to provide for identification of owned vaccinated dogs, and to discourage ownership of unnecessary, ill-kept, unwanted dogs.
The amount of the fee varies from state to state, usually depending on the amount of money to be raised. One to three dollars are the most common figures, with the fee for unspayed females sometimes being a dollar higher than for male dogs or unsexed females.
Right now, 345,000 vaccination tags are issued by the State Health Department each year to veterinarians, but the number of owned dogs is estimated to be at least 500,000, which would provide anywhere from half a million to a million dollars for dog control , depending on the license fee.
The remaining estimated 300,000 to 500,000 stray and wild dogs could then be eliminated as uncollared unvaccinated dogs,reducing the threat to human health, cattle, deer, and humanely disposing of unwanted animals.
The license money could be used to pay a dog warden and to operate a pound, perhaps in a district of many counties, depending on their population. The more people, the more unwanted dogs there are. Some states even use dog license money to pay damage claims to property owners who suffer losses due to dogs, while others
only make the dog owner liable for his
dog's damage. Michigan requires all dogs not engaged in hunting to be confined at night, and makes any violating animals fair game for control officers. Another Michigan act protects property owners from liability for killing dogs harassing
livestock or persons or that enter their property without permission. In most state laws, penalties are often provided for dog owners who violate the laws on dog licensing and control.
While some laws require dogs to be penned or on a leash at all times except while on the property of the owner or on another's property with permission or while hunting or working, in some states, owners may let their dogs loose as long as they are under the control of their master and have been vaccinated and the owner has a certificate for evidence.
Exactly what program is the best for Georgia's needs is a matter for discussion, but the problem is getting worse. Action must be taken soon, not only for the benefit of wildlife, hunters, and conservationists, but also for livestock owners, humans, and the dogs themselves. ~

4

Got him! Will Da vis gets a finger into the gills of a nice Toccoa River smallm outh, climaxing a stiff battle. Though not as large as their bigmouth brethren, smallmouths are noted as the best fighters of all game fish.
Giving a last, determined f lop in an effort to shake the hook, the smallmouth now is pretty weak after a long, hard scrap. Small spinners, such as the no. 2 mepps shown, are am ong the best lures for smallmouths. Jigs and spinnerfly co mbinations also work well.

..
.
The Smallmouth MR. IN-BETWEEN

by Dean Wohlgemuth
There's a magic word for Geo rgia fisherme n. It's "bass."
That word rings a bell loud and clear for some 180,000 Georgians - for more Peach Staters fish for bass than for any other species. And they spend 4 million days a year fishing for their favorite .
But simply stating the word "bass" to these fo lks means "largemouth" bass in almost eve ry case. In future yea rs, however, yo u may have to use an adjective if you wa nt to clearly define the type of fishing yo u're doing.
This is because another member of the bass fam ily is about to make a grand entrance on the fishing scene. This one is ~lready present in the state , but he's limIted to o nly a small amount of the state's waters.

This one is the smaUmouth bass. The "true northern" smallmouth.
Lauded far and wide as the gamest, hardest fighter of all North American fish , the smallmouth bass at present is found in any numbers o nly in Lake Blue Ridge and Lake Chatuge, and the streams that feed these two reservoirs. There are also some smallmouths in Lake Nottely and its feeder streams.
These three drainage systems all pour into the Little Tennessee River, then the Big Tennessee , the Mississippi and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. They are the only Georgia waters where the smallmouth is native.
But this past fall , the Georgia Game and Fish Commission took a great stride in expanding smallmouth bass fisheries in the state. Many stream and rivers. and

some lakes in north Georgia, received stockings of smallmo uths. Others will be stocked late r.
The smallmouth is kn own to Commission biologists as an "intermediate" species. That is, he li kes water that is too warm for trout, yet too cool for largemouth bass, bream , crap pie and other warmwater fish.
In all the trout streams in the state , there is water on the lower end that is too warm for trout. Yet it is too cool for largemouth bass and other such fi sh.
Unfortun ately, these marginal waters have been more or less barren of game fish , even though there is plenty of food such as minnows available. But nature seemed to have missed an area in supplying fish.
Heres where the Game and Fish Com-

5

miSSion comes in. An estimated 25,000 smallmouth bass, ranging in size from four to 10 inches, were distributed to these streams. They're big enough so that they can escape predators and care for themselves. They're also big enough to eat the abundance of minnows in the streams.
The Commission fully expects these fish to reproduce well, and to sustain their own populations. Then they'll be on their own, and should continue to provide excellent sport forever after.
Not only are smallmouths a topnotch stream fish , they also do quite well in reservoirs where the water is cold enough. In addition to the north Georgia streams, smallmouths have been stocked in Lakes Burton, Lanier and Clark Hill. And they've been put in the Chattahoochee River above Lake Lanier.
In streams, the smallmouth doesn't usually depend as heavily on eating small fish as does his cousin the largemouth. He'll eat helgramites, crayfish and similar things. But in a lake, he adapts himself to forage fish , since there just aren't the same kinds of food available there.
To catch him, you'll need smaller plugs than you use on largemouths. You'll also find jigs are very good, as are small spinners, spoons and streamer flies. Plastic worms are also good. In live bait, small salamanders (spring lizards) are a good choice.
The smallmouth in a lake will be in deeper water than a largemouth. Therefore , trolling is probably one of the better methods of finding him. Deep-running plugs are the order here. In casting, deeprunners and jigs bounced off the bottom work well.
In early spring,however, he can be found in the same water as the largemouth, when the surface temperature is still quite low.
Partly because of his diet, his smaller mouth perhaps, and because of the colder environs in which he lives, the smallmouth bass is a slower growing fish and doesn't get as large as his bigmouth brother. The world record smallmouth, for example, is 11 pounds, 15 ounces. The largemouth bass record is 22 pounds four ounces - taken from Georgia, incidentally.
The smallmouth bass is probably actually closer related to another prominent native Georgia species than the largemouth. Mr. Smallmouth is quite similar in many ways to Georgia's spotted bass.
Like the smallmouth, the spotted bass has a mouth that extends only to just in front of the eye. And the spotted bass has vertical markings not too dissimilar from the vertical bars of the smallmouth, although he also has some markings running laterally li.ke those on the largemouth. And the spotted bass also likes streams. But he takes to warmer water than does the smallmouth.
So the smallmouth is scheduled to fill a gap for Georgia anglers, and give them an even more rounded-out menu of complete fishing sport. ~

They're small now, but they 'll be big enough to catch before long. When completed, the current stocking project of the Game and Fish Commission will provide smallmouth fishing in many streams where there is now no bass fishing at all. Fish hatchery superintendent Terrel Ramey and Paulding County Ranger J. C. Meeks are stocking Pumpkin Vine Creek with smallmouth.
Smallmouth fishing in rivers like the Toccoa has much in common with trout fishing. Smallmouths, however, like water which is just a little warmer than trout can take. And usually, such waters are found to be a little wider and roomier to fish in. They also are likely to be pretty tricky to wade, being deeper and rather swift.

