Georgia game and fish [Vol. 3, no. 9 (Sept. 1968)]

VOL 3, NO. 9 I SEPTEMBER, 1968

~GEORGIA
~GAME&FISH

Septem ber 1968

Volume Ill

Number 9

The Mountain Lion Trophy Conservation Commun ications Award - 1967 The Georgia Sportsmen 's Federation.

Contents

Th e Fox .. . or The Hunter? . . . Jim Morrison 1

Writers Love Georgia!

... Dean Wohlgemuth 6

Bear Facts . .. and Fa bles

Marvin Tye 9

An Island Ca lled Cumberland

Jim Morrison 11

Sportsmen Speak

15

Sportsman's Ca lendar

16

Tide Table ....

17

Lester G. Maddox
Governor
George T. Bagby
Director . State Game & Fis h Commission

COMM ISSI ON ERS

Rankin M. Sm ith .

James Darby

Cha irman

Vice Chairman

Atlanta- 5th District

Vidalia -1st Distr ict

William Z. Camp , Sec.

J. B. Langford

Newrran-6th District

Calhoun-7th District

Ric hard Tift

Judge Harley Langdale.

Albany-2nd District

Valdosta-8th District

William E. Smith

Clyde Dixon

Americus-3rd District

Cleveland- 9th District

Charles L. Davidson, Jr.

Leonard Bassford

Avondale Estates-4th District Augusta -lOth District

Jimm1e Williamson

Darien -Coastal District

TEC HN ICAL SERVIC ES D IVISION Jack A. Crockford, Assistant Director
Leon Kirkland . Fisheries Chief Hubert Handy, Game Management Chief Charles M . Frisbe. Supervisor. Marine Fisher ies Robert S. Baker. Special Services Coord inator
LAW ENFORCEM ENT D IVISION Bill Cline
Deputy State Chief. Atlanta David Gould
Deputy State Chief. Brunswck

GEORGIA GAME & FIS H STA FF

J1m Mornson . Ed1tor

Dean Woh lgemuth.

J. Hall. Stall Wnter

Staff Writer

Ted Borg Photographer

Marvin Tye . Staff Writer

Georg1a Game and F1sh is theoff1C1al monthly magazmeof the Georgia Game and Fish Commission. published at the Commission's offices. 401 State Cap1tol. Atlanta. Georg1a 30334. N o advert1s1ng accepted. Subscriptions are $1 for one year or $2.50 for three years. Pnnted by Stem Printmg Company ,Atlanta. Ga. Notification ofaddress change must include both old and new address and ZIP code. w1th 30 days not1ce. No subscnpt/On re quests will be accepted without ZIP code. Articles and photographs may be repnnted. Proper credi t should be g1ven. Contnbutions are welcome. but
theeditorsassumenoresponslblli tyorllabilityfor lossordamageofarticles.
photographs, or illustrations. Second-class postage paid at Atlanta, Ga.

COASTAL PHOSPHATE MINING UNWISE

Georgia conservationists are facing their greatest threat to the

State's natural resources in many years with the advancement

of a proposal to mine phosphate deposits located under the

ocean floor up to three miles out from the Georgia coast.

The Kerr-McGee Corporation of Oklahoma has proposed to

lease 25,000 acres of estuaries and offshore sea bottoms in '

Chatham County from the State Mineral Leasing Commission

for a ridiculously low bid figure of $750,000 initially and ap-

proximately $500,000 for each year of dredging.

Under the sketchy details of the company's plan revealed to

the public so far, Kerr-McGee proposes to mi ne the phosphate

deposits under the ocean floor by dredging or pumping up the

overburden of millions of cubic yards of muck, sand, dirt,

and rock lying over the phosphates from 70 to 300 feet below

the ocean floor itself.

Solid fill material removed from over the deposits would then

be used to fill in more than 14,000 acres of so-called "useless"

marshland that the company has already leased or purchased

on Little Tybee and Cabbage Island, producing real estate that "'

might very well be sold by the company for 140 to 150 million

dollars or more at current prices for a fabulous profit over

their original investment.

During the processing of the phosphate, a messy colloidal

slime the consistency of cold cream is produced which never

dissolves, and which will remain the same consistency 2,000

years from now under the current technology. This material the

company proposes to pump out into the ocean and "dump", for

lack of a known permanent solution to the disposal problem. ~

The entire proposal is frightening in concept when the possi-

ble consequences are considered, especially when the potential

long-range damages to so many people are weighted against the

advantages to so few individuals for such a short period of time.

Three principal threats are presented by the proposal: 1. Pos-

sible destruction of the freshwater supply of Savannah. 2. Pollu-

tion of ocean water and destruction of sport fish and seafood

production areas. 3. Filling of marshes, resulting in total de-

struction forever of the seafood industry and sport fishing in

the area that is dependent on the marsh .

More than 160,000 people in Savannah and surrounding com-

munities are dependent on wells for freshwater. This water is

drawn out of a layer of limestone known as an aquifer that ex-

tends out past the seashore into the ocean in the area just below

the phosphate deposits. How close they lie to each other is a

matter of controversy, but should the dredging break into the J

freshwater limestone layer, saltwater probably would flow into

the area wells, forcing Savannah to construct a 10 to 15 million

dollar surface water treatment plant to take its water out of the

Savannah River.

(Continued 011 page 15 )

ON THE COVER: The wily gray fox, the most common Georgia fox. For a look at fox facts, see the opposite page. Color photo by Ted Borg.
ON THE BACK COVER: Sand dunes on Georgia's beautiful Cumberland Island, proposed as a National Seashore. See "An Island Called Cumberland" on page 11 by Jim Morrison, who also made the color photograph on the back cover.
PHOTO CREDITS: Bill Baab : 13, 14 t. & b.; Ted Borg: i.f.c., 6, 7, 8, 9; Jim Morrison: 12, 14 c.r. & 1.; Leonard Lee Rue, III : 1, 3, 5; Marvin Tye : 10.

H~ l~ttX
ttlt THE HIIITIIt
By Jim Morrison
There's never a dull moment when the subject is fox hunting.
It's a hard decision to make: which is the most controversial, the fox . .. or the fox hunter?
If you want to get a good rousing discussion started around any gathering of Georgia sportsmen, just bring up either subject, and then step back! The fireworks are about to begin, pro and con.
But before we put any heat into the arguments, let's shed some light on the subject first.
To begin with,, ere are two types of fo es found in Georgia, each clearly dis-
tinguis ab1e from each other: the common gray fox, and his mo e elusive
cou in, the r x. 1n spite of rut,nors
to the contra , red foxes and gra foxes o 't in reed.

Gray foxes have some red on them around their ears, the sides of their forelegs, and their ankles. The easiest way to tell the difference is by the black tip of their tail and rusty colored legs. In comparison, the red fox has a white tipped tail and black legs. (See illustration)
There is a lot of argument about whether or not the red fox is a native of Georgia, and North America. Many fox hunters claim that he was stocked in America by early English settlers who had hunted him in England. In fact, a good bit of fox stocking has been done by fox hunters and their clubs during the past two hundred years, but most naturalists believe that the red fox was here all along, before the arrival of the white man. Fossil records substantiate this view.
They point out that the gray fox is more at home in forest areas, which were most common before the settlers began clearing land for farming, making it more open and better habitat for the less numerous native red foxes , who rapidly expanded in the more open terrain. Thus, many people attributed their sudden appearance with the advance of civilization to stocking by hunters. Today, biologists estimate the relative percentage of reds to grays in Georgia at
fifty-fifty, for the sake of argument. Grays may be more plentiful.
The red is much more popular with fox hunters than the gray because of his tendency to give the dogs a long, exciting chase for miles across the countryside before finally going into a den in the ground. The gray is less likely to run for great distances, frequently climbing a tree, cat-like, within a half hour or less. Since fewer reds are caught by the dogs compared to the gray, he is generally considered either a faster runner, more intelligent, or both. The reds generally run farther ahead of the dogs than the gray, leaving less scent to follow. Curiously, the red never climbs trees.
Basically, the fox is a little wild dog, and belongs to the same biological family as domestic dogs, wild coyotes, and wolves. He's really a little fellowaveraging eight to 12 pounds or less in size. The male is usually the larger of the pair, and has a stronger scent than the female, apparently a defense for the young kits.
The fox is a predator. He'll eat just about anything he can get his mouth around : wild game, snakes, frogs, bugs, poultry, young livestock, fruit, vegetables, you name it. But the bulk of his diet is composed of mice and rabbits. Since he is also not above eating carrion when he can get it, he frequently gets blamed for killing and eating ani-

mals that died of starvation, disease, wounding by hunters, or attacks by dogs.
Actually, fox menus vary considerably with the seasons. During the winter, they must depend on meat dinners out of necessity, since little else is available, and wild animal surpluses are most common at that time. Mice and rabbits are the number one items, along with a good deal of carrion. In farming country, this may be a dead cow, pig, chicken, etc. In deer country, animals crippled by hunters that die later are cleaned up by foxes , along with fellow predatory scavengers like raccoons, crows, etc.
In early spring, foxes start out eating basically the same items they ate in winter. But as spring progresses and insects appear, foxes begin adding them to their menus. By summer, they are eating more and more fruit and insects and less meat, except for mice. By fall, fruits and mice are still important, but crippled game is added to their diet.
It's quite true that foxes will eat quail adults and eggs in the nest alike, along with other game birds and smaller anition, disease, exposure, and even hunting. Even in the case of the rabbit, the fox takes a much smaller percentage of the annual surplus than is removed by natural causes. In years when rabbits are more plentiful, foxes will also be more abundant. But when the rabbit (and rat) population is low, fox numbers follow their prey downward.
For these reasons, biologists feel that in most instances, attempts to reduce fox populations are a waste of time and money. Intensive studies of the fox have been made in northern states which clearly showed that reduction of the fox population on study areas had little effect in increasing game species, especially when the cost of control programs are considered in comparison to the good accomplished. This is especially true of the much-abused bounty system, which failed to reduce fox populations or increase game, in spite of the expenditure of millions of dollars over several decades. Today, most states with a modern game management program, including Georgia, do not offer bounties.
But what about Reynard's fabled raids on the chicken house? Foxes are famous for proving that chickens are slower and more stupid than wild prey, and they taste just as good. You can't blame the farmer for resenting this type of attack on his income, and more than one thief in the night has ended up with his pelt plastered on the barn wall by a load of number sixes!
But even this situation has changed today. In Georgia most poultry is kept closed up indoors for maximum production, greatly decreasing the fox's chance

