Georgia game and fish [Vol. 4, no. 12 (Dec. 1969)]

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VOL. 4, NO. 12 I DECEMBER, ~9(

~GEORGIA
~GAME& FISH

December 1969

Volume IV

Number 12

CONTENTS

Paradise Almost Lost Target In The Tree Tops Now They're Bugging
The Birds! Hunt The Long Bills Outdoor World Sportsmen Speak Sportsman's Calendar Tide Table

John Culler 1 Marvin Tye 5
Dean Wohlgemuth 7 Bob Howarth 10
14 15
16
17

Lester G. Maddox Governor
George T. Bagby Director . State Game & F1sh Comm1ss1on

COMMISSIONERS

James Darby Chairman
Vida Iia-lst District William Z. Camp, Sec. Newnan-6th District
Richard Tift Albany-2nd District
William E. Smith Americus-3rd District Charles L. Davidson, Jr. Avondale Estates-4th District

Clyde Dixon Vice Chairman Cleveland-9th District Rankin M. Smith Atlanta-5th District J. B. Langford Calhoun-7th District Judge Harley Langdale Valdosta-8th District Leonard Bassford Augusta-lOth District

Jimmie Williamson Darien- Coastal District

TECHNICAL SERVICES DIVISION
Jack A. Crockford , Assistant Director Leon Kirkland, Fisheries Chief
Hubert Handy, Game Management Chief

LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION
Bill Cline, Major Deputy State Ch ief, Atlanta
J. D. Atchiso n , Major Deputy Sta te Chief, Metter
David Gould , Major Su pervi sor of Coastal Fisheries
Brun::.w ic k
GEORGIA GAME & FISH STAFF
Jim Morriso n , Ed i tor
Dean Woh lgemuth Staff Wri ter
Marvin Tye, Staff Writer John Cu ller, Staff Writer
J. Hall, Staff Wr it er Ted Borg, Photographer

Georgia Game and Fish IS the official monthly mogazi ne of th e Georgi o G ame and Fi<h Commission, published at the Com m ission's off ices, Trin ity Washington Bu ilding, 270 W o shi ngton St., Atla nta, G eorgio 30334. No odv erti,ng occepted. Subscriptio ns ore $1 for one ye o r or $2. 50 fo r three yeors . Pr~nted by Stein Printing Co mpony, At/onto, Go . N otification o f o ddres s
honge must incl ude both old ond new oddress and Z IP code, w ith 30 doy s
not.ce No subscrip tion reque sts will be ac cepted witho ut ZIP cod e. Arti cle s
nd photographs mo y be reprin ted. Prope r credit shoul d be given. Contr ibu to Jns ore welcome, but the ed itors assume no responsibili ty or li obi lity fo r
'"" or damage of orticles, photo gro p h s, or illustrotions . Second-closs postage poid ot Atlanta, Go.

Sapelo and Wassaw ... Is That All?
The growing army of Georgians who are alarmed and concerned about the rapid commercial inroads being made on the only sea coast we will ever have can be greatly encouraged by the recent acquisition of Sapelo and Wassaw islands by state and federal wildlife conservation agencies.
Purchased this year by the State Game and Fish Commission and its director, George T. Bagby, after a year of tedious legal negotiations, Sapelo Island is a treasure that's value will increase with each year that passes. Since it was purchased primarily with federal aid funds of hunters, legally earmarked exclusively for wildlife restoration and development purposes only, the chances of beautiful Sapelo ever becoming a cheap Coney Island are slim indeed. In addition to serving as a deer and wild turkey propagation area for restocking suitable areas of Georgia. Sapelo will be a permanent waterfowl refuge, and eventually, one of the finest public hunting areas in Georgia, open on an equal basis to every Georgia sportsman. In the future, other public use of the Commission's portion of the island that does not interfere with its primary purpose will be allowed, especially field trips by groups for educational and research purposes. But perhaps the most important aspect of Sapelo's preservation in its natural state is its 5,000 acres of the most productive marshes in the world, nurturing Georgia's important commercial fishing industry of shrimp, crabs, oysters, and sport fishing for sea trout, channel bass, tarpon, and dozens of other important species.
For many of these same reasons, the purchase of Wassaw Island by the Nature Conservancy Inc., subsequently given free of charge to the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife as a waterfowl and shorebird National Wildlife Refuge, is an almost equally important event. In the case of both Sapelo and Wassaw, Georgians have ample reason to be grateful for the unselfish interest that the former island owners and out of state benefactors have in saving Georgia's green coast forever. Both islands were valued at well over two million dollars but were sold for considerably less to insure their future preservation. Honoring her late husband's wishes that Sapelo be saved, Mrs. R. J. Reynolds sold her 8,500 acres of Sapelo's high ground to the State Game and Fish Commission for $826,165.00, considerably less than half its value to private interests. By the same token, the heirs of the Parsons family sold their interest in Wassaw, valued at almost two and a half million dollars, to the Nature Conservancy of Washington, D. C., for only one million dollars, stipulating that the island be preserved in its virtually untouched natural state, and that a bridge never be built to the island from the mainland. An anonymous out of state benefactor gave the Nature Conservancy 3,000 shares of her IBM stock to finance the sale. Wassaw includes 9,000 acres of highly productive marsh lands and 1,665 acres of virgin fore sts that support a fair deer population .
Earlier, the Nature Conservancy purchased two smaller Georgia marsh islands, Egg Island and Wolf Island, and leased them to the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. Their purchase insured the preservation of most of the important Altamaha delta of marsh islands that serve as a fer-
Continued on page 13
ON THE COVER: Our Christmas present for Georgia bird dog lovers Atlanta artist Bob Connell's painting of "The Untouchable," the only Georgia dog ever to win the coveted Continental Championship at Quitman, Georgia. Owned by P. J. Blanchard of Mapleton and trained by Bob Lamb of Hollonville, "The Untouchable" was the number two field trial dog in America in 1963.
ON THE BACK COVER: A pair of woodcock swiftly and silently wing away after bein~ flushed from a damp spot near a stream. For more on woodcock huntmg, see "Hunt The Long Bills" on page 10 by game biologist Bob Howarth . The painting is from the brush of Kent Pendleton, who did the turkeys on the November cover.
PHOTO CREDITS: Ted Borg 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14; John Culler 1, 2r., 3, 4; Leslie Maner 2 1. ; Don Pfitzer, U. S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife , 12.

PARADISE ALMOST LOST

By John Culler

There's a bridge being built in Georgia today, a big bridge. It cost $3.6 million, and is being paid for by the people of Chatham Count y through general obligation bonds. One end of this bridge is in Savannah. The other end, once construction is complete, will rest on Skidaway Island. In between is Johnny Mercer's Moon River, wider than a mile, if you include the accompanying marshlands.
Once completed, the bridge will put

the island just minutes away from downtown Savannah, and open hundreds of acres of prime human habitat to the public. When the ribbon is cut on that bridge, Georgia's newest land rush will begin, homes and stores will be built, and a Skidaway Island address will let everyone know a family has arrived.
The bridge is a good investment for Chatham County. The construction activity plus the increase in ad valorem

taxes and the new businesses will be
good for the local economy. Everyone is happy about the bridge, with the possible exception of a few hunters, and Walt Hall.
The bridge will put Walt and his brothers, William and Howard, out of business. Six years ago the Hall brothers leased 6,000 acres of the island and went into the commercial hunting husiness. It was a natural from the start. The island, like almost all places wild,

PHOTOS BY AUTHOR

About the Author
John Culler, 31, is the Game and Fish Commission's Coastal Region Information Officer with his office at Savannah. In this job, he writes a weekly column for 35 newspapers in the area, prepares news releases on the coastal region, contributes articles to GEORGIA GAME AND FISH, speaks to civic clubs and other organizations, and edits THE TRAWL, a monthly newsletter for the Georgia commercial fishing industry. This publication has a
circulation of 4,000. Culler is married to the former
Linda Laird of Americus and is the father of four children . A native of Macon, he attended Valdosta State College. He worked for six years as a newspaper reporter and photographer and served as outdoor columnist of the COLUMBUS ENQUIRER before joining the Game and Fish Commission in
1968. He has written articles for SPORTS
AFIELD and other magazines. A weekly radio program is among other services that he plans to begin in the Savannah area. An enthusiastic hunter and fisherman, he particularly enjoys training bird dogs, hunting quail and deer and fishing for bass.

free, and untampered with, is a wildlife

paradise. Mostly a hardwood forest,

there are turkeys, plenty of deer, and

squirrels by the thousands. And there is

something else that few other places can

offer, real wild boar hunting. Walt esti-

mates there are at least 1,000 wild hogs

on the island now, even though over

100 boars are killed by Walt's hunters

each year.

There have always been wild hogs on

Skidaway. "Years before we went into

the hunting business, we used to trap

and ship wild boars to Tennessee from

Skidaway Island," Walt said. "We ac-

tually shipped several thousand boars

from the island to Tennessee hunting

preserves who were advertising Russian

boar hunting."

Four years ago Walt released two au-

thenic Russian boars on Skidaway. "I

haven't seen them since, but we can tell

a difference in the pigs we get now," he

smiled. "Maybe it's because they have

been wild so long."

In the last three years, the Hall broth-

ers have had eight dogs killed by boars,

including one this season. Skidaway

boars are hig; the average weight of the

boars killed is around 225 pounds, and

several have gone over 300 pounds.

The hunting camp on the island is, in

a word, primitive. All hunters pay the

same price, and none are pampered.

"We do not operate a hunting preserve

o n Skidaway. Everything killed here is

real wild game," Walt says. "While we

will do everything we can to help a

hunter get his buck or his boar, he has

to be able to put a little effort into it

himself. We don't want the type hunter

who wants to shoot game released from

a pen. We have always attracted hunters

who enjoy the sport and everything that

goes with it and not just the killing."

Most of the hunters come back year

after year once they have been exposed

to the natural beauty and simple living

on Skidaway. "We do very little adver-

tising. but if a man ever comes here, we

can count on him coming back and

bringing some of his friends." Walt said.

A hunter is charged for the hog and

deer hunting, but if he wants to shoot a

mess of squirrels or try the duck ponds,

that's thrown in for free. Some come

just for the fellowship and to "get away

for awhile." One man stayed a week

during deer season last year and never

took his gun out of its case. After he

saw the island all he wanted to do was

take pictures with his movie camera. He

even went to his deer stand armed only

with his camera.

Only about 25 hunters can be accom-

modated at o ne time at the camp. but

thi<; is as many as it will ever be, Walt

says, becau<;e the y want to see that

every hunter has a good chance. To il-

lustrate the point. on one hunt )a<;t vear

22 hunters killed 17 bucks.



This is the ultra-modern hunting lodge on Skidaway. You can throw a cat through the wall and it's heated with a potbellied stove, but hunters sure hate to return to civilization.
With the sun just peeping over the trees, a successful hunter's friends help him carry his buck out to the road so it can be picked up by the truck. Left: A Skidaway raccoon looks out from his hiding place. The island is the home of many thousands of small animals and birds. Right: This is the forest floor on Skida.;ay. Most of the island is "open" forest like this. It's an ideal spot for the bow hunter.

Walt Hall holds the head of a boar killed
on the 1sland recently Those tusks can be
ef ectiv"' w p ns in close nu~rtPrS.

Sea gulls dive for their breakfast in the wake of a shrimp boat crossing "Moon River" to Skidaway. Fishing tor sea trout and channel bass near the island is good, thanks to an abundance of undisturbed marshes like those in the background.
Bottom: It's lunch time. Island hunters dig into country sausage, sweet potatoes and venison steaks. No wonder they are so hungry, they haven't had anything to eat since that big breakfast.

The Halls hunt both with and without dogs. Usually, the dogs are used in the mornings, and the hunters still hunt in the afternoons. On boars, most kills are made after the dogs bring the hogs to bay, sometime after a long chase over the roughest part of the island. One big hog was brought to bay recently in a dense palmetto thicket. He couldn't be seen from the outside, and the dogs wouldn't go in after him . Without room to maneuver. a dog can easily be ripped open by three-inch tusks. The boar was left where he was.
The island is an ideal place for the archer. Giant oak limbs actually rest on the ground in many places, offering accessible tree stands everywhere you look. Some hunters have taken boars with the bow, and some have been known to shoot one time and then look for a nearby tree to climb.
Perhaps the best thing about the Hall Brothers' operation is the good old fashioned food served. Some customers have been. known to spend more time eating than hunting, and little wonder. On each three-day hunt, the fare always consists of at least one barbecue; a seafood supper including shrimp, crab, and oysters, all taken within a rock's throw of the island; a game supper, with venison, squirrel, coon and maybe duck and possum; plenty of blackeyed peas and old fashioned cornbread, and even venison steaks for breakfast.
"We always like to have a good time

when we hunt, and we feel like there are many other things that go into a hunt to make it successful than just killing something," Walt said. "We've had some real wealthy men here to hunt, but before they left they were skinning deer and totin' wood for the fire just like everyone else. and having the time of their lives." Being able to get away from the telephone for awhile is enough to make it worth every penny.
The Halls operate strictly under the rules and regulations of the Georgia Game and Fish Commission. In fact, Walt's father, M. G. Hall, was once a ranger and district chief on the coast for the Commission.
Meanwhile, back to the bridge. It's scheduled to be finished in the summer of 1970, so this will probably be the last year the Halls will be able to operate on Skidaway. They are looking for another piece of land to lease so they can stay in the hunting business, but they know they will never find another Skidaway. If you would like to get in on the island
hunts before they are over forever. you
can write Walt at Route 3, Box 448-A,
Savannah. His phone number is 9 12-354-7284.
Each time Walt crosses from the
mainland to the island, he has to pass by the bridge. "I never look at it," he says, "I just try to pretend it's a bad dream and it will go away when I wake up."

impossible to bag with a rifle make fair targets for the shotgunner. 1be .22 rifle is most effective when the hunter uses a dog to tree or locate bushytails.
The squirrel season opened October 15, and will close February 28, 1970. Your best bet for bagging the bushytails will be in South Georgia below the fall line. During the past year a mysterious squirrel migration took place in the North Georgia mountains. During August and September observers noted as many as one dead squirrel per square mile killed by automobile on the state's highways. This contrasted greatly to an average of 4 or 5 per I 00 miles during comparable periods. The squirrels see med to be leaving the mountains in droves and heading for other areas. Scientists cannot say definitely why this happened, but Hubert Handy, Chief of Game Management for the Game and Fish Commission explained the most popular theory.
According to Handy, the squirrel population had built up to a concentra-
Squirrels feed primarily on acorns and other small nuts. When such food is abundant they will be found in large numbers. When food is scarce, few squirrels will be found in an area. Scientists believe that the mass exodus of squirrels from the North Georgia mountains may have been caused primarily by a lack of food.

tion of one per acre, about three times
the usual density of one per three acres. This buildup was caused by a high mast crop for several preceeding years. A hard freeze for two consecutive years killed the white oak and red oak acorns and other mast blooms. Squirrels store nuts for future use early in the fall. According to the theory, when nuts began to get scarce. the squirrels began to move out in large numbers to seek more productive habitat.
Leonard Foote of Marietta, the Southeastern representative of the Wildlife Management Institute, expanded a bit on this theory. He said that when large litters are raised during good mast years, the young seek or are driven into marginal territories and establish their own range. This marginal territory may not have as good a mast crop as the original territory. This could cause the young squirrels to move out seeking better habitat. It is assumed that such natural movement coupled with the mass movement found in cases where

the mast crop fails could account for a

squirrel migration like the one we have

just witnessed.

Very little is known about the move-

ments and habits of squirrels as com-

pared to deer and other wildlife species.

Mass movements of these animals occur

too seldom to form any definite conclu-

sions.

There are some squirrels to be found

in the North Georgia mountains, but

not nearly as many as there have been

in recent years. With good mast crops in

the future, the population should build

back to high numbers in two to three

years or less. Of course, adverse

weather conditions and more mast crop

failures could delay this.

One thing is certain. The wily bushy-

tail will never be exterminated by hunt-

ing as long as wise game management

and timber management practices are

followed. Get out your old squirrel gun

and join in the chase for this excellent

game animal. He will be around for

many generations to come.

.-

The squirrel is the number one target of Georgia hunters. Either a .22 rifle or a shotgun using number 4 to 6 shot will do the job.

By Dean Wohlgemuth

"Pilot to gunner. P ilot to gunner. We're passing the old hollow log at the edge of the river swamp. I'm going to put down beside the live oak tree in the underbrush."
"Pilot to gunner. That last shot was astern by three feet. You're not leading enough, Charlie."
"Jungle Fowl 197 to control. I'm setting up headquarters in the plum thicket near that small branch just above where it joins the main river. Will move out on patrol in two hours."
Well, now all that is pretty farfetched, indeed! Those little birds that look like bantam roosters flying around some of the Game and Fish Commission's management areas, may be in mdio contact with man, but they're not about to be THAT cooperative!
While radio signals sent out by those little units attached to a collar around the birds' necks will prove beneficial for hunters, the nimrods themselves won't be able to track down the birds.
Biologists, however, will be able to pretty well pinpoint each bird's location and how far , when, and where he moves. Using a receiving unit, the signal will be picked up from two or more poin ts and, by triangulation, the biologists will be able to determine where the birds go after they're released in the woods.
It all goes back to the fact that small game and bird hunting in G eorgia is on a slow but steady downhill skid because the croplands that once provided them a haven are now in pine tree production or grassland for cattle grazing. Quail and rabbits no longer have grain field s to provide them food and cover, so their numbers diminish.
And while small game populations decrease, the numbers of persons hunt-

ing continues at a rapid increase. The Game and F ish Commission, whose job it is to see that th ere is enough game available fo r hunting, must keep a continuous search going for new game, game that will thrive in whatever habitat is ava ilable.
Experiments conducted by the Commissi on over several years indicate that ph ea ant hunti ng will probably never become a reality in Georgia. Efforts to stock them seem to have been futile, largely because of a lack of hunter cooperation. Though some reproduction was noted. too many of the gaudy. gorgeous ... ami deli cio:Js ... birds were shot illegally, nullifying the Commission's efforts and taking off the annual young birds.

Though highl y re-
gretable to fail in any experiment, such experimentation is necessary in order to continue to provide better and more hunting. The fact that pheasants have been tremendously successful in midwestern states proves that such efforts are worthwhile. Georgia learned from its experiments, even those which didn't produce the desired results.
Similarly, a couple years ago G eorgia re::ei ved a few birds called tinamou, from South Am eri ca, hoping that th ese birds would provide hunti ng in woodlands a nd grasslands. Apparently, th ese birds, too. are not goi ng to be a success in Georgia. T hey just couldn't seem to accli mate themselves to our coun try.
On the oth er hand, the future looks fairly bright fo r the ju ngle fowl, a native of India. Perhaps one of the greatest reasons for this is that the jungle fowl, though he's si mply a wild variety of the domestic chicken, never becomes very tame. even when pen-raised. Efforts to stock pen-raised quail and turkey have proven totally unsuccessful, because the birds lack the wildwood wisdom and hardiness to survive once released. Just about any species of penraised game birds will probably suffer 70 per cent or higher mortality rate, according to biologist Thaggard Colvin, who is conducting the experiments with radio tracking jungle fowl. Some studies showed that up to 97 per cent of penraised quail and turkeys perish in only a few months.
In contrast. the jungle fowl seems to adapt to a free environment readily. and will apparently reproduce in the wild. In addition. the jungle fowl thrives in the woodlands that arc replacing the quail habitat.

This jungle cock doesn't understand the reasons behind
having a radio transmitter for a hitchhiker, but the answers it gives biologists will help the Commission in its program to improve small game hunting in
Georgia.
Right: The strange looking hoop is an antenna that helps Colvin trace radio signals from transistors attached to jungle fowl. Taking soundings from specified points, he can tell how far and when jungle fowl move. This information aids in knowing more about the bird, and how heavy a concentration must be stocked to obtain reproduction.

The main problem here is that the jungle fowl scatters too far and wide when released. A few dozen birds released on several hundred acres may spread out so much their chances of getting together during the breeding season apparently arc not as good as desired.
To try to understand how much the birds move and how far they go upon release. the Commission has fallen hack on a fairly recent method which has been of considera ble aid to Georgia in studying deer movements and to other states in studying other game species.
A tiny transistorized sending unit is attached to a collar which is fastened a round the bird's neck . A weak. stead y signal is sent out , which can be picked up by television-t ype directional antennas on portable receivers. Signals are read at regular times at regular location s from several points. to det ermin e how far and where the birds move, and the times of day when most movement occurs.
This information will be studied to determine not only the likelihood of success of stocking, but to give a better idea of just how many birds must be stocked in a given area to have enough to start a good flock.
In addition, perhaps it will be determined that birds spend most of their time in certain types of habitat on an area. This may give tips on whether other areas would provide a desirable habitat to the birds.
All the data collected will help the Commission to know, if jungle fowl do increase enough to become huntable, what type of hunting can be done on the birds.
Apparentl y the jungle fowl doesn't

fl y a great deal, eve n though he moves
a round a lot. H e is very good to cat. as ca n be easil y surmi sed by hi s close relati o nship to the tame chicken. H is ches t muscles are not highl y developed, sin ce he uses hi s legs more than win gs , whi ch mea ns there is tender, wh ite m eat.
Recentl y, th e C omm ission has stocked jun gle fowl in four loca tions: in th e area of Bowen Mill Fish Hatchery no rth o f F it zge rald on the Oc mul gcc Riv er Swamp, where the Commission's ga me bird fa rm is located : at O ak y Woods Ga me Man age ment A rea, just south of Wa rn er R obi ns; and nea r F a rgo and Wayc ross, in the area of the Okefenokee Swa mp. Two earli er stoc kin gs at La ke Semin ole and on the C la rk H ill Ma nagement A rea didn't succeed. O f course th ere are not hunt ablc num bers o f the birds at a ny of the mo re recent locati ons as yet. and it very likely will be some time until th ere a rc. Tt may he at least 10 years before a season can be opened for them . This bird is still in the experimental stage. even th ough Commission biologists continue to become more and more encouraged by the result s seen so far. So if you st>e a red chicken-like bird in the So uth Georgia wood s. don't shoot ... wa it until they' re numerous enough to open a season.
It is ho ped th at the radio experiment s will help also to determine whether population s are goin g up or down, o r arc stable. There is need to observe th e bird closel y to find out how he's doing. Studies of him also include calling cock counts which will be compa red over several yea rs. to note an y increases in numbers.
Work on the jungle fowl bega n in G eorgia in 1962. seven years ago . Last ye ar, the Commi ssion released 700 birds total, at the fou r sites where releases ha ve been made. Durin g the seve n years since the first ones were released , some I ,200 birds have bee n fre ed .
All of these birds ca me from only four pair whi ch the sta te rece ived ini ti ally . During the fir st coupl e of years , the birds were all kept in pens and egg-; hatched to build up a good stock of birds fo r breedin g purposes. \:Vh en th is point was reac hed, ne wly hatched birds we re marked fo r stoc k ing.
T he Co mmissio n received the first fo u r birds from stock im ported fro m India and Bu rm a th rough the U. S. Fish a nd Wil dlife Se rvice. Other states to recei\ e birds in cluded Alaba ma and South Carolina.
A large clu tch of eggs helps thi s bird to reproduce at a good ra te. ln ca pti vity. they la y 12 to 14 eggs in a nes t, th ough it i-; not kn ow n how ma ny they lay in the wild . They'll hring off one success fu l nest c.tch yea r. if poss ible. Nes ting heg ins in Ap ri l
Jun gle fowl a ppa re nt ly ra nge over a

hal f m ile ra diu s. T he heavies t conce n-

trat io n of these birds is in th e Bowen

Mill area , ri ght arou ncl where they

were horn at the State Ga me Farm. It

has been confirmed . said Colvi n, tha t

15 broods have bee n hatched o ff in the

wi ld in th at vi ci nit y.