6


A pretty fair day 's catch. Jim Tyler shows off a stringer of dandy smallmouths from the To ccoa River near Margaret above Lake Blue Ridge. Note the shirt, which is ivet on the boilom, thanks to wading waist deep in the cool, mountain waters.
7

Being careful while hunting and fis hing is the
best way to prevent injuries, but what 1/ you
do cause an "accident." Does your insurance
cover it?

INSURANCE
tor

OUTDOORSMEN

by Bob Blair

Hunting , fishing, and boating activities

can be dangerous. Accidents almost daily

lead to injuries, with someone being re-

quired to pick up the tab for medical bills

and the injured person's loss of pay. More

than o ne o utdoorsman has been sued fo r

accidentally causing death, injury , and

property damage. However, it may surprise

you to learn that the insurance on your

ho me probably gives you insurance pro-

tection while afield.

In these modern times, insurance is al-

most a necessity for financial security you are while you are at home or while torboats; another one-fourth were row-

against lawsuits, theft, damage you may driving to or from an outdoor exped ition. boats or canoes. A lifesaving device was

accidentally cause to the property of oth- However, remember that these statistics not used by 666 of 757 drowning victims ers, hospital and medical bills, and the can be misleading, since there are many of boating accidents, on whom data were I

wide variety of costs that can result from an more people driving on our highways than available in the U. S. Coast Guard 1966

accident. But, this is no t a sales pitch to sell hunting in our fields ... fortunately .

Boating Statistics report. Yet 55 per cent

insurance for yo ur hunting, fishing, and Outdoor sportsmen are truly exposed of the victims who did not use a safety de-

boating activities, but rather a tip from to numerous potential dangers. It is no vice, had one readily available on the boat.

the Insurance Information Institute that trite phrase that a gun - whether or not Statistics are helpful in teaching us de-

you already may have such insurance pro- it is loaded - is not a toy. Similarly, care- fensive measures. Daily news re ports of

tection . Last year there were 29 ,500 people killed
in home accidents, while another 4.4 million people received disabling injuries. Also, in 1966, there were 53,000 people killed in motor vehicle accidents, and 1.9 million received injuries.
Compare to these statistics the accident reco rds on o utdoor ac tivities: 2,600 people were killed in firearm accidents, many of which occurred while cleaning or playing with weapons ; and there were

less handling of a boat - and even a fishing rod - can lead to a serious accident.
Of the 2,600 accidental deaths involving firearms , about 600 to 800 a year are the direct result of hunting. The National Rifle Association reports six nonfatal hunting injuries occur for each fatality. More than half the weapons involved are shotguns, more than one-third are rifles, and the remainder are handguns. Nearly one-half of the victims are under 25 years of age, and more than one-third of these

traffic accidents have convinced most of us that automobile insurance is essential. Statistics also give us pretty good reasons for having insurance on our homes and businesses. But are you insured while huntin g, fishin g, or boating? The main reason for your paying auto insurance pre1i1iums is to be able to pay for the damages you may cause to other people, but what about your liability while nestling in the arms of Mother Nature?
Chances are the insurance on your house

1,300 deaths that can be attributed to are in the 15 to 19 age range.

- o f all things - includes li ability pro-

drownjngs or other causes of death in Three out of four boats involved in ac- tection fo r you while hunting, fishing , or

boating accidents in 1966.

cidental deaths were less than 16 feet long. boating. In recent years, insurance com-

It appears logical to draw the conclu- Only four per ce nt were longer than 26 panies have combined several different

sion that you are safer while afield than feet. Six out of ten boats were open mo- insurance policies into what is ca lled a

8

Homeowner's Insurance Policy.'' This

ow, you'll realize the exte nt o f protec- house. yo ur possessions - which wo uld

is a package policy that combines prop- tion you receive in outdoor sports by keep- include o utdoor equipment - are nor-

erty damage (such as fire , wind , vandalism , ing in mind that your homeowner's policy mally insured up to 1,000.

theft, etc.) and personal liability.

stipulates the liability protection affo rded lf yo u have or purchase a boat, consult

If you have a homeowner's policy , which to you applies not only to accidents occur- with your insurance agent. ormally you

is sold by most fire and casualty insurance ring on the premises of your house , but al- have a property insurance limit of $500

companies, you have liability insurance so in those accidents occurring elsewhere on boats, trailers and motors under 24

covering your outdoor sports activities. "if the injuring or damage is caused by horsepower, but these are not usually in-

Personal liability insurance protects you yo u, a member of yo ur family, o r your sured against windstorm , hajl or flooding.

when a suit or a claim is filed against you pe ts. "

No rmally a boat is not insured for prop-

by persons who consider you responsible This is wide protection that will cover erty damage when being used in the usual

fo r their injuries or for damage to their almost every conceivable hunting, fishin g, manner. Usually medical payments and

property. This protection applies not only or boating accident. This is necessary personal liability coverages of a home-

to accidents occurring on your premises, when you stop and think of what can owners policy do not apply on an acci-

but to those occurring elsewhere if the happen when yo u go afield . It -takes o nl y dent with a sailboat 26 feet or more in

inju ring or damage is caused by you , a one careless moment to spell death or seri- length or with an outboard motor you

member of your famjJy or your pets. When ous injury to your hunting companion. failed to mention to the insurance com-

such situations arise , your insurance com- Your prize bird dog may nip a game pany. Your insurance agent can tell you

pany pays the legal costs of defending warden. If you 're trigger happy , you may about special boat policies to give you

you. even thou gh the claim or suit may shoot a farmer's cow instead of deer. A coverage not afforded in your home-

be grou ndless, false , or fraudulent. If your faulty cast can put a fishing plug in your owner's policy.

insurance company agrees - or if a court partner's eye. A submerged log can cause Basically, we have been discussing co v-

decides - that you are legally liable , your your boat to capsize, drowning or injur- erages under the Broad Form of the

insurance company will pay the damages ing your friend 's teenage son. Or your hook Homeowner's Insurance Policy, which

assessed against you up to the limits of on the golf links can send your ball flying you may or may not have as part of your

your policy.

at 250 miles per hour into a group of oth- insurance program. Since insurance is

Medical payments and physical damage er duffers.

a matter of a contract between you and

to the property of others are also part of lf you live in an apartment, or a rented your insurance company, it is possible

your liability provisions in your home- house, you may have or can obtain an that the contract you have may be slightly

owner's insurance policy. So that you can apartment dweller's policy - sometimes different than the form used by other com-

meet your moral obligations for relati.ve- called a tenant's policy - that provides panies.

ly mi no r injuries you may cause to others, most of the same coverages as the home- Consult with your insurance agent if

your policy is designed to pay the medical owner's policy. However, the apartment you have any questions about your insur-

expenses, usually up to 500, although dweller's policy does not provide for in- ance policy. He can help you obtain a

higher limits can be obtained. Homeown- surance for damage to the building, which broad insurance program that will enable

er's pol icies usually will pay up to $250 of co urse would be insured by the owner. yo u to have sound protection while hunt-

for damages you may accidentally cause Your homeowner's or apartment dwell- ing, fishing , and boating. A sound insur-

to the pro perty of other people. Both the er's policy provides for the insurance ance program will protect you from po ssi-

medical payments and physical damage to co mpany to pay for thefts and certain ble fin ancial disaster as a result of an ac-

property of others are provisions designed causes of damage. Under usual co nditions , cident. Ho wever , remember that safety is

to handle small claims regardless of your your policy will pay for the theft of your the first rule that will help you avo id a

legal liability.

outdoor equipment. When away fro m your costly accidenL. )o.Q

a

Georgia 's famous Callaway Gardens will be the location fo r the important 1968 con vention of the Outdoor Writers A ssociation of America. June 23-29.