to sneak into the barnyard for a quick meal. Similarly, pigs and livestock frequently are under closer control, so the fox is no longer the pest he once was considered.
In fact, the men who hunt him sometimes rank as a much greater problem for the farmer, especially when a pack of dogs runs through a herd of dairy or beef cattle or a ripening grain field in full pursuit of one of the neighborhood foxes. If the hunters didn't bother to ask for permission to hunt in advance, tempers sometimes flare.
Mating in late winter, foxes pair up to take care of the young kits, which are born in March, April, or May. The average litter is about five pups, but may range anywhere from one to as many as 11. Cases of more pups being found usually are the result of a pair of adults taking over a litter whose parents have been lost.
Nearly always, foxes are born in dens, which may be a hole in the ground, a cave, an opening under a pile of rocks or a big log, under an old house, or almost anywhere that a dry opening can be found. The den may be located in fence rows, fields, or woods, in brush or grass, on a hilltop or a hill-
side, or on level ground. Usually, it rs
on a raised elevation of ground in sandy, gravelly soil.
Foxes can dig their own dens, but usually prefer something ready made. Frequently, they take over an old woodchuck hole and enlarge it for their own needs. Usually there are two openings to the den, but three are not uncommon. While foxes may clean out several dens, only one is used for the kits. The others are remembered for emergency refuges from hounds or men.
After birth, both parents hunt for the young through late spring and early summer, when they begin learning to catch their own food with mother. By late summer and early fall, young foxes leave home and disperse into the surrounding areas at about the time most animals have produced their maximum number of offspring .. . the fall surplus which hunters, as well as predators, can harvest without harming the breeding stock.
Like most predators, foxes travel more widely than herbivorous animals like Georgia's whitetail deer, who normally live and die within a half-mile radius. After leaving the den, the young foxes may travel 10, 20, 30, or even 100 miles before settling down in a "home range," which may be many square miles wide. But should food needs dictate, the fox can and will migrate readily in search of quarry.
Usually, he moves about the most at

2

night, on the average of about five miles. During the daytime between naps, be may put in a mile and a half's travelling, bunting, or playing. Typically enough, compared to humans, the male foxes do more moving around than females, and tend to go much further before settling down to a domestic role. Travel is most extensive in the winter time when there are no young.
In Georgia, except for man and his dogs, the fox bas few natural enemies. Some are killed by bobcats and coyotes, but these losses are insignificant. Probably the greatest killers of foxes are disease, starvation, and old age. Foxes are one of the most susceptible of all wildlife species to rabies. A serious fox rabies epidemic occurred in 1954. Few cases have been recorded in recent years, but a serious outbreak is now in progress in Tennessee. Distemper, brain encephalitis, and mange are threats when the fox population gets too high. These diseases are one of the best reasons for hunters to adhere to game laws and health regulations against illegal fox stocking. If diseased animals are turned loose on healthy native foxes , an epidemic could seriously decrease the number of foxes present, and in the case of rabies, threaten man himself.
Few foxes are trapped because the pelt brings a ridiculously low price on the market, and fox furs aren't in style.
Now that we've looked at the fox, what about the other side of the picture ... the bunter?
Basically, there are three types of fox hunters in Georgia, but only one of them is numerous enough to be important: the night hound bunter.
The night bunter holds only one animal in more esteem than the fox: his hounds. Actually the average hunter is primarily a dog lover, breeder, trainer, competitor, and lastly, a bunter. The time, effort, and money that be spends on his dogs is a labor of love. Frequently, it is his only source of recreation.
Fox hunters are the sociable sort. They're organization men, too. Many of them belong to county or regional fox hunting clubs, primarily for the purpose of getting together to compare dogs, hold field trials and bench shows, and to swap, buy, or breed dogs with each other. Seldom do these large groups hunt together.
The typical fox hunter may be a farmer or a millionaire, a truck driver or a successful businessman. He'll go to any length to buy, barter, breed, borrow, or otherwise obtain the finest hounds he can. He thinks nothing of trips to the veterinarian, dog feed bills, complaining wives, driving hundreds of miles for a field trial, or staying out all night long listening to the sweet music of "Old Blue" in full voice.

And traditionally, the fox bunter bas been regarded as a friend of the farmer and the small game hunter, a man who is helping to remove a pesky problem while enjoying some wholesome sport with his dogs. Thankfully, this traditional role of the fox hunter isn't extinct, although a few bad eggs have created an odor that detractors of fox hunting have seized upon for their own purposes. For instance, a wit once described fox hunters as "the unspeakable in pursuit of the unedible."
Within recent years, the nature of fox hunting in Georgia has begun to change with the times. Since before the War Between The States, Georgia fox hunters have been prominent on the sporting scene. In the early days, most of the hunting was done from horseback, some of it in the old English Style. In fact, there are three groups of fox hunters in Georgia who still ride to the
hunt dressed in the traditional riding "habit" behind their hounds: one group near Atlanta, another at Midland near Columbus, and a third at Thomson, near Augusta. This type of hunting is done in the day.
But more commonly, hunting is done at night, when the weather is cooler and fox scent is stronger on the dew. And foxes move more at night. Once, hunters followed their hounds through the woods with a lantern, getting in plenty of good exercise and fresh night air, while enjoying the excitement of being near the dogs when the chase ended. Some hunters still do this, using modern flashlights. Occasionally, they may even kill the fox for a trophy, or let the dogs satisfy their desires. Frequently, the fox is allowed to live for another chase.
But more commonly, two to four more hunters get together, pooling their dogs for a hunt. The group casts their hounds on top of a hill, builds a campfire, and enjoys the pleasure of each other's company, re-telling stories of famous old hounds and their masters, perhaps "taking a nip," and listening for Qte dogs to top out a nearby ridge in

pursuit of their prey, before they go out of earshot into the valley beyond.
Sometimes, the group may pile into their trucks and race to the next bill, or a favorite road crossing, hoping to catch the sound of the hounds again, or perhaps even see the fox bound past their headlights. If the hunters should get tired, sleepy, or cold and wet, they may leave an old coat or other item of clothing with their scent on the ground where their dogs were let out. Theoretically, the dog is supposed to associate the coat and its odor with his master, remaining with it until he is picked up the next day or two after the hunt.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way. The hounds may pursue a particularly long-winded fox for miles before either catching, treeing, denning, or losing him. If their owner is not with them, they may not be able to find their way back to the release spot, or may strike up another scent.
Tired, weary, and footsore, they may get into trouble at a farmer's house on the way to find their master, perhaps chasing a calf, pigs, or a chicken, or rummaging around in the trash pile. In any event, it is usually the owner's fault, not the dogs. He should have been present at the end of the chase, if at all possible.
But perhaps the most serious complaint of all comes from the fact that it is difficult for the fox hunters to know what their dogs are actually chasing, for instance, a fox, or a deer? Even worse, some hunters don't care. One of them in North Georgia once told a State game biologist, "I don't give one __ what my dogs are chasing, just as long as I can hear them barking. Lots of times if they strike up a deer, I can hear him coming by the sound of his breathing, long before I can hear his feet hitting the ground." And a small minority of deliberate illegal deer doggers like to disguise their activities as "fox hunting", helping to give a bad name to thousands of law-abiding sportsmen.
The fact of the matter is that fox hunting is much more difficult in areas where deer are plentiful. since the dogs frequently jump or wind a fresh deer scent and leave the trail of the fox . Because of this, some scattered fox hunting groups have made concentrated efforts to wipe out deer that have been introduced or spread naturally into their hunting areas.
The following night after deer were stocked in a Gwinnett County area on the Alcovy River, a group of fox hunters released their dogs there in an effort to wipe out the newly-stocked animals while they were still in a confused state. Fortunately, their effort failed , but it did help to delay opening the county for legal deer hunting until this year. A

3

similar effort helped cause the aban-

donment of the Gumlog Game Manage-

ment Area in Towns County on the North Carolina line.

Some outlaws even have tried to poison deer by leaving old car batteries

in the woods in hope that the deer would eat the lethal lead content, but biologists say deer ignore the batteries.
A few instances of this type, perhaps

5MI4LL
RouND ~ E.L. P/40 .

blown out of proportion in the retelling,

have caused resentments between fox

hunters, deer hunters, and game man-

agers, especially since fox hunters are allowed to hunt their unprotected prey

..

all year long, including the spring and summer months when deer are pregnant

or dropping young fawns that are espe-

cially susceptible to dogs. This fact has created the opinion in many deer hunt-

ers that the fox hunting season should be stopped during the deer fawning period, and resulted in Senator Paul Brown of Athens introducing a bill in the State Senate at the last session to close the fox season from April 20 to August 1, and to specifically require fox hunters to have permission from landowners to hunt (already law) .
Alarmed by this threat to their sport, aroused fox hunters bombarded Brown and his fellow legislators with angry opposition in the form of letters, petitions, phone calls, and delegations of club officers. At Brown's request, the bill was killed in committee. The State Game and Fish Commission did not initiate the bill, and did not take a stand on it one way or another, primarily because the issue was too controversial, and little factual information is available as to how damaging the use of fox dogs is to deer during the reproductive period. Coon hunting in North Georgia is already not allowed during the spring and summer, primarily at the request of coon hunters.
In any event, the closed fox season bill did serve to stimulate a lot of valuable discussion by both fox and deer hunters, and responsible leaders in both groups have moved to head off any possible conflicts.
For instance, the officers of many fox hunting groups have urged their members and fellow fox hunters to make every effort to prevent their dogs from running deer, and to reject any suggestions of trying to annihilate deer, a futile idea at best in the face of greatly expanded deer herds and habitat. These men point out that any such efforts are not only illegal and would provoke action from the State Game and Fish Commission, but they also might cause deer hunters to retaliate on fox hounds seen running in the woods by shooting them or putting out poison.
Similarly, leaders of deer hunting groups have urged restraint and respect