It is possible that the huntin g season fo r these birds might be in ~ prin g, at

leas t a sp ring rooste r season . Huntin g

them m ay be somewhat simil ar to tur-

key hunt in g. It's possible they ma y be

called, or pe rhaps they'll flu sh wh ile

wa lkin g. The jungle fo wl is a ground

feed in g a nd ground nestin g bird. Colvin

did n't know, but thought perhaps th ey

ma y hold for point ing dogs. In India

and Burma, he sa id, the birds arc

hunted in drives, pre tty mu ch a normal

method of bird huntin g in Europe and

A s ia.

If the bi rds now stocked cont inue to

do well , they'll be tra pped, a nd the wi ld

birds wi ll he stocked elsewhere. Th is

sho uld rapid ly speed up repro duction m

the wild , si nce th e survival of these

birds will be mu ch grea ter than that of

pen-rea red birds. It is possible that if

our bird s do be tt er th an those of other

states, G eorgia will share them with

othe r Southeastern states, th rough a co-

operati ve program . H owever, thev arc

not ava ilable to pri vate individuals, so

do not reques t eggs or birds.

Although the jun gle fowl shows some

promise at this stage, Col vin feels he

dares not get hi s hopes too high until

time has proved the real success of the

experimental bird.

Appa re ntl y, the birds like sh rubbery

and low, thick brush. T hey a re seem-

in gly best suited to m ixed hardv,:oods

a nd pin es, but do not ca re a great deal

for strictl y pine fo rests.

They cat seeds a nd insects, a nd arc

especiall y fond of corn, pea nuts, a nd

acorns which have been broken open hy

squi r re ls. Th e y ar e sc rat c he rs a n d

groun d feeders, like their domestic

cou nt erparts. Sumac berries a rc al so a

favorite food.

T he cl im ate of South Georgia shou ld

he ideal for them . since it is so m uc h

like that of their nati ve India .

The jun gle fowl reac hes maturi ty and

full size in ahout 14 weeks. alt hough he

can fl y in two weeks. Actually, the bird

in Geo rgia is o nl y one of five or more

species o f jungle fowl. The o ne we h ave

is kn own as the red ju ngle fO\v l. The

jungle fowl is thought to he the ances tor

of all modern domesti c ch ickens.

N o, the da y is not about to co me to

pass where the hu nter ca n tunc in on a

portable receiver and find out \vhcrc the

birds a rc hidden.

Yet , th e Com m issio n wi ll he tuned in

on jungle fowl. and will follow th e m

arou nd by usc of radio wa ves. to lea rn

bett er wa ys o f produ ci ng bett er hunt -

in g for the Geo rgia sportsma n.

~

By Bob Howarth Game Biologist

Seldom hunted in Georgia, woodcock are a much more popular game bird in the Northern states where there are few quail to hunt. The long bill is for probing in soft damp earth to catch earthworms and insects.

The America n Woodcock is a wonderful game bi rd with many sporting qualities. He holds very well for a pointing dog and has an erratic flush. Generall y, although not always, he makes a whistling sound when flushed.
The woodcock does not "covey up" in the fall and winter as our native bobwhite quail do. Woodcock are generally fl ushed as singles, although occasionally a pai r may be flushed together. They are somewhat la rger than our native bobwhite quail.
They are most often found in or close to creek swamps, or branches. I have flushed them from around beaver ponds on many occasions. I would say th at a hunter could find woodcock along those portions of creek swamp grow:ng up to alde r. I have found woodcock while bi rd hu nti ng up on hardwood ridges
from a half to three-quarters of a mile fro m the nearest stream. One day in Decem ber. several years ago, I flushed a '1'1;r of woodcocks about a thousa nd yards 'lOrth of Winding Sta ir Gap in Fannin County in the North Georgia mountains.
The woodcock is a migra nt bird whH.:J, arri ves in Georgia in "flights" tlnt st<H in a limited creek swamp type 1! h~ hitu t before m igrating further
.. t' fhe arrival of m igrant flights of

woodcock occurs from November until up in February, with the highest numbers being found from mid-December to mid-January. Although considered to be migratory in Georgia, I have flushed si ngle woodcocks from around the edges of beaver ponds in Oconee and Hall County in June and July on several occasions, and they have been observed nesting in Georgia.
I would recommend that a hunter use a good English Setter or pointer to find woodcock, and also to retrieve dead or crippled birds. Sometimes a bird dog shows a dislike for mouthing and retrieving a woodcock. As I mentioned ea rlier, the woodcock holds very well for a pointing dog and rarely ever runs ahead of the dog. Another breed of pointing dog which might be used to hu nt woodcock is the Brittany spaniel.
Woodcock :1re generally found in medium to heavy cover. I would say that most of the birds bagged are killed within 30 yards of the gun. For this reason, I recommend that a gunner use an improved cylinder barrel on an automatic or pump shotgun. If a hunter has a double barreled gun, I would recommend cylinder bore in one barrel and improved cylinder in the other. I have found number eight shot to be good on woodcock .

11

The snipe family of birds is classified in the broad group called "shore birds." Wilson's snipe are birds of open areas found near lakes, ponds, and other open water bodies. I have flushed them out of wet pasture areas especially where there has been a large acreage in pasture close to or adjoining a pond.
Snipe flush fairly close, from 15 to 25 yards generally. They have a very erratic flight and offer a sporting traget for the upland game gunner. I would recommend using an automatic or a pump shotgun of 20 gauge or larger with an improved cylinder choke barrel. If a hunter is equipped with a double barrel gun, the choke should be im-

proved cylinder and modified , with

number eight or nine shot. I prefer to

load an automatic or pump so as to

shoot a load of number nines on the

first shot , following this with two shells

in the magazine loaded with number

eight shot.

Hunting snipe without a bird dog is

best. From my own personal hunting

experience, I have never seen a snipe

hold for a pointing dog. If the dog

comes too close to the snipe on a cast,

frequently the snipe will flush.

If you're looking for something dif-

ferent in wing shooting this winter, why

not give these two gamesters a try. You

might like what you find out.

.-

Continued from inside front cover
SAPELO and WASSAW tile breeding and nursery ground for fish and birds. since most of the other river islands were bought in 1954 by the State Game and Fish Commission as part of the 30,000 acres of land and water of the Altamaha \Vaterfowl Management area, in addition to a strip of Wolf Island that the Bureau already owned.
Significantly, most of the money being raised for the purchase of these two spots of green marsh by the N ature Conservancy's vivacious Mrs. Jane Yarn of Atlanta, $28 ,000 for Egg Island and $80.000 for Wolf Island, has so far come from out of state contributors, es pecially foundations. Hopefully, the examples of Wassaw, Wolf. and Egg islands will inspire Georgians to do their part to save the coastal islands and marshes from unwise development that will destroy their future value as the last unspoiled natural area on the Atlantic coast for Georgians and all the people of the United States.
The fate of the three Georgia islands connected to the shore by causeways, Tybee. St. Simons. and Jekyll, is already decided, just as the future roles of Sapelo, Wassaw, Wolf. Egg, and Blackbeard have recently been determined. Yet to be committed for the future are the important unbridged natural treasures of Cumberland. Ossabaw, and St. Catherines, along with the thousands of acres of marsh and water that connect the Golden Isles to the shore, the living "Goose that lays the Golden Eggs" of the Golden Isles.
Already, the stage has been set for the final battle in the war for Georgia's coast. In a few brief years, perhaps only months, the struggle will be settled, for better or worse.
The time has come when the people of Georgia must decide if they wish to sacrifice the greenest coast of the Atlantic seaboard to the unscrupulous and greedy designs of men who care more for making money in the shortest possible time than they do for the public's best interest over the longest possible period of time. The conflict has already begun in legislative halls and in the private offices of America's and Georgia's largest and most powerful corporations, embroiling the strongest and the weakest elements of the federal , state, county, and city governments that are supposed to represent the interests of all the people, not just the most moneyed portions of them.
While the battles over the future of Georgia's only three remaining unspoiled pri vatel y owned islands must be fought separatel y on their own merits, a common salvation through legal or admini strative means must be found for Georgia's invaluable sea bottoms and marshes, the most producti ve lands of

Georgia's marshes are the most productive lands of food and recreation in the world, but without proper controls over piecemeal developments and tJ/Img 1n the future, their continued existence is in question.

food and recreation in the world. Recently, North Carolina joined a growing list of sea coast states taking stringent measures to protect their marshes from galloping destruction, bit by bit. The North Carolina legislature passed a law requiring private developers and governmental agencies alike to secure a permit from the North Carolina Conservation Department before they may dredge coastal waters or fill in seafood producing marshes. The law gives the Conservation Department ample authority to decide if each application is in the public interest or not, and nrovides for appeals to a review board of concerned state conse rvation agencies.
A similar law should be passed in Georgia giving such authority to the State Game and Fish Commission, which is now the primary state agency given the legal authority and responsibilit for sea food conservation , protection, and development. The Commission already has a nucleus of marine biologists engaged in m arine research a nd management activities. as well as a law enforcement patrol force. It is far better equipped for the role of preserving Georgia's marshes than agencies created primarily for edncational or research purposes only. For the same reason, it is more logical to add responsibility for the marshes to the Commission's ex isting related activities than to Georgia's county or city governments, which lack trained and experienced technical pe rsonnel in the marine field. If Georgia's coast is to be effectively preserved as a seafood and recrcatioTJal area in the future . enforcement of any state laws passed to protect the coast mu t be administered in all of the six coastal counties with equal vigor and uniform application of the law's provisionc;, an impossible ta sk for local governments that are already groaning under heavy burdens in fields where they traditionally have ~xcrciscd primary authority. Most of the coastal states with such laws give marshland

responsibilit y to their saltwater commer-

cial fishing agency. There is no valid

reason for Georgia to be different.

House Bill 212, the Marshlands Pro-

tection Bill of Brunswick's Representa-

tive Reid Harris, is a step forward for

Georgia. The original versio n of the bill

is an adequate answer to Georgia's

needs, except that it should vest primary

responsibility to the State Game and

Fish Commission and relegate the board

it proposed to create to an appeals

board status, while removing provisions

relatin g to local governments. Perhaps

equall y important, provisions should be

made for the preparation of a zoning

type plan for the marshes of the entire

Georgia coast, identifying important

food producting areas that should be

permanently preserved, while at the

same time identifying marshes of low

productivity that could he sacrificed

for industrial or residential develop-

ments, especially around such existing

areas ncar Brunswick and Savannah.

As passed by the House last year,

H.B. 212 was severely weakened. al-

though it represents an improvement

over existing Georgia laws. However.

most observers feel that the provisions

stricken from it to get it out of the

House Committee were more important

than the addition of a requirement for

marsh meddlers to prove their owner-

ship of any tract they propose to de-

stroy. A strong permit bill administered

hy the State Game and Fish Commis-

sion quite possibly would he a fairer sol-

ution in the long run for all of the inter-

ested parties.

J\J ayhe you're not a millionaire who

can sell an island for half price to a

state or federal conservation agency. or

huy it for a private conservation group

to preserve for posterity. Rut you can

write a letter or even a po-;t card to

your elected representatives in the Gen-

eral Assembl y and the U. S. Congress.

giving them the benefit of your views.

whatever they arc. It's only your coast

that is at stake.

J.M.

the outdoor world
Game & Fish Seeks Marsh Authority

BRUNSWICK-The State Game and Fish Commission has called on a Senate Interim Committee on House Bill 212, to give the Commission the primary role in protecting Georgia's coastal marshlands.
David Gould , Supervisor of Coast al Fisheries for the Commission , delivered to the Senate Committee a statement by Game and Fish Director George T . Bagby, which said "Since the State G ame and Fish Commission is already the legal agency given authorit y fo r commerical and sport fisheries enforc ement, m anagement and research. we feel that our agency is the logical o ne to also protect the marshl ands wh ich make the other act ivi ties necessary and possible."
House Bill 212 was int roduced into th e legisla ture d uring the last session, but failed to gai n passage. The Senate Co mmittee is studying the bill toward a vote of the Legislature during the coming session.
HB 212 would require any person or organizatio n first to fil e an application which woul d h ave to be approved before any dredgin g, drai ning. o r other alteration could be done on coastal mar<;h]and s.
The original bill prese nted during the la-;t session would have established a "Coastal Wetlands Protection Board" which would have governed use of the marshlands. The committee subst itute hill now t 'lder scru tiny wou ld require th<il arrlications be filed only wit h the roii ti ca] subdivision in which the majority of the land to he affected lies.
The bill resulted from effo rts by a

take thi s vital action is not adequate to achi eve thi s goal." said Gould.
He pointed out that Georgia's marshland s arc un iqu e in their rich production of commerci al and sport fishing. since many other states have lost prod uctive marshes th rough industrial and muni cipal development.
The statement said that the Game and Fish Commission gave full support to the o riginal bill a nd still feel s that this is the bes t p ro posal yet advanced in G eorgia to save the marshes.
The Co mmission support s the amended version of the bill, the statement said, because it is a definite improvement ove r the existing law. How-

ever, said Gould, "we feel that it is

much weaker than the original version,

and that it and the original bill have a

number of important flaws" that the

Senate Committee should study.

He pointed out that other states have

given their conservation agency the au-

thority to protect their marshes, giving

Georgia a precedent to follow.

"One of the most important reasons

to entrust this vital task to the State

Game and Fish Commission rather than

to local counties or cities," the state-

ment said, "is simply for the practical

reason that these political subdivisions

lack the trained technical personnel re-

quired to determine the effects of pro-

posed filling and dredging activities on

marine resources. A second important

consideration is that enforcement of an y

state law that is enacted be uniform in

all of the six Georgia coastal counties,

without local variations in the enforce-

ment of the statute."

"The Game and Fish Commission

feels that any effort to preserve Geor-

gia's most productive marshlands should

be realistic." he said. "We do not believe

that industrial development or munici-

pal expansion can or should be called to

a halt solely and purel y for th e purpose

of conservation. vital as that is to our

future ."

The statement suggested zoning cer-

ta in marshland areas of low productiv-

it y for future industrial and municipal

expansion, particularl y in the areas of

Savannah and Brunswick where pre-

vious development and water pollut io n

have rendered thousands of acres of lit-

tl e value for seafood production.

....c,.

L etters will be subject to standard
editing and must bear th e writer's name
and address. Sh ort letters will be given
preference. Photographs cannot be re-
turned. L etters will not be ackno wl-
edged unless the writer requests a re-
ply. Occasionally, when there is valid
reason , th e w riter's name m ay be
omitted upon request.
THANKS 1. We are writing to t ha nk you for including Georgia Education Authorities in the subscription list to th e magazine issued by your department. 2. Every on e of us enjoys this publication tremendously. We clip all the beautiful illustrations and place th em on display in our office. 3. Not only are the illustrations extraordinarily fine, but the articles in the magazine are entertaining and instructive. 4. We thank you for keeping us on the subscription list.
John E. Sims Director Georgia Education Authorities Atlanta, Ga.
STAMP FOR SWIMMING? I am writ ing in rega rd to your article in the September issue of Georgia Game and Fish entitled "Georgia Needs a Trout Stamp". The article is a good one and I will not say ri ght now what we need, but we do need so m et h i n g . I have the greatest respect for our Game and Fish Commiss ion and think th ey are doing a good job with what th ey have up t o a point. I personally know some at ' the game wardens and know they have t hei r ha nds full and work a 24 hour day. How-
~ve r, be:ore we go into a trout stamp per-
IOd, I thmk th ere should be some designated streams whi ch ca n only be fished for trout
o ~ at least if trout stamps are sold, th ey
w ill be purchased by every living person who goes on a t rout st rea m.
Let me give you so me examples that are not iso lated, no r are they recent. 1 have been trout f ish ing th e North Georgia moun tains f or 40 yea rs, before th ey were ever stocked, I guess. It ha s always been fin e an d I have al way s en joyed it. But now th ere are to~ many peop le. Most of th em are not t rout f ishermen, but vaca tioners and ca mpers. I wan t f amilies to enjoy t he great ou t doors as .m uch as I do but not at my expense. Th1s past su mmer it was a swimming hol_e fo r kids and grown peop le. I went t o "W1Idcat Creek" an d it was t he same. 1 went to "Spoi lcaine Creek" wi th my 12 year old. Th ere was ~upposed to be one special ho le there fo r h1m. I bought his permit and went to the hole. There was one trout in it and gr?w~ people camped all around t he h?le, f1shmg through it as if there was no ~1gn there. The point is, I do not enjoy drivmg 200 to 300 miles to trou t fish and f ind th_ey have turned the streams into swimmmg holes, so why shou ld I pay $2.00 more for a stamp to get the same thing.
George E. White Rome, Geo rgia
Several years ago the Stat e Gam e and Fish Commission passed a regulat ion pro-

hibiting swimming in managed t rout streams on National Forests, but the regulation was repealed when the U. S. Forest Service objected on the grounds that the Commission had no authority to prohibit it, and that such a ban violated the multiple-use principle of National Forests, which are open to the public for recreational uses other than fishing.
There is no doubt that unless hunters and fishermen stand up for their rights, areas which should be reserved for their activit ies will be destroyed by casual invaders of the outdoors in ever increasing great numbers who will destroy the very thing they originally sought in nature, without ever realizing what it was.
LADIES' RECORD? I have somet hing here t hat might be of interest to you. A picture of Mrs. Jessie A. Cunningham (Mrs . Charles J. Cunnin gham) along with a large mouth bass weighi ng in at 12 pounds , 2 ounces, wh ich she ca ught in a private lake here in Morga n Co un ty usi ng a purpl e 'Big Daddy' Fliptail pl ast ic wo rm. You probably saw the picture and write-up in Charlie Salter's colum n in th e Atlan ta
Journal re cent ly. The f ish has been entered in the Georgia Game & Fish cont est.
As f ar as we can remember and learn , it is a record catch he re in Morgan County for a 'lady' fi sherm an and we wou ld be very interested t o learn just how th e catch stands as a record f or lady fish erm en over the stat e.
Althou gh there are a good number of lady fish erm en here in Morga n Cou nty this catch ha s rejuvenated t hem all to 'get busy' and wet a lin e to t ry t o top th is catch.
I enjoy t he Game & Fish magazine and look forwa rd t o every issue. You are doing a great job wit h t he magazine and in my way of thi nki ng it is one of the finest things that has hap pened for the Georgia sportsmen in a long t ime.
The fish has been mounted and if ever you are in or through Madison it will be a pleasure t o have you stop by to see it and others that are mounted.
Very sincerely, 'Zeke' Biggers Madison, Ga.
FURRY FISH ? recently called you to confirm the existence of a "fur bea ring" trout, reportedly caught in Lake Superior. Enclosed you will find a picture of this fish. These are th e statistics printed on the card mounted under the fish: "Fur Bea rin g Trout- very rare-caught while trolling off Gras Cap ,

near Sault Ste. Marie, District of Algoma. It is be lieved that th e great depth and extreme penetrating coldness of the water in wh ich these fish live, has caused them to grow their dense coat of (usually) white fur."
The f ish was mounted by a taxidermist in Sau lt Ste. Marie.
I fish a little myself and this "fish story" was a little hard for me to swallow also!! Hope you will have as much fun with the picture as I have had showing this to my fellow workers.
Sincerely, Barbara Gaskins Atlanta, Ga.
AMMUNITION REGISTRATION Thank you very much for your editorial in GAME AND FISH, expressing your views rela t ive to the proposed ame ndments to re move ammunition from the registration provisions of the Gun Control Act of 1968. Your interest in my bill concerning this subject is greatly apprec iated. This bill, and ot her bills of a simil ar natu re, are cu rrently pending before th e House Judiciary Committee with no f urthe r action sc heduled. I ho pe that th i s subject will soon be considered by the Committee for the time has def initely come to remove the limitations p laced on our sportsmen, hunters, and businessmen under t he provisions of the Act.
BOB MATHIAS U. S. Congressman Cal ifornia
DYING SWAMPS? Now a jet-threat hovers over the Everglades. A 250-mi//ion-dollar jetport, which will be the world's largest, is planned for the land just across the Park's northern boundary. This airport would service the superplanes of the 1980's. What size Florida lot will these big birds need? Plans
call for 39 square miles.
Everglades National Park, including part of the Florida Keys, the Ten Thousand Is lands, and Big Cypress Swamp, the 2,000 square miles of tropical and sub-tropical wilderness, marsh, and semi-aquatic grasslands comprises America's third largest national park. Here are alligator and otter, raccoon, bobcat, and cougar; snowy egret and white and wood ibis; and tropical trees and other plants found nowhere else in the United States.
As a sportsmen and a human being, I can't help but voice my opinion if this park is jeopardized by the wheels of progress. To destroy one of God's masterpieces when it could be avoided is one of the greatest crimes that could ever be commited by mankind.
Harold Scott Green Bay, Wisconsin
The national furor over the threat to the Everglades Park is encouraging to Georgians struggling to save similar areas in their own state from the wheels of "progress." For instance, Georgia's own unique Okefenokee Swamp still has not been placed under the protection of the National Wilderness Act against road building and other types of encroachment that are now legally possible, in spite of a bill introduced in Congress by U. S. Congressman W. S. Stuckey of Eastman. The Okefenokee Wilderness Sill is still lodged in a House Committee. Only the strenuous efforts of all of Georgia's congressmen and senators will pry it out, if they are interested enough in the Swamp to save it.
TARPON Pl ease forgive me for being so late sending in this request, but I have just found out some friends of mine, living in Florida, would very much like to have a copy of the August "Game and Fish Magazine." 1

wouldn't part with mine, but thought if there we re a coupl e of these still available in Atlanta, you would act as good samaritan and send them to me. I, too, will appreciate this favor.
They are very much interested in the article which appears on pages 1-6 e ntitled "Tangle with a Tarpon ," and I can well imagine why th ey would be.
My subscription to "Game and Fish" expires with the Decem be r issue, so I am taking this opportunity to enclose my check for $1.00 to continue on through 1970.
Sure is fine living on a salt water tidal river like I do-the North Newport River, that is. Between the beautiful birds, quail, small animals and the fish (including oysters, shrimp and crabs), there is never a dull season here.
Thank you for all your courtesy. Your "Game and Fish Magazin e" is so interesting and beautifully edited.
Elizabeth R. Kelly Mcintosh, Georgia
TIMELY ARTICLES Please renew my subscription to your exce llent magazine- three yea rs for $2.50. I've enc losed a check for $2.50.
I want to congratulate you on your widely acclaimed publication. Th e articles are timely and highly informative and the photography is superb.
J. H. Davis Norcross, Georgia

TROUT STAMP I am very much in favor of a trout fish sta mp . I would like to see the stamp a requirement for all who fish for trout, both in the management and non-management areas. This would eliminate the need for management area permits. The men who have to be in each area for collection of pe rmits could be utilized in other duties. A trout stamp would provide needed funds to better the trout fishing in Georgia. I am for it 100%.
Kenneth M. Elder Warner Robins, Ga .
PERMITS FOR SAFETY? Be lieve you hit it on the head with the idea of a trout stamp. I hate to see the old creel ch ecker go. It was always a comfort to know somebody will come a looking if you didn 't ch eck out. A fellow busted his leg and lay for two days in a creek in the Smokeys. He was nearly gone when they found him-they have used the sign in sign out method since.
Gus Whitfield Jupiter, Fla.
Sportsman's
Calendar

4-H WORK
Your Game and Fish Ma gazine has been quite va luable to me in my 4-H Wildlife Project work. The articles about ga me and fish are well written with interesting de-

SEASONS
BEAR Season-N ov. I, 1969 through Jan. 3, 1970

tails and the pictures a re love ly. As a Sen- in Brantley, C ha rlt on, Clinch, Echols, and

ior 4-Her I am conducting "Wildlife Classes" so I have no trouble findin g suitable or reliable prog ram mate rial or pictures. If a ll
boys and girls would read thi s magazine they would come to know and appreciate
our wildlife in Georgia and conservation would not be a proble m for future ge ne rations.