The payoff does not belong strictly to the writer. lt also comes to the host state.

It is probable that the state will reap a

harvest of several million dollars worth

of the best publicity there is - publicity

that money cannot buy.

For a week preceding the convention

and a week afterward , OWAA members

will spread out all through the state in

search for their stories. Some wi ll be go-

ing trout fishing in the mountains. Others

will be fishing on the coast. Still others

will fish the warm waters of the state for

bass, crappie, bream and other such spe-

cies.

Georgians who have hunting and fish-

ing that should be written about and who

can provide overnight lodging and/ or a

boa t and mo tor with a guid e for se ve ral writers are urged to lt~ t myself or Jim

Morrison of the Game and Fish Commis-

sion's Atlanta office know about it.

These stories will bring to G eorgi a peo-

ple from all over, who wish to sample the

good things we have to offer. And this

Georgia's Outdoor Resources Will Soon . ..

means a tremendous boost to the Georgia economy.

REAP A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST Nonresidents out of necessity spend much more money while here to go hunt-

by Dean Wohlgemuth

ing or fishing , than do residents. What is OWAA? It is an organization

Brace yourself, Georgia ... there's an door Life. Pick up a copy of any good out- of outdoor journalists, certainly. But it is

invasion coming.

door magazine. There, in the table of con- more than that.

The invasion , however, will be made up tents, are many members of OWAA.

OWAA has strict membership require-

e ntirely of "friendly forces ." They are Attending the convention wi ll be in the ments. Its members must be actively en-

coming to give Georgia something the likes vicinity of 250 to 300 writers. Most of them gaged in the field , and must adhere to

of which the state has never seen.

will bring their wives and children.

strict standards of high ethics and pro-

The "invading force" is OWAA - Out- Carefully kept figures of OWAA show fessionalism. Applicants must prove them-

door Writers Association of America . that members are 55 per cent newspaper- selves in order to become members. And

OWAA is coming to Georgia in June of men, 23 per cent are magazine staff writ- they must withstand thorough screening

this year for its annual week of conven- ers and 46 per cent of all members - of the membership committee.

tion . The meeting will be June 22 through whether newspapermen , staff writers or OWAA is growing. It is now 47 years

29 at Callaway Gardens, near Pine Moun- whatever - sell stories free lance to mag- old. It started with only 19 members.

tain, Ga.

azines, particularly the top national out- Now, most major newspapers carry out-

While they are here , these OWAA mem- doo r magazines.

door news and features . More outdoor

bers will be looking for story material

A newspaper writer will probably gath- magazines are published. Many broad-

to take home to their own newspapers, er several columns or features for his casting stations have o utdoor programs. _,

magazines, radio and television stations newspaper while in Georgia. In addition , The organization and the field of outdoor

and such outdoor news media. Some will he'll likely try to sell at least one story to journalism is booming.

make motion pictures of outdoor sports a leading magazine.

Why was Georgia selected tor the 1968

here. Others will take still pictures. Every

And there are 15 per cent of the mem- convention , over two other states -

kind of publicity you can think of - and bers who are radio men , and an equal per Michigan and Maine - who presented

some you can't - will be given to the cent who are on te levi sion.

strong bids? Because Georgia has one of

state's outdoor resources.

Who knows - perhaps some of the 17 the widest varieties of outdoor sports ac- -!

OWAA boasts some 1,200 of the very per cent of the members who are book tivities available anywhere in the nation .

best in the field of outdoor journalism, authors may write best sellers on Georgia And it has been an unta pped source for

the cream of the crop. The membership outdoor sports!

topnotch articles in this line. Very, very

rolls are a genuine "Who's Who" in the field. You 'II recognize many of the names : Homer Circle, OWAA President and special features editor of Spo rts Afield Magazine ; HurleyCampbell ,OWAA vice president and editor of Southern Outdoors Magazine; Charles Elliott of Georgia,

These writers will be coming to the conve ntion (which actually wo uld be more accurately described as a workshop) for two reasons. One of course, is to attend the workshop sessions to further their learning and keep abreast of the times , in their own craft. Top men .of all phases

little has been written in major publications throughout the nation on what Georgia has to offer.
So brace yourself, Georgia - and be ready to reap the most bountiful outdoor publicity harvest the state has ever en-
joyed! ~

Southern Field Editor of Outdoor Life ; o f outdoor journalism field will instruct Author Dean Wohlgemuth is an infor-

Clare Conley, managing editor of Field members in workshop sessions.

mation officer for the Game and Fish

and Stream; Hank Bradshaw and his team- In addition to this, however, these men Commission and a staff member of Geor-

mate wife Vera, topflight free-lance writ- (and some women, too) will be here to gia Game and Fish Magazine. He has

ers and photographers.

find stories. Those who work for news me- been named national general convention

And there's George X. Sand, one of the dia must justify their trips with good sto- chairman for the Outdoor Writers Associ-

finest outdoor photographers in the world ; ries. Free-lancers must find a way to make ation of America convention which will

and C. B. Colby, camping editor of Out- the trip pay off.

be held at Callaway Gardens, June 22-29.

10

andowner, More Small Game?

by Jim Tyl er

When we started planning a booklet on small game management for landowners, or actually anyone who has access to some land and would like it to provide more small game, the Game and Fish st~ff decided to pull a stunt like some of the btg, BIG magazines do. Look and Post magazines sometimes will run condensed versions of a book that is to be released the next month.
We roo will have a booklet, "How to Have Small Game on Your Land ," ready for you next mont~. The bo?klet will h~ve information on five species: mournmg dove, bobwhite quail, wood duck , gray quirrel, and the bouncing cottontail

rabbit. For each species we rounded up one of
our game biologists, roped him to a typewriter, and picked his brain. We had each of them write on the reproduction, food habits, predation , and management for his particular aruma!. Therefore, the words of the booklet are straight from qualified , trained, experienced sources.
The following is a trip through the

booklet.

Proper game management technique is

not kid stuff. It is a vastly complex science.

But like anything big and wavering, a sup-

port placed here and there is a big help. The

individual landowner's efforts ARE im-

portant. And, besides helping the overall

game management scheme with his indi-

vidual contribution, the landowner reaps



the big harvest on his home grounds. If he plays his land right- bingo-more game in

his pot.