From "The Red Foxes of Michigan"

for the valuable hunting dogs of fox hunters. And should such animals stray into a deer-rich game management area of the Game and Fish Commission and be captured or trapped, they are returned to their owners, if the dog is wearing a collar with the owner's name and address on it. Obviously good dogs that might have slipped their collar are frequently kept by wildlife rangers and refuge managers at their own expense until claimed by their owners, who have sometimes failed to even offer to pay for the food the dog ate while the ranger kept him. Should a dog be run over while crossing a heavily traveled roadway or fall victim to some disaster, rangers frequently are unjustly accused.
But in any event, while there are unresolved problems on both sides of the question, one thing is sure. Sportsmen in both the fox hunting fraternity and the deer hunters group would both suffer the most in any widespread outbreak of hostility and reprisals. It is of the most benefit for both groups to calmly work toward mutual cooperation.
Almost insignificant in comparison to the fox hunter-deer question is the furor that has been kicked up among the night hunting hound hunters by the arrival on the scene of a third kind of fox hunter: the predator caller.
Usually a dogless individual with a varmit rifle or shotgun, flashlight, and an electronic or mouth-operated caller that imitates a rabbit in distress, this fellow takes a few of the dumber foxes once in a while, and a whale of a lot more abuse from hound hunters, who fear that extermination of their favored species may result.
The argument of the predator callers is where philosophy and practice split for the fox hunter who has been using the "farmer's friend" argument that he is ridding the community of a pest. So

is the predator caller, but his relatively
easy success quickly brings the scorn of fox hunters, many of whom actually wouldn't think of killing a fox, at least not without dogs.
Game biologists feel that the number of foxes taken by predator callers isn't worth worrying about one way or the other. Only a handful of individuals are doing it, and they are taking only a small number of the more credulous foxes that probably would otherwise die of disease or old age anyway, without them being chased by a pack of fox dogs. They also point out that foxes will come to any type call, even a crow or duck call.
But regardless of that, worried fox hunters reacted by calling for the abolition of nefarious calls to kill foxes. At their request, Representative Wayne Snow of Chickamauga and William Crowe of LaFayette introduced a bill to outlaw the statewide use of callers for fox hunting. At the request of the State Game and Fish Commission, that bill was killed in committee, but a similar measure applying only to Walker County was passed as a local bill and signed.
With the rapid increase of forested areas that are good deer habitat, the difficulty of hunting foxes there will increase, and breaking dogs of running deer is no easy task, if not an impossible one. The scent of a deer is almost irrestible to a hound hot on the trail.
"It's easy enough to understand," said one hunter. "It'd be the same way with me if you undressed Brigitte Bardot and ran her around the block. I guess I'd just have to chase her, even if my wife was standing there with a shotgun to my head. And if I ever caught her, it'd be Katie bar the door from then on! I might get to like it!"
One hunter who tried to break his dogs of chasing deer by whipping them

every time he caught them on a deer's trail found his technique worked, but not the way he intended. "Instead of stopping chasing deer, they just learned not to bark," he said.
One interesting technique used by some hunters in training a new dog that has produced some results utilizes a bottle of stinging fluid that is tied to the top of the dog's collar, along with a plug attached to a dangling string and a fish hook. The dog is then taken out and placed on a known deer scent. As he charges off into the woods hot on the deer scent, the fish hook catches on a bush, jerking the plug out and giving the dog an unpleasant experience that hopefully will be associated with the smell of deer in the future.
Another technique is to spray a dog with deer scent at the same time that something unpleasant happens to him, like an electrical shock. A deer pelt or scent gland serves the same purpose. One hunter even raised a pet deer with his dogs, who soon became completely accustomed to the animal. Whether these experiments can be regarded as successful is still an open question.
But for a number of reasons, fox hunting is declining in popularity in Georgia, at a time when the population of the state is rapidly increasing and there are more foxes than ever before. A 1966-67 survey by the State Game and Fish Commission showed that there were only 11 ,000 fox hunters in the State that year, compared to 119,000 deer hunters. Only 18 per cent of the fox hunters, or about 2,000 owned fox dogs themselves, which is not too surprising, considering the social nature of fox hunting and the increasing difficulty of keeping a large pack of dogs.
Primarily a rural sport, fox hunting flourished in the days when agriculture was king in Georgia. In the open cotton and rowcrop fields , the gamey red foxes flourished , producing magnificent chases over the open countryside that was relatively free of fences. Farmers and quail hunters applauded their efforts, which served a much more useful need than exists today.
But as Georgia has become an industrialized, urban state, the picture of fox hunting has changed. Many rural fox hunters have since moved to the city, where keeping a large number of dogs is expensive, difficult, and time-consuming. Frequently, neighbors complain, fam ilies object, and feed bills for the big dogs have skyrocketed. Regular exercise and hunting for the dogs is a greater problem, since the hunting areas where the hunter is welcomed in his native community may be many miles away. As a result, many ex-fox hunters have sold, bartered, or loaned their dogs away. Few fox dogs, usually Julys or Walkers, are seen in the average kennel.

A male red fox in summer coat scans the countryside from the mouth of his den .
The remaining fox hunters for the most part are the elderly men left in the rural areas, with few young recruits to fill the gaps in their widening ranks.
Then too, fox hunting just isn't as much fun as it was in the old days. With the abandonment of thousands of acres of farmland after World War II, cotton rats, mice, and rabbits flourished in thousands of old fields, and with them , the fox flourished as well. Actually, fox hunting is more exciting in areas with few foxes. Where there are many, the dogs split into different groups chasing more than one fox, confusing each other and aggravating the listening hunters. A whole pack chasing one fox a long distance sounds much better, and makes for a more satisfying hunt. Now, some fox hunters have traded their hounds for less expensive beagles and taken up rabbit hunting.
On top of that, with the increase in woodlands, the gray fox is making a comeback in numerical superiority sure to culminate in his assumption of most of the land once occupied by the opencountry loving red. Since the gray doesn't run very far before being treed, he's not nearly so exciting to hunt.
And with the tremendous expansion in the number of deer in the new forested areas, hunts will be even less enjoyable and more frustrating than before. Since the hunter is spending money, time, and effort on his dogs to have fun, it is onl y natural for him to get discouraged about his sport when the fun goes out of it.
In his frustration , the fox hunter seeks a solution for his problem. Sometimes he lashes out at the Game and Fish Commission for spending so much time and effort at making his problems with deer even worse, a process that has not yet reached its peak. Why, he

asks, can't the Commission set aside some areas where deer will never be stocked or encouraged?
Even if such areas could be legally kept free of deer expanding naturally into suitable habitat, to do so would be to rob an even greater number of sportsmen of the opportunity to hunt the species of their choice, an animal for which they do not have to own an expensive pack of dogs to hunt for. With an investment of $20 or $30 in a military surplus rifle and a Saturday, with a little luck and skill, they can bag a trophy rack for their wall, and meat for their freezer at the same time.
A recent economic survey by the Game and Fish Commission showed that every deer bagged by sportsmen put more than $400 into the pockets of their fellow Georgians, meaning that in 196667 alone, deer hunting was worth more than ten million dollars to the State. Meanwhile, the fox is still considered by most people to be a worthless, dangerous predator who deserves no protection or special advantages.
Since most areas that are leased by paper companies to the Commission are forest areas, they provide much better deer hunting than fox hunting, for a much larger number of people. In fact, four Commission leased areas are open for fox hunting: Allatoona, Whitesburg, part of Oaky Woods, Grand Bay, and Brunswick Pulp and Paper, but few hunters use these areas because of the large number of deer and the prevalence of the woods loving gray in them.
Strangely, perhaps there is one disguised ray of hope for fox hunters. With the rapid trend toward forests or grasslands for cattle in Georgia, the habitat of rabbits and mice, the fox mainstay, will eventually decrease so sharply that a noticeable decrease in the fox population inevitably will occur. With less foxes , fox hunting will be more exciting!
In any event, fox hunters and deer hunters agree with game biologists that fox hunting can be a tremendous amount of fun , if it is done right. For the man who is willing to spend the time, money, and effort, it is a rewarding sport, when landowners, cattlemen, farmers , and other types of hunters aren't harmed by it. If a man isn't willing to take the time and trouble necessary to hunt foxes , then the best thing for him to do is to quit, rather than going over the countryside, spreading destruction and resentment in his path.
Actually, the future of fox hunting is clouded with very real problems. As one hunter put it, "I can't help but feel sorry for the old fox hunter. He's one of the few rugged individualists left. I think we should always have a place for him."
And that's the way it should be for the fox , and the men and dogs who hunt
him. ~

The Outdoors Writers Association of America finds Georgia hospitality and
outdoor resources irresistible.

Writers Love Georgia!
By Dean Wo hlgemuth
OWAA 1968 Convention Chairman

The ceremony is over - Georgia has been to the altar, and now, the honeymoon begins.
Writers, photographers, radio-TV men and outdoor motion picture photographers, wives, children and representatives of outdoor recreation-related industries took over Callaway Gardens at Pine Mountain, Georgia, for a week in June at the 41st annual convention of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.
The convention had the largest number of active writers of OWAA. There were 246 actives at the Georgia convention this year, nine more than Florida's record breaker of 237 two years ago.
The previous second highest record was by Colorado in 1966, when 170 active writers and a total of 441 attended. Had housing needs been more accurately estimated, Georgia might have set a higher record - space was filled by early June, with others wanti ng to come at the last minute.
Assurance has already been given that most of the major outdoor publications

will carry articles about the writers' adventures in the Peach State.
A number of newspaper columns from across the nation, describing the writers' visit to our state, have been sent in to the Game and Fish Commission.
But this is only the beginning. More such good publicity is soon to be coming. And with it, will be a new and brighter, better reputation for Georgia throughout all the nation.
Tourism is bound to increase over a per.iod of years, thanks to the convention having been here. All this will mean a big boost to the overall economy of the state.
One writer, for example, when selecting his post-convention story-gathering trip, extracted a promise that his guide answer all mail he receives as a result of an assured magazine article in one of the big three outdoor publications in the nation. "You'll have to answer as many as 2,000 letters from readers," be warned. He wasn't bragging. He knew from experience.
Of course, to assure that a writer will

present Georgia in a desirable light, it was necessary to be sure the writers en- .. joyed their stay here. They did. Evidence is given by excerpts from some of the letters from the OWAA members to the convention chairman.
From Don Cullimore, OWAA executive director:
"The general consensus of opinion , .. from comments at the convention, and in letters received since from members, is that- all things considered - it was the most successful meeting OWAA ever bas held. I would certainly call it that.
"That's taking into consideration the over-all pre-organization, the precision logistics during the meeting, services and trips provided by Georgia personnel, press room handling, displays, sponsored affairs, workshops, and outdoor activities, and just generally very pleasant surroundings, and the number and quality of the membership present!
"You did one heck of a fine job. You were 'way out ahead of my best expectations, timewise, in nailing down ad-