\\'are counties. Bag Limit- I per perso n. Season-Nov. 17 , 1969 through 1970.
BRANT
Bag Limit-6 D aily, possession No goose season this year.

Jan. 2S, limit 6.

Donna Ash Oliver, Georgia

DEER Season-Oct. IS o r Nov. I thro ugh Nov. 4,

IS, 22, 29, 1969 or Ja n . 3, 1970 or Nov. I ,

28 a nd 29, Dec. 26 a nd 27, 1969, depend-

ing on a rea regu latio ns.

FOX HUNTER
I am e nclosing a picture of a new fox c haser a nd the fox .
I hope to never see the day that fox chasing will be put on the shelf. Many peop le don't li ke to hear hounds run. I don't care for any othe r music, except a good pack of hounds after a fox, not a deer. I don't care to hear that kind of race. Neither do 1 wa nt anyone to quit playing their music or quit their sport in life.
I am sorry Mr. Todd didn't get his d ee r. Hope he has better luck next season and comes hor'1e in a better frame of min'd.
Our first presiden t, Washington, was a fo x r h, se r. Everybody thought he was a rea l ma n.
J. 0. Wilburn St. George, Georgia

DUCKS, MERGANSERS AND COOTS
S eason-Nov. 20, 1969 throu gh J a n. IS , 1970. Bag Limit-Ducks: 3 Daily, including no more than 2 wood ducks, I canvasback, or I redhead, I black duck, a nd 3 mallards. Possession limit 6, including no more than 4 wood ducks, I canvasback or I redhead, 2 black ducks, a nd 6 m a ll a rds. Mergansers: S Daily, including no more than I hooded merganser; possession limit I0, including no more than 2 hooded merga nse rs. Coots: 10 Daily, possession limit 20.
GALLINULES
Season-Nov . 7, 1969 through Jan. IS , 1970. Bag Limit-IS daily, possession limit 30.
GROUSE, RUFFED
Swson-Nov. 20, 1969 through Feb. 28. 1970. Bag Limit-3 D a ily, possession limit 6.
OI'OSSUI\1
Early Season-Se pt. 27, 1969 throu gh Jan. 24, 1970 in Coweta Count y only. Regular Seaso n-Oct. 18, 1969 throu gh Feb. 28, 1970. Bag Limit- N one.

16

QUAIL
Season- November 20, 1969 through Feb. 28, 1970. Bag Limit- 12 d a ily, possession limit , 36.
RA BBITS
N. Ga. Season-Nov. IS, 1969 through Jan. 31, 1970. N. Ga. Bag Limit-S daily. S. Ga. Season-Nov. 20, 1969 through Feb. 28, 1970. S. Ga. Bag Limit-10 daily.
RACCOON
N. Ga. Season-Oct. 18 , 1969 through Feb. 28, 1970. Bag Limit-One (I) per perso n per night.
SQUIRREL
Season-Oct. IS, 1969 through Feb. 28, 1970. Bag Limit- IO da ily.
TURKEY
S. W. Ga. Season-Nov. 20, 1969 through Feb. 28, 1970 in Baker , Calhoun, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, and Thomas counties. S. W. Ga. Bag Limit-Two (2) per season.
SEASONS OPENING THIS MONTH
DOVES Season-Dec. 6, 1969 throu gh January IS , 1970. Bag Limit-18 daily, 36 in possession.
SNIPE, WILSON'S Season-Dec. 13 , 1969 throu gh Jan. 31, 1970. Bag Limit-8 daily, possess ion limit 16. See Federal regu la tio ns.
ALTAI\tAHA WATERFOWL AREA (DARIEN)
Butler Island Managed Blind Duck Hunts : Saturdays only, Nov. 20, 1969 through Jan. IS, 1970. Hunting hours sunrise to 12 noon, E.S.T. After Nov. I, applications to hunts not filled in the October drawing will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. For information o n which hunts are filled, call the State Game and Fish Commission at Brunswick, area code 912, 26S- ISS2.
All letters of application must specify the date requested with a second choice if desired in the eve nt the first date is filled . All ap pli cant s must enclose a fee of $S per day per person in check or money order payable to th e Georgia Ga me a nd Fish Commission. Applications should be addressed to P. 0. Box 1097, Brunswick , Ga.
BLACKBEARD NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Archery hunt for deer; either sex; bag limit-2 deer: Dec. 30, 1969-January 2, 1970. R accoo ns may a lso be taken on the above hunt. Applications for th e December hunt must be m ade by Dec. 22. Write to the Refu ge Manager, Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, Rt. I, H ardeevill e, S.C. 29927.
SCAUP Bonus Season - Jan. 16, 1970 through J a n. 3 1, 1970 in that area east of the Intercoas tal Wate rway o nl y in Chatham , Bryan, Liberty, 1\fclntosh, Glynn, and Camden c o u n t i e s. Bag Limit-S daily, possessio n limit I0.

EVENTS THIS MONTH
Georgia Sportsmen's Federation Annual Convention-December 6-7, Thomaston,
Ga.
EVENTS NEXT MONTH
Georgia Conservancy Annual Conference -January 30-3 I, 1970 at the Marriott Motor Hotel, Atlanta.

MANAGED DEER HUNT SCHEDULE
ARCHERY (EITHER SEX)

Dates

Areas

Dec. 1-6

Allatoona

Dec. 15-20

Bullard Creek

Dates In Sf'ason Oct. 15-Jan. 3
Dec. I-6 Dec. 15-I9

BUCK ONLY
Areas
Altamaha and Lake Seminole Brunswick Pulp and Paper Company (Special regulations apply to each tract of this area)
Waycross State Forest
Suwanoochee (permit required, no fee)

Dates Dec . 20

EITHER SEX
Areas
Suwannoochee For details see the booklet "Georgia Game Management Areas" available at no charge from the State Game & Fish Commission

SMALL GAME MANAGED
HUNTS SCHEDULE
(For detailed information of each individual area, write the State Game and Fish Commission, 270 Washington St., S.W.) No permits required, except Butler Island ducks.

DATES

AREAS

SPECIES

Reg. Season
Nov. 20-Jan. I5
Sat. only Dec. 8-Feb.
28 Fri. & Sat.

Lake Seminole, All (except

Whitesburg,

raccoons)

Allatoona,

Altamaha (except

Butler Island),

Cohutta, Grand

Bay, Brunswick

Pulp and Paper

Co. (except during

dog deer hunts)

Altamaha (Butler Waterfowl and

Island)

Dove

Lake Rus sell

All except Raccoons

Dec. I2-Feb. Swallow Creek

28

Coleman River

Fri. & Sat.

Grouse, Squirrel, Rabbit

Dec. 12-13, 19-20
Jan. 2-3

Chestatee

Squirrel Grouse

Dec. 12-13, I9-20
Jan. 16-17 Feb. 6-7

Lake Burton

Squirrel, Grouse

Dec. 3-24

Piedmont Exp.

Jan. 3-3I

Sta.

Wed. &Sat.

Quail, Squirrel, Rabbit, Doves (In Season)

Dec. 3, 6, 10, Cedar Creek 13, I7,
20,24 Jan. 3, 7, 10,
14, I7, 21,
24, 28,31 Wed. &Sat.

Dec. 12-13, 19-20
Jan. 9-IO.

Chattahoochee

Dec. 3, IO, I7, Bullard Creek 24, 3I
Jan. 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 2I, 24, 25,31

Dec. I2-13, I9-20
Jan. 2-3

Blue Ridge

Dec. 3-24 Jan. 3-31 Wed. &Sat.
only

Oaky Woods

Dec. 10-24 Clark Hill Jan. 3-31 Wed. &Sat.

Dec. 12-13, I9-20

Warwoman

Jan . 5-10

Alapaha

Dec. II, 12, 13 Waycross State Forest

Quail, Squirrel, Rabbit, Doves, Ducks (In season)
Grouse, Squirrel, Rabbit
Quail, Squirrel, Rabbit, Dove, & Snipe (In Season)
Grouse, Squirrel
Quail, Squirrel, Rabbit
Quail, Squirrel, Rabbit, Doves Ducks (In season)) Grouse, Squirrel
All (In season) Quail, Squirrel, Rabbit

DECEMBER, 1969

HIGH WATER

LOW WATER

Day

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

1. Mon. I2:30 5.7 12:48 6.4 6:54 7:30

2. Tues. 1:24 5.8 1:42 6.3 7:54 8:I8

3. Wed. 2:I8 6.I 2:30 6.3 8:48 9:I2

4. Thurs. 3:I2 6.4 3:24 6.3 9:48 IO:OO

5. Fri. 4:06 6.8 4:18 6.4 I0:36 I0:42

6. Sat. 5:00 7.3 5:I8 6.5 11:30 11:30
7. Sun. 5:54 7.7 6:08 6.7 .. I2:I8

8. Mon. 6:42 8.I 6:54 6.8 I2:18 I:I2

9. Tues. 7:30 8.3 7:48 6.9 I:I2 2:06

IO. Wed. 8:24 8.3 8:36 6.9 2:06 2:54

II. Thurs. 9:I2 8.2 9:30 6.8 3:00 3:48

I2. Fri. IO:I2 8.0 I0:30 6.7 3:54 4:42

13. Sat. 11:I2 7.6 11:30 6.7 4:48 5:36

I4. Sun.

I2:I2 7.3 5:48 6:30

15. Mon. I2:36 6.7 I:I2 6.9 6:48 7:30

I6. Tues. I:36 6.7 2:12 6.6 7:54 8:30

I7. Wed. 2:36 6.8 3:I2 6.4 9:00 9:24

18. Thurs. 3:42 6.9 4:06 6.2 IO:OO IO:I8

I9. Fri. 4:36 7.I 5:06 6.I I0:54 11:06

20. Sat. 5:30 7.3 5:54 6.I 11:48 11:54
21. Sun. 6:18 7.4 6:42 6.0 .. I2:36

22. Mon. 7:00 7.4 7:24 6.0 I2:36 I:I8

23. Tues. 7:42 7.4 8:00 5.9 I:24 2:06

24. Wed. 8:I8 7.3 8:36 5.8 2:06 2:48

25. Thurs. 8:54 7.2 9:I2 5.8 2:48 3:24

26. Fri. 9:30 7.0 9:48 5.7 3:24 4:00

27. Sat. I0:06 6.8 I0:30 5.7 4:06 4:36

28. Sun. I0:42 6.6 11:06 5.7 4:48 5:I2

29. Mon. 11 :24 6.4 11:54 5.8 5:30 5:54

30. Tues. ..

I2:06 6.2 6:I2 6:36

3I. Wed. I2:42 5.9 I2:54 6.I 7:06 7:24

TIDE TABLE

DEC. 1969

GEORGIA COASTAL WATERS

HOW TO USE THESE TABLES

The calculations are for the outer bar. Find the reading for the desired tide. In the table below find the number of minutes to add to correct for the place you are going to fish or swi m. The outer bar calculation, plus this correction, gives the correct reading for the point desi red.

AdJUSt For Daylight Savmg Time By A ddmg One Hour

CORRECTION TABLE

The t1mes given are for Savannah R1ver

entrance (Tybee).

Hrs. Min .

Savanna h High

0 44

Savannah (Low)

* 57

Hilton Head, S.C.

0 IO

Thunderbolt

0 20

Isle of Hope

0 40

Warsaw Sound

0 00

Ossabaw Sound

0 05

Vernon View

0 35

Coffee Bluff

0 55

Ogeechee River Bridge

3 50

St. Catherine Sound

0 25

Sapelo Sound

0 00

Brunswick Bar

0 00

St. Simon Pier

0 25

Frederica Bridge

0 50

McKay Bridge

0 50

Brunswick East River

0 50

Turtle River Bridge

0 55

Turtle River, Crispen Is.

I IO

Humpback Bridge

I 00

Jekyll Point

0 30

Jointer Is land

55

Han oton River Vil la ge Creek Ent.

0 20

Villa!'(e Fi shi ng Camp

0 45

Tav lor Fi shing Camp

I 00

Altam aha Fishin g Park , Eve rett , Ga. 4 00

Two-Way Fishing Camp, S. Altamaha 2 00

DEC.

Last New Quarter Moon
31 9

First Quarter
16

Full Moon
23

SUBSCRIBE NOW!
1 year- $1.00 3 years- $2.50

To report violations or 1f you need assistance 1n th e Coastal /\rea - Call - Stat e Game & F1sh Comm1ss1on. Brunsw1ck. Georgia. P. 0. Box 1097. Phone 265-1552. Savannah 233-2383. R1chmond Hill 756-367 9.

/

('r

v \

j)

I
/

~.

THE ATLANTA MAGAZINE
GUIDE TO FISHING IN GEORGIA '

CONTENTS ATLANTA MAGAZINE'S OFFICIAL GUIDE TO FISHING IN GEORGIA
3 INTRODUCTION 4 FISHING IN GEORGIA 6 STATE WATERS MAP 7 FISH CAMP FACILITIES 8 ON TROUT 9 STREAMS 10 PONDS 1 1 RESERVOIRS 14 THE OKEFENOKEE 15 SALT WATER FISHING 16 RECORD CATCHES
2

introduetion
IT WASN'T what most people would ca ll a good day for fishing, that morni ng in 193<2 when George Perry and his friend went fi shing in the small oxbow lake of the O cmulgee River in T elfair County. The water was high and muddy, but it was the middl e of the Depression, and the young farmer's family was hungry.
Slipping into a tiny wooden rowboat ti ed to the shore, the two men oa red up the narrow stretch o f water. George tied a new plug onto the first and only reel he had ever owned in his life, and cast toward the submerged limbs of some trees that h ad fall en in the water. " When he took the lure, ht> headed straight for those trees," Perry reca lled. "The fish was so big tha t he practica lly swallowed the lure. There wasn't any chance of him getting it out of his mouth. The only probl em I had was trying to keep him out of the old fall en tree branches." After a short stnggle by modt>rn light tackle standards, Perry brought in his prize, a big, husky bass.
Although he could already smell fish fryin g on the stove, he did stop by a small grocery storP in H elena, one mil e north of l\fcRae, to havt> his Junker weighed. It tipped the scales at twentytwo pounds, four ounces . . . a new world's record. Thirty-seven years later, Perry's record still stands; much to the chagrin of those Floridians who boast of their fa mous bass fis hing.
W hile it may be true that other states do indeed offer outstanding fi shing for particular species of fish, Georgia's strong point is the great variety of fishing available. For instance, Georgia is the southernmost state in the Uruon with native mountain trout fi shing. Unlike most other southern sta tes, there are more than seven hundred miles of coldwater trout streams in Georgia's end of the Appalachian .!\fountain chain.
H eard of fl oat fishing on streams like Arkansas's White River? Georgia has 3,500 miles of some of the world's finest fishin g rivers. There are eighteen 1Mjor streams in the sta te includi ng famous fishing waters like the Ogeec hee, the Altama ha, Satilla, St. Marys, Suwanee, and Flint rivers.
Maybe you've fished the great reservoirs of the T\'A Georgia has twenty reservoirs with a combined area of over three hundred thousand acres, including three TVA reservoirs, Blue Ridge , Nottcly, and Chatuge, which offer so me of the best fi shing in North Georgia. Ei ght United States Army Corps of Engineers reservoirs, inc luding Lake Lanier and Clark Hill, make up the largest portion of the total ac reage (two more are under construction ), fo}Iowcd by rune Georgia Power Company lakes.
Mi nnesota bears the appellation " Land

0' Lakes." M ost out-of-state fishermen are surprised to learn that Georgia has c\cn more lakes . . . more than sixty thousand, in fact. Un like Minnesota's ten thousand lakes, most of Georgia's lakes arc man-made. Seen from the air, the small farm ponds and recreation lakes reflect the sunlight like thousands of brightly fl ashiug jewels. All of them are stoc ked with fish.
In addition to largewouth bass fishing, Florida has built its claim to fame on its saltwater fishing. But since it's the same ocean, a ll of the major sa ltwater fish found in Florida are also caught off the Georgia coast, except snook ami the subtropical bonefish. With its thousands of tidal creeks, rivers, and sounds behind the seven major offshore barrier islands, there arc more than one thousand miles of virtually untouched winding shoreline on the Georgia Coast.
And finally, dt>fying description as a stream, river, lake, pond, or ocean, is the most fam ous fishing hole in the U nit ed States .. . tlw fabulous Okefenokee Swamp, " Land of the Trembling Earth."
Undoubtedly, the largemouth bass is the most prized fish sought by anglers in a ll of these waters. Largemouths weighing up to fourt een or fifteen pounds are caught every year by Georgia fishermen, in both large reservoirs and sma ll ponds. Two bass weighing over seventeen pounds \\'Pre caught in 1965, one in Lake Lanier, the other in a sma ll fishing pond at .Marietta. Thousands of bass are caught each year weighing from three to thirteen pounds. Almost any one of them would be a trophy in Minnesota, Ohio, New York, or Nebraska, where bass simply don't have the time and temperatures to grow that big.
All of the popular major game fi sh of America are found sonwwhere in Georgia, including sma ll mouth bass, rainbow, brook, and brown trout, walleye, cha in pickerel (wo rld's record), white bass, crappie, blue gill, yellow perch, channcl cat fi sh, American shad, strip ed bass (freshwater world's record ), sea trout, channel bass, Spanish and king mackerel, tarpon, bluefish, and sheepshead. An angler who doesn't mind driving to any of the four comers of Georgia can take his pick, depending on the time of year.
Compared to other staes, Georgia's fishing laws and rcguL1tions arc light. For instance, unlike many Northern states, there are no seasons on Georgia sport fish, with the exception of mountain trPut. Sunday fishing is allowed.
l.recl limit s for most species are libera l by :'\orthcrn stan dard s: fifteen b;Jss JWr angler per day, thin, "hite bass, fifty nappi(-, and fifty bream. There arc no state-wide size lilllits, excep t for trout in a few designated streams and reservoirs, and largcmou th bass on three major rl'servoirs.