Mourning Dove Management A tall, rangy game biologist by the name
of Bob "Slim" Howarth tells about dove management:
Management of fields for dove shooting can be grouped into two categories- fields to be shot over during September, and fields to be shot over in December and January.
Management for Do ve Fields to be Huntedoverin September
Brown-top millet is a good grain doves eat readily where it is available on open ground. It should be planted on a well prepared seedbed in rows, three feet apart, at the rate of 10 pounds of seed per acre. Four hundred pounds of 6-12-12 fertilizer per acre should be applied at planting time. Planting should be done between May 20 and June 10. The young growth of millet should be side-dressed with 100 pounds of ammonium nitrate per acre. For maximum seed production , it will be necessary to cultivate the stand to keep the middles as clean as possible and also to provide an open feeding area. Fields planted in tills manner should be a minimum of 5 acres and should be left unharvested.
Dove proso (millet) is another grain very palatable to doves and should be planted in rows, three feet apart, at a rate of 6 pounds of seed per acre. Fertilizer and nitrogen applications should be carried out the same as for brown-top millet. Planting time would also be the same as brown-top millet. Fields planted to dove proso should be a minimum of 5 acres. The dGve proso should also be left unharvested.

Of course, a great deal of the dove shooting that occurs in September takes place on millet fields that have been combined for seed or on which the millet has been mowed, raked , and the hay baled. These fields offer stubble type feeding conditions for doves. Hogged off peanut fields in south Georgia also offer ideal feeding conditio ns for the birds.
RecommendedManagementforDo ve Fields to be Hunted over inDecember
andJanumy
Milo is eaten very readily by doves in the late fall and winter months. Early in May the land for planting a milo field should be harrowed into a good seedbed. Two to three weeks followin g this operation , harrow again. Apply 400 pounds of 6-12-12 fertilizer per acre at planting time. Seed should be treated with one-half ounce Arasan per bushel of seed. Planting should be carried out between May 20 and June 10 and seed should be planted in rows three feet apart at the rate of six pounds of seed per acre. When the plants are six weeks old , side-dress with 100 pounds of ammonium nitrate per acre. Cultivation should be carried out the same as would be carried out on corn. Fields planted to milo should be a minimum of five acres.
More dove shooting takes place on harvested corn fields during December and January, especially where the corn has been harvested with a corn picker. Hogged off corn fields in south Georgia also offer very attractive feeding conditions for doves, and good shooting situations. .

Controlled burning is one of the most economical means ofproviding a better natural food supply for small game, especially quail and rabbits. Bush hogging is equally effective. but more difficult in \\loods.

. ,
11

Lando wners wh o are willing to go to the time and expense of plaming food patches in smallwood/and clearings or along powerline right of ways can improve their quail and rabbit hunting while making hunting easier.

Opportuni ties for manage ment of a fie ld for both the early and late dove seaso n also are being carried o ut by some landowne rs. One practice is planti ng twelve rows of mi lo . th ree feet apa rt, alte rnating wit h twelve rows of brown-top or dove proso millet, th ree fee t apart, across a field of at least te n acres. Bo th the milo and the millet sho uld be cul tivated at least two times, and the grain left unh arvested . Pl antin g of both the milo and the mille t sho uld tak e pl ace betwee n May 20 and June 10. Thi s also will improve quail food and cover condi tions and res ul t in better quail hun ting.
SummerFeeding Fields Anothe r dove ha titat manage me nt technique of great value is providing summer feeding areas for breeding population of adult doves and the young they have produ ced . T his can be accomplished by planting a one to two acre field to wheat at the rate of Y, bushel per acre. This will result in a thin , sparse stand in which doves will feed in July, August, and Se ptember. The wheat should be left unh arvested in this situation. This should hold a large r po pulatio n o f doves in these local areas un til the o pening of the Septe mber dove shooting season.
Bobwhite Quail Management Game biologist Ro n Simpson, who
works exclusively with quail , writes abo ut the bo bwhite:
G ood distribution or mixing of cover and food is the most important qu ail management prac tice th at can be used.It is a way o f providing a max imum amo un t o f favo rable habitat.

T his consists of di ve rsifying or varying the major cover ty pes of fo rest, brush, grass, and c ul tivated land so that the differe nt ty pes meet several times o n an area, instead of only o nce or twice. However, because of econom ical reasons this is not usually feasible.
Controlled burning of woodlands, expecially pine, can be of great value to quail. The burning sho uld be conducted in January or Fe bru ary, if possible , with fire lanes at least 6 feet wide constructed every 500 to 800 fee t. Burning will remove the thick li tter laye r usually prese nt, and will stimulate the germination of legume seeds. T he fire lanes constructed fo r the controlled burning, as well as providing open areas fo r qu ail. can be planted with food plants such as clemson pea and Korean lespedeza. Additional cover and food may be provided by having a covert, an area of hawtho rn or wiJd plum 20 to 30 feet in diameter, for eve ry 10 acres of pineland . Fire is kept out by e ncircling it with a fire lane . The fire lane can th en be planted with food pl an ts.
ln woodland where burning wo uld no t norm ally be conducted . such as in high quality hard woods, cutting operatio ns such as thinning can be used. Thi s o pens the forest cano py, and allows food and cover plants to become established . This, however, is no t a permanent or very producti ve type of habitat improvement. A more pe rmanent type of improvement is creating small o pen areas of abo ut one-half acre through the stand . These are then pl anted in food pl ants such as clemson pea o r partridge pea.
Pastures can be conve rted into habitat more favora ble fo r quail. T hickets and cover strips o f plants which cattle seldom graze, such as wild plum , hawthorn , and greenbriers, could he!p improve quail habitat by providing cover and pro tecting food plants. Food and cover patches can be fe nced to keep o ut cattle but th is is expen-
size.

Habitat o n cropland ca n be improved by planting a 15 feet wide strip of bicolor lespedeza as a border strip between the fields and wood land . AJiowing fence rows to revert back to shru bs and weeds is also beneficial. If culti va ted areas are extensive , cover strips or lanes can be develo ped across such areas to greatl y improve the habitat for bobwhi te .
Wood Duck Management David Almand , wildli fe speciali st, Uni-
ve rsity of Georgia Exte nsio n Service , carries the wood duck banner:
Since nest sites can be provided by suitable nest boxes, persons interested in the wood du ck, either fo r its beauty or as game, can do much to help the species.
Erecting wood duck nesting boxes is no t a new manage ment idea. Attempts to increase wood duck numbers by putting up nest boxes dates back to the 1930's. Since then, man y thousand s of boxes have been put up by va rio us conservatio n agencies and groups.
Boxes have bee n made o f both wood and metal. Wooden nail kegs, ammunitio n boxes, and metal grease drum s have all been tried with varying degrees of success. Wooden boxes are be tte r fo r use in G eorgia. Cypress, redwood , or treated pine boxes will last fi ve to 10 years or lo nger.
The height of the box is not considered too important as long as it is at least 10 feet above th e ground. Boxes placed 10 feet above th e ground on trees without limbs are less likely to be tampe red with by humans. If the box is put up over water, be sure to pu t it high eno ugh so that it will no t be flooded by high water.