It was a fun convention for 246 members of the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) this summer at Callaway Gardens, Ga. Writers started off with a bang at the Winchester Gun Club shooting clinic.

vance-planning details -:- which, . in the last analysis, is the maJor contnbutory factor in successfully organizing anything as complicated as an OWAA meeting has become. You wer7 fortunate in having some hard-workmg volunteer aides. And believe me, I sure ap preciate what you accomplished!'.'
From Bill Potter, outdoor edttor of
the Joplin, Mo., Globe: "Sure had a delightful time in your
state and owe you a personal vote of appreciation . .. Callaway Gardens really is a wonderful place and I would like to come back...."
From Catherine E. McMullen, editor, Better Camping Magazine:
"I just want to say thanks a million for the wonderful time you arranged at the Outdoor Writers convention. The ' hospitality extended by your state was much appreciated. Thanks for the memorable time in Georgia."
From Seth Myers, OWAA secretarytreasurer and outdoor editor, Sharon, Pa., Herald:
"We (OWAA) can never make you and your grand people in Georgia know how much we appreciate the thousand and one things you all did for us at the OWAA National Convention. I shall never forget you - your Governor Lester Maddox and your director, George T. Bagby - what a great team of Americans- We love all of you."
From John W. Marsman, Advertising Manager, Savage Arms Co. :
"You and your people put on a first class convention. Just want to thank you for the fine job you and they did."
From Willard T. Johns, National Wildlife Federation, Washington, D . C.:
"Just a short note, but an important one, to express our sincere congratulations and appreciation for all you and your co-workers did to make the 1968 OWAA convention such an outstanding success. I, for one, rate it as the best organized and most efficiently run meeting of its kind that I have ever attended . I know most everyone else who was there felt the same way. I didn't hear one single complaint."
From Eddie Finlay, S.C. Wildlife Resources Commission:
"Let me congratulate you on the smoothness with which the convention went off. I know how much work must have gone into planning the convention and think you and everyone else involved should be congratulated."
From Mrs. Rae Oetting, free lance writer, Minneapolis, Minn.:
"How do you expect Minnesota (next year's convention site) to follow you when you did such a magnificent job on the convention in Georgia? I don't know if we're pleased or not, you see you have made us a great, big pile of work and we'll never be able to top you!

School was never like this! Manufacturers of outdoor equipment and supplies flocked to the convention to demonstrate their latest products, including modern reloading equipment for shotgun shells. Back to the bow, boys! Representatives of the American Archery Council gave OWAA members instruction in archery, one of the fastest growing outdoor sports.
7

As general chairman of the convention, Georgia GAME & FISH staff writer Dean Wohlgemuth, left, was busy as a one armed paper hanger all week keeping things running smoothly, but he still found time to give some tips during the fishing clinic to Kenneth Sprenger, outdoor editor of the Tonawanda News (N. Y.J

"I think it was a wonderful convention, smooth-running and best of all very helpful. Personally, I made many contacts which may prove helpful, ran into a story at the Marine Lab on Sapelo Island that excites me very much, got a picture story from my shrimp trawler ride and came home happy, tired and too well-fed."
From Karl H. Maslowski, noted producer of outdoor wildlife and conservation films, Cincinnati, Ohio :
"This letter should be simply a little ripple in the flood of complimentary mail you receive from OWAA members concerning the magnificent job you did in organizing the Callaway Gardens meeting. I want to thank you and the Commission for being so extremely helpful and generous."
From Dick Kotis, president, Fred Arbogast Co., Inc., Akron, Ohio: "The courteous Game and Fish people sure did a great job...."
From Will Rusch, McCulloch Corp., Los Angeles: "Everything was just great!"
From Garrett Sutherland, free lance writer, Southern Pines, N. C.: "Heard all sorts of excellent comments and from my own experience, the Callaway Gardens meeting was one of the finest I've ever attended - bar none!"
These are just a few of the comments received. Others were similarly complimentary. As one writer said, "I never dreamed Georgia had so much to offer. And to think, I've been overlooking it for all these yea rs!"
Georgia won't be overlooked any
longer. ~

During the OWAA Convention, most of the writers took off an entire day for a fishing trip on Walter F. George Reservoir. Many writers took other trips before and after the convention as guests of Georgia communities to gather information and photographs for stories about hunting, fishing, and vacation sites.

One of more than two dozen guest speakers and lecturers at the OWAA convention was Georgia's Bill Baab, the outstanding outdoor editor of the Augusta Chronicle. Baab told writers how he covers hunting, fishing, and boating in his daily paper, and pointed out the need for expansion in outdoor coverage by most newspapers.

8

and fables

Georgians are missing out on the thrill of bear hunting found in many other states because of unreasonable public fear, resulting in a miserable Jack of protectio!l for the animals. The author bagged th1s record class bear in Utah with a bow and arrow. Why not in Georgia?
dered into Atlanta during the past spring. The bear was sighted a day or two before, and local Jaw enforcement agencies tried to locate the bear and capture it. A guard at a local country club spotted the bear on the golf course and killed it.
Many irate citizens thought that the man should be prosecuted for violations of several Jaws such as killing a bear out of season, killing a bear in a county which does not allow bear hunting, illegal discharge of firearms, and others. Some individuals just as strongly believed that the bear should have been killed . They argued that in such a densely populated area, the unpredictable reactions of the bear would make it a threat to the safety of children and pets as well as adults. In this case, the killing of the bear may have been justified. Both sides have their merits.
A bear was spotted near a Missouri city two months ago. According to newspaper reports, a near hysteria gripped the inhabitants of the area. They formed posses and searched the countryside hoping to destroy the animal, despite pleas of local officials to leave it alone. Early efforts to stock bears in North Georgia were abandoned when the roaming animals were killed.
Folklore and legend have always portrayed the bear as a vicious killer. Fear of the bear as a menace to humans and their livestock has prompted many persons to kill any bear on sight.
Most of the cattle killers and other bears dangerous to man have been the grizzly bear of the American West or the Alaskan brown bear, the world's largest flesh-eating animal. Neither of these species are found in Georgia.
The black bear is the smallest of all North American bears, its maximum weight being somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 pounds. Alaskan brown and polar bears sometimes weigh as much as 1,200 pounds. A Georgia black

bear weighing more than 300 pounds would be considered extremely large. In addition to being the smallest species of bear, the black is also the most widely distributed. It is found in almost every state in the Union , from Florida to Alaska, throughout Canada, and in certain locations in Mexico. Coloring of this species ranges from jet black to a white phase found in sect ions of British Columbia. Generally, black bears found in the eastern portion of the United States and Canada are of the darkest shades of black, while those found in the West are more likely to be a lighter brown or almost blond color.
According to Hubert Handy, Chief of Game Management for the Georgia Game and Fish Commission , the bears found in Georgia are most likel y to be harmless to humans and to li e ,tock.
A bear will eat just about an ,thing. Fruits, berries, grasses, buds, the inner bark of evergreen trees, insects, fish and carrion are important items in their diets. In this state, the forests provide all of the food of this type that the bears could need. There is no reason why they should kill livestock.
The owner of bee hives might have a justified complaint against the black bear. A bear will eat honey just about anytime he can find it. Many have been killed in South Georgi a by hi ve owners protecting their property.
In a way the hive owner can't be blamed for killing a bear. He has a lot of time and money at stake. Yet, there is a relatively simple, cheap method to protect the hives wi thout killing any bear which happens to pass by.
A small amount of materials and labor will provide a completely bearproof hive platform. This platform, designed by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, has adequate space for 50 hives and is serviceable for fifteen yea rs. Cost varies with location , but averages about $170. This would cost the hi ve owner about 221h cents per hive per yea r. Plans for constructing this hive can be obtained by writing the Georgi a Game and Fish Commission, 401 State Capitol , Atlanta, Ga. 30334.
Normally, a wi ld bear will not molest a man. The bear tries to avoid humans and will usually disappear as soon as it gets the scent of man. Even where they are plentiful, bears are rarely spotted in the wild , providing of course that there is adequate cover to conceal their movements.
The bigger danger to man comes from a female bear, which will fight to defend its young, or from the seemingly tame bears found in parks.
One b.ig problem with Georgia bears is that they will not stay in a small area for any great length of time. Bears like to roam. They might wander as far as 100 miles from the areas in which they

are normall y found. When they pass too close to a small town or farm , the human population is likely to fear for their lives and kill them . The Game and Fish Commission urges these people to leave the bears alone or to call the Commission if the bear becomes a nuisance.
After the first bear which wandered into the Atlanta area earlier this year was slain , two more were discovered on the outskirts of the city. These, a male and a female, were captured with the aid of a tranquilizer gun and released in the Blue Ridge Management Area.
If a large population of bears could be established in Georgia's wildlife management areas, a limited amount of hunting would be permitted. Besides offering an exciting sport for the hunter with a real trophy for those who are successful, this hunting could help to boost the economy of towns around the management areas.
At this time, the only places where the bears are safe are in the wildlife management areas where they are found and in the remote swamps of South Georgia. According to estimates by the U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, only 110 or 120 bears are located in the 340,000 acres of the Okefenokee Swamp designated as a federa l wildlife refuge. Many of those that stray off the refuge are killed.
If man could become more tolerant, he could gain another valuable wildlife resource. >-b
A few bears have been stocked on Georgia's wildlife management areas in North Georgia, including a bruin captured with the aid of a dart gun by the Atlanta Humane Society inside metropolitan Atlanta this summer. Released by area manager Walt Sutton on the Lower Blue Ridge Game Management Area above Dahlonega, the frightened animal didn't waste time making tracks for the woods!

S.C. SAVANNAH

Far across the sometimes choppy

waters of St. Andrews Sound, a high,

white sandy cliff can be seen through

the distant haze, beckoning the onlooker

with the siren call of mysterious beauty.

Beyond those cliffs lies a wonderland

seen by few, and enjoyed by less: fabu-

lous white sand beaches, mountainous

Sahara-like dunes, majestic mansions,

deer, wild horses and cattle, sea turtles,

virgin-like forests, and fantastic fishing

in a "Christmas Creek."