A xg6x survey by the U. S. Census Bureau estimated that Georgia had 1,087,409 fishermen over twelve years of age who spent $78,951 ,Goo that year on their sport, a significant boon to Georgia's economy. Economists say the impact of every dollar spent in any activity is multiplied many times as it changes hands in com merce. The actual value to the state of sport fishing may well exceed $ 78,ooo,ooo. When $23,385,ooo spent by hunters is added to this figure, Georgia's wildlife resources take on new dimensions of importance, in spite of the fact that the potential for Georgia tourism based on hunting and fishing has scarcely been scratc hed.
T his potential has given the State's planners cause for thought, and the message has not been lost on them. 'Vherc industrial development or exploitation of natural resources without regard to wildlife or recreation was once the case, a new concern for protecting these reso urces is emerging. As a relatively unindustrialized state with an abundant water supply and a fairly low population density outside a few urban areas, Georgia is in an Pnviable position to appeal to the fisherman, hunter, hiker, boater, camper, birdwatcher, or nature lover.
True, there are ugly scars ou Georgia's mantle of forests and fields made by highways, strip mines, subdivisions, and fa ctories. The Chattahoochee River below Atlanta and the Savannah River below its namesake city a re open sewers and industrial dumping grounds, as arc many of the nation's once great streams. But tlw over-all picture is anything but bleak. In 1966, the General Assembly passed a tough nt>w water pollution law, requiring old indnstrics to clean up, and new ones to construct adequate " aste treatment facilities before beginning operation. Cities and towns have been given similar standards to meet. Under a tough executi,e secretary and an energetic staff of professionals, the State Water Quality Control Board has made dramati c progress in cleaning up long-standing pollution problems. In many rases, industJ)' has taken the lead \olnutarily. By 1975, most of Georgia 's streams \\ill be vastly imprO\-cd. Similarly, a new strip miruug laud rccbmation board h;Js been created.
So much f0r a few black spots. l f you're a new Ctorgia resident, a prospcnivt> visitor, or an old timer looking for a new place to go or a new fish to catch, what do you do:> You can pick up your tackle and head for the nt'arest water. If it's not posted, it's probably as good a bet as any other. But if you're one who feels more comfortable when armed with information, yo11 can find it in the detailed cle~rription of fi~hing in the va1ious sertiom of C:eorgia accompanying tltis article, aloug with a list of fishiug faciliti<'' open to the public.

fishing in georgia
4

D If you want to get a heated a nd confused argum en t going in a hurry, get a few fi sherm en from different parts of G eorgia togeth er with a fi sh biologist or two, then ask them to agree on the common na me, habits, and best wa ys of fishing for any spec ies you like. T here's plenty of room for argument, even among the experts, since there are a t least r 24 d istin ctly different species of fi sh in Georgia, n ot counting hundreds of types of small minn ows tha t only an I chthyologist can idPntify with a microscope. At least thirtytwo of these species are considered game fish, with some argu ment over a few of the others.
There are, for exampl e, nine ''bass" in Georgia. The most popular among them, the largemouth, are usually called " trout " in South Georgia. Biologists say that there are rea lly onl y two members of the bass family found in the state, and the largemouth isn't one of them. He's a m ember of the sunfish family.
Multipl e popular names never cease to be a source of amusement and conversation when fish ermen from different areas meet. A good exampl e is the bl ack crappie, or Pomoxis nigromaculatus, just to ma ke cert ain we all know what fish we're talking about..Many fi shermen pro nounce and spell crappie just the way it looks. Others spell and pronounce it "crappie," while some spell it "crappi e" and pronounce it " crappie. " South Georgians avoid the problem entirely by calling th em " white perch, " whi ch is the most common name of a small ocean fish that swims up freshwater rivers from South Carolina northward. In many areas of Florida, thP blac k crappi e is known as speckl ed perch, as one angry G eorgia angler found when he drove three hundred m il es a ft er hearing th at "specks" were hitting like crazy.
Th e wa ll Pye of north G eo rgia is usua ll y called a "J ack," or " pike." C hain pi ckerel of south G Porgia a re known as "jackfish." R ed ear sunfish are usuall y "shellcrackers." .~\'hi t e ,?ass are '_'strip ers." Brook trout a re spPcs. \\1hen It co mes to ca tfish, th e simplest th ing to d o is to fo rget about precise id enti fication, since even the common channel ca tfi sh is vario usly known as the spotted cat, fiddl er , forktail ca t, sand cat, blue ca t, and whit e ca t. Flathead catfi sh are som etimes known as shovelh ead ca t, mut cat, or ye llow cat .
Part of the problem with different names li Ps in th e fact th at not a ll species are found in a ll o f Georgia's lakes and rivers. Only fi w spcciPs can lay claim to this di stinction: L1rgpmou th bass, black crappie, bluegill , red breast sunfi~h, and channel ca tfi sh.
\ \'a ter tP m pnature has a lot to do with whethPr thP fi sh t hat you land thirty minutes from home is a ra inbow trout, a spotted ba~s, or a chain pickerPI. In the high a ltitudP, cold watn streams of northeast Georgia, rainbow, brown, and

na tive brook trout arc the onl y ga me fi sh found. Just south of trout waters, intermPdi ate co ld wa ter ga me fi sh species like th e sma llrnouth , red eye, and the spotted bass arc prevalent, succPPded a litt le further south by cl Parly warm water speciPs like the largemou th bass, bla ck and white cra ppie, bluegi ll , white bass, and chamw l catfish. T hese species then biPncl wit h va rieties th at a re comm on only in south G eorgia, like the chai n pi ckerel or jac kfi sh, and the wa rmouth , both of which are found in the O kefenokee Swa mp.
For no apparPnt reason, some game fish found in onP river basin systPm will not be found in another that appPars to be idf:' ntica l, a nd which may sharP most of the samP fish . An example is the white cra ppie. Its bla ck cousi n is found in evPry river a nd lake in Geo rgia, but the whit e cra ppi e is not in Lake Lanier or Alia -
toon a, or in any of the reservoirs in extr<'m<' North Georgia or in the Chattahoor hPe River. On tlw other hand, it can b<' caught in La ke J ackson, HartwPII, and Clark Hi ll. Both species feed on small m innows, and are caught by thousands in l\ l arch while sp:twning nPar tlw sho rP in 1110st la rg<' w~crvo i rs. Night fishing is best in the summer.
Bio logists and fishPrm< n ha\'e never agn<'d on a romiiJOll name for the wide ,ari<'ty of panfish in the sunfish family sonwtinws dPscrilwd as "hrPam," which 1~ pronouncNI and sometimes speiiPd "l>rim.'' Th Psc fi.'>h arc usually groupPd togPtlwr lwcausP tlw\' sharP many common r har ;u teristirs including size, appParancP, and fPcding habits.
l'robably the 111ost popular nwinbPr of this clan is the bluegill, a scrappy rascal who will hit<' anything small that looks like a good mC11. Sine<' a fish biologist dis<o,ered that bhwgill could be stwkecl

in artificial ponds successfully with largemouth bass, red ear sunfish (shellcracker), and channPl catfish, the popularity of these four species has skyrocketPd. The best time to catch bluegill is in the late spring and summer while they are "on the bPd " spawning. Most bluegill fis hing is with live ba it, pspecia ll y earthworms of any size, and crickets. Artificia l lure fishen nen ca n take them on sma ll fl y rod size pop ping b ugs and wet fl ies. T he redbreast sunfish, or "red belly," is the most popula r st ream bream, since they are usually more common and numerous in rivers and creeks than bl uegills and wannouth. As ind ica ted by th e name, th P wa n nouth can be identified by a larger than average size mouth on a fairl y short bod y. Frequently, they a re almost black in color wh en ta kPn fro m a clear watPr lake or strea m. ' Varmout h feed on m innows more than do other bream. In the Suwanee River and the OkefPnokee Swamp, they feed almost exclusively at times on sma ll creyfi sh.
U nd oubt ed ly, the most popular G eorgia fi sh is th e largemouth bass because of its sizP, fi ghting abili ty. inclination to take artificial lures, wide avail abili ty, and la rg<'l y because it tastPs good . The average bass is about two to th ree pounds, alth ough !Ylan y sma ll <'r ones are caught. Dozens of la rgemouth over ten pounds in size a re caught each yea r in la rge lakes and small pond s a ll over GPorgia.
The largemouth is probably one of the more difficult ga nw fi sh to catc h beca use of it s intelligence and the fact that it is less nti i11Prous tlMn other members of the sunfish fami ly. Some fishermen swear by live ba it, especially la rge minnows ca ll ed "shiners" and large "pink worms." Othe rs prefer artificial lures, plugs, spoons, or the newer artificial plastic "worms," which have soarPd to popularity in recent y<'ars. Techniques for working the \'arious lures vary drastica ll y depending on time of year and the type of w~tter. Se\'eral books have been written on the stihjPrt, but the lwst way to learn bass fi~hing is to go with somPone who has mastNcd the art.
ThP selection of fishing tackle is largely a matter of personal pr<'fPr<'nce. but tlw modern spinning or spincasting reel and rod is probably the most practical <'quipnwnt for almost P\'<'1)' species of C corgia fish, with Ji,e or artificial bait. ThP improved wrsions of the old style
casting r<'el still ha\'e advocates, <'specially for bas., fishing in stumpy, weedy watNs like Lake Seminole. Fly rod fish<'rntcn arP dcfinitPly in third place, nulll<'rically. ~lountain trout arc the most co11unon quarry of fly fishermen, although som<' consistently fish for largemouth bass or brcatn, ao; well as other s1wciPs. In saltwattr. all thrP<' types of tack!P han~ their plar<. Sntall frPshwatPr rPPls and rods arP u~cd as well as lw;t\'iPr and larger s:dtwatcr modPls with star drags.

LAKE NOTTELY

LAKE CHATUGE

LAKr BLUE RIDGE

Tallulah

LAKE BliRTON

LAKE

];0 rc0 Q GENERAL TROUT AREA

SEEo ' RABU N

LAKE

l' TUGALO LAKE

TALL~~~~ YONAH LAKE

Coma CAH c'CCA>00'A

r

{' LAJ... E LA"'IER

HARTWELL RESERVOIR

CLARK HILL RESERVOIR

I
)
(
BARTLETT~ FERR\
RE~ERVOIR
GOAT ROC K RESERVOIR
LAJ... E OLIVER

l \1-..E BLHJ...\HF \R

L\J...E \\ \LTER F lFURGE

I

I
LAJ-..1 \ 1 \1INOLI

) )

georgia waters
6

fish eamp faeilities

RIVERS Altamaha

FACILITY AND MANAGER

PHONE

Altamaha Park Ftsh Camp, Jun Wheeler Oavs Ftsh Camp. f L Oaws Deen 's Landmg . Grady Deen Dewey Adamson Ftsh Camp. Roy Dr.ggers
r Eason Bluff Landmg, L. Carter
Moody's F1sh Camp. Horace Moody Paradtse Park Camp, H H Yeomans Parkers Ftsh Camp . J1m Parker & G C Hall Atverstde Park. 8 11/ Tyre Two-W ay Ftsh Camp, Frank Culpepu Wdhams Manna & Trailer Park, Troy Wil!tams

264 -2342 367 4228 367 -2949 6 5 4 -9 0 5 8
654 -6 128 42 7-6139 545 -9901 4 27-6661 2 6 5 -8 2 6 8 526 -6036

LOCATION
US 341 Ten-M1Ie Rd U S i; I Ga 26 1 (unpaved} Ten-M1Ie Rd. Ga 261 (unpaved) US 34 1 Ga 276 (unpaved) US 30 1 US 17 U S 1 at Ga 107

NEAREST TOWN
Evert: ll C1ty Baxley. Ga Baxley. Ga Glenville , Ga Baxley . Ga Glenv1lle. Ga Jesup L udOWICI, Ga Jesup Darien Lyons. Ga.

Coosa R1ver

Crumley's Lock & Dam Ba1t Shop , 8 1/1 Crumley 234 -5622

U S 27 at Ga 53

Rome, Ga

Flm t Ogeechee
Satilla Savannah

Campers Haven. Traws 8 Stewart

2 6 8 -9 0 7 6

Pats Camp, E. 8 Dupree Brown's Place. J E Brown

2 6 8 -5 7 2 6 Ext 853. 2100
7 8 8 -4 5 9 1

Coleman lake & Country Club, Dame! T Moore589-2637

Dashers F1shmg l odge, W . R. Odom

748-4 17B

Harvey's FISh Camp, John r Harvey Jones Lane F1sh Camp. W. M Donaldson Ogeechee F1shmg Camp. E. L Sallette Uncle Shad's F1shmg , Bess~e F Dtckerson W 1lhams Landmg. Dewey Lee

7 5 8 -4 0 5 2 5B7 -2253 7563952 74B -4339 587 -5768

3 R F1sh Camp , J M Daws H<tppy Hollow Fish Camp, John H Joh nson Sewell's Camp, Earest Boyd Sm1th Boat l andmg . Rufus L Smtth Tails F1sh Camp. E H Hartzog

462531 7 462560 1 754 -4 615

Ga 27 Ga 27
Ga 204 Ga 56 & Coleman Lake Rd
us 80
Old R1 ver Rd Ga 17 Ga 67 Ga 204 D1rt Rd between Ga 24 & US 301 Ga 252 Ga 259 U S 84 U S B4 Ga 21

V1enna, Ga V1enna . Ga
Bloom1ngdale M1dv1lle. Ga Savannah. Ga
Meldnm Cooperv1lle R1chmond H1ll RIChmond H1tl Statesboro, Ga
Woodbme Hortense. Ga Nahunta N ahunta R1ncon

St Mary's

John's F1sh Camp Tom Lew1s

7 2 9 -5 3 1 4

Ga 4 0

Kmgsland. Ga

Suwannee Turkey Creek

Gnf11s Camp & Motel , A llee H Grtffts Turkey Creek F1sh1ng Camp, James I Brtdger 272 4 585

US 441 at Ga 177 Fargo

Ga 19

Oubhn

RESE RVOIRS Allatoona Lake

Allatoona Landing . Robert L. Barf1eld Galt's Ferry La nd1ng, George Austm K1ng 's Camp, Pop Kmg L11t le R1ver Landmg , Hubert Hartman Pa rk Manna. Jake B oots V1cton<t La ndmg , 0. E. M usser W11derness Camp, M E Coalson

9 7 4.6089 974-6 422 974-0710 345 -6200 9746063 9266608 382 -7899

Ga 293 Ga 92 Glade Road Ga 205
us 41
Ga 205 Ga 20

Acworth Acworth Acworth Canton C a n e r sv1 tle Canton Cartersv1tle

Bartletts Ferry l 1ck Sk1lle tt Landmg , W R Wynn

la ke

John Sylrell F1sh Camp. John Sylrett

Blackshear

G Veteran Mem State Park , G H Enans Ha rgraves Gro , Charles Hargrove Johnson F1sh Camp , Carlos Johnson Smook Bridge Ba11 & Tackle, A . N Whttfteld

273-2 190 B53 2240 535-4692 535-8891

OffGa. 103 Of!Ga 103
u.s 280
US 280 Ga 257 Ga 257

W est Pomt Columbus
Cordele Leslie Cordele Warw1ck. Ga

lake Blue R1dge Blue R1dge Boat Dock. Herbert K. Ellis

632 -2 6 18

Bun on

Anchorage Boat Dock . Frank Suber H111's Camp , Claud Hill
H11l's La nd1ng, M anson Ht11 Laprade's Camp. Buford Laprade

7B2 -9979
7 8 2 -3 2 3 4 (N1te) 782 -3078
947-3 411
94 7 -3312

U S 76-State Rt 2
us. 76 us. 76
Ga 197 Ga 197

Blue R1dge
Clayton Clayton
Clarkesville Clarkesville

Chatuge Lake

Chatuge Collages. Cectl Manshtp Farmer & Lynch, Wmston Farmer Fullers Camp. Thomas I Fuller The La zy Acre Cabms. George W Edwards Shady Res t, Hensley Sm1tty's Boat Dock . Thomas H Smith

B96 2212 896 2251 8 9 6 -3 5 5 5 B96 2257

U S 76 U S 76 U S 76 U S. 76 U.S 76 U S 76

H1aw assee H1a wassee Young Hams Hiawassee H1a wassee H awassee

Clark Hill

EliJah Clark State Park. J F Fortson L1Hle R1ver Sportsman Camp, Thos Shaw Soap Creek Lodge, Ralph G. Prttchard

3 5 9 -4 4 6 1 5 5 6 -6 5 3 8 EL 9 -39 12

U S. 378 Ga 4 7 Ga 4 7

Lmcolnton Apphng , Ga Lmcoln ton, Ga

La ke Hartwell

Ha rtwell H1 / 0n Manna , D oc. Rits
Lavoma Harbor , Harold Doster L1ght -Manna
Tugaloo State Park, Charles Cobb

376-871 1 3 5 6 -2 9 7 5
356-5 128

U S. 29 State 77
\Vh1 tworth Rd Offt -85
Ga 328

Har twell, Ga Lavon1a
La voma

H1ghfalls

H1ghfalls Sta te Park . S L Letson Irene Jone!t, Irene Jones Walter Weems. Walter Weems

994 -5080 994-904 5

Hghfalls Rd Off 1-75 H1ghl alls Rd . Off 175 Hghfalls Rd Off 1-75

Ja c k s o n Forsyth Forsyth

Jackson Lake l an1er

Carters Landmg. Robte Carter Kerseys Landmg , Va:1 Kersey McAfee Camp, J . W M cAtee Berry's Landmg, M rs Johnme Berry
Shelnutt. Ben Shelnutt Turner's Bo at Manna James D Sht. Jr AQualand Manna. Allen J . Bryans Baldndge Manna. Henry C Bennett
Gamesv1lle M anna. Ed Cox Hohday on L ake Lan1er, R. H. Goethe La nMar-Manna , Sherman Adams Snug Harbor, A. C. She/held Mc Dufl 1e Public F1shmg Area , Ed Henderson

786 -5170 7 7 5 -7 9 4 3 786-6 13 9 7 8 6 -6 0 8 7
775-3843 7 7 5 -3 8 9 2 967 -681 1 88 7-5309 522 9297 5362171 945-720 1 B87 57 15 534 -9247 595-16 19

Ga 36 Barnens Bndge Rd Ga 36 Water's Br1dge Off Ga 212 Ga 36 Ga 221 Off US 23 R1dge Rd
Ga 53 Ga 347 Ga 141 Off US 23
us 78

Covmgton Jackson Covmgton Covmg ton
Jackson Mont1 ce l l o Flowery Branch Cummmgs. Ga
Ga1nesvtlle Buford Gamesvtlle Ga1nesv1lle Dearmg

RI V ERS Nonley Lake

FAC IL IT Y AND MANAGER
Lake Cove lodge . H L Rogers Nonley Boat Dock. rom Bowlmg

PH ONE 74 5 -6223

LOC ATION

NEAREST TOW N

Ga 325 Off U S 129 BlairSville Ga 325 Off US 129 Bla1rSV1IIe

Lake Oliver Lake Rabun
Rock Eagle

Mun1ctpal Marma o f Columbus, Paul Goodwm

Hall's Boat House. Guy Hafl Lake Rabun Boa t House. Fred Worley

7 8 2 -9 9 8 1 7 8 2 -9 9 8 2

Rock Eagle 4 -H Club Center, Frank Fttch

4852B3 1

Ga 103
us 441 us 441
us 441

Columbus Clayton Clayton Eatonton

Semmole

Dunn Camp R1 Chat. Dunn & Snuth Dunn Camp R State Park. Dunn & Smtih Reynolds Landmg . Ken mth Reynolds S1ones, Donald E Stone

86 12 465 861 -254 7

Ga 253 Ga 39 Ga 253 Off Ga 310

Jack Wmgate's F1shmg Lodge. Jack Wmgate (912) 2 4 6-0658 Ga 310

Smcla1r Lake
Tobesofkee Lake Walter F Ge o r g e

Bass Boat House. OtiS Hogan " Manna". Harry W illiams

4 53-4 0 1O

Crooked Creek F1sh Camp. Kennedy & BflsCoe 48 5 -8422

Green's Boat Land1ng

AI Haslam's Manna , A I Haslam

986-5 4 6 1

L11tle R1ver Park , Bob Sloan

4527 116

M urder Creek Pubhc Boat Ramp

Smcla1r Manna . Gray Baughcum

4 525558

S1ncla1r Motel, A lbert M ay

485-6824

Lake Smcla1r Recreaton Area . B G. Malone 4 6B 6990

Todds Landmg. M arvm Johnson

Tobesolkee Recreat1on Area . Larry Wilson 7 4 3 -8921

Colton Ftsh Camp , Clyde Cotton

Dolphm Docks. A M . Green Florence Manna, John Barfield

M & M Motel. C H. Mobley

768-52 45

Pat aula Boat Rental. Jack Brady

76B3788

Stanley Boat Rental, Leonard Stanley

7 6 8 -3 1 7 3

Co rps o f Eng Ramp. US A rmy Corps of Eng

SALT WATER AREAS

Altamaha R1ver Two-Way F1sh Camp . Frank Culpeper

2658265

Of! US 441
Of! US 441 Off Ga 2:1 2 011 Ga 212 us 441 U S 129 Off U S 441 U S 441 Ga 212 Ga 16
Off U S BO, Ga 74
O m a h a -G e o r g e t o w n Hwy Oft US 27 Hwy 27 -80280 Omaha -Georgetown Hwy Off U.S 27 Ga 39 Ga 39 Off Ga 39 Off uS 27
us 17

Ashley Creek

Yellow Bluff F1shmg Camp, Arthur Goodman B84 -5 44 8 Youman 's Party Boat Servce, Hoke Youman 884 -5 44 9

Ga 38 Ga 38

Barbers R1 ver

Bartrum's F1sh Camp, Roy Bartrum Burkes F1sherman Lodge. J I Burke

832 -4 671

Ga 131
Shellman Rd Off US 17

Ch1mney R1 ver Ch1mney Creek Fshmg Camp. Howard Hagan 786 -4751

us 80

Frednca R1 ver St S1mon's Boat Manna. Ed Talbo t

Forest R1ver
Half Moon R1ve

Coffee Bluff F1Sh1ng , Tal!te De Verges Branch's F1shmg . Allen Branch

6 3 8 -9 1 4 6 354-9151 884 -5819

St Smon Causeway
Wh1te Bluff Rd
OffGa 38

Hampton R1ver Taylor F1sh Camp, Mrs. Regmal Taylor

2 3 8 -8 2 0 1

St S1mons Causeway

Herb R1ver

Taten"s F1shmg. M H Taren. Jr Camp & Manna

3 5 5 -9 1 B 2

Blu ff Rd

Oonalsonv1He Donalsonville Oonatsonv1lle Bambndge Bambndge M1lledgev1lle
Eatonton M1lledgev1lle M illedgeville Eatonton Eatonton M1lledgev1lle Eatonton Eatonton Sparta Macon Omaha
Columbus Omaha
Fort Games Fort Ga1nes Fort Games Cusset a
Oanen
Danen Shellman
Tybee St S1mons
Savannah M1dway St S1mons
Savannah

Jekyll Creek Jenco Rver

Jekyll Manna . B11/ W l/!tam Norby's F1shmg Camp. Ellen Powell

6 3 5 -2 2 4 1 884-5 41 2

1 P1er Road OffGa 3B

Jekyll Island

Jomter Rver Juheton R1 ver

Mac Ba11 House. Ray Momgle Harold's F1sh Camp , Harold Wtberg

Kilkenny R1 ver K1lkenny F1sh Camp, Robert Bacot

North R1 ver

Mcintosh Rd & Gun Club, Ita/ten Stewart Mcintosh Rd & Gun Club, Mrs Stu M iller North R1ver Dock , J A Tootle

Sapelo R1ver Pme Harbor Manna. John Dasker

Shellman R1ver K1p"s F1shmg Camp . Phtllp Smtth St S1mons

Isl an d

Olsen Yacht Yard Inc 0 H Olsen

Terry Creek

BrunswiCk Boat Manna . Bill Shoemaker

Troupe Creek Troupe Creek Marma. Bill Duram

Wassaw Sound Hallman's Manna. D D Hallman

Wh1te Ch1mney While Ch1mney Bluff. L L Clark

832 -5116
7 5 6 -3 9 4 0 43 7 -4677 43 7 -4677 437 -4 65 1 832 -4992 832 -5162 638 -8633
264 -3862 354 -6 42 5
832 -5 161

Off US 17
Dallas Bluff Off US 17
Ga 67
Ga 99 Off Ga 99 Ga 99
Off U.S 17
Off US 17
St Stmons Causeway
us. 17 us 17
Hwy US BO at Thunderbolt. Ga
Suhsellm17an Rd Off

Jekyll Island Shellman
Rchmond Hill Danen, Ga D anen Danen Oanen D anen St S1mons lsi
Brunsw1ck Brunswck
Danen

W1ll1m1ngton Rtver

Savannah Mar-na. Don Wl/son

897-11B9

Off U S 80

Thunderbol t

SWAMP Okefenokee

Okefenokee, Alton Carter Hotrs F1sh Camp, John Holt

496 -6891 4 9 6 -7 1 5 6

Stephen Foster State Park. Lawrence Day Swamper Restaurant , Jtmmy Walker

2 8 3 -0 5 B 3

Off US 1 & 23
US 23 from Folkston to Camp Cornelia
Ga 177
us 1 & 23

Folkston Folkston
Fargo. Ga Waycross

7

on trout

D If ever there was a glamorous fish , the trout is it. Exactly why the thought of battling a leaping rainbow in a crystalclear mountain stream drives fishermen to distraction has yet to be determined. Even though most Georgia trout are relatively small, fishermen have been known to drive for hundreds of miles in the frail hope of outsmarting one. This usually is easier said than done, despite confused and hungry trout fresh from the hatchery who sometimes aren't above taking a kernel of corn, ball of cheese, cigarette filter, or even a bare hook.
T he real problem with trout fishing is that there aren't enough trout streams to go around for all the trout fishermen, especially since the latter are increasing every year while the former are declining, due to "scenic highway" construction, etc. While Georgia has more than seven hundred miles of trout fi shing, the 1960 census estimated that it has a t least 381,681 fishermen who go after trout at least once a year. That comes to 546 fisher-
1
men per mile, if they all go fishing on the same day.
Since clear t rout streams are relatively inf til< from the standpoint of natural food production, Mother Nature can't feed enough trout fast enough for such a ravPnous horde. Mud and silt have impaired Jw abil ity of trout eggs to h atch in some of the best mountain streams, ,md, a ~ a result, such streams are merely r1ld water "bathtubs," suitable only for hat< hery trout soon to be caught.