12

One of the best ways to insure that nest

boxes will be used is to put them in areas where wood ducks have been known to

li ve. The best locations for boxes are in beaver ponds, oxbow lakes, and in fish pond near wooded areas. Wood ducks prefer these areas to large bodies of open

wa ter.

.

The ideal place to put up a nest box IS

on an isolated tree or snag ? ver water.

Shoreline trees are also satisfactory. If

there are no trees or snags available,

the n you can drive a wooden or metal post into the pond bottom and attach the box to the pole. Boxes installed over water are usually more successful than those installed over land because there is less chance of the nest being destroyed by predators or by curious humans.
One of the prime considerations in

erecting nest boxes is to place them where they will be easily seen by wood ducks. If they can be easily seen from any directio n, then you should erect them facing no rth or south. Less light will enter the box through the opening when they are faci ng th us. If the boxes are erected in a wooded pond , they should always face an

open patch of water, if possible. If you want to keep a record of nesting
activities, the boxes may be inspected in

Ju ne to collect the necessary data. Check the box only during the middle of the day, as the female is less likely to be on the nest at this time. DO NOT make frequent visits to the nest box . If the female
... is disturbed too much during nesting,
she will leave the nest and start a new one.

During late January , inspect the boxes



and make them ready for the coming seaso n. Clean out all debris, add sawdust and

shavings, if needed , and make necessary

repairs. Also, remove any vegetation that

might hide the box from the ducks. Boxes

. that are not maintained properly contribute little .

Wood ducks, along with o ther ducks, can be attracted to your pond in the fall

> and winter months by planting corn and brown-top or Japanese millet and flooding it when ripe. The corn should be planted in the spring and the millets in July or early August.

During the nesting season , these ducks can be attracted to your pond by artificial feeding.

With the increased drainage of creeks and swamps and general destruction of
wood duck habitat, nesting boxes can help make up for the loss of natural habitat. Although nest sites are o nly one re"f quirementin managing wood ducks, natural cavities are so scarce that nest boxes are

an important and logical way to contribute to the welfare of this important bird.
It should be remembered that wood

duck nest boxes may do more harm than good under certain conditions. Unless protected by predator guards, the boxes may become a death trap for the female. Only th rough a sound , well-planned program will nest boxes be of any value .

Selective timber cutting leaving ample den trees and acorn producing trees is the best way to insure continued good squirrel hunting in woodland areas.

Gray Squirrel Management Our chief of game biologists, Hubert
Handy , reared in the Georgia mountains, gives his advice on squirrel management:
The gray squirrel is fundamentally an inhabitant of hardwood forests , however, he can often be found in mixed stands of pine and hardwoods, especially if the
hardwood are oak trees. Preferred habitat consists mostly of mature hardwood trees where some can be used as dens and the others are mast producers.
Forestry practices in Georgia today, doing away with hardwoods and planting stands of pine, are incompatible with the production of gray squirrel. The numbers of gray squirrels throughout the state are in direct ratio to the amount of food available from hardwood trees.
Since the emphasis in Georgia is placed on pine production , little room is left for

squirrel habitat. Only those areas that are inaccessible or too wet for heavy machinery are left for hardwood production. And , sometimes, the hardwoods produced in these areas are scrubby, or poor quality, and poor mast producers.
Gray squirrels do not hibernate , as do chipmunks, but fast for varying periods during severe winter months. These periods usually are spent in deep sleep in hollow trees and several squirrels may use one den tree.
Landowners desiring squirrels must provide food by the wise use of their hardwood forests. One large den tree should be left for each twenty acres of suitable forested habitat. One of the difficult things wildlife managers must get across to landowners is the value of wildlife on their land. Oftentimes the wildlife on a given tract of land is more valuable

13

than the timbe r the land will produce. Because wildlife is taken in such light regard by land managers, this value never enters into their calculations when they are planning the use of large tracts of land.
Sportsmen wishing an abundance of sq uirrels should not expect the season to extend into the spri ng breeding season nor should they expect the season to o pen in the fall un til the late li tte rs are able to fend for themselves. Oftentimes conservation age ncies are forced to set seasons that are contrary to nature's reprod uction cycle. It is especially bad "When these seasons ex te nd into breeding season. When the adults are killed and the young are left in dens and nests un able to fend for themselves, the slaughter can greatly reduce the breeding stock for next year's hunting.
Rabbit Management Soft spoken, bard th inking game biolo-
gist Joe Kight bas a few words on rabbits: Intensive management is not necessary
to provide good rabbit hunting. About all the rabbit needs is something to eat and a place to hide. It is a "home body" and doesn't like to wander too far away. Even when pursued by beagles, it will usually circle back to where it 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 hun ting 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 bun ting.
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 , and 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 agricul tural practices as to when to plant, kind and amount of fert ilizer, 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 hun ter does not harvest them, then disease, weather, starvation, and predators will.
NOTE TO LANDOWNERS: The Game and Fish Commission stands willing and able to give you technical assistance for improving small game populations on yo ur land . The money and the work , however, has to come from you. ~

22" 20"
Side Vle1.1
1 t.r. Hi!se~
22'
l I16" -r \o- 10" I--- 12. ---1 F'ront Vfew
Wood Duck Nesting Box
Materials I" x 12" rough cypress , redwood o r t rea ted pine lumber (abo ut 9 lf.z feet ) %" x J Y2" hange r bo lt %" win g nut a nd was he r
3" lag sc rew a nd fl a t was he r ( if ha nger bo lt is not used) 2" screen doo r hook and eye 2 s ma ll hin ges Sh av in gs a nd sa wdust as s ho wn
A grain field like milo or hygear, browntop millet, or corn can provide excellent dove shooting 1[ the field is planted and harvested with the opening of dove season in mind.

14

General Assembly Should Act Now (cont.)

were powerless to act.

.

.

In fact, the time has come m Georgia for

more stringent regulations and control of w1ld

and stray dogs which are domg more than $ 5 ()()() damage a year to beef cattle alone. Mor~ than half a milli on unvaccmate~ dogs

are a staggering rabies threat to Georg1a s fou r

million people, including one m!lhon h1ghly

vulnerab le children . Unwanted ammals should

be dispo ed of in a hum ane fashiOn , rather

than bei ng abandoned by the thousands o n

back cou ntry roads to e1ther d_1e of starvauo!l

I
"

or survive by wantonly destroymg wlldhfe, pn-

vate property. and publi c health.

.