Sound like a Santa Claus story? Yes.

And strangely enough, it's true. Geor-

gia's Cumberland Island is a wonder-

land to dazzle the eye and delight the

mind, for those lucky enough to have

tasted its sweetness for themselves.

Described as "The Finest Pearl in the

Chain of the Golden Isles," Cumber-

land is an archeological, biological, and

historical gem located at the southern

end of Georgia's offshore islands, just

AN

south of State-owned Jekyll Island and north of the . Florida border on the mouth of the St. Mary's River.

ISLAND

Within Cumberland's 23,000 acres can be found the finest examples of un-

CALLED CUMBERLAND

spoiled beaches, sand dunes, mossdraped live oak, pineland forests, and sprawling saltwater marshes located anywhere in the United States. Its scenic qualities must be seen to be appreciated.

By Jim Morrison

Cumberland's history is equally fascinating, from the time when it served

as a hunting ground for early Indian

dwellers until it became the playground

of two of America's wealthy families .

And the island is truly a wildlife won-

derland , where wild deer abound along

with wild ducks, wild hogs, wild cattle,

and wild horses. Smafler species like

squirrel, rabbits, and raccoons thrive,

and the nearby saltwaters are abundant

producers of shrimp, oysters, clams,

crabs, sea trout, channel bass, sheep-

head, tarpon, and many other fish.

Until recently, few. persons had heard

of Cumberland, let alone knew where it

was located. But with the proposal that

it be added to the growing chain of National Seashores, the spotlight of publicity struck Cumberland and has refused to move from it, primarily because of the controversy over what the future fate of the island will be.
Because of its exclusive private ownership, few people in recent years have ever visited Cumberland, at least as invited guests, until now. For years, Cumberland has been the domain of its handful of owners and their lucky visitors who have enjoyed its great beauty and fabulous hunting and fishing unmolested by the general public, except for an occasional marine poacher.
Sometimes punctuated by exchanges of gunfire, these forays by a few individuals willing to risk arrest and stiff punishment have sometimes reached extreme levels. Once, two of them disarmed one of the female owners of the island of her rifle and left her tied to a tree all night before she was rescued. Another time, vandals are believed to have burned the old unoccupied Dungeness mansion of Thomas Carnegie to the ground . Recently, wildlife rangers captured two poachers by following an all night trail of destruction that left more than a dozen deer, wild horses, and cattle dead across the island. Such occurrences are less common now that wildlife ranger patrols have been beefed up.
But now, for the first time it is possible for a few selected sportsmen and sightseers to visit Cumberland on a pay-as-you-go basis. Searching for a way to make a living off his Cumberland inheritance without being forced to sell or develop it, Rick Ferguson, one of the Carnegie heirs, decided to open his family's portion of the island to a few paying guests. So far, the project is a successful one. Even though Ferguson has made no effort to advertise his "lodge" on the island, he has drawn a steady capacity quota of visitors since he first began accepting guests for hunting and fishing in 1966. Since then, he

Like a scene from another world . . . Cumberland's unspoiled beach is the most beautiful on the entire Georgia coast.

has also begun catering to groups who just want to explore the island, comb its thirteen and a half mile long white sand beach for driftwood and sea shells, or just to poke around in the ruins of its old mansions, perhaps looking for valuable antique bottles.
My long awaited chance to visit Cumberland came last year. I jumped at the invitation issued by Rick Ferguson through David Almand, the wildlife specialist of the University of Georgia's Cooperative Extension Service in Athens. Along with Jim Adams of Tucker, President of the Georgia Sportsmen's Federation; Bill Baab, Outdoor Editor of the Augusta Chronicle; and Dr. Joe Daniel of Macon, we were invited to spend two days hunting ducks and deer on the island.
Loaded to the gills with hunting equipment, we met Rick Ferguson at his normal port of call Friday morning at the city docks in Fernandina, Florida, the nearest major city to Cumberland, which is also seven miles away by water from Woodbine, the small county seat of Camden County, Georgia, in which Cumberland lies.
We were hardly out of sight of the dock before Dave Almand and Jim Adams began to excitedly point out wild ducks bobbing up and down on the sound, or darting past the boat, along with many other varieties of water birds. Over the roar of the engines, we shouted eager questions to Rick, a soft spoken man who hasn't lost the slight Scottish accent of his ancestors. Tall , slim, and sandy brown haired, Rick is obviously a man in love with an island.
"I don't know of anywhere I'd rather live than Cumberland," Rick said. "I guess when you've grown up on a place and gotten to know it like I have, you don't want to part with it. If you want to know how I feel about the National Park idea, I'm against it. Cumberland has been preserved like it is because it's stayed in private hands, and I think

that's the best way to save it." Rick is especially against building a causeway to the island, feeling that the widespread construction of roads, parking lots and gas stations on the island would ruin its scenic charm. "The island should be left just the way it is," Rick says with feeling. "They've already ruined Jekyll. We don't need another one."
Passing by the ruins of the Dungeness mansion, we soon arrived at the dock of the old family mansion known as Greyfield used by Rick as a lodge, where we were met by the island's pickup truck, which we rapidly filled up with gear. Walking along the short road to the house, we began to drink in the ub-tropical beauty of the island, walking through the moss-draped live oaks surrounding the mansion. As we walked, Rick explained that after we settled in our rooms and had lunch, he planned to give us a quick jeep tour of the island before hunting hours began.
Leaping into two of the island jeeps after lunch, we roared down the main shell road south to the ruins of Dungeness, a huge palatial mansion built by Thomas Carnegie, brother and partner of Andrew Carnegie of Pittsburgh. Both magnates of the steel industry, Andrew is well known as the endower of many "Carnegie" libraries across the country.
The spot was originally named Dungeness by General James Oglethorpe, founder of the colony of Georgia, who built a hunting lodge there on the site of an old Indian shell mound, the leftover dinner remnants of the island's early residents, perhaps as far back as 8,000 B.C.
Not far away in an old family cemetery bordered by one of the many saltwater tidal creeks on the west side of the island stands the tombstone of General Lighthorse Harry Lee, famous Revolutionary War general and father of Robert E. Lee, the commander of the armies of the Confederacy.
Returning on a ship from the West

Indies in 1818, the old general fell ill and asked to be put ashore at the home of his old friend General Nathanael Greene's widow and her family, where he died and was buried until the Virginia Legislature removed his body in 1913 to lie beside that of his famous son at Lexington, Virginia. His tombstone still stands on the island, erected by Robert E. Lee, who visited his father's grave there many times. It was the elder Lee who described General Washington on his death as "first in War, first in Peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
Although we had seen only a small portion of Cumberland's historic old ruins, the afternoon was at an end, and evening would begin shortly. Rushing back to Greyfield, we quickly changed into our hunting clothes and drove to the upper section of the island, where Rick dropped us off one by one from the jeep in the best deer sections.
Evidence of heavy use by deer and wild hogs was abundant at the game trail cro sing where I stepped off. Carrying my portable tree climbing stand on my back, I began scouting both sides of the road for a good location. It didn't take long to tell that one side of the road was as different from the other as the mountains of north Georgia are to the flatland Thomasville plantations. The north side of the road was an open, thickly overstoried live oak, and mixed hardwood-pine-palm forest, while the southern side was a fern-covered, moss draped live oak forest with a thick ground cover of saw palmetto clumps, bordering a shallow wooded freshwater swamp, one of many stretching across the island.
Since I had already killed a deer earlier in the season with my rifle, I was anxious to bag a buck with my hunting bow. Knowing that I would not be able to take a shot more than 40 yards away, I decided on a tree commanding a narrow clearing along the swamp.

I had scarcely settled on my stand when the thunderous roar of a 12-gauge shotgun exploded over the other side of the swamp, where Dave Almand was bunting. When the first shot wasn't followed by others, I was sure he had bagged his second deer of the season. N ow I was even more anxious than before to do the same.
Perhaps an hour of impatient waiting
later, it happened.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a slight movement along the palmetto. Slowly turning my head to the left, I saw the outstretched head of a doe, carefully scanning the undergrowth in each direction. At last, satisfied, she stepped forward several steps, followed by a second doe, equally cautious. Taking turns keeping watch, they slowly moved forward a few steps at a time, stopping to look, then quickly taking a few bites off some low bushes.
Suddenly, both deer stopped, and looked intently back down the small trail they had followed out of the palmetto. With my heart pounding at a fever pitch, I drew back the knocked arrow on the string, waiting for the buck to step out in the clearing, just 20 yards away!
And then my heart dropped back out of my throat, as another doe, larger than the first two, stepped out into the clearing. Frustrated, I nervously watched the opening until dark, long after the three does had gone on their way, waiting for the antlered buck to make his appearance. But he never came.
That evening, we picked up a sheepish David Almand, shotgun in hand. "I missed the biggest wild hog I've ever seen in my life!" he groaned. "He must have been seventy yards away, running sixty miles an hour after I shot that buckshot!" Cursing his luck for not taking a rifle instead of his shotgun, Dave slumped in the back of the jeep. Earlier, he had also seen two does.
Joe Daniel had taken a rifle with a telescopic sight to a stand on one of the island's dune areas where deer tracks were abundant. Although he saw several does, some of them fairly large, no bucks were evident. Where were they?
Jim Adams may have solved the mystery. "Take a look at this," he said, pulling a three point deer antler out of the pocket of his bunting coat. "That antler just fell off a buck," be exclaimed. The antler was still in perfect condition, unbleached by the sun and without the usual squirrel and rat gnawing marks seen on old antlers found in the woods before they are completely eaten up by the calcium-seeking rodents.
"I bet the bucks on this island have already shed their antlers," Dave said. "I've heard that they start dropping