In order to make the number and the size of trout compatible with the number and the size of trout fishermen, the State Game and Fish Commission began raising keeping size trout for stocking in 1928, and hasn't slowed down since. Production still doesn't meet the demand, but the Commission does manage to stock, on the average, two fish per fisherman per trip in open trout streams in eleven northeast Georgia mountain counties from Ellijay ( state record rainbow, caught with chicken entrails) to Clayton. There are 138 streams in these counties which are open every day of the trout season, usually from early April to early October. The two most popular open streams are Cooper's Creek, north of Dahlonega, and the Tallulah River west of Clayton.
But the best fishing and the fewest fishermen are found on twenty-three streams in game management areas where the Commission charges a dollar per day per fisherman. Trout are stocked in these streams twice as heavily as in outside streams, averaging four fish per fisherm an p<'r trip . Of course, a good early bird fi sherman may catch his limit of eight on Saturday morning to balance your zero score on Sunday afternoon. :Managed streams a re open two or four d ays a week on scheduled days each m onth, either Wednesdays and Thursdays or Satu rdays and Sundays. You can get a copy of the schedule by writing the State Game and Fish Commission.
I n addition to the mountain streams,

trout are also stocked by the Commission in the Chattahoochee River below Buford Dam on Lake Lanier (an eleven-and-ahalf-pound rainbow was caught there last year) and the Savannah River below Lake Hartwell and Clark Hill. Trout also have been stocked above the dams in all three reservoirs, and have thrived in Lake Lanier. In addition, several streams in northwest Georgia have been stocked experimentally with trout with promising results.
While most trout streams are closed during the winter, designated stream sections containing some trout are open throughout the entire year. The best of these is the rugged Chattooga River between Georgia and South Carolina. Many trout streams are located on public lands in the Chattahoochee National Forest, only streams located on private land are not open to the public. United States Forest Service campgrounds are numerous in the area, but are crowded on weekends during the summer, as are several state parks in the northeast section.
If you don't mind hiking for several days and sleeping on the ground, there still are small remote native trout streams in North Georgia's rugged mountains that you can fish without fear of seeing another human being. If you're not willing to go that far, try a managed stream limited to artificial lures, like Jones Creek above Dahlonega or Waters Creek. Better still, fish for fun in Noontootley, a catch and release stream.

8

streams
D Before the construction of Georgia's large hydro-electric reservoirs and thousands of farm ponds, the rivers and streams offered the on ly fishing for most Georgians. This is still virtually the case in extrem e northwest and southeast Georgia, where there are no reservoirs and few farm ponds.
Like the reservoirs, there are distin ct differences in fi shing G eorgia's streams. In northeas t Georgia, most of the streams a re so cold they support onl y trou t. In the northwest, many of them are too warm for trout, but too cold for warm water fi sh. These streams, like the Toccoa or the Hiawassee, fea ture fishing for intermediate co ld water species like northem smallmouth bass or two other "smallmouth" species, the redeye (Coosa bass), and the spotted bass.
Although rarely caught except by commercial fi sherm en using trotlines, the Coosa Ri wr and its tributary, the Oostanau la, contain sturgeon, the primitive fish that is famous for its caviar. The Coosa and Lookout Creek are the only places in Georgia where freshwater drum are caught, alt hough bass, crappie, and bream are the major species in both streams.
The C hcstatee and the Chattahoochee above Lak e Lani<'r ar<' both trout streams, but their lower reaches before entering the la ke arc good spotted bass streams. The best fishing in these streams is in late summer and early fall.
}.Iiddle Georgia's ri\crs offer fishing that is consider ab ly different from the large lakes. Although they also have largemou th bass, the flouri shing crappie and white bass populations fonnd in lakes like Clark Hill and Sinclair are \'irtually absPnt. On the other hand, there arc more species of game fish ( twentytwo ) Ji,ing in th e unimpounded ri\crs. These ri\crs offer seasonally good fishing for Coosa bass, spotted bass, redbreast sunfish, warmouth, chain pi ckPre l, and channel catfish, either with li ve bait or lures.

Fishing in all of the middle Georgia ri\'ers improves as one moves south, half of the rivers \'Cering southeast into the Atlantic O cean, the other half plunging due south across the Florida line to the Gulf of Mexico. Fishing in these streams is better on the average than in most of Georgia's large and small lakes, acre for acre.
An important aspect of stream fishing is the time of year, lending credence to that ine\'itable phrase "you should have been here last week. " The reason for this is that the ri\er has to be " ri ght"; meaning that it won't produce goorl fishing if it is too muddy, if it 's too high, or if it's too low. Since most gamefish are sight feeders, muddy water reduces their ability to see and find the bait or lures. M ost south Georgia rivers have fairly well defined channels through a wide, shallow flood plain. If there is a long rainy spell in the spring and the river waters rise out of the normal channel and spread into the thick swamps of the fl ood plain, the fish also spread and are a lmost impossible for the fi sherman to reac h. This flooding ac tually stimulates fishing in succeeding years, since the fish are fattened up by their expanded food supply and spawn more successfully under these conditions. \Vhen the waters drop to normal level, fishing is unusually good, both in the spring, with stained water, usually April or May, and in late summer and early fa ll, when the rivers are back within their banks, low and clear. The fall is by far the best time for bream, bass, and catfi shing. Streams have better fishing in the hot summer than lakes since their temperatures are usually cooler and more uniform.
On the other hand, if the river doesn't leavP its banks in th e spring, fishing that year and the succeeding yea1 suffen, especially for brea m, sin ce the fish are penned in a relatively smal l and cover free area, where their numbers are redu ced by carnivors like bass, chain pickerel, bowfin, and ga r. This is especially a problem wh en bass and bream are forced to nest in the rivPr channel itself, making their eggs a nd young fr y \'ulnerable to hungry predators.
Of the rivers in middle GPorgia, the Flint is the most fa mous, primarily for the flint River "sma ll mo uth ;" a larger than average subspecies d the usually fair ly sma ll Coosa bass whi ch reaches six pounds or more in the Flint. The best fishin g for it is on tlw many rock ledge shoals of the FI int near Th omaston, and IH low tlw Blarkshrar Dam on the Flint aho\T Lake \\'orth . Tlwsr fightPrs can br Pasily caught on artificial lures "when the ri\Pr's right ," rithcr by wading tlw shoals or drifting tlw stilkr waters in small boats or canoes. Rcdbr<'ast sunfish fishing is also popular in th<' Flint and its ckar water tributariPs, primarly using worms or crickrts for bait. although fly-

rod fishing is sometimes productive. Eddy pools where the river current runs backward an~ always hotspots, along with backwater sloughs.
In the sout heast, the Ocmulgee, O conee, Altama ha, and the Savannah are more famo us for their bass. Thousands of pounds of blu egi ll bream and redbreast sunfish are caught each year by fishermen from a ll 0\'Cr Georgia, primarily in the old dead ri\cr "runs" or cutoffs where the stream has cut a new channel across a n oxbow, leaving a sect ion of still water.
Both the Alapaha and the Suwanee flow out of the Okefenokee Swamp. Virtually a wilderness area crossed by only one highway, U . S. 41' a t Fa rgo, this portion of thP Suwanee is a "pict ure book" scene of dark tea-co lored tanni c acid waters, swirling lazily along at a scarcely noticeable pace through huge Spanish moss dra ped cypress trees and large hollow cypress knP<'s which are sa id to have sc ned as hiding pl aces for Semi nole Indians evading white soldi ers. The river is so bea utiful and unspoiled that it has bcPn proposed as a National Wild River, or as a State Scenic Ri\cr. Both proposals would gi\c it legal protection aga inst any future dam construct ion or dPstructi\'c channelization.
Th e Suwanee is fam ous for its larger than average largemouth bass, bluegill brPam, warmouth, fliers and chai n pickcrp) ( jac kfish ), along with a vicious primitive throwba ck, the bowfin (m ud fish ) . Th ese brawiNs will strike any underwater lure that isn't bPing retrie\ed fa st enough, chew the paint off it , bend your hooks, break your line, knock O\'Pr your tackle box o r sink their ne!'dle-likc teeth into your finger.
Prob abl y the best three major fishing streams in (;porgia with the least pol luted water are the Ogeechee, the Satilla, a nd thC' Saint :\farys, which all flow acro~s the sandy lowPr coasta l plain directly into thr Atlantic, without the heavy silt load of tlw la rger ri\TrS like th e Altamaha which has north and middle Georgia tributaries in the agricultural rPd clay belt.
Fishing in all three is similar, with largemou th bass and rcdbrPast sunfish the outstandiug ~)>Cries. The Saint ~larys, the "top" of GPorgia 's border with Florida, also has good bluegill and crappie fishing. The OgePchee probably has the greatest ,arirty, with good fishiug :;casonally during low and clrar water conditions for bream, chain pic kercl, and channel catfish.
.\loug with tlw brg<'r :\ltamaha and Sa\;mnah, these thrcP str<'ams ha\'e a small mn of saltwater striped bass from l\'mcmber into the Spring. Some arc found two hundr<'d milPs up th e Sa\'annah at a dam just bPiow :\ugu:;ta, others tra\PI mcr three huudrPd milrs inland up the Altamaha and the Oc onPc to the base of Sinclair Dam at r-.lillcdgPville.
q

RAINBOW TROUT
BROWN TROUT
-
WALLEYE CHAIN PICKEREL BLACK CRAPPIE

RAINBOW TROUT !Salmo gairdneri) is found only in the mountain streams of north Georgia. They were successfully introduced in Georgia trout streams many years ago from the Pacific coast and ore now the most abundant trout in north Georgia. The rainbow is liberally speckled overall with block or olive spots. It is easily recogr~ized by the brood red lateral bond extending onto the cheek. Spawning occurs from February to April, depending on the water temperature. The female fan s out o nest with her toil, and after the eggs ore fertilized the nest is covered with sand and fine rocks. Rainbow trout feed mostly on insects and small fish. Fishermen prefer worms, crickets, small spinners, or flies for taking rainbow.
BROOK TROUT !Salvelinus fontinalisl is the only trout that is native to Georg1o. Locally they ore called native trout or "specs." Brook trout ore d1str1buted throughout the range of trout water in north Georgia. They con be distinguished from the other species of trout by the block vermicular or worm-track markings on the upper ports of the body and the white edges on the be lly fins. Brook trout spawn in the fall. The female digs o nest with her toil, hnd when the nest is completed she spawns with the mole; then covers the eggs w1th fine grovel. Food consists of insects and small fish. Of all the mountom trout, brook trout ore the most easily caught Worms, crickets, small spinners, or fl1e s ore preferred by most f1 she rmen.
BROWN TROUT !Salma truttal was originally o European fish. It wa s introduced in this country many years ago and is now found widely distributed thr oughout the range of trout water in north Georgia. It is best distinguished from other trout by random sca ttered red spo ts, and brownish overall co lor. Brown trout spawn during the fall in the some general way of spawning exhibi ted by other mountom trout. Food consists primarily of insects and small fish. Brown trout are extremely wary and offer o real challenge to trout fishermen. They will strike o wide range of flies and smal l spinners and ore also token with live bo1t.
WALLEYE !Stixastedian vitreum) is found in the Jokes and several of the larger streams of north Georgia. This popular game fish has recen tly been stocked in the cooler, deeper lakes of north Georg1o . Its color is gold to brassy, with olive buff; everywhe re mottled with block. The under su rfac e is whitish and the jaws hove long, sharp teeth. Spawning occurs early at water temperature in the range of 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The eggs ore scattered in sha llow water over the rocks, grove l, and sand bars. Food consists primarily of o ther fi sh . Walleye ore much esteemed by fishermen and ore usually token in deep water with ort1ficiol trolling lures.
CHAIN PICKEREL {Esax niger) is o species that prefers slow m oving streams and wormer waters. It is found principa lly in the streams and Jokes of middle and sou th Georgia. An excellent game and food fish, it may attain o length of 24 to 30 inches. This species is readily identified by the long slender body and posterior dorsal fin. The general color is gross green with distinct chain markings of block or dark olive on the sides. Spawning occurs in February and March. The eggs ore laid in shallow water and left unattended. The cham pickerel is carnivorous, feeciing on other fish, tadpoles, insects, and crustaceans. It is on excellent game fish on light tackle , and will hit alm ost any type of artificial lure or live bait.
BLACK CRAPPIE {Pamoxis nigramaculatusl is one of the most important game fi shes of Iorge reservoirs. It is f ou nd through ou t the state in reservoirs, stream s, and lakes. This fish is colored olive green on the bock, tapering to silvery wh1te and yel law1sh on the sides. The body is spotted everywhere w1th 1rregu lor block or dark green spo t s. It is best distinguished from the wh1te cropp1e by the dorsal spi nes which normally number 7- 8 . Spownmg occurs in the spri n g at o water temperature o f 68 deg rees Fohrenhe 1t. The nest is built 1n shallo w water, preferab ly on sand or grove l bottom . Food cons1s t s pnmorily of small fi sh and insects. Block crappie ore usually caught f1 shing with live minnows, around o ld tr ee tops or bru sh pil es. N1ght fish ing yie lds good catches.

The world's record for freshwater caught duccd , year after year. However, most

striped bass, a sixty-three-po und monster, ponds produce little more than one hun-

was caught in the Ocmulgee near Dublin. dred pounds a year. Frequently, they be-

A second sa lt water sport fish, the come overcrowded with small bream or

America n or white shad , also runs up crappie because of improper stocking or

Georgia coas tal rivers in th e spring to overfishing for largemouth bass.

spawn . Th e larg<'st run of shad is in the

\\'hile the majority of these ponds are

Altamaha River, where th<'y arc caught pri\"ately owned and closed to the public,

in the nets of commercia l fishermen by thousands of them are open for a small

the thousands. H owever, shad on the charge, usually a dollar per day per per-

Altamaha are a lmost impossibl e to ca tch son. l\lany of these lakes in sections that

on a hook and line, a pparentl y because are not too heavi ly populat ed produce

th e water is too muddy for th e fish to good fi sh ing for la rgemouth bass, bluegill,

sec the lure. But shad can be caught by rcdea r su nfish (s hellcrackn), and chan-

trolling in the clearer waters of the nel catfish. Lakes that a re infested with

Ohoopee, a tributary.

other species not adapted to small ponds,

Although muddy water isn't a probl em like crappie, carp, a nd oth er varieties of

in the St. l\fai)'S and the Satilla, there bream and cat fi sh, usually go bad within

is littl e fishing for shad in ei ther stream. a few years, and genera ll y should be

This can be explained by the fact that avoided, unless they are of the "put and

there a re fpw loca l fishermen, and most take" variety where the owner stoc ks

of them arc more interested in catching ca tchable size fish.

year-round game fish that are considered

As a rule, fishing in municipal water

more edible, like salt water trout and supply lakes, publi c pa rk lakes, flood

channel bass, or fresh water bass and control la kes, mill ponds, beaver ponds,

bream.

and natural la kes is mediocre because of

In the O gcechec from North of U. S. the presence of wild ro ugh fish and a

r 7 to the mouth of the Cannoochee River, high rate of watn flow that does not

thousands of shad from two to five all ow fertilization. There are some ex-

pounds are taken by anglers in March ceptions. Seasonally, for a few years,

t ro lling slowly with small flashing spoons some of them produ ce excell ent fishing.

and thin white jigs. Sport fishing for shad Usually, these are ponds with a health y

continues to be popular further upstream largPmout h bass population which keeps

to Statesboro through April.

the sma ller species thinned out. Such

On the Savannah, th e shad fi shing waters open to the public nca r large

hotspot is at the Augusta city limits below m etropolit an areas inva ri ably are quickly

the Sava nnah Bluff Lock and Dam, a ovcrfishcd.

barrier against which the fish are halted

The bPst public pond fishing in Georgia

on their spawning migration.

is in the State Game and Fish C o mmis-

ponds

: sion's M eDuffie Public Fishing Area, between Thomson and Augusta. There are

fift een sm a ll lakes totaling one hundred D G eorgia has more than sixty thousand acres in the area, and all arc eas ily ac-

ponds. l\1fost have been constru cted for cessible for bank fishing. Small boats with

stoc k watering, irriga tion, fishin g, swim- electric motors may be used. The ponds

ming, and boating. In addition, there arc are all heavily fertilized and well stocked

severa l hundred municipal water su pply with largemouth bass, bream, and chan-

and flo od control lakes, along with hun- nel catfish. Fishing is usually best in April

dreds of old mill ponds once used for and May. There is a ca mpground and

powering grist mills. The world's reco rd 1 picnic tables ava il able to fisherm en pay-

chain pickerd (jackfish ) was caught in ing the one dollar per day per person fee.

one of these in C linch County ncar the R ock Eagle Lake near Eatonton is also a

OkefenokPc Swamp. There are few natu- good publi c fishing area for bass, blue-

ral lakes in Georgia th at have not been gill, and shPII crac ker.

created by an old river nm or slough or by beaver dam s. There are exceptions around Lake Seminole in sout hwes t

reservoirs

Georgia and to the east around Valdosta D In thP area nutth of At! .lllt,l , thnP arP

on the Fl orida lin<', where severa l hun- two distinctly difkrent sPts of reservoirs:

dred li mestone ponds ha,e been formed the cold water string of Tennessee \'alley

by the collapse of underground li mestone Authority (TVA ) and Georgia Power

formations.

Company lakes, ami the wanner and

Fishing in this col!Pct ion o f watns Lrger l '. S. .\nny Corps of EnginPPrs

ra nges from tlw finest in the world to tlw rc~crvoirs. Althou~h some of GPorgia's

poorest, dPpending on a widP \'ariPty of lwst ITscr\oir fishing is in the North east

factors. In a properly constm ctcd pond Ccorgia nHnmtains, you can't pro\"<' it by

that is stoc kPcl, fcrtilizPd, and fislwd ac- loca I fi~htnnPn, who, for sonw reason

cording to the rPcomnwndations of fi sh kuown only to themsekes, still prekr

biologists of tlw State Game and Fish stream fishing for trout to tlw Junkers of

Commission, an annual harvPst of up to the big lakes. ,\rd, since 11<'\\'n and larger

three hundrPd pounds of fi sh can he pro- lakes havP !wen built lwtweeu the ruoun-

tain reservoirs and Atlanta, these gems of the Blue Ridge have been virtually abandoned by fishermen.
The thrPc northernmost lakes are part of the Tennessee Valley Authority chain. Chatugc is still well known as one of the best smallmouth and largemouth bass lakes in Georgia, especially in April and May, and again in October and November. Crappie fishing is good in March and April, as it is in most Georgia reservoirs. Occasionally, big bream are also taken. Georgia's record smallmouth, a six pounder, was landed at Chatuge in rg68, the same year the state record flathead catfish was caught by an angler trolling a bass plug. Few trout or walleye are found in the lakP. While part of Chatuge is located in North Carolina, your Georgia fishing lic euse is good for the entire lake.
Nottely, to the west, is the sha llowest of the mountain lakPs. It is a good largemouth bass and crappie lake. Smallmouth bass, walleye, trout, and white bass are present but not plentiful.
Blue Ridge (nca r tlw town of the same name ) has been a popular largemouth and sma ll mouth bass lake since it was bui lt in rg3o. Walleye arc plentiful there. It produced an occasional northern muskelunge up to sixty-nine pounds, bnt no catc hes have been reported since 1957. Crappie and bream fishing is good. Trout stoc ked at the rate of two fish per acre in the 3,3 20 acres of deep cool water are showing good results.
On the Savannah RivPr drainage, the Georgia Power Compauy has constructed five dams, four on the Tallulah River and one at the fork of the Tallulah and the Tugalo River. While lakes Seed, Tallulah. and Tugalo arc small, all three are as beautiful and as deep as their larger cousins, Lakes Burton and Rabun. All fi\'e have trout in them, and Junkers aren't too uncommon, especially in Lake Burton. \Vhile some native trout are found in a ll fi,e rPscr\'(lirs, Burton, Seed, and Rabun are currently bPing stocked by the Came and Fish Commissien.
Walleye ha\e bPen introduced to help curb an o\'erpopulation of yellow perch, usually about the size of a cigar. Only in 2,775-acre Lake Burton do the yellow perch reach catchable sizP of a pound or two, but few fishermen know how to catch them. Walleye have also fared best in Bnrton, wher<' the state record, an Plevcn-poundcr, "as landed. Fishing for walleye is best in l\tarrh when the long bronze-green fish move up the Tallulah River to spawn. Burton fishing is best at the mouths of its main tributaries and at the dam. April through l\Lty and September and October arc the best months at all fi,e lakPs. ThPrc arc no launching ramps on Seed and Tugalon, "hich are located in rugged gorges, but public acc!'ss is good on Burton and Rabun, especially through tlw fish calllps.
~inc<' I~HC), the mountain lakes have