2 0 new State legisl ation (or federal ) IS needed to govern or further restrict the pur-

chase. possession, or use of firearms of any ty pe. Exis ting laws are adequate fo r th1s purpo e if they are enforced .. It is already illegal to carry a pistol in Georg1a Without a perm1t

the

from the county ordinary, illegal to carry it co ncealed, illegal for minors to purchase one, and illegal to use it in the commission of a

outdoor

crime. Stringent enforcement of the law by law en forcement officers when a crime occurs and severe penalties and sentences handed out by judges and juries when violators are convicted

world

will do more to stop crime than any law which

seeks to do the impossibl e. Honest citizens whose co nscience will not

State Sportsmen Oppose New

allow them to disobey a foolish and ineffective gun registration law sho uld not be forced to be fi ngerprinted hke a common cnmmal and subjected to a seven day_ investigation of their personal lives by sometimes poss1bly b1ased local law enforcement o ffici als before th ey ca n even pu rchase a pistol o r o ther firearm for home defense, targe t shoo ting. or lawful hunting.
Criminals will always be able to obtain guns by stealing them or buying them undercover. T he net effect of most proposed laws would only be to harass honest citizens, especially t hose who have never had any dealings with the police and who do no t want any. Many persons who have a legimate need for a gun would not buy one for that reason alone. In the case of sporting firearms and ammunition , a reduction in gun sales would reduce the federal aid excise tax funds available to the states for wild-

Gun Laws
Meeting at their annual convention in Macon Dec. 2-3, the Georgia Sportsmen's Federation urged the Georgia General Assembly and Congress not to pass new restrictions on the purchase and ownership of firearms that are being proposed by some legislators as anti-crime bills.
Earlier, more than 200 convention delegates heard U.S. Congressman John Flynt strongly deplore proposed gun laws in Congress, including one which Flynt said "would even prohibit my two sons from trading shotguns with each other."
As an alternative, Flynt proposed that

1st Dist. : W. H. Gilbert, Alban y, 2nd
Dist. ; Charles Ingram, Decatur, 4th Dist.; Tommie Holliman, Thomaston, 6th Dist.; Travis Mason , Bremen, 7th Dist.; Lewis Raulerson , Haylow, 8th Dist.; Trammel Carmichael, Canton, 9th Dist.; and David Alm and , Athens, lOth Dist.
With more than 5,000 members in 60 boating, hunting, and fishing clubs, the Sportsmen's Federation is the largest conservation organization in Georgia.
Next month's Game and Fish magazine will feature complete picture coverage of the Federation Convention, with de-



life restora tion and purchase of public hunting stricter penalties be placed on criminals tails on the 1967 Conse rvation Awards

land.

J. M . who use a firearm in the commission of Program winners.

a crime. "Senator Kennedy feels the way he Athens Conservation Conference

does about this matter because of the

"Conservation Is Common Sense" is

terrible incident that happened to his the theme o f the first state-wide confer-

brother," Congressman Flynt said , "but ere nce o n conservation to be sponsored by

no law in the world could have prevented the Georgia Conservancy, January 19 and

the irresponsible act of a madman. "

20, 1968, at the Center for Continuing

Following his address, Congressman Education in Athens. The purpose is to

Flynt was presented a plaque by the Fed- bring together diverse conservation in-

eration in recognition of his efforts to halt terests for the purpose of identifying

unwise gun legislation.

and exploring mutual concerns to further

In another resolution, the Federation the common cause - a coalition for con-

urged the General Assembly to raise the servancy.

budget of the State Game and Fish Com- Many local and national conservation-

mission next year by three-quarters of a ists will speak and hold seminars on con-

millio n dollars. Commission Director serving wilderness and wild life , increas-

George T. Bagby told the group that the ing recreational o pportunities in Georgia,

money would be used to hire at least one improving environmental conditions in

ranger for every Georgia county, to raise cities, and making communities more

the salaries of rangers and biologists to aware of their conservation responsi-

more competitive levels, and to purchase bilities.

new lands for public hunting and fishing. The conference is an opportunity for

Tim e to Smile John Henry Scott of Atlanta has plenty of reason to smile over the 10 3/ 4 pound bass he caught in a private lake at Greenville, Ga. John Henry caught the big bass on a shiner using a Zebco reel with 10 lb. test line. His fellow employees at the Associated Press office in Atlanta took up a collection to ha ve his fish moun ted.

The Federation re-elected attorney James L. Adams of Tucker as its president for the coming year, along with executive vice-president Clyde Greenway, also of Tucker. Billy Lan e of Claxton was e lected secre tary-treasurer to succeed Benson Ha m o f Forsyth.
amed as congressional district vice-
preside nts were Felton Mik e ll. Statesbo ro,

Georgians to learn about new ways to improve and conserve natural resources and to discuss and exchange ideas which will help improve the state.
For more information about the conference, write Mr. George S. Brooks. G eorgia Conservancy Conference, Center for ContinuingEducation, University of Georgia. Athens. Georgia 30601.

15

w Sportsmen~
Speak...
HIGH POWERED RIFLES
lnyourarticle "The high-powered riflefriend or foe? " you state that " the shotgun has been involved in a much higher percentage of hunting accidents and fatalities, with only a handful of accidents involving big bore rifles. " Why don 't you look at all of the facts instead of just the ones supporting your approval of high power rifles?
The chart on page 9 places each gun on an equal basis, thus 100 hours of rifle hunting as compared to 100 hours of shotgun hunting. Is this comparison fair? Let us compare the total number of hours spent by hunters using shotguns compared to hunters using rifles. You have overlooked the fact that hour for hour the shotgun is used literally hundreds of times more than high power rifles.
Let us rewrite part of your article and substitute a few words and I think you will see exactly what I mean -
"the Ford has been involved in a much higher percentage of auto accidents and fatalities, with only a handful of accidents involving Henry J 's." From the above would you say that Henry J 's are safer because fewer people are killed by them? Of course you wouldn 't , so why say high power rifles are safe because fewer people are killed by them? Fewer people are killed in Henry J 's too but they are not as safe as Fords. The high power rifle is used much less than shotguns and therefore results

in fewer accidents and fatalities. If you use an hour for hour comparison I am sure that you wi ll find the rifle a much more dangerous weapon than the shotgun .
As for the buckshot problem , do as some of the Federal Refuges, do not allow their use, use only slugs . If you ever decide to use an hour of rifle use compared to an hour of shotgun use instead of a rifle versus shotgun comparison please let me know.
H. Eugene McKinley Warner Robins, Ga.
The point you have made concerning the relative number of hours that the shotgun is in use compared to the highpowered rifle would be interesting to compare, if such figures were available.
Certainly no one would argue with you that rifles are not used as many hours for hunting as shotguns, since the rifle is not suitable for hunting many game species, usually small game and birds.
However, the editorial was concerned with the use of shotguns and rifles for deer hunting only, not for small game hunting.
We know of no figures which have been compiled in Georgia to indicate what percentage of hunters use a shotgun for deer hunting and what percentage use a rifle. Therefore, neither of us can base our opinions on statistics of this type. However, we would not feel unsafe in saying that more than 50% of the deer hunters in Georgia use a highpowered rifle rather than a shotgun for hunting deer, and that many more would use such a rifle if they could afford it and did not already own a shotgun.
The number of hours of rifle hunting would at least match and probably exceed the number of hours of shotgun hunting, especially since the largest percentage of our deer hunting goes on in