them this far south in December, but tbis is the first time I've seen it for myself!"
Back at the house, we met a jubilant Bill Baab, who bad decided to go fishing in one of the freshwater lakes at the northern end of the island with Rick. "Well, I've caught my supper," he beamed, flashing a stringer of several nice two-pound bass, "Where's yours?"
The next morning, we woke before daylight for breakfast to the sound of a sudden coastal shower drenching the sandy soil, soon turning to a slow misty drizzle as we drove to Rick's duck blinds, constructed around one of the long, narrow "finger" lakes in the middle of the island.
Just when I bad about gone to sleep, the first duck sped over the pond from behind us and flew away, without a shot being fired. "Would you look at that!" I said.
Before we could close our open mouths, three more ducks burst through the mist over the thick bushes screening our blind and darted away, still without a shot being fired!
When the next duck, a large gadwall, flew over the pond, we were ready. "Blam!" Bill blasted away with his 12gauge pump, but the duck kept flying, unscratcbed. "Blam, Blam!" I blazed away with my "Sweet Sixteen," only to see the quarry getting farther and farther away. Almost certain that he must have been 60 or 70 yards away by then, I fired the tbird shot, and watched in amazement as the bird plummeted from the sky into the far edge of the pond!
"I got him, I got him!" I cheered.
Before I could get over my elation five gadwalls flashed over the pond. "Blam, Blam, Blam, Blam!" I emptied my gun, and Bill fired twice, but in vain.
Just then, a small hooded merganser flew down the length of the ponQ, giving me my first crossing shot. "Blam." A miss. "Blam." He came tumbling down, hitting the water like a ton of bricks, with a loud "splash!" the kind of satisfying sound that only a dead duck can make.
By the time the morning's shooting was over, our party bad its limit of ducks, primarily gadwalls and greenwing teals. Just as R ick had predicted, few mallards were resting on the island at the time, although we did see some. Like all migratory species, flocks of mallards fly in to Cumberland, feed and rest awhile, and fly on their way. Hunting them is unpredictable for this reason, although we later learned from some other hunters that the mallards favor a few of the smaller interior ponds that we didn't try hunting on.
I can't say that I am convinced Cumberland should be a National Seashore. although the National Park Service is

Their limit of Cumberland Island duck shooting in a single morning is reason enough to make David Almand and Joe Daniel happy. (1. to r.)
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
1 year - $1.00 3 years - $2.50

So near, yet so far away. Mem bers of the author's party gaze longingly at hundreds of sea ducks diving in the shallow water off the Cumberland beach, just out of shotgun range. Duck hunting is better during bad weather when the ducks must return to the island to feed in calmer waters.
Rick Ferguson, one of the Carnegie fam ily heirs, makes regular trips to the mainland at Fernandina to pick up island visitors on his 50 foot yacht, the Dungeness. Ferguson thinks Cumberland should be preserved in its natural state at all costs.
The author wades out to pick up a downed bird in the shallow water in one of Cumberland's many small "finger' fresh#ater lakes, a haven for waterfowl Pie "'Josquitoes don't show in the picture

probably right in saying that Cumberland potentially is the most popular and finest such area remaining undeveloped on the Atlantic or Gulf coasts.
Cumberland has the finest, longest, and most beautiful beach of the entire Georgia and perhaps Southeastern coast. Its magnificent 50-foot high, shifting mountains of sand dunes constantly covering live trees and uncovering gaunt dead ones fascinate the eye. Its multitude of freshwater lakes, ponds, and marshes are a waterfowl haven. Its forests are a virgin-like sanctuary for deer and wild game by the score. Its marshes are miniature laboratories of sea life in its infancy. Its crumbling ruins are the monuments of man's past, and perhaps of his future.
One thing does seem certain to me, and that is that the Cumberland that exists today should be, and must be, preserved. If it is destroyed, there will never be another.
Perhaps Rick Ferguson is right. Perhaps the best way to preserve Cumberland as a wild scenic wonder is for it to remain in private ownership, just as it has almost since the white man first drove the Indians off it. Perhaps the National Park Service is right in believing that the only way to protect Cumberland from future commercial real estate or mining exploitation is to place
the island in public ownership as aNational Seashore. Some individuals have even suggested that the State should acquire it, perhaps as a game management area, allowing hunting.
At the present, the National Seashore proposal faces a rough road to adoption. Most of the island owners, heirs of the Carnegie and Candler families, understandably are opposed to giving up their family island. The Camden County Commission and Congressman William S. Stuckey of Eastman, who must introduce any bill to make Cumberland a National Seashore, are both on record as opposing the project, unless an automobile causeway is built to connect the island with the mainland just as St. Simons and Jekyll Island are today.
So far, the Natural Park Service has refused to agree to the causeway, on the grounds that automobile access would help to destroy the very qualities of the island that a National Seashore would be designed to preserve, both because of the greater human visitation with its impact on the island's wildlife and scenic purity, and because of the destruction of portions of the island that would be necessary to build roads, parking areas, gasoline stations, and the other facilities that would be required by a large number of motoring tourists.
They say that Jekyll and St. Simons, the two most developed islands and the only major ones with causeways, illustrate what happens to the natural values of

the islands when they are so accessible. The arguments on all three sides are
many, and all have their merits. Each group has its own, and I have mine. Personally, I would regret seeing the island ever changed much from what it is today, and whatever plan would accomplish that goal would seem the wisest.
I'd like for many other people to have a share in the pleasure that I experienced by visiting the island, but not if by doing so, they destroyed the qualities I went there for, including solitude and quiet. I can't convince myself that turning 25 ,000 automobiles a day loose on Cumberland's 24,000 acres is the answer. I'm equally apprehensive over the
The main highway around Cumberland's moss-draped live oak forest is a shell road, made to order for jeep transportation needed in the sandy sections of the beach and dunes area.
prospect of door to door subdivisions and summer "cabins", and for that matter, of stake to stake tents in a public campground, picnic areas, bathhouses, boat docks, and buses.
And even more personally perhaps, as a hunter, I hate to see one of the finest 24,000 acre hunting areas in Georgia locked up forever under the "No Hunting" policy of the National Park Service, a wasteful practice which denies sportsmen justifiable recreation on public land which actually benefits , rather than harms, wildlife if properly controlled to prevent overharvesting as well as harmful overpopulation.
If we could be assured that Cumberland would remain undeveloped and uncommercialized in private ownership, perhaps this is the answer, at least until the public is ready to realize why Cumberland is unique, to avoid "killing the goose that laid the golden egg" of the Golden Isles.
More influential, and I hope, wiser, men than I will decide the ultimate fate of Cumberland, and in doing so, will convince many other men that they are right. While they argue, I only hope that I will still be able to call "Greyfield" in Fernandina for another trip with Rick Ferguson back to one of the most wonderful spots on earth - an island called Cumberland. ..c..

MARSHES/ continued
That this is a real threat is graphically illustrated by the nearby Port Royal Sound area in South Carolina where dredging for a shipping channel resulted in saltwater encroachment in the water supply of Beaufort, S. C., forcing that town to construct a five million dollar canal to the Savannah River for water.
Dredging of any kind is a sloppy operation that results in heavy siltation of the water, reducing the production of aquatic organisms in the water that shellfish and fin fish feed on. The ocean floor in the area in question out to the three mile limit is only under 20 feet of water or less, and in its undisturbed state is an important producer of aquatic organisms th at marine life depends on. The productivity of this floor would not only be destroyed by actual removal, but also by possible coating with the colloidal slimes th at the company proposes to pump 10 to 15 miles out to sea. Since the continental shelf there is 80 miles away, material dumped short of that distance might easily return to shore in a tidal current, coating the marshes for miles up and down the coast and destroying their productivity. Pollution of the ocean itself seems impossible now, but operations of this kind could have that effect on the entire sea in time, with the increase of such "dumping" operations. Storing the material in inshore ponds is not a permanent solution either, since the threat of a coastal hurricane breaking the dikes and releasing the slimes would always be present.
But probably the most important reason for the State Mineral Leasing Corporation to deny the request of Kerr-McGee is the proposed filling of the marshlands, an unwise step that would forever destroy a portion of the seafood and fin fish production capacity of the Georgia coast, as well as the scenic beauty of the unique marshlands.
At present, the commercial seafood industry in Georgia alone is valued at more that 35 million dollars a year. Sport fishing in the area is just getting started, and is already estimated in value at more than 7 million dollars a year. Many aspects of commercial fishing for species like mullet, oysters, clams, and crabs are almost untouched, and have a potential future value of many more millions of dollars, year after year . .. unless the marshlands are filled in.
Recent studies have indicated that 100 per cent of the shrimp and 85 per cent of the fin fish caught in the ocean on the Atlantic coast are dependent on the adjacent marshland as a breeding or food production area. Many species of wildlife, including migratory waterfowl, also rely on it in some measure for their very existence. Science now feels that the marshes, once unappreciated, are actually the most productive lands known to man. It has been said that one acre of marshland is equal in food production and fertility to 10 acres of the best cropland.
It perhaps could be argued that the mining industry would be worth more to

the local economy than the seafood, sport

fishing, and duck hunting, at least for the

short period of years until the phosphates

are exhausted and mining stops. Some

valuable real estate might be created to temporarily provide jobs in construction

and add to the tax rolls, but good building

sites on dry ground aren't in short supply

in Chatham County, just as phosphates

really aren't in much demand now.

So which would be the most valuable to

Georgians in the long run: the temporary influx of mining industry payrolls that will

peter out in five, ten or fifteen years, or a

booming industry like seafoods and sport

fishing that will become even more valuable in future years as marshlands dis-

appear in other locations, and that will

continue to produce money for the local economy for the next 100 or 1,000 years

... long after the phosphates are gone and

construction stopped . .. if the marshes are

preserved in their natural state?

As chairman of the State Mineral Leasing Board, Governor Lester Maddox has

called two public hearings on the proposal

so that interested citizens may be heard, the first hearing in Atlanta at 9 :30 a.m.,

September 16, in the State Capitol, Room

314, the second in Savannah at 9:30 a.m., September 30, in the Chamber of Com-

merce Building, 100 East Bay Street in the Assembly Room. Persons desiring to testify

should indicate their intention to do so by

registered mail 10 days before the hearing date to the Honorable Arthur K. Bolton,

Attorney General of Georgia, Room 132, State Judicial Building, Atlanta, Georgia

30334. Persons who cannot be present may

send a representative to present a state-

ment for them, or may submit written

statements for inclusion in the record of the hearings.

A report by a special study team has

also been requested by Governor Maddox from the University of Georgia, Georgia

Tech, and the Skidaway Oceanographic Institute before the Leasing Commission makes a decision by November 30 on

whether or not to accept the bid of KerrMcGee, giving the green light for mining

to begin.