11

been eclipsed in popularity by the construction of the Corps of Engineers' giant Allatoona, Lanier, and Hartwell reservoirs. The oldest of the three, Lake Allatoona, is still one of the finest white bass fishing lakes in Georgia, especially on the March and April spawning run up the Etowah River toward Canton. "Jump" fishing for schooling white bass in the summer is also good. Allatoona has the distinction of being the only lake in Georgia and one of a few in the United States that has a predominant population of spotted bass rather than largemouth. This scrappy fighter has a small mouth, and is frequently mistaken for his cold water northern cousin of the Tennessee Valley streams. A six pounder is the official record, but larger fish have been reported on Allatoona's I 1,goo acres. October is the best month for bass, followed by March, April, and May. Crappie fishing is good in March, April, October, and November during the day, but the best crappie fishing of all is at night in the summer months, using a light to attract bait fish.
Although Allatoona is the only large reservoir located in northwest Georgia, the upper end of Alabama's Lake Weiss extends a few miles into Georgia via the Coosa River to just below Rome. Mayo's Lock and Dam presents an impassable barrier at this point to fish moving upstream, producing huge catches of crappie in March and April, along with some walleye in February.
Lanier is the most popular fishing and boating lake in the entire Corps of Engineers national chain of reservoirs, averaging more than eight million visitors a year. Its largemouth bass fishing has been famous for years. The Lanier record is a seventeen-pound, nine-ounce tackle buster, caught on a plug in the middle of December, 1965. Wllile some of the biggest bass arc ca ught in the dead of winter, the most fish are caught in late April, May, and June. Submerged islands and points are the best bets. Crappie and white bass fi shing is best in March, April, and M ay. Small minnows arc tlw best crappie bait. White bass weighing two or three pounds are fairly common in the 37,000-acre lake, espec ially in the spring spawnin g run up tlw Chattalwochec and Chestatee Ri\ers . The t\\'O state records of four pounds, fourteen ounces, were both caught in Lanif'r. The rwwest addition to Lanier's attractions is trout fishing, with more than 1oo,ooo ten-inch trout being stocked therf' in the winter. By May, these fish grow to two pounds. Rainbows over seven and a half pounds have been landed. Tlw best rf'sults are in April, May, and June. Trolling is most effec tive during the day, and nightcrawler worms or other natt: al bait proclucf' thf' best results at night. In the ~ummer months, trout concentrate in tlw lakf' from the clam to six miles upstream ;1t Brown's Bridge. As in most deep reservoirs, bream

fishing is poor. Walleye and smallmouth bass have been stocked, but few catches have been reported.
Hartwell is presently one of the two newest and hottest bass fishing lakes in Georgia. The state record white crappie, a four-pound, five-ounce monster, was caught in the 38,ooo-acre reservoir in 1q68. White bass fishing is good, and tl;ere is a good run of walleye up the Tu,galoo River above the lake in late February or March. A Georgia fishing license is good on the entire lake, except the South Carolina bank and tributaries.
1\f!DDLE GEORGIA RES! RVOIRS
D The most popular middle Georgia reservoir is the giant Clark Hill, a 78,500acrc "I nland Sea" that is thirty-nine miles long. It stretches from twenty-two miles above Augusta deep into both Georgia and South Carolina. \Vhen it was new, Clark Hill produced superb bass fishing, and results have continuf'd to be good over the years, which is unusual for a sevcnteen-yf'ar-old bke.
In addition to largemouth bass, Clark Hill has become noted for white bass fishing. Tremendous catches arc made each year on the shoals of Little River where the spawning bass congregate in March, April, and May. Small yellow or white lf'ad headed hair jigs arc the most popular h1res, but minnows sometimes proclucf' better results, especial ly if the water i' unusually muddy. Crapp ie fishing is good, primarily in March, April, and May, with good results at night in the summer. Trout and striped bass also ha\'C lwen stoc ked, but results have been disappointing.
Further west, ncar Eatonton, is 15,350acrc Lake Sinclair, the larges t Georgia Po\,er Company reservoir in Georgia. Once the best bass fishing spot in Georgia, Sinclair's fishing has foll o\\'cd the pattern typical of hydroelectric reservoirs, rising to its peak during the first eight year~ and then sharply declining.
Sinclair has continued to produce good white bass fishing, although it has followf'd a cyclic pattern of slumps and peaks over the years. l\1ost white bass caught there this year will average a half a pound in size, but catc hes in following years should be much bigger. The best results arc obtained during thf' spring spawning run. Thousands of fish are caught on the shoals of the Oconee River at the upper end of the lake, above Georgia Highway 16 between Eatonton and Sparta. Little River and Murder Creek also have good spa\\'ning runs. Crappie fishing is f'xccptionally good most years.
Bdorc the con,tnwtion of thf' newer and lar,gf'r rf'senoirs, Lake Jackson bet\\'<'en Atlanta and l\Iacon was Georgia's most popular lake. Nf'glccted for years, it recentl y retllmf'd to popularity as one of tlw sta tf' 's 11f'st era ppic fislling lakes. Thf' ~11dden upsurge in cr:~pp if' fishing

followed two years a ft er a new food fish for crappie and bass, the threadfin shad, was stocked in the lake by the Game and Fish Commission. Unlike its look-alike, the gizzard shad, the threadfin never gets too large for a big crappie or a largemouth bass to eat. Since Ig66, catches of crappie weighing an average of a pound each haven't been unusual, with thousands of crappie over two pounds in size being taken. While this initial fish population explosion has been reduced by heavy fishing, crappi e fishing is still good in J ackson compared to other reservoirs in the state. Small minnows arc the best bait. March is the best month, but April and May are also good.
J ackson produces large bass, although it is not noted for large numbers. A special twelve-inch size limit has been placed on b:~ss there to help impro\'e fishing. A report by creel checkers on the lake showed that fishermen released eight thousand bass in three months. Although white bass have been repeatedly stocked in J ackson, they have never become as ctsablished there as they have in the other major reservoirs, perhaps because of illegal netting of the spawning fish running up tribut a ry streams in the spring. C:~ tfi s hin g \\'ith a hook a nd line is good on J :~ckson, especia lly in the tributary South River, Yell ow River or Alcovy River.
Furtl1f'r to the west on the Alabama line, three Georgia Power reservoirs north of Columbus strf'tch in a row: Bartletts Ferry, Goat Rock, and Lake Oli\'er. While fishing in all three lakes has been excellmt in the past, despite muddy water condi tions after heavy rains year round, biologists rate fishing at present as only fair for bass, white bass, crappie, bream, and catfish, although large catches are made during short periods in the spring \\'hen fi<>h congregate below the Bartletts Ferry and Goat Rock dams.
Fishing is sometimes good below the l'h enix Eagle Dam in Columbus, upstream frm;1 'Valter F. George Reservoir. A novelty species caught there in the spring in addition to bream, crappie, catfish, and white bass is the Alabama shad, a bony fish that di spbys considerable acrobatic ability on light tackle, taking <;m:~ll sil\'cr spoons or white jigs.
SOlTTl-1\\"F.ST GFORGIA RESERVOIRS
D Just south of Columbus is Georgia's lwst fi,hing rcscnoir of the moment, with the possible excf'ption of Lake I Iartwcll. Called " Waltf'r F. George Rcsf'rvo ir" by thf' Corps of Engineers, after the dam nanwd for Georgia's famous Senator, the lakf' ne\Tr has been officially named by
Congress. Alabamians call the reservoir
take Eufaula" after nearby Eufaula,
.\labama . Son1f' Georgians insi st on the n;1mc "Fort Gaines," for the Georgia tmn1. Others like '"Lake Chatt:~hoochee,"
after the river.

LARGEMOUTH BASS (Micropterus solmoides) is truly the king o f Geo rg ia ga m e f ish . Th e world's r ecord largemouth bass was caught in Georgia and they are found throughout th e st a t e in warm water streams and lak es. Thi s species is read il y distinguished f rom the other bass by th e la rge mouth, which extends beyond the eye, and the spinous dorsal fon is almost completely separated from th e so ft dorsal fin. Young fi sh are characterized by a dark la te ral ba nd. La rgemouth bass spawn in the sp ring, from M a rch through May at water temperatures of 60 -70 deg rees Fa h renhei t . Large females may lay up to 40,000 eggs . Food for the largemouth bass consists primarily of sma ll fish, in sec ts, crayfish, small turtle s and fr ogs. Th ey are readily ta ke n o n a rtofici a l lures or live bo ot.
SMALLMOUTH BASS (Micropterus dolomieu i) is found onl y i n ex t reme nor th Georgoa in t he cool, clear stream s and lakes. In t his species the mou t h does not extend past th e eye and t he co lor is a u niform o li ve brown woth dostinct ba rs on t he side of the body. The spinous dorsal f in is well connec t ed to the so ft do rsa l fon and scales are pre se nt on t he base of t he fins. Spawn ing occurs in the sprong at a wa ter temperature of 65-70 degrees Fahrenheot Their food consists primarily of other fi sh, insects, and crayfish. Smallmouth bass are rarely caught in large numbers, but they a re a highly sought game fosh. They will readily str ike a wide range o f artofocial lures and live bait.
WHITE BASS (Roccus chrysops ) has recently been introduc ed in m os t of th e reservoirs of t h e state. It is a str iking ly colored b lack and white fi sh . It doffers from the str iped bass in having the back considerably arched (see p ic t ure), and a slight ly larger eye. White ba ss rarely exceed four pounds in weight. Spawning occurs from M a rch to the middle of May. During spawnong, whote ba ss for m large schools and m ov e up the rovers to spawn. It is a prolifi c spawner and may lay a m il l ion eggs or more. Young fish return down stream to the lake durong th e sum mer. Food consi sts of onsects and fosh . White ba ss readol y st roke artoficial lures and fo shing os best durong th e spring spawning run.
STRIPED BASS (Roccus soxotilis ) sometomes called Rock Fi sh, l ive i n salt wa t er ascend ong fres h water st reams t o spawn . It is f ound in the Savannah, Ogeechee, Alta m aha , Oconee, Ocmulgee, Satolla, St. Marys, Flint, and Chatta hoochee River s, a nd os land locked in Lake Semin ole and C lark H i ll. Speco m ens have been taken on spa wning ru ns over 150 miles f rom salt water. Striped bass spawn in runnong wa t er and the eggs hatch, floatong downstream. Young fis h usually ret u rn to salt wate r t he same year excep t when stopped by impoundments. Best fo sh ong occurs d u ring th e spawning run. Thi s specoes is prozed by anglers and mdividuals over 50 pounds are frequently taken. Bait most commonl y used is large shad or eels.
CHANNEL CATFISH (lctolurus puncto tus ) is important both as a comm ercial and sport f ish . It is wid ely do stributed in streams and lakes throughou t the st a te . It s color is silvery olive or sl at e blue above woth roundosh black spots. The tail is d eeply f orked. Spawning generally takes place when the water temperature reaches approximately 75 degrees Fahrenheit . Eggs are laid u nder averhanging ledges, hollow logs o r somila r shelter . Spawning is in running water. Food o f the channel catfish is varoed, con sis ting o f all manner o f plant and ani ma l life. It is a good fighter on loght tackle and may be caught with a wid e range o f bai t . Because of i t s nigh t feeding habi t s, chann el catfi sh are readi ly taken at night with tro t lines.
BLUEGILL (Lepomis moc rochirus ) is probably the most popular o f all t he bream on Georgoa It is f ound t hroughou t the st a te in steam s, lakes, and pon ds. Bluegill typ ~ally have a deep, short body arxl the gill flap is wide and entorely black. The belly is coppery red on old specimens and during spc wn ong Bluegill can usually be distonguished from other su nfish by a dark blotch at the base of the soft dorsal fo n rays. Spawnong occurs all durong the summer wh en th e water tem peratures reach 80 degrees Fahrenheot. Th ey nest in groups and supply excellent fosh ing at thos time. Food consists of aquatoc onsects, onsect larvae and some plant materoal. Best boots for Bluegill are worms and crockets, however, they woll readily stroke artifo cial floe s.