middle and north Georgia where the shotgun is not as suitable as in the thick south Georgia areas where hunting is of the "jump shot" variety along the woods, roads, and firebreaks as the deer run across the clearings in front of the dog.
Figures of the National Rifle Association show that 90% of all accidents in which a hunter shoots another hunter occur within 90 yards, which is lethal range for the shotgun or rifle. The 1966 Compilation of Hunting Accidents by the National Rifle Association indicated that only 103 out of 2,267 firearm's accidents that occurred were further than 100 yards from the muzzle, therefore the type of weapon in use was of little consequence.
This year in Georgia, four persons have been killed in hunting accidents. Two of them were squirrel hunting accidents in which one hunter stumbled and shot another. Two of them were deer hunting accidents when one hunter shot a friend sitting beside him on the stand with his shotgun, and the other accident occurred when a hunter shot himself as he climbed out of a tree.
Out of the five fatal accidents last year, four of them involved deer hunting. One occurred when a hunter stumbled and shot himself through the head with his own shotgun. A teenage boy shot another hunter with a shotgun slug, mistaking him for a deer. A deer hunter shot another person with a shotgun while removing it from a car. The fourth accident involved a high-powered rifle, but it occurred when a hunter fell and shot another hunter, a case in which it made no difference whether he had a rifle or shotgun.
At present, the existing regulations of the Game and Fish Commission prohibit the use of buckshot on State game management area hunts, both to prevent crippling loss of deer and for the safety of other hunters.

JANUARY, 1968

FEBRUARY, 1968

TIDE TABLE HIGH WATER

LOW WATER

HIGH WATER LOW WATER

Day

A.M. Hl . P.M. HT. A.M. P.M.

JAN.- FEB. 1968

Day

A.M . HT . P.M. HT . A.M. P.M.

1. Mon . 8:54 8 .0 9:12 6.6 2:36 3:18

2. Tues. 9:48 7.6 10:0D 6.4 3 :24 4:06

3. Wed . 10:36 7.3 10:48 6.3 4:12 4:54

4 . Thurs . 11 :24 6.8 11 :42 6.2 5:00 5:36

5. Fri. . ...

12:06 6.4 5:48 6:24

6. Sat. 12:30 6.1 12:54 6.1 6:42 7:12

7. Sun . 1:18 6.0 1:36 5.8 7:36 8:00

8. Mon. 2:06 6.0 2:24 5.5 8:30 8:48

9. Tues . 2:54 6.1 3:12 5.4 9:24 9:36

10. Wed . 3:48 6.2 4:D6 5.3 10:18 10:24

11 . Thurs. 4:42 6.4 5:00 5.3 11 :06 11 :12

12. Fri .

5:30 6.6 5:48 5.4 11 :54 . . . .

13. Sat. 6:18 6.9 6:36 5.5 12:00 12:42

14. Sun . 7:00 7.1 7:18 5.7 12:42 1:24

15. Mon . 7:36 7.2 7:54 5.9 1:30 2:06

16. Tues. 8:18 7.3 8:36 6.1 2:12 2:48

17. Wed . 9:00 7.3 9:18 6.2 2:54 3:30

18 . Thurs. 9:42 7.2 10:00 6.4 3:42 4:12

19 . Fri . 10:24 7.1 10:48 6.5 4:24 4:48

20. Sat. 11 :12 6.8 11:42 6.6 5:12 5:36

21. Sun . . . . . . . 12:06 6.6 6:06 6:30

22. Mon . 12:42 6.7 1:00 6.3 7:06 7:24

23 . Tues . 1:42 6.7 2:00 6.0 8:18 8:30

24 . Wed . 2:48 6.8 3:06 5.8 9:24 9:36

25 . Thurs . 4:00 6.9 4:12 5.8 10:30 10:36

26 . Fri.

5:12 7.1 5:24 5.9 11 :30 11:36

27 . Sat.

6:12 7.4 6:24 6.2 .. . 12:24

28 . Sun . 7:06 7.6 7:18 6.4 12:36 1:24

29 . Mon . 7:54 7.7 8:06 6.6 1:30 2:12

30. Tues . 8:42 7.6 8:54 6.6 2:18 3:00

31. Wed . 9:24 7.3 9:36 6.6 3:06 3:42

GEORGIA COASTAL WATERS
HOW TO USE THESE TABLES
The calculations are for the outer bar. Find the reading for the desired tide . In the table below find the number of minutes to add to correct for the place you are going to fish or swim. The outer bar calculation, plus this correction , gives the correct reading for the point desired.

Adjust For Day light Sa ving Tim e By Adding One Hour

CORRECTION TABLE The times given are for Savannah River entrance (Tybee) .

Hrs. Min .

Sava nnah ( High) . . . . .. . . 0 44

Savannah (Low). . . ..... . * 5 7

Hilton Head , S. C.. . . . ..... . 0 10

Thunderbolt.. .. .. . .. .. ... . 0 20

Isle of Hope....... . . ... .. . 0 40

Warsaw Sound.... . . . .. .. . 0 00

Ossabaw Sound.. . . . . .. .. . 0 0 5

Vernon View. . ... . . .. .. . . . . 0 35

Coffee Bluff. . .. .

0 55

Ogeechee River Brid ge.

3 50

St. Catherine Sound. .. .

0 25

Sapelo Sound... . . .. .

0 00

Brunswick Bar. . ... . .

0 00

JAN. FEB .

First Quarter
7 6

Full Moon
15 14

Last Quarter
22 21

New Moon
29 28

1. Thurs. 10:D6 7.0 10:18 6.5 3:54 4:18

2. Fri. 10:42 6.6 11 :00 6.4 4:36 5:00

3. Sat . 11 :24 6.2 11:42 6.2 5:18 5:42

4. Sun.

12:00 5.9 6:00 6:18

5. Mon . 12:24 6.1 12:42 5.6 6:48 7:06

6. Tues. 1:12 6.0 1:24 5.3 7:36 8:0D

7. Wed . 2:00 6.0 2:18 5.1 8:36 8:54

8. Thurs . 2:54 6.0 3:12 5.0 9:36 9:48

9. Fri.

3:54 6.1 4:18 5.0 10:30 10:36

10. Sat. 4:54 6.3 5:18 5.2 11 :24 11 :30

11. Sun . 5:48 6.7 6:06 5.6 . .. 12 :12

12. Mon . 6:36 7.0 6:54 6.0 12:18 12:54

13 . Tues. 7:18 7.3 7:36 6.4 1:06 1:42

14. Wed . 8:DO 7.4 8:18 6.7 1:54 2:24

15. Thurs . 8:36 7.5 9:00 7.0 2:36 3:06

16. Fri.

9:18 7.4 9:42 7.1 3:2'4 3:42

17. Sat. 10:06 7.2 10:30 7.2 4:12 4:42

18. Sun . 10:48 6.9 11 :24 7.1 5:00 5:12

19. Mon. 11:42 6.5

5:48 6:00

20 . Tues. 12:18 7.0 12:36 6.1 6:48 7:00

21. Wed. 1:24 6.8 1:42 5.7 8 :00 8:06

22 . Thurs. 2:36 6.6 2:48 5.5 9:12 9:18

23 . Fri.

3:54 6.6 4:06 5.6 10:18 10:24

24 . Sat. 5:06 6.8 5:18 5.8 11:18 11:30

25 . Sun . 6:06 7.1 6:18 6.2

12:12

26 . Mon . 7:00 7.3 7:12 6.6 12:24 1:06

27 . Tues. 7:42 7.4 7:54 6.9 1:18 1:48

28 . Wed . 8:24 7.3 8:30 7.0 2:06 2:30

29 . Thurs. 9:00 7.1 9:06 7.0 2:48 3:12

To report violations or if you need assistance in the Coastal Area-Call-State Game & Fish Commission , Brunswick Georgia

P. 0 . Box 1097, Phone 265-1552, Savannah 233-2383, Richmond Hill 756-3679.

'

'

16

GAME MANAGEMENT AREAS

TRAPPING SEASON

Sportsman's Calendar

CLOSING THIS MONTH
Small Game (quail, rabbit, squirrel}-Jan . 1-6, 1968-Suwanoo<;:hee. No permit required. Small Game (grouse, rabbit, squirrel}-Jan. 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27, !968-Blue Ridge. $1.00 permit required per day. Small Gam e (quail, rabbit, squirrei}-Jan. 8-1 3, 1968-Bullard Creek . $1.00 permit required per day. Small Gam e (quail, rabbit, squirrei}-J an.

Season-Nov. 18, 1967 through Feb. 29, 1968.
Mink , Muskrat, Opossum, Otter, and Skunk. Raccoon-closed in Floyd. Barlow, Cherokee, Forsyth . Hall , Banks Franklin, Hart and all counties noth of these counties. No closed season south of the listed counties.
No closed season on beaver, bobcat, and fox.
No bag tim it in any section of the state . No other wildlife except those specified may be trapped at any time.

8-20, 1968-Waycross State Forest. No

SEASONS NOW OPEN
BEAR
Season-Nov. 4, 1967 through Jan. 2, 1968 in the counties of Brantley, Charlton. Clinch, Echols and Ware. The remainder of the State is closed. Bag limit-( I) one per person per seaon.
DOVES
Season-Dec. 6, 1967 through Jan. 15, 1968. See federal regulations available at U. S. Post Office. Bag Limit-1 2 daily, possession limit 24. See federal regulations, especially for baiting restrictions. Migratory bird stamp not required.

permit required. Small Game (quail, rabbit, squirrel}-Jan. 22-27, 1968-Arabia Bay. No permit required . Small gam e in season-Nov. 29, 1967-Jan. 31, 1968, Wednesdays and Saturdays onlyPiedmont Experiment Station, Oaky Woods (Squirrel, rabbits, quail , and doves in season) $ 1 permit per day required.
SEASONS NOW OPEN
GROUSE, RUFFED
Season-Oct. 14, 1967, through Feb. 29, 1968. Bag Limit-3 Dail y, possession limit 6.

WILD TURKEY-Fall Season
Southwest Ga . Season-Nov . 20, 1967 through Feb. 29, 1968, in the counties of Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, and Thomas. Bag Limit-Two (2) per season.
STATE MANAGEMENT HUNTS NOW OPEN
A II small game in season-Altam aha (Except Butler Island, which is open only for waterfowl on Tuesdays and Saturdays during regu la r duck season). Lake Sem inole, Whitesb urg, All atoona. Brunswick Pulp and Paper Area. No permits required for small game hunting.

DUCKS
Season-Nov. 28, !967 through Jan. 6, 1968. Shooting Hours : One half hour before sunrise until sunset. Consult the nearest office of the U. S. Weather Bureau for the exact time.

OPOSSUM
Season-Oct. 14, 1967 through Feb. 29, 1968. Exception: Coweta County opens Sept. 30, 1967 through Jan. 20, 1968. No Bag Limit.

MEETINGS THIS MONTH
Georgia Conservancy Conservatio n Conference, Universi ty of Georgia Center for Continuing Education. Athens. Ga. Jan. 19-20, 1968 . All conservationists a re invi ted to a!tend.

Bag Limit-Four. ( 4) per day, including no more than two wood duck s, one can-

QUAIL, BOBWHITE

vasback, and two black ducks. In addition, Season-Nov. 18, 1967 through Feb. 29,

hunters may take five mergansers daily, 1968.

including no more than four American Bag Limit-12 D aily, possession limit 36.

and red-breasted mergansers and one

hooded merganser. In Chatham, Bryan, Glynn, Liberty, Mcintosh, and Camden

RABBITS

counties, east of the Intracoastal Water, Season-Nov. 18, 1967 through Feb. 29,

hunters may take two additional bonus 1968.

sca up ducks per day.

N. Ga. Bag Limit-S D aily.

Possession Limit-Eight ducks, to include no more than four wood ducks, one canva back, and four bl ack ducks. Possession limit for mergansers is 10, to include no more tha n two hooded mergansers.

S. Ga. Bag Limit-10 D ail y.
North Georgia includes the counties of Harris, Talbot, Upson, Monroe, Jones, Baldwin , Hancock, Warren, McDuffie, Columbia, and all counties north of those listed. All counties south of those listed

(

GEESE AND BRANT

above on the fall line are considered part of South Georgia.

Season-Nov. 4, 1967 through Jan. 12,

1968, except in Liberty and Mcintosh Counties, where the season is closed.

RACCOON

Just One More Month
If you were one of the 15,000 subscribers to Georgia Game and Fish who subscribed last year by February 1, 1967, your subscription may be about to expire. Check the date on your mailing label to see what month you will receive your last issue if you do not renew in time. To make sure that you don 't miss a single issue of Game and Fish, send in your renewal subscription now in the postage-pa id envelope attached to this issue. A minimum of 30 days notice is required to renew your subscrip-

Shooting Hours-One half hour before su nri se to su nset. Bag_ Limit-(Geese) Two per day. Posses ton limit is four. There is no open caso n on snow geese. ~ag Limit-(Brant) Six per day. Possesston limit is six.
SNIPE, WILSON'S
Season-Nov. 27 through Jan. !5, !968. Bag Limit-8 D aily, possession limit 16.

N. Ga. Season-Oct. 14, 1967 through Feb. 29, 1968, in Floyd, Bartow, C herokee, Forsyth, Hall, Banks, Franklin, and Hart counties and all counties north of these counties. N. Ga . Bag Limit-One (I) per night per person. S. Ga. Season-No closed season. S. Ga .-No Bag Limit.
SQUIRREL

tion . Beat the rush! And this time, why not subscribe for three years and save half a dollar!
Three years-$2.50 One year-$1.00
Send your name, address, and zip code with your check made payable to the State Game and Fish Commission, 401 State Capitol, Atlanta, Ga. 30334.

WOODCOCK

Season-Oct. 14, !967 through Feb. 29,

Season-Nov. 28 through Jan. 31, 1968. 1968.

00 IT NOW!

Bag Limit-5 Daily, possession limit 10. Bag Limit- 10 Daily.