The proposal has already been opposed by the State Game and Fish Commission,

the State Water Quality Control Board, the

Georgia Council for the Preservation of Natural Areas, the 1,000 member Georgia

Conservancy, and the 6,000 member Geor-

gia Sportsmen's Federation. More importantly, through the public hearings and

by personal letters to Governor Maddox and the members of the Mineral Leasing

Commission, individual Georgia citizens

have an opportunity now to make their views known, before it is too /ate.-J.M.

(In addition to Governor Maddox, mem~

bers of the State Mineral Leasing Commis-

sion include Secretary of State Ben Fort-

son, Jr.; Attorney General Arthur Bolton;

A. S. Furcron, Director of the Department of Mines, Mining and Geology; W . Perry

Ballard, Jr., 360 Nelson St., S. W. , Atlanta;

J. C. Bible, Jr., 748 Greene St., Augusta; Joseph Isenberg, 4226 9th St., St. Simons

Island; Hugh R. Papy, 5714 Sweetbriar St. ,

Savannah; and H . H. Sancken, 420 Pine

Ave., Albany. All letters should be brief,

courteous, and to the point.)

~

Sportsmen,:~--- . Speak... :1t,
S. E. Georgia Deer Season
I always enjoy reading your magazine, and am pleased to note the progress the Department is making. Congratulations to all of you good folks!
But I want to especially commend your very fine editorial in the July issue concerning the need for a uniform deer season. That was an excellent job, and I am proud of you for the way you handled this touchy problem.
Seth Gordon Sacramento, Calif.
Seth Gordon is a former director of both the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the California Department of Game and Fish, as well as an internationally known conservation authority. He headed a team of consultants who conducted an important efficiency study of the Georgia Game and Fish Commission in 1964 which led to many significant advances in the Department's operations. (See the next letter comment on the S. E. Ga. deer season.)
May I express my cong~tul_atio_ns on your timely and cogen~ ed1tonal m t~e July issue of Game & F1sh, on the ments of Georgia's uniform deer season. The establishment of a later opening date for South Georgia has long been needed and the State Game & Fish Commission is to be commended for taking this action. As one who has been born and reared in South Georgia, I have felt that hunting conditions there could and should be improved. Now, if we would just take a hint from our Canadian friends and limit deer dogs strictly to the breed of beagle hounds, it would go a long way to reducing "dog-kill" and would continue to allow those with a penchant for dog hunting to pursue their sport. It is an idea well worth considering.
Keep up the good work!
M. Francis Stubbs Macon, Georgia
At the regular meeting of the Game and Fish Commissioners in July a number of members of the General Assembly and officers of deer hunting clubs from Southeast Georgia appeared carrying petitions with several hundred names. At their request the Commission changed the deer season in Southeast Georgia back to last year's opening date of October 15.
1 would like to call your attention to your article in the July issue on the deer season.
I know we have capable biologists in the State and I am not attempting to criticize them, but in your article about the bag check is no indication of the population of deer because they do not walk up for you to shoot them in these thick woods. I am sorry to say that we have so many people that do not turn in deer tags when a deer is killed. I
(continued on the next page)

SPORTSMEN SPEAK/continued

5. Bag limit 2 deer. Either sex. November

believe that most of the organized clubs

Sportsman's

30. Bag limit 1 deer. Refuge permit required. Applications must be in Refuge

do turn them in.

office by 4:30 PM October 3, 1968.



We have in this area of the State game
and fish rangers that are as good as can be found and they are here all the time and see the deer population and I am sure they would agree that the popula-
tion warrants an October season. When you pay a high price to lease land, plant feed for deer, feed dogs, and protect the deer, it costs a high price

Calendar
SEASONS OPENING THIS MONTH
DOVES

Scouting-Daylight hours September 21 and 22 and October 26 and 27. Camping-The camping area will be open one day before and one day after each of the above dates. All State laws apply and there are additional Federal Refuge regulations. Applications for hunts and regulations may be

for such a short season. On the Georgia Early Season-Sept. 7, 1968 through Oct. obtained by writing Refuge Manager, Pied-

side of the Savannah River are high 5, 1968.

mont National Wildlife Refuge, Round

grounds and planted fields and deer come from South Carolina and feed in Georgia and then go back to South Caro-
lina where they are killed in season because these private clubs you talk about have large acreage and the membership

Bag Limit-11 D aily, possession limit 24.
OPOSSUM Early Season-Sept. 30, 1968 through Jan. 20, 1969 in Coweta County only. Bag Limit-None.

Oak, Georgia 31080.
BLACKBEARD NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Archery hunt for deer; either sex; bag limit-2 deer: Oct. 23-26, 1968; Nov. 27-

is large on these clubs. Members come

MARSH HENS

30, 1968; Dec. 30, 1968-January 2, 1969.

from many miles to hunt these acres.

(Gallinules & Rails)

Archery hunt for turkey gobblers; bag limit

J. I. Moore Springfield, Georgia

Season-Sept. 21, 1968 through Nov. 29, -two per season: Same dates as deer hunt.

1968 .

Raccoons may also be taken on the above

As was pointed out in the article, we agree with you that the deer population is increasing in Southeast Georgia, but not nearly as fast as it should. Hunting would be much better than it presently is if sound conservation practices were
implemented, especially shortening the

Bag Limit-15 D aily, possession limit 30.
SEASONS NOW OPEN
MOUNTAIN TROUT Open Stream Season-April I, 1968 through Oct. 15, 1968. Creel Limit-Eight trout of all species per

hunt periods. Applications for the Oct. hunt must be made by Oct. 17, for the Nov. hunt by Nov. 20, and for the Dec. hunt by Dec. 23. Write to the Refuge Manager, Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, Rt. 1, Hardeeville, S. C. 29927.

length of the season and not allowing the day. Possession limit eight trout. use of dogs except in the lower coastal Fishing Hours-30 minutes before sunrise

STATE MANAGED AREA HUNTS

I

plains section. Our game biologists would allow the use of dogs to continue in your county, but in most counties further inshore they feel it should be abolished.
If you have ever had the pleasure of still hunting in the deer-rich section of

to 30 minutes after sunset on all open trout streams.
SQUIRREL Early Season-Aug. 15, 1968 through Sept. 7, 1968 in the following counties only:

JOHNS MOUNTAIN AREA DEER: (Archery) EITHER SEX. Open dates October 21 through October 26, 1968. Hunters may take one deer of either sex and small game as allowed by State

Middle Georgia, you would be amazed Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Habersham, regulations.

at what modern game management can Lumpkin, Murray, Rabun, Towns, Union,

BLUE RIDGE AREA

produce in the way of excellent deer and White.

hunting.

Bag Limit-10 D aily.

DEER: (Archery) EITHER SEX. Open dates October 14 through October 19,

Many South Georgia deer hunters agree with and are glad the deer season will not open until November 4 this year.

SEASONS OPENING IN OCTOBER

1968. Hunters may take one deer of either sex and small game as allowed by State regulations.

In previous years the October season has

DEER

SMALL GAME: Open dates October 11-

been extremely hot on man and beast (deer dogs). Also rattlesnakes seem to be out and crawling more. I'm not saying that it won't be hot after November 4, but the chances are that it will be cooler.
But my real complaint is that all hunting and fishing seasons should open on a Saturday to give the largest portion of the hunters a chance on that first day.

Archery Season-Oct. I , 1968 through Oct. 26, 1968 in a county of a portion of a county which has an open gun season for deer hunting in the !968-69 season. Bag Limit-Two {2) bucks, or one (I) buck and one ( I ) doe or antlerless deer.
RUFFED GROUSE Season--Oct. 14, 1968 through Jan. 31 ,

12, 25-26, 1968, December 6-7, 13-14, 1968. Hunters will be allowed to hunt grouse and squirrel.
CHATIAHOOCHEE AREA SMALL GAME: Open dates October 1819, 25-26, 1968, and December 6-7, 13-14, 1968. Hunters will be allowed to hunt grouse, squirrel, and rabbits.

There is just something special about that first day to most hunters. Last year (1967) most seasons did open on Saturdays and I heard many people comment
on the fact. It just seems that Mondays and other weekdays are just a little biased against people who work and at-

1969. Bag Limit-3 D aily, possession limit 6.
OPOSSUM Season--Oct. 14, 1968 through Feb. 28, 1969. Bag Limit-None.

CHESTATEE AREA SMALL GAME: Open dates October 1112, 25-26, 1968. Hunters will be allowed to hunt grouse and squirrel. SPECIAL RACCOON HUNT: ( .22 rimfire rifles only). Open dates October 11-

tend school on weekdays. As a student of forestry, fisheries and
wildlife at University of Georgia, I partially understand many of the reasons for hunting and fishing season opening dates, but I don't see any reason why all opening days for deer, quail and other game controlled by the Commission can't be arranged to open on Saturdays, and I believe I speak for other sportsmen that agree.
I am a subscriber to Georgia Game and Fish and enjoy it.
Ray Adams Douglas, Georgia
The deer season was set to open on Monday at the request of a number of sheriffs and wildlife rangers from around the State who said that opening the season on Saturday encouraged violation of the no hunting on Sunday law. ,.......