WHITE BASS

~~~~'~--

\\

STRIPED BASS

CATFISH

13

Regardless of what they call it, fishermen agree that its fishing is great for largemouth bass and crappie. While the largest bass caught there haven't reached the ten- to fifteen-pound proportions they grow to in older reservoirs like downstream Lake Seminole, they are more numerous from the standpoint of average catch. Fishery biologists expect xg6g to be a peak year for fishing in the 45,000acre, eighty-five-mile long lake.
Although they were not stocked there, white bass from above and below the reservoir have populated the lake. March and April are the best months for bass, white bass, and crappie fishing. Bass are found in the deepest parts of the lake nea r shallow water. Your Georgia fishing license is good on both sides of the lake between Alabama and Georgia, up tributaries and on the bank on either side of the impounding water. Creel limits for fish a re th e same in both states, but Alabama requires all motorboats to be registered.
Just south of there at the corner of Georgia and Florida is one of Georgia's most famous lakes, Seminole. 'Vhile its popularity ha s d ecl ined because of the new reservoirs, age and the usual decline in fishin g, Seminole still produces as many Junker ba<;s as any reservoir in the State. Ba<;s from ten to fifteen pounds are not uncommon. Crappie fishing is good, as well as bream and chain pickerel. Striped bass have been stocked in the la ke, and haw been ca ught at weights up to five pounds. Because the mossdraped trees were never cleared from most of the lakP, Seminole is dangerous for speed boats and water skiing, which suits fi,hermcn just fin e. Its southern location makes it the first lake in Georgia to produce good bass fishing each year, usually as ea rly as Febmary. White bass make a spawning run up both the C hattahoochee and the Flint Rivers beginning in .l\brch. In addition to a State Park, there are a number of Corps of Engineers camp grounds, picnic areas, and launching ramps around the lake. Fish camps are plentiful.
Just upstream from Seminole at Albany is Lake Worth, a small Georgia Power Company reservoir of I ,500 acres. Fishing is ,good, but hamper-:d by heavy motorboat traffic, especia lly on weekends.
Above LakP Worth is the Crisp County Power Commission's sha llow 8,515-acre Lake Blackslwar. It is located primarily on farm lands away from urban areas, and kw fishermen go to Blackshear althou,gh it is oue of Georgia's better fishing lakes. Records of thP Gam<' and Fish Commission show that it ranks just behind SPminolc as a bas<; lake, while it is the State's number one bream fishing lake, wit11 good crappie and white bass fishing. Blackslwar has been heavily stocked with saltwater striped bass by the State r.ame and Fish Commission.

the okefenokee
D The Okefenokee Swamp, the "Land of the Tremb ling Earth" is Georgia's most famous fishing spot. T he Swamp is a grea t shallow depression or basin which was once under the ocean. As the sea receded, the swamp remained as a large saltwatpr lake which graduall y beca me fresh. Poor drainage from this low area kept the Swamp wet except in unusua lly dry years. However, a five-mi le long dam or ''sill" has now been constmcted across the lower end of the swamp to hold water in th e dcPper areas of the swa mp permanentIy.
There are a few islands in the swamp nam ed after its former SPminole residents, likP Billy's Island and Minn ie's Island. .l\Iost of the swamp " land" though, is actually peat, formed from the submerged rema ins of swamp grasses and weeds. Many of the large cypress trees ar<' root<'d in this peat. Usually, the accum ulati ons of peat are actually floating in tlw swa mp 's waters. The unwary visitor ,,ho triPs to walk on one of these islands may find him se lf eyeball dPep in the "gro und, " splashing aratmd in the water and roots bciwath the island. HPnce the nanw OkefcnokPc, or trembling earth.
The swa mp is a strange, mysterious, and lwautiful place. Yea r round, its moss dra p<'d cyp ress trees bee kon to thousands of adventurous <'xplorNs. In the spring, its vast gra ssy sava nnahs or "prairies" are hlankPt<'d Ly beautiful wild flowers, as far as the eye can SC<'. In the fall, the autumn hues of sma ll bushes and tiny tl'<'c ]pavps tin,e;e the rugg<'d beauty of tbc swamp with a delicate brush.
Although the swa mp is a National Wildlife Refuge, fishing is allowed under Stat<' rPgulations and it remains one of the mo~t popular spo ts in Georgia. Fishcrm<'n from all 0\'('J" the Cnited States, as wPII as the smrounding countiPs, can \ouch for its good fi shing.
The most common gamcfish of the

swamp is the warmouth, a " bream" of the sunfish family that has a disproportionately la rge mouth, and is dark, almost blac k in color. Although they are found in sma ll numbers in most Georgia lakes and wa ters, they are most p rolific in the Okefenokee. The m ost popular bait for warm outh is small crawfish.
The swa mp is widely known for Junker bass fishing, but the m ost com mon gamefish that will strike an artificial lure is the fe rocious ch ain pi ckerel, or j ackfi sh as they a re locally kn own. The a ngler who caught the world 's record bass claims it didn 't fight any harder than a jackfish a third its size. M ost fi shermen who have ca ught one would agree. The j ackfish has an exce llent fl avor, but is somewhat bony. J ackfish prefer shiny lures like those wit h a spinning blad e and bright red and yellow feathers.
Another fish tha t prefers the sam e type of lure is the husky bowfin, who is right at honw in the sti ll, shallow waters of the swamp. T he state record, a fo urteenpo under, was taken from the Okefeno kee. Although some na tives disagree, bowfin aren't usually consid ered good to eat; but then, neither a re tarpon or bonefish, two other popular fighters.
There are only three public access points to the Swamp. On the southwest side, the Steplwn Foster State Park at Fargo, off U . S. +P ofkrs fishermen evPryt hing they need, including boat and motor rn1ta l, launching ramp, gasoline, ,grocer iPs, bait, camping and ca bins or dormitory space. To the north, fis hernwn ca n cntPr the swamp throu gh tlw faci li ties of the Okdenok ce Swamp Park at Waycrn.;;s, a privately operated facility with boats, etc., but no lodging facilities. Campin.g i.;; a llowpd in nearby Laura " 'alkPr Stat<' Park, and motels ar<' plent iful in ' Vaycro'>s. On the southeast side, the U . S. Burf'au of Sport FishcriPs and " ' ildlik has constructPd an exce llent visitor's access facilitY knO\m as Camp Corn<'lia with boats for rent, etc., near tlw main north-south rout<' of U. S. 3ox throu,gh Folkston, just a kw miks off of P . S. 17 and th<' new l-95. :\fotPls and r<'staurants arP plentiful on all three routes.
Only motors of t<'n hors<'power or less arc allowpd in tlw Swamp, and fishermen cannot rpmain in tlw Swamp overn ight. Whik a guide is not necessarily req uired, vou mmt stick to mark<'d boat trails unless VotJ have one.
Th<' Okcfcnok<'c a lso is the home of mor<' than t\1 o hundrPd varieties of bird<; and more alligators and bears than are found in tlw rest of tlw State. Alt hough bears are rarely SP<'n, alligators are commonly sc<'n sunning on logs or swimming at the head of a " \'" shap<'d ripple in the water. They feed primarily on sna kes, tmtles, and rough fis h like bowfin and ga r, and do not disturb fisherme n in boat-;, pxcept to borrow an occasional fish.

14

D More than a thousand mi les of shore-
lint', interlact>d with hundreds of saltwater creeks, rivers, sounds, and marshes, is the undiscm'<'r<'Cl giant of the Georgia fishing world . Each y<>ar, thousands of northern fi shermen zip past the coast at sixty mi les a n hour on their way to Florida. Few of them realize that they could probably ca tch as many fish in G eorgia , and with less competi tion from other fishermen. Tt h as been accmately said th at something is a lways in s<>ason on the G eorgia coast. Tlw angler who knows when and where to fi sh has found this out for himself. The 1wwcomer would be wise to learn from a natiw, pPrhaps by hiring a gu ide for his fir st few trips.
While fishing is good year round for som e species, October, Novem ber, Jul y, and August are probably th e fou r best months of the year. \\'inter trout or spec kled s<>a trout genera lly bite best in NovembN and D ecember on live shrimp. Trout fishing is best over submerged oyster beds or bars at high tide.
Chamwl bass fishing using d ead shrimp or cu t bait is best in O ctober or November inshore ovN oyster bars at the ed ge of the marsh grass at high tide. Insh ore bass run from two to ten pounds, whi le bass in the sounds and o ff the beaches nm from ten to thirty pounds.

Trout and bass fi shing are both popular bec:mse of tlw large numbers of fi sh caught, and bc ca u~<' they ca n be ca ught close to shore from small outboard fishing boa ts. These sa me fea tures make stunnwr fishin g pop ular for shc<>pshead, drum, floundN, n ok<>r, ;1nd whiting. Th<'y usu ally arP caught by fi~hin g on thP bott om nca r old pilin gs or d ocks inshor<' or offshore around old wrcc ks. Tlw one to fou r-pound sh Pf' pshead Is diffi n !lt to hook, lwcaus<' it has a ha rd mouth and takes the bait cautiously and slowly. Fiddler crabs and pieces of shrimp are the best bait. Freshwat er fishing tac kle or light sa ltwatN rods and reels c~n be u sed for a ll tht> insh ore sp<>c iPs.
The m ost exc iting fi shing from a small boat on tlw Georgia coast is trolling or casting for tarpon, whi ch oftt>n w<>i gh mort> than a hundred pounds. There are several loca tions wh ere tarpon congregat<' during .Jul y and Aug ust , but tlw hot spot is " tlw Tarpon H ole," a two -mile-lon g chan nel in t lw Altamaha River east of
the U. S. 17 bridge. llundreds of tarpon
enter thP arf'a once a day at high tide, then return to the sound as the tide rect>Pds. Tlw best result s are obtained by fish ermen slow ly trolling large red and \vhit e "brokcn-b;Ic k" plugs.
For the adven turous sort, there are two

types of offshorP fishing, in July and

August, when huge schools of voracious

Spanish mackNPI and blwfish move up tlw Culf stnam from th<' lbhamas. They

a lso arc (aught fi\e or six milt>' from short' an d in th<' mouths of the bigger

so nml s lwt\\'('Pn thP offshore islands by

fislwrmcn trolling with small si lver flash-

ing spoons for bait.

An occasion;d kin g mackNcl, cobia, or d olphi n arP takPn within sevPn miles

from shore, hut the lwst results for these

s1wci(s a rP obtain ed fo rt y nri lPs or more

from shon, in thP Gulf St rPam. Larger

offshon trolling boats takP king mackt>rel,

dolphin , bon it a, sma ll tuna, amberjack,

barracuda, and even an occasiona l sail-

fish. !I eavy saltwatPr trolling tackl e is rcqnirecl for these fish.

Tlwn arc a fairly large number o f fish ca mps and marinas on the Georgia coast,

so 111c with restaurants an d motels. In

addition, facilities a rc good on nearby

U. S . 17, tlw main ro:Isw l nort h-south

routP. l\fost of tlwse businesses have boat

lift s. l\fany of th em rent boats and motors

and recommend gui des; a few will even

make of fshore trips after big game fish.

ThPre a rc no limits on the n11mlwr of fish

ca ught in s;!ltwat<>r, and no fishing li cense

is rPquired .

W

salt water fishing

Georgia State Records

World 's Record

BASS, FLINT RIVER SMALLMOUTH

6 lbs 5 ozs -James Lew1 s ,

Cordele, Fl1nt R1ver,

Feb 20, 1967

N o Record

BASS, LARGEMOUTH 22 lbs. 4 ozs -George Perry,
Brunswick, Montgomery Lake, June 2, 1932 World's Record

Same

Second- 17 lbs 14 ozs, N1Ck1e Rich, Manettn,
Chasta1n's Lake, April 27, 1965

Third-17 lbs 9 ozs,
Emory Dunahoo, Ga1nesville, Lake Lan1er, Dec 19, 1965

BASS, SMALLMOUTH

6 lbs 2 ozs -Robert Parson,

H1ram, Lake Chatuge,

July 2, 1968

11 lbs

15 ozs

BASS, SPOTTED 6 lbs -Elton Elrod, Cartersville, Lake Allatoona, Feb 11,1967
BASS, STRIPED 6 3 lbs 0 oz - Kelly A Ward, Dubl1n, Oconee R;ver, May 30, 1967

8 lbs Same

BASS,REDEYE(COOSAI 2 lbs 10 ozs , John R Cockbu rn, Jr, D alton , Jacks R1 ver, July 4. 1967

N o Record

BASS, WHITE 4 lbs 14 ozs -Albert P1ttman,

reeord eatehes

Gainesvil le, Lake Lanier, Jan. 11, 1966

5 lbs 2 ozs

4 lbs , 1 4 ozs.- Clyde Vaughan, Canton, Lake La nier, March 26, 1968

BLUEGILL 2 lbs 8 ozs -Lee Berry, Milledgeville, Altamaha R1v er, Sept 29, 1 965

4 lbs 1 2 ozs

BOWFIN

1 4 lbs , 0 ozs.- Randall Lee Brown,

Lake Park, Okefenokee Swam p,

M ay 5, 1 968

No Record

CARP 35 lbs . 6 ozs Albert B Hic ks, Sr, Atl anta, Sweetwater Creek, Apnl 17 , 1967

55 lbs . 5 ozs

CATFISH, CHANNEL N o Off1cial S tate Record

57 lbs

CATFISH, FLATHEAD 29 lbs , 0 ozs - James Chastain, Marietta, Lake Blue Ridge, May 21, 1968

CRAPPIE, BLACK
4 lbs. 3 ozs, Kenneth Matt h ew Kirkland, Jonesboro, Lake Jodeco, April 30, 1967

5 lbs

CRAPPIE, WHITE

4 lbs, 4 ozs -C h a r les McCullough,

Decatur. Lake Hartwell,

April27,1968

51bs 3ozs

GAR, LONG N OSE No Off1cia l S t a te Record

50 lbs 5 ozs

MUSKELLUNGE
38 lbs - Rube Golden , Atlanta, Blue Ridge L ake, June, 1957 69 lbs 15 ozs

PIC KEREL, CHAIN (JACKFISH I 9 lbs 6 ozs - Baxley M cO ua1 g, Jr, H omer ville Feb , 1 961, World's Reco rd

Same

SAUGER No Off1cial State Record

8 lbs 5 ozs.

SUNFISH , REDBREAST No Off1 C1a l State Re co rd

N o Recor

SUNF I SH , REDEAR (SHELLCRACKER I

2 lbs 1 2-1 / 2 ozs.-

Bill Crabb, Marietta,

Private Pond, Cobb C nty

Aug 26, 1968

4 lbs. 12 ozs

TRO UT, BROOK 2 lbs. 1 oz. - Jay Tipton, Smyrna, Toccoa R1ver, April 1 , 1967

14 lbs. 8 ozs

TROUT, BROWN 1 8 lbs, 3 ozs William M. Lo wery, Marie tta, Roc k Creek, M a y 6, 1 967

39 lbs

8 ozs

T RO U T, RAIN B OW
12 lbs. 4 ozs . - J ohn Whitaker, Ellijay, Coosawattee R1ver, May31 , 1 966

37 lbs

P ERCH , Y ELL OW N o Offic1a l State Record 4 lbs 3-1 / 2 ozs

WALL EYE 1 1 lbs. - Steven Ke nny, Atlanta , Lake Burton, Ap ril 13, 1963

25 lbs

Dear Sportsma n:
This book has been written by the staff of t he St at e Game and Fi sh Commission in cooperation with Atlanta Magazi ne t o help you f ind Georgia's best fishing spots.
The information on where to go, when, and how to catch fi sh in Georgia is a result of many years of experience of Georgia's dedicat ed fisheries personnel and wildlife rangers. Increasing the enjoyme nt that fishermen find on Georgia's magnificent lakes, streams, and coasta l waters is a primary goal of the State Game and Fish Commissio n.
This publication is a small token of our appreciation to you and yo ur fellow sportsmen for your support of these efforts in the past, as we ll as the future.
Good luck, and good fishing!

Sin ce rely ,
George T. Bagby, Director,
State Game and Fish Commission

CJ'he e4tlanta eMagazine

Contents
2 Introduction 4 Squirrel 6 Deer 8 Deer Population Map II Quail 13 Rabbit 13 Dove 14 Waterfowl 15 Turkey 15 Bear 15 Small Gan1e 16 Hunting Area Map 16 Hunting Facilities
2

INTRODUCTION
THOUSANDS of years before the arrival of the white man, primitive peoples who lived on the land that is now the largest state east of the Mississippi River were making their living by hunting and fishing. The wildlife that they hunted included buffalo and elk, species that most Americans think of as western animals. Although the small woods buffalo who lived on the abundant river cane of the streams and swamps soon disappeared with the elk under the heavy hunting pressure caused by the white man's arrival, whitetail deer continued to be an important source of table meat and hides for both Indians and white men for more than 200 years, until they too were finally wiped out in most parts of Georgia.
Half a century later, the deer have made an amazing comback. Once again, they are abundant throughout the state and on some of the coastal islands like Cumberland, where Georgia's founder, General James Oglethorpe, built his hunting lodge on what had been the Indians' favorite game preserve.
Like all of the Southeastern states that border on the sea and that share the same alteration of terrain from coastal plain to Piedmont to mountains, Georgia is a wildlife paradise with an amazing variety of species: squirrel, deer, quail, rabbit, dove, duck, turkey, bear, wild hogs, grouse, woodcock, geese, coots, marsh hens, mink, muskrat , otter, skunk, turtles, snakes, frogs, sa lam anders, and hundred s of species of birds of e\-ery size, shape, and color.
Northerners who rome to Georgia are amazed by its long hunting seasons and liberal bag limits. For example, some of the best deer hunting states of the North have a season of only a week or two, and hunt ers are often not allowed to kill more than one deer a season. But in Georgia, some areas are open more than two months, with a bag limit of two deers, frequently including does.
Perhaps because Georgia's mixed habitat and large undeveloped land area provides its people with an ample amount of wildlife and hunting lands, attitudes here toward conservation and game laws are lax. Southerners have a relatively tolerant attitude toward poaching and game law violators which is reflected in the low fines and suspended sentences handed out by judges and juries. In Northern states the need for a more restrictive attitude toward game law violators that is shared by sportsmen is reflected in more stringent law enforcement. For example, for killing a hen pheasant, a violator can have his gun confiscated, be given a stiff fine, and actually locked up in many states. Deer or turkey poachers are treated even more harshly.
Although Georgia spends far less on

ga me management and wildlife law enforcement than the N orth ern sta te's, it-; large area a nd low population d C'nsit y produce an a bund a nt crop of wildli f( that smaller, more hea vil y pop ul a ted sta tes would mortgage their sta te ca pi to l's to buy.
Georgia, with 37 111illion ac res, is in a comm anding position to beco me the h un ting and fi shing capit ol of th e entire Eastern United States, if enough o f it s rela ti vely unpollu ted strea ms, lak e's, a nd green a reas of forests, swa mps, and m ars hes ca n be sa\cd from the growing d em ands o f th e future. This becom es more true as G eo rgia's sister states to th e north fini sh d estroying th C'ir na tura l environm ent with ra mpant strip mines, uncontroll ed industria l and municipa l pollution of the air a nd water, and otlwr thoughtl ess assaults. Already th ese sa m e d estructive forces arc being fC'It in Georgia and other Southern states, but tod ay there is still time to ha lt nnwisc or lmnccessary d evelopm ent.
During the la st twenty yea rs, the most successful a nd farsighted prog ra m tha t Geo rg ia's gam e man agers brought to virtual completion is the restora ti on of d eN to all of Georgia 's 159 counties. Either-sex archery hunting is a llowed in a ll th e counti es open for deer hunting with gun s, and specia l either-sex huntin g was a llowed with firea rms for th e 19G8-69 sea son in a ll or portions o f twent y-e ight coun ties, n ot co unting either-sex hunts on state a nd fed eral ga m e managem ent a reas. Georg ia's d eer restora tion progra m has become a n exa mpl e for a ll of th e ot her Southeastern states. Its success is due to the m a rriage of ha rd work and th e rea liza ti on th at land usc pattern s in Georgia h ave })('m ra pidl y changin g from open agricultmal a reas where fa rm ga m e species like qua il, ra bbit, a nd dove fl ourish , into d om in ant forests wh ere spec ie's like d eer, sq uir re l, tmk<'y, a nd wood duck a re fa\'Orcd by th e habitat. G eorgia's ga m e biologists bC'Iicved by concentrating thei r efforts on d eer restocking, m an agement , research , p rotection, and hunting a rea ava il ability, they could m ake their grC'a tcst cont ribut ion to sportsmen. Their decision has been proved the correc t one, although many quail , d ove, a nd rabbit hunters at the time didn't understand why the State Ga me' an d F ish Comrn ision didn't spend more time tryi ng to improve hunting for farm gamP specie's on the nC'w forC'st areas, an d fort that would have' lwen as effect ive as SWC'C'p ing bark thC' At lantic with a broom.
Many sportsmen have fai iC'd to grasp the biological fact that big game' spC'riC's like' dC'C'r and turkC'y require man's assista nce to repopu late areas whC'rc they have })('en exterm inated, while most typic;d farm game species arc difficu lt, if not impossible to wipe out over a large area by owrhunting. As long as food and CO\'C'r rcqu inmcnts for small game spC'CiC's arC'

present, th eir large native hrC'C'ding population will move into any suitable area that ca n support more birds or anima ls. This is th e reason t hat stocking quail, rabbi t, raccoon, or fox is a waste of time. And researc h projects h ave clearly est a blished th at stocking pen-raised species surh as q uail or tm kC'y th at an alrC'ady prese nt in an area is a waste of mmwy beca use o f th C' low survival ra tes in tlw wi ld.
Geo rgia's thi rd major category of game arC' the wetl and species, which include wa terfow l like du cks and geese, marsh lwns, a nd d amp-arC'a specie's like' woodcock, a long wit h mamma ls such as canC'cuttC'r and marsh rabbits, raccoons, and other spec ies usua ll y thought of as furbea rers of im porta nce to commC'rcia l trapp N s, like mink, m uskra t, bea ver and otter. T he ranges of these wetl and spec ies frcqtwn tly overl a p wi th th e fores t game species wh o use the swa m ps and marshC's as esca pe cover fr om pred ators, as well as fC'cding on mast of ha rd woods tha t arC' com mon in freshwa ter swamps and along strea ms.
G enera lly spea king, the fut ure of wetland spec ies seems di m, C'spcc ia ll y for migra tory waterfowl th at nest in Canada. T lwrC' the h rccdin.c: and n ursery ponds arc ra pidly bein g d rained for wh ea t production, and a t t he same ti m e feed ing and rC'sting swa mps a re bein g d rain ed in Georgia a nd the oth er Sout heastern sta te'S, a nd na tural strea m bed s are being dred ged for agric ultu ra l fl ood control, while la rge hydroC' Iec tric reservoirs fl ood thousa nds o f acres of once good duck swamps and streams.
The only bright spo t in th is dra b picture is ca used by an indust ri ous little fellow who's m akin g a comeback in Georgia in a big way, th anks to lower fur prices and rC'stor king. A lm ost exti nct in most of
Georgia by the end of World War II,
bC'avcrs are now so p lent ifu l in many areas th a t they a rc regard ed as somethi ng of a pest by timber landownC'rs because of their persistence in damm ing small creeks, which floods out sma ll patc hes of timlwr, killing the trees.
Rut from the standpo int of ducks and other species who use swamps, the furry dam bui ldC'r is their sa lvation from man's rapidly increasing drainage efforts. The beaver's activities arc C'spccially I>C'nC'ficial to Georgia's primary native species of duck. The wood duck has mad( a good rC'covcry from ncar extinction causC'd hy overshooting and draining of its swampland h omes. In addition to using holes in the dead trees in tlw standing water for nc~ ting sites, thousands of other wood ducks and more migratory specie's like' mallards usc the shallow beaver ponds as fecdin .c: and resting ;1reas in thC' wintN in prefcrC'nrc to deep la kes and farm ponds, which produce little' food.
AmC'rica, of course, is a land of capitalism, and dollar ,ahws must bC' placC'd on all activities if they are to be allowC'd to

smvive. In self defense against this atti-

tude, ronsC'rvation agC'ncies and hunters

and fishcrtllcn have lcarnNI to find dol-

lar values for their sports. This places

their importance in an entirely new light

for gowrrmwntal and business dcrision-

makns who don't hunt or fish thcmselvC's,

and who previously disregarded wild-

life's value to soriC'ty and tlw economy.

That hunting is indeed a big business for

Georgia was dearly cstablislwd by an eco-

nomic suney of huntC'r's expenditures

conducted by tlw State Game and Fish

Commission dming the 10GG-67 hunting

season under a projcrt primarily financed

by the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and

Wi ld life, and certified for standard pro-

ccdnrC's and statistical accuracy by the

Data Center of the University of North

Carolina at Ra leigh.

T he survey showed that \.corgia's

293,565 licensed hunters dming that se::l-

son spent $22,67(),308 for thC'ir gasoline',

food, lodging, ammunition, guns, clothes,

licenses, fees, and pNmits, nut including

items that arc used primarily for some

other purpose. When coupled with a sur-

vey the same year of the number of hunt-

e rs who seek the variou~ species and the

number of animals they baggNI, the sur-

\'C'Y produced some eyC'-opcning values for

wi ld li fe species in the bag per animal:

Doves, $.99 each; Squirrels, $1.01 each;

Rabbits, $1.58 each; Quail, $1.81 each;

Ducks, $4.35 each; Turkeys, $G4.16 each;

Deer, $367.75 each.

T hese digits don't evaluate two other

important advantages of good hunting

and fish ing to a state: tom ism and in-

dus trial attract ion. For instance, many of

the "'C'stern states sell more' non-resident

hunting li( C'nscs than residC'nt licC'nses,

bringing in thousands of huntC'rs from out

of st:1te. Florida and TC'nncssC'c's usc of

fishin~ as a tourist attr::lrtion are good

C'Xamples. :\.fany industria l co nc erns that

w<lllt to locate in Georgia know thC'y will

haw an C'asicr time hiring hard-to-get,

we'll-paid JWrsonncl who ran pi ck and

choose their employer and tlw type of

area tlwy want to live in . An abundance

of m'arby hunting is an advantage many

otlwr states, cspC'cially most of those' in

tlw :'\orth, can't match.

Like others in thC' country today. Geor-

gians seem to be awakening from tlwir

slumber in the. Garden of Eden. The

more huntin.~ and fishin.c: areas and grC'at

panoramas of magnificent :o;ccncry arc

newcd away by urbanization, industriali-

zation, or nwcha nization, the more' public

awarC'ncss of the value' of the rC'main-

ing arC'as innC'asC's as we rare toward

('\'C'ntual dC'structiou of our l'rl\'ironmC'nt,

and ultimately, oursC'Ivcs. All that is

asked of man to sa\C' wildlife, wilc!C'rncss.

bcanty, and the vital natmal resources of

the world arC' the same stC'ps he must take

if he is to protect his own continued exist-

('IICC on the only known hospitable planet

of his uni\C'rSC'.

0

3

SQUIRREL
CURIOUSLY, the littl e gray squirrel and hi s slightly larger cousin, the fox squirrel , are the kings of Georgia's ga me animal s. The squirrel can't put on any rrgal airs about his claim to the throne, howevrr, becausr it is based on the number of hunters wh o occasionally find themsehes hunting him when they don't have the chance or the tim e to bag something else, rat her than because he is the most desirrd quarry.
Squirrels have been at the top of the hunt er total list for severa l years. For instance, during the 1967-68 season, 141,963 squirrel hunters were estimated to have bagged 1,503,681 bushytails in 912,588 man-days of hunting.
Georgia is blessed with an abundance of squirrels in almost every part of the state in most years, making them readily available to hunters everwhere, of all ages.
While squirrels a lso fe ed on leaves, buds, bark, tubers and roots, their preference for acorns, hickory nuts, beechnu ts and pine mast is justifiably famou s, and these are the type of trees hunters can expect to find them in during the fall and winter seasons. Bot h brcause they usr the fl eshy fruits of hardwood trees (known as mast ) for food, and m ake their hom es in the hollows of large old den trees or build nests in them, gray squirrels are creatures of the hardwood forests.
In addition to the hardwoods of a large river swamp, a narrow band of old den trees or hardwood mast trres can usually be found on the banks of most Georgia streams, even those that run directly through cultivated land, pastures, or pine pl antations. This band of old, crooked, or leaning trees doesn't make good saw timber. These old trees frequently have large hollow openings caused by disease or age that make an rxcellent home for squirrels, along with wood ducks, raccoons and many species of song birds. Wildlife specialists recommend leaving a t least six good mast trees for each acre of timber cut, along with at least one den tree for every twenty acres.
Squirrels are most plentiful in the southern part of the state. In the hravy swamps and thickets of the coastal counties, squirrel populations of one or more per acre aren't uncommon. Gray squirrrls are abundant year after year regardless of hunting in all of the large South Georgia river swamps of the coastal plain, and are plrntiful in thr l\liddlr Georgia Pirdmont and i\'"orthwest G rorgia in a rras with good stands of ha rdwoods.
Only in the mountains of Northeast Georgia are squirrrl populations subjrct to drastic variations from year to yea r, depending on the mast crop. Whilr there are rxtrnsivr hardwood forests on most of thr high ridgrs and peaks, mast produ ction is controlled by the wra ther. A la tr

spring freeze can virtually wipe out the acorn crop for an entire season, which sometimes causes a spectacular migration of squirrels off the high mountains into the more trmperate valleys, and almost always results in a low production of young squirrels during the nrxt rraring srason. But with following yrars of good mast production, squirrel hunting is good in the mountains.
The most comm on methods of squirrel hunting are quite similar to deer hunting. The most popular is to find a feedin g arra and quirtly sit in a fairly concralrd spot, waiting for squirrels to come out of their hiding pl aces to fred. Pat ches of hardwoods or a fence row betwren thr woods and a cornfield makr good hunt ing areas. It is brst after shooting a Sf)uirrel to wait to pick him up until thr otlwr squirrels in th e tree or the nearby area are bagged or scared off. If many squirrels are in the area, they may resume moving within minutes of a shot. This system also works well at a large den tree, especia ll y early in the morning when the squirrrls are leaving or late in the evening when thry rush back in.
Another system that requires more skill but less patience is sta lking. This is accom plished by sneaking along Indianfashion, a few strps at a timr, cautiously looking and listrning for signs of activity. l\1any times during the ea rl y srason whrn squirrels arr feeding in trees, the sound of aco rns or small twigs being cu t out of a tree and dropping to the ground will gi\'f~ away Mr. Bushytail's whereabouts. Later in the season when acorns and nuts have already fallen, rustlings in the leaves of the forest floor serve the same purpose. Stalking is most successful when leaves a re still damp and quiet from a recent rain or heavy dew.
An rasier system of hunting, and onr of thr most productive, is using a dog to locate and tree the squirrels. Onr can cover a much great er area more qui ckl y. Th r species of dog used for squirrel hunting doesn't seem to matter mu ch. A mixrd breed mongrel dog frequently ma kPs an outstanding squirrel dog. Th e dog ma kes qui ck work of a squirrel without the nr rd for a shot that might ruin the uwa t.
Almost any ga ugr and chokr of shotgu n loaded with number six to four sh ots is suitablr for squirrels, a lthough full chokr barrels are popular with Vt trra n squi rrrl hunt Prs for long shots up to fi ft y ya rds. But the most sport ing wrapon for squ ir rrl hun ting is the common .22 ca lilwr ri fl r. :\ .22 automa ti c rifl e with a low powrr trlrscooe mounted on it for squ irrrl hunt ing ca n m a ke even a jadrd adult frrl like a child with a nrw toy. Of course, lw isn't a llowrd to brag about a ny squirrt>ls that rrquirr morr than onr shot to drop. Preferabl y they shou ld be hit just under the ear, so as not to ruin thr mrat.
Clothi ng for sqJ irrel hunting should be d ark colorrd. C amoufl agr clothin~ i< !'X-

cellent. Boots are a good idea on damp

days. The brst tinw for squirrr l hun ti ng is

early in the morning on cold , crisp d ays,

or la te in the wa rm er afternoon, a !though

s o nI<' s q u i r r r 1 m o v r 111 en t c o 11 t in u e s

throughout thr r ntirr d ay. If thP wiud is

blowing, don't exprct good squirrr l hunt-

ing; possibly hrca use tlw wind m:1 kes it

difficult for them to hear a prr dator,

squirrrls li P cl ost' to their dens or nrsts as

much as possible.

\Vhile the gray sf)uirrr l is most co mmon

in Georgia, large r fox squirrels a re found

scattrred throughout tlw st ate. They are

most frequently found in South Geo rgia .

They appear in many different co lor

phases, ranging from light brown to sil ve r

or jr t hhck. Rrd fox squirrrls have bre n

introduced on one of the coastal island s.

In recent years, a small rrd sq uirrrl

called the "boomer" has migrated into

extrem e North Georgia in tlw mounta in s,

but this species is too rare and too small

to providr any hunting. This is a lso the

case with the even smaller but more inter-

esting flying squirrel. Flying squi rre ls a re

much more common than most people rr-

alize. They are found in most of Grorgia.

The squirrel hunting season in Georgia

has varied considNably, primarily lw-

cause of other species like drrr and tur-

kry. In rrcent years, the season has begun

in October and lasted until the rnd of

Frbruary in most of the state with an ear-

lier season in the mountains. Some hunters

feel that the season for squiml should be

the same as that for deer a nd turkeys to

prevent outlaws from shooting anoth er

game species during the squirrel season.

But game biol ogists say that sq uirrrls arr

so plentiful th at a longer season providrs

more recreation for a grratrr number of

peoplr without endangPring the sq uirrel

population. Tht>y point ou t tha t a person

who would shoo t a drrr or turkey in an

ea rly squirrel srason p robab ly would n't

hesit ate to shoot a doe ill rga lly, r ith er,

during, before , or afte r the season

opened. Cutting the squirrel season short

for law-abiding sportsnw n hrcausr of a

man who won't abide by a legal season or

ga me law anyway isn't fair, thry reason.

The best a nswer to the problem is brtter

game law enfo rcrmrnt, supportrd by

more interrsted sportsmrn and citi7rns

who elrc t loca l offi cials.

Because of its rt>ad, a\ailahility and

th e prrfrrrn{r that is usually giwn othrr

spec ies like deer or qua il, obtaining per-

mission to hunt squirrrls on pri,atr land

is muc h rasirr, esprcially if huntrrs show

thr landownrr C\'N)' courtesy possihlr, in-

cludin.g shutting gatrs behind cattle, cxrr-

cising care in climbing frncrs so that tht>y

wil l not lw damagrd, practicing gun safr-

t\ and a\oidine; littrring. Failing to find

a good privatr spot to hunt, Grorgia's

public lands and ganw managrnwnt arra~

will always pro\'ide thousands of llllntNs

of all ages :m anrlllal rhanrr to match

tlh'ir wits with I\fr. Bushvtail.

D

DEER
WHEN THE CREEK S and the Cherokees hunted Georg ia, whiteta il d eer were p lt>n tiful in the virgin forests o f the enti re st a te. But within the fairl y sh ort period o f less than 300 years, d eer beca me almost extinct. Then the pendulum swung bac k to today's large deer herd, within sevent y yea rs of the low po in t reached some time b efore 1900.
Oddly, both the dcclinP and the modern rise of th e d eer herd in G eorgia a nd many other states was due to the hunter and his gun . Aided by la rge p acks of skillful hounds used during a ny season of the year, or by lighted torches a t night (firehunting), m eat hunters actuall y a nn ihilated the deer herds in N orth G eorgia and Middle G eorgia be fore the tu rn of the century. Only in some of the d <>n se river swamps of the lower coastal plain in Southeast Georgia and on a few pla ntati on s in Southwest G eorgia were d eer able to survi\'e this d estruc tion b y a ha ndful o f scifish , ignorant individuals.
But on ce d eer had di sa ppea red from most of their former range, saddened hunters and conservationists, who b y now were valuing deer hunting more as a source of recrea tion than as a cheap source of meat, began to long for their restoration. The result was a resurgence of int erest in d eer tha t led t o the first restoc king of deer in the N orth G eorgia mountains in 1928 by R a nger Arthur \Voody of the U.S. Forest Service, on lands of the Chattahoochee National Forest nea r Dahlonegha. The d eer stocking program was ta ken up by the State of Georgia's Wildlife Division in 1938, in conjunction with the establi shm ent of a ch ain of refuge areas strun g across N orth Georgia's end of the App alachian Mountains. U nder th e watchful eye of th e wildlife rangers sta tion ed on each a rea, the restocked d eer flo urish ed with protec ti on from d ogs a nd poach ers, the only serious natural enem ies of d eer left a fter the eradication of pred a tors like mounta in lio ns a nd wolves. Onl y twelve y<>ars a fter the fi rst restoc ki ng, deer had inc reased enough to a llow the first hun t on o nP of thP gam<' management areas.
T od ay, th e d eer r <>stocking program has been spec tacu la rl y successful, bot h in the moun tains of North Georgia and in the Middle Georgia Pied mont section, where restocked deer grad ually spread along th e sma ll er river and creek swamps tha t offered them a protecti,c linP of travel and a sanctuary from dogs and poachers. The deer herd has incr<>as<>d substantially in most of South Georgia as we ll.
D urin g the 1967-68 season, surveys by the State Game a nd Fish Commis~ion indi cated that 140,319 of Georgia's 304,740 li censed hunters hun ted deer, a numh<>r

only slightly below front running squirrel h unting. T he survey indicat<>s that they took 20,902 d eer, meaning that rough ly one o ut of every SC\'Pn hun ters scor<>d, a respectable su ccess ratio in any Southeastem state. Professiona l game biologists fc<>l t hat a snccPss ratio of on ly one out of ten indicates good de<>r h un ting on a ga m<> m a nagem ent area, n ot to ment ion the enti re sta te. Whil e biologists estimate that Georgia's d PP r population excf'e d s I00,000 a n ima ls, they he li<>v<> t he state could easily support 400,000 with prop<>r p rotection a nd ma nagement. Tlw b iologists d on' t hesita te to brag about another fi g ure. An econom ic survey of hn nt<>r exp<>nditu res in th e 1966-67 season indicated th a t 130,152 d eer hunt<>rs tha t y<>ar hunting 84 1,537 days sp ent $6,937,653 for their sport, a total of $367.75 per d eer!
Expensive equipm ent isn 't essent ia l for deer hunting. M an y hunters use th e same shotgun they hunt quail a nd d oves with for d eer, substituting buc ksh ot or a rifled slug for bi rd shot. An in ex p en sive m ili tary surplu s riflP th a t m a kes a n excellent deer ri fl e can be bought fo r as li tt le as twen tyfi ve d ollars. In Middl e and North Georgia, a hunter equipped w ith onl y th es<> it <>ms st a nds a n <>qu al ch a nce with the most w<>a lthy sportsman of b agging the larges t buck a nyone has ever " d rawn a bea d on". Thi s is <>specia ll y so because o f th e la rge a reas of p ub lic la nd in thesP sec tions th a t h ave good d ePr huntin g, p rima rily in the sprawlin g C hattah ooch ee Na tiona l Fo rest o f North Georgia, an d tlw small Pr hu t popul ar O conee Na tional Forest in Middl e G eo rgia.
\Vith the exception of state game managem ent a reas, all of the 781 ,700 acres of Na tio na l Forest la nd is o pen for h unting a ny species in season in th e county where it is located . Because of its wooded nature a nd easy accessibi lity to hunters, m ore d eer are kill ed per square miiP on N a ti onal Forest la nds th an on most priva te land s. Because of the large number of d PPr that arP taken there, it isn't unusua l for a few massivP racks and unusually hig dcPr to show up on thP hoods of n<>ophyte hu n tPr's cars f'V<> ry year to the chagrin of veteran nimrods.
O n the 300,000 acr<>s of National Forest that is intensively managed for wildlifP by the State Game and Fish Commission, hun ters pay a sma ll fee for t he privil<>g-c of hunting. But b<>cause of bettN protprtion from poachers and dogs and more attf'ntion paid to the food an d coWl' r<'quir<'mPnts of wildlife there, gam<> management arPa hunting usually is of hig-lwr fJU<' 'ity than is found on oth<>r F o1 Pst Service lands or ~''pn pri,atP lands. And because of thP fe<>, often tlwrP arc !Pss hunters p<'r squarP mile than ~n op<>n ar<>as, although there are some PXC<>ptions to that rule. But even on CPorgia'~ two most popular game manag<>ment ar<>as, Bhw Ridge nortl. of Dahl oncgha, and Cedar Cre<>k ncar .\fonti -cli o, 2,000 hunt-

ers spread over each ar<>a's ext<'nsivc 40,000 acres would still only be onP huntPr for twenty acr<>s, if hunters didn't concentral<' n<>ar tlw roads and in favorite areas whPrP th<> d<>mand cxccl'ds the supply.
Many hunters worry about safety under tlwse conditions. In over twenty-five years of gam<> manag<>m<>nt hunts and more than 100,000 d<'er huntin g trips, thPr<' has lw<>n only one fatal hunting accidPnt on a stat<> ga m<> managm<>nt area in GPorgia. Whil e deer huntin g appears to hP a potentially dang<>rous form of recreation, the actual rate of acciciPnts p<>r numlwr of participants is far IPss than more ordinary activitiPs likP fishing , boating, sw imming or driving an automohilP. B<>cause of the gr<>atcr potentia l danger, hunters apparently compensate by taking greater precautions than they would in more mund an e forms of recreation.
Foll owing th e National Forests, tlw n<'xt largest acreage of public huntinQ; lands lies in the U.S. Army's massive Fort Stewa rt M ili tary Reservation in Soutlwast G eorgia, near Savannah. Most of the 279,303 acr<>s in the Fort arc usually op<>n for pub li c h unting during most of the r<>gul a r seasons on a special fpe basis. l\loncy from t hese per mits is used for game managemen t on the Fort lands, which off<>r an unusua lly large variety of hunting. In addition to deer there are squirrel, quail, ra bbits, d oves, wild hogs and ducks. The Fort h as the highest deer and wild turkcy population of any large tract in South Georgia because of tf.c removal of the civi lian population in 1940 when tlw govern m<>nt bought it, and the subseqtwnt bu il d-up of forest arcas with r<>latively little interference from poachers and dogs. I n format ion concerning current seasons, bag limits, and permit information ran h<> obtained by writing the Provost Marshall, Fort Stewart, Georgia 31314.
RPcause of more int<'nsivc military activities, Georgia's other two large military reservations, Fort Benning and Fort Gordon, are only open to limitPd hunting by military personnel, employees and guests.
Probably the best de<>r hunting on a publicly own<>d area in Middle (;porgia is thP 23,000 acres of the C.S. BurPan of Sport FishPries and Wildlife in PiPdmont :\'ational Wildlife RefugP hPtwe<>n .\tlanta and l\1a ro n. Timber managcm<>nt on the Refuge is g<>arcd to produce maximum wildlife rather than maximum timber, and dPPr huntin g SUCfPSS p<>r SfJllarP miJP on Pi <>rlmont National usually PX<PPds most National Forest land and privatP timber rompanv Janel.
Trep rutting on the RPfugP is rP,trictPd to spPciPs nndcsirahiP for wildlifP, m to crPatr wildlifP op<>nings or to rPmov<' a g<>nuinP surplus of timlwr that will not harm tlw wilcllifP population. Yet the timher -;ales from tht Rdu!.>;c lands IIHlrP than pay for thP costs of its total operation, including timlwr and '\ ilcllife managcmPnt

1968 DEER POPULATION
QNone Not Huntable Population Huntable Population
Overpopulated

Valley

- - -- - Appalachian Mountains Lookout Plateau
Piedmont

Upper Coastal Plain

and law enforcement. \\'hile hunters usually are not required to pay a fee, a permit oft en is required for dates of the orga nized hunts. Piedmont National has the only huntable population of turkeys on a Middle Georgia game area, with the exception of the Game and Fish Commission's Clark Hill game management area north of Augusta.
Blackbeard I sland National Wildlife R efuge off the Georgia coast north of Brunswick is also open during organized deer hunts, but only with bows and arrows because of the sma ll size of the island. Its primary purpose is to serve as a migratory duck feeding and resting refuge.
A third refuge, Savannah National, is usually open only for duck hunting during certain days of the season. R egulations and hunt d ates on all three refuges can be obtained from the Region al Director, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, 809 Peachtree and Seventh Street, .A.tlanta, Georgia 30323.
Any description of deer hunting areas in Georgia would be in complete \\ithout mentioning the extensive wooded areas owned by private timber and paper companies. There are more than 3,946,400 acres of such industrial forests in Georgia, and 374,958 acres of this area are under intensive management by the State Game and Fish Commission as a part of the State's twenty-seven game management areas. Over three million acres of land outside management areas are open to the public for hunting, and usually it is not necessary to obtain permission to hunt or pay a fee, although there are many exceptions. A handful of companies do not allow hunting on their property, but many companies have shown more interest in wildlife with the increase in demand by sportsm en.
Some companies have already begun charging fees to hunt on their lands, using the money to hire game biologists and deputized game wardens. Attention is even being focused on the possibility of nodifyinQ; maximum timber management nwthods to improve game habitat. This provides mon~ and better places for the public to hunt at a reasonable fee, and at the same time improves the company's public rPiations.
Some of the best deer hunting on industrial timberlands is around the edges of areas that have been completely cleared. While such areas are in their early growth stages for several years, deer utilize the available brouse before it is shaded out under the maturing trees. When this happens, hopefully another such area nearby will bP in the brush stage. The primary flaw in this concept of ewn-age timber management and clear cutt ing is that often the clear cuts of more than sixty acres are too large for deer to utilize Pfficiently, sincP when tlwse areas reac h maturity the arPa of forest floor shaded is relatively unproductive for y<'ars.

Some of the large cuts reach two hundred or morp acres. Squirrels especially suffer from clear cu tting bPcause of the loss of old dPn a nd mast trPPs, unless some arc left for wild li fP. Six good mast tr<'<'S left for each acre rut and a dPn trPe lPft pN twPnty acres would solve the problem.
Aside from the large acreages of industrial timber companies, good deer hunting can be found on 15,053,000 acrPs of small er holdings of private landowtwrs, especiall y if the owner makes an effort to protect his deer from thPir usual e1wmics, dogs and man. Unfortunately, most of these areas that have a resident ov.'llcr are frequently posted and off limits to any hunters exc<'pt members of the owner's family, neighbors, friends and guests.
While some of these owners have begun selling daily permits to deer hunters on their lands and constructing deer hunting stands, etc., there are few private hunting
lodges and guides for dePr hunt<'rs in Georgia.
Th'e most common method landowners usp in manv arpas of Georgia, especially the heavily lwntcd, popular Middle Georgia areas is to lease exclusive hunting rights on their lands to a private hunting club. As a result, many thousands of acres of private woodlands that would never have been available to hunters otherwise have been leased. Normall y, the lease fee is seldom more than the owner needs to pay his annual county property taxes, which vary from fifty cents to several dollars an acre from county to county. This leaves any profit the landm\'ller makes from timber sales undiminished by annual property taxes, which have risen rapidly in recent years. In at least one popular Middle Georgia deer-hunting county, a real estate man has begun specializing in handling hunting IC'ases.
Because of the increasing popularity of deer hunting and the growing problem of fin ding a place to hunt, it is especially important for deer hunters to secur<' pPrmission on any private lands they go on before hunting. Georgia law prohibits trespassing or hunting and fishing on private lands without permission, regardless of whether the land is marked with "No Hunting" signs. This law is vigorously enforced by sheriffs and wildlife rangers in many hPavily hunted areas.
Deer hunting nwthods vary considerably in Georgia, primarily bPtWPPn the northern half of the state and the southern portion. In the rclativ<'ly op<'n mountainous portion, hunting with dogs has bePn banned as a consPrvation m<'asurc sir.rc 1943 bPrause of a lack of heavy escape covpr. As a result, hunt ers arP ronfiuPd to "still hunting"', which means Pither sitting- quiPtly. waiting- for a dPPr to pass, or stalking. As you might ~uspect, hunters who sit still in a good spot usually see fewer deer but have a ))('ttPr chance to get a shot. f P\\' hunters posSPSS tJw patience and skill needed to surrPssft:lly

walk up on a wary deer. But this doesn't mean that such a hunter won't orrasiona lly "luck up" on a less alert animal.
Deer hunting in the more heavily woodPd Piedmont or Central Georgia area is similar to mountain still hunting, <'Xc<'pt that here the usc of tree stands is more popular because of lower rolling tPrrain and thicker woods. ThesP "stands" are usually little more than a board nailed in the fork of a trf'e for the hunter to sit on abovP the deN's normal line of vision, but thPre arc many varietiPs of portable stands on the market that can be easily carriPd and quickly set up in any tree.
In South GPorgia and on the coastal islands, still hunting is becoming increasingly popular, especially as huntPrs gradually realize that high deer populations found in areas like Fort StPwart where dog hunting is not allowed arc not an accident of nature. \.Vhile most ganw biologists would like to reducp the arPa where deer hunting with dogs is now legal, the practice is likely to continue for many years, until local sportsmen themselves arc willing to accept the change in hunting methods, a slow process at bPst. But <'Vf'n the most conservative game biologists are willing to accept continued lq;al dogging in the dense standing water rivPr swamps of the lower coastal plain and the Satilla Terrace, which includes most of Southeast Georgia. (See the map of Georgia's major physiographic regions. ) Only in these areas is the escape rover heavy Pnough for dePr to surviv<', primarily because dogs cannot follow a deer's scent through water.
Deer hunting with dogs is considerably diferent from the one man versus deer contest of still hunting. SomP of the hunters receive as much satisfaction from listening to their dogs in a good chase as they do from bagging a deer. A South Georgia deer hunt is more a social affair than its northern counterpart. A large numbN of hunters working togPther arc required to make it successful, even though a hunt by fifty m<'ll may cov,r an area that would easily accommodate two thousand still huntPrs.
ThP classic deer hunt with dogs is a drive. ThP dogs arc releasPd in the hopPs th at thev will pick up a dPN's srmt and run it past a lin<' of waiting hunters, ca lled "standers". \\'h<'r<' possihl<', such a hunt is nm parallPI to a natural barrier such as a river or lake, which h<'lp to restrict the d PN's Pscap<' route, althoug-h hard prPssed deer will swim to pscap<' dogs at timPs. The huntNs ar<' often spread out in a widely spared lin<' across a woods road, firPbrPak , or other op<'n ar<'a, <'Specially on establishPd deer trails. \\'hen the dPer is dri\pn from tlw dPnsc palnwtto or gallbcriPs, he (or she) may be walking slowly or hounding- quickly to the thickets on thP other sidP. fN this type of quirk snap shooting at short rang<', buck-

9

shot is almost essential. While shotguns with buckshot are also
legally used in North and Middle Georgia, they are becoming less common as hunters switch to longer range rifled slugs in shotguns or large caliber rifles, which are more accurate. Contrary to popular belief, rifles have failed to prodnce as many hunting accidents as shotguns, both nationally and in Georgia.
'While rifles are legal weapons in all parts of Georgia, their use in the legal dogging sections of South Georgia frequently is frowned on by local hunters. This feeling is probably justifiable when a line of standing hunters are strung out along an open road, especially if tree stands aren't used. But for still hunting, statistics and reason both indicate that the rifle is no more or less dangerous than a shotgun loaded with buckshot in the flat, thickly wooded areas of South Georgia.
In recent years, Georgia has seen the rise in popularity of a third weapon for deer hunting that most hunters gave up when the white man and his gun first arrived. This budding sport has flourished ever since the state allowed archers to enter the woods a month before the gun hunters several years ago in a special archery season. Similar early archery hunts are allowed on many state and federal game areas. There are several reasons why this special favor is possible, primarily beca use archers kill few deer. This provides for a longer period of hunting for more deer hunters with less damage to the deer herd.
Even more recently, the gap between modern gun hunters and archers has been filled by a ri sing interest in well preserved or modern reproductions of muzzle-loading rifles and shotguns. If you're interested in taking up deer hunting, before buying your equipment get a copy of the current hunting regulations from the Game and Fish Commission to make sure that the weapon you're considering is lega l.
Generally speaking, the best area of Georgia to get a shot at a deer is in the Middle Georgia sec tion where they have bem re-established during the past twentyfive years and where at IPast one day of either-sex deer hunting has been allowed in recent years. .Jones County at Gray, just north of Macon, has long been one of Georgia's most popular deer hunting counties, bot h because of its high d eer population and its large acreage of open National Forest Service land. Jasper cormty is perhaps as popular. Other unrrsr~ally good deer produci ng counties in the same area include Butts, Newton, Monroe, Putnam, and McDuffie. This list is expanding rapidly each year. Because of its more fertile soil and thus a greater abundance of feed, Middle Georgia regularly produces the largest racks and the heaviest animals.
In the mountains, some of the traditionally fine deer hunting counties in-

elude Rabun, Towns, White, Lumpkin, morning from daybreak until the middle

and Fannin. In Northwest Georgia, of the morning, then lie down to chew

Floyd, Polk, and Haralson Counties have their cud and rest until late afternoon.

high populations. A good area on the Ala- Then they resume feeding until after

bama line surrounding Fort Benning is in dark, sometimes staying up for most of

1\1uscogee, Chattahoochee, and Stewart the night. In describing habits of wildlife,

counties. In Southeast Georgia, Bulloch, every rule is made to be broken, and

Screven, and Jenkins counties are better deer are no exception. They sometimes

than average, along with the counties sur- feed and move about freely during the

rounding and including Fort Stewart. middle of the day. Feeding activity is

South Georgia deer tend to be generally generally greatest before a cold front

smaller than deer of the mountains and moves in or after a rain, regardless of the

Middle Georgia, especially the small time of day.

coastal island deer.

What all this means to the hunter is

Although there is adequate habitat for that his best chance to spot a deer moving

deer in most areas of South Georgia, deer along a trail or in a feeding area is early

populations are much lower than should in the morning or late in the afternoon.

be the case over a wide area, primarily During these times, it's a good idea for

because of heavy local poaching or free still hunters to get on their stands early

running dog problems, which are not lim- and stay there. During the middle of the

day, stalking is the most productive way

to hunt, if you don't mind the extra ef-

fort. Many hunters spend the middle

hours of the day eating lunch and resting

up for the afternoon's hunt.

Locating a good deer trail or feeding

or resting area to watch is an important

factor. This can be done by scouting an

area out before or during a hunt to deter-

mine where the trail or area is and wheth-

er or not it is being actively used by deer.

It helps to actually spot the animals them-

selves, but good indications come from

fresh tracks, droppings, broken twigs and

"rubbing trees", sure signs that a buck is

in the area and polishing his antlers on a

small sapling. Don't overlook the edges of

rivers, creeks, and swamps, because these

are favorite deer travel lanes.

While stalking, picking a stand, or

scouting, don't forget that deer have a

keen sense of smell, and that human odor

remains on dry ground for several hours

and even longer on wet ground. It's a

good idea to avoid stepping in or near a

deer trail that you plan to hunt irnmedi-

ited to South Georgia. Only time, better ately. Locate your stand so that the wind

dog control programs and better coopera- won't blow your scent in the direction the

tion from local law enforcement officials deer may come, and always stalk up-

and sportsmen alike will solve tlwse prob- wind.

lerns.

Georgia's deer hunting seasons vary

To be a successful deer hunter, it usual- from year to year in the various counties

ly helps to have a little knowledge of their and game management areas, as well as

habits, rather than relying on blind luck. the bag limits on bucks and / or does, so

Deer are considered brousing, rather than don't forget to request a current copy of

grazing animals, and they prefer the the hnnting and game management area

leaves of bnrshy plants, twigs, shrubs, regulations each year from the State

weeds, and fruits, especially acorns. A Game and Fish Commission in Atlanta.

stand or blind in sight of a heavy drop- Generally speaking, the state-wide archery

ping of acorns under an oak tree in well season i.<> in October, with the gun season

populated deer country is always a good in most of North and Middle Georgia in

bet. Honeysuckl e areas are also popular, November. The South Georgia season has

especially in a section where they are not begun in either October or No\"Crnber and

common. The edges of wintergreen graz- lasted until January in most years. Bow

ing patches such as rye grass or fescue hunts on the state and federal game man-

may produce a shot or two, llllt usually agement areas are usually in October and

on ly late in the afternoon. Does use su ch November, with the management area areas more readily than wary bucks, who buck hunts traditionally during Thank~-

frequently wait until dark to move into an gi,ing week , along with bonus hunts on a

open area.

few areas between Christmas and New

DefT customari ly feed early in the Year's.

0 ,

1

10

QUAIL

pl antation alm ost solely as a recrPation al area for Pntert aining business gtwsts, a lth ough some fa rming is cond nctPd wi th

livestock a nd timber opPrations. Bu t idPa l

GEORGIA is the Quail Capitol of th e W o rld. conditi ons for quail a rP created at the PX-

Other st a tes m a y grow m ore p Pachcs o r pensc of maximum income for the othPr

more cotton, but none grow m ore bob- ac tiviti es, the rPve rse of the usua l pri ority

whites per acre than GPorg ia . Th e spcti on on m ost fa r ms a nd la nd s.

of the state that long ago captured the

Basica lly, t he quail is a farm gamP spec-

undi sputPd champi onship o f the qu a il ies t h at t h rives in and a rou nd cu ltivatPd

hunting world for Georgia is cente red on la uds, although some quail arc fou nd in

the large plantations near Albany and wood s