RACCOON N. Ga . Season--Oct. 14, 1968 through Feb. 28, 1969. Bag Limit-One (I) per person per night.
SQUIRREL Season-Oct. 14, 1968 through Feb. 29, 1969. Bag Limit-10 D aily.
PIEDMONT NATIONAL
WILDLIFE REFUGE
Turkey-October 21 thru 26. Refuge permit required. Applications must be in Refuge office by 4 : 30 PM September 25. Limit is one turkey of either sex. Deer-Archery-October I thru 13. No refuge permit required. Bag limit as per State regulations. Deer-Gun-Bucks only November 4 and

12, 25-26, 1968. Hunters will be allowed to hunt raccoons with tree dogs.
LAKE BURTON AREA SMALL GAME: Open dates October 1819, 25-26, 1968, and December 6-7, 1314, 1968. Hunters will be allowed to hunt grouse and squirrel.
WARWOMAN AREA DEER: (Primitive Weapons) EITHER SEX. Open dates October 14-19, 1968. Hunters may take one deer of either sex, any number of wild hogs, and small game as allowed by State regulations. SMALL GAME: Open dates October 1112, 25-26, 1968, and December 6-7, 1314, 1968. Hunters will be allowed to hunt grouse and squirrel.
LAKE RUSSELL AREA DEER: (Archery) EITHER SEX. Open

dates October 21 through October 26, 1968. Hunters may take one deer of either sex and small game as allowed by State regulations.
SPECIAL RACCOON HUNT: (.22 rimfire rifles only) . Open dates October 1819, 1968, and 25-26, 1968. Hunters will be allowed to hunt raccoons with tree dogs. Dogs chasing deer will be barred from further hunting. Owners are responsible for their dogs and for any damage they may do to game other than raccoons.
CEDAR CREEK AREA SMALL GAME: Open dates October 16, 19, 23 and 26, 1968; December 4, 7, II, 14, 18, and 21, 1968; January 4, 8, 11 , 15, 18, 1969. (Wednesdays & Saturdays) . Hunters will be allowed to hunt quail, squirrel, rabbits, doves and ducks.
CLARK HILL AREA DEER: (Archery) EITHER SEX. Open dates October 14 through October 19, 1968. Hunters may take one deer of either sex and small game as allowed by State regulations.
OAKY WOODS AREA SMALL GAME: Small game hunting for doves only will be allowed on Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning September 11 through October 2, 1968. SMALL GAME: Small game hunting for quail, squirrel, and rabbits will be allowed on Wednesdays and Saturdays beginning October 16 through October 26, 1968 ; December 4 through December 21, 1968, and January 1 through February 1, 1969.
SWALLOW CREEK AREA SMALL GAME: Open dates August 15 through September 7, 1968, Fridays, and Saturdays only for squirrels. October 1819; 25-26, December 6, 1968, through January 25, 1969, Fridays and Saturdays only. Hunters will be allowed to hunt grouse, squirrel and rabbits.

COLEMAN RIVER AREA SMALL GAME: Open dates August 15 through September 7, Fridays and Saturdays for squirrel only. October 18-19 and 25-26, 1968, December 6, 1968, through Janu ary 25, 1969, Fridays and Saturdays only.
ALLATOONA AREA SMALL GAME: Hunters will be allowed to hunt any small game in season subject to State seasons, regulations, and bag limits.
LAKE SEMINOLE AREA SMALL GAME: Hunters will be allowed to hunt any small game in season subject to State regulations, seasons and bag limits. Camping will be permitted. No hunting will be allowed on the refuge area at any time.
CARROLL-DOUGLAS COUNTY AREA SMALL GAME: Hunters will be allowed to hunt any small game in season subject to State regulations, seasons, and bag limits.
COHUTTA AREA SMALL GAME: Hunters will be allowed to hunt any small game in season subject to State regulations, seasons, and bag limits.
ALTAMAHA WATERFOWL AREA {DARIEN)
Hunters will be allowed to hunt any game in season as provided by State law and bag limits except on Butler Island during waterfowl season a nd the refuge portion of Butler and Champney Islands at all times. WATERFOWL: Hunting for waterfowl will be allowed on Butler Island during waterfowl season by permit only. Permits must be applied for by mail from October I through October 31 , 1968. All letters of
application must specify the date requested with a second choice if desired in the event the first date is filled Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis

and all applicants must enclose a fee of $5 per day per person in check or money order payable to the Georgia Game and Fish Commission. Applications should be addressed to P.O. Box 1097, Brunswick, Georgia.
Hunters whose applications were accepted will be mailed their permits no later than November 10. All applications that could not be filled due to dates selected being filled will have their $5 refunded.
Assignments for blinds for each day's hunt will be made at the area headquarters the evening prior to each hunt. Each blind is assigned a number which is drawn at random and blinds assigned as the numbers are drawn and in the order in which applications were received and processed. Hunters will be assigned to the blind selected at the checking station the morning of the hunt. Hunters who have their permits do not have to come to the area until the morning of the hunt. All hunters should be at the checking station no. later than 5 : 15A.M.
The Game and Fish Commission will furnish blinds, boats and decoys to accommodate 50 hunters per day and all hunters must hunt from blinds as assigned. Transportation will be furnished to the boats. Hunting hours will be from 30 minutes before sunrise (same as Federal Migratory Waterfowl Regulations) until 12 Noon. Hunts will be conducted on Tuesday and Saturday only during the open season. Hunters will be limited to not more than 25 shells to carry onto the area.
All hunters 16 years old or older will be required to have a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp in addition to a valid Georgia hunting license. ~
For a complete copy of all managemem area hunt dates and directions, write to th e State Game and Fish Commission, 401 State Capital, Atl., Ga. 30334.

SEPTEMBER 1968

!
~ lay

HIGH WATER LOW WATER A.M. HT. P.M. HT . A.M. P.M.

1. Sun. 2:06 6.1 3:06 7.3 8:36 9:42 2. Mon. 3:24 6.1 4:24 7.5 9:48 10:48

TIDE TABLE
SEPT.-OCT 1968
GEORGIA COASTAL WATE RS

OCTOBER 1968

Oav
1. Tues. 2. Wed .

HIGH WATER LOW WATER A.M. HT . P.M. HT . A.M. P.M.
3:42 6.3 4:18 7.4 9:42 10:30 4:36 6.7 5:1 8 7.6 10:48 11 :24

3. Tues . 4:42 6.3 5:36 7.8 10:54 11 :48
4. Wed . 5:48 6.8 6:30 8.1 11 :54 .. .
5. Thurs. 6:48 7.2 7:18 8.2 12:36 12:48 6. Fri . 7:30 7.6 8:00 8.2 1:24 1:42 7. Sat. 8:12 7.8 8:36 8.0 2:1 2 2:24 8. Sun. 8:54 7.9 9:1 8 7.7 2:54 3:12 9. Mon. 9:30 7.8 9:48 7.4 3:30 3:48 10. Tues. 10:06 7.6 10:24 6.9 4:06 4:30 11. Wed . 10:48 7.4 11:00 6.6 4:42 5:06

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 read ing for the point desired .

3. Thurs. 5:36 7.1 6:12 7.8 11 :42
4. Fri. 6:30 7.6 7:00 7.9 12:12 12:30 5. Sat. 7:12 7.9 7:36 7.9 1:00 1:18 6. Sun. 7:48 8.1 8:12 7.7 1:42 2:00 7. Mon . 8:24 8.1 8:42 7.4 2:18 2:42 8. Tues. 9:00 8.0 9:12 7.1 2:54 3:24 9. Wed. 9:30 7.9 9:48 6.8 3:30 4:00 10. Thurs. 10:06 7.6 10:18 6.4 4:06 4:36 11. Fri . 10:48 7.4 11 :00 6.1 4:42 5:1 8

12. Thurs. 11 :24 7.2 11:36 6.2 5:18 5:48

13. Fri . . .. .

12:12 7.0 6:00 6:36

14. Sat. 12:24 5.9 1:00 6.8 6:48 7:36

15. Sun. 1:12 5.6 1:54 6.7 7:48 8:42

16. Mon. 2:12 5.5 2:54 6.7 8:48 "9:42

17. Tues. 3:24 5.6 4:00 6.9 9:48 10:36

18. Wed. 4:30 5.9 4:54 7.2 10:42 11:24

19. Thurs. 5:24 6.4 5:48 7.6 11:36 . .

20. Fri. 6:12 7.0 6:30 7.9 12:06 12:24

21. Sat. 6:54 7.6 7:12 8.1 12:48 1:12

22. Sun. 7:36 8.0 7:48 8.2 1:30 1:54

23. Mon. 8:12 8.4 8:30 8.2 2: 12 2:42

24. Tues. 8:54 8.6 9:12 8.0 2:54 3:24

25 . Wed. 9:42 8.5 10:00 7.7 3:36 4:12

26. Thurs. 10:36 8.4 10:48 7.2 4:18 5:06

27. Frj. 11:30 8.0 11:42 6.8 5:12 6:00

28. Sat. . .. . . . 12:36 7.7 6:06 7:06

29 . Sun. 12:48 6.4 1:42 7.4 7:12 8:18

30. Mon. 2:00 6.2 3:00 7.3 8:30 9:30

Adj ust Fo r Daylig ht Sa ving Time By Adding One Hour

CORR ECTI ON TABL E The times given are for Savan nah River entrance (Tybee) .

Savannah (High).
Sa vannah ( low) .. Hilton Head . S. C .. Thunderbolt.......... ... . Isle of Hope... .
Warsaw Sound...... . . . .. .
Ossabaw Sound . Vernon View...... . . . CoHee Bluff.. . . Ogeechee River Bridge. St. Catherine Sound....
Sapelo Sound. Brunswick Bar.

Hrs . M in. 0 44
" 57 0 10 0 20 0 40 0 00 0 05 0 35 0 55 3 50 0 25 0 00 0 00

First Quarter
SEPTEMBER 6 OCTOBER 6

Full Moon
14 14

Last Quarter
22 21

New Moon
29 28

I"12. Sat. Sun . 14. Mon . 15. Tues.

11:30 7.2 11 :42 5.9 12:18 7.0
12:36 5.7 1:12 6.8 1:36 5.7 2:12 6.8

5:24 6:12 7:06 8:12

6:00 6:54 8:00 9:00

16. Wed . 2:42 5.9 3:12 6.9 9:10 9:54

17 . Thurs. 3:48 6.3 4:12 7.2 10:12 10:42

18. Fri. 4:48 6.9 5:06 7.5 11 :06 11 :30

19. Sat . 5:36 7.5 5:54 7.8 11 :54

20 . Sun . 6:24 8.1 6:42 8.0 12:12 12:42

21. Mon . 7:06 8.6 7:24 8.1 12:54 1:30

22 . Tue s. 7:54 8.9 8:06 8.1 1:42 2:18

23 . Wed . 8:36 9.0 8:54 7.8 2:24 3:12

24 . Thurs. 9:24 8.9 9:42 7.5 3:12 4:00

25 . Fri . 10:18 8.5 10:36 7.1 4:00 4:54

26 . Sat. 11:1 8 8.1 11 :36 6.7 4:54 5:48

27 . Sun.

12:24 7.7 5:54 6:54

28 . Mon . 12:48 6.4 1:36 7.4 7:06 8:06

29 . Tues. 2:00 6.4 2:48 7.2 8:18 9:12

30. Wed . 3:12 6.5 3:54 7.1 9:30 10:Q6

31. Thurs . 4:18 6.9 4:54 7.2 10:30 11 :00

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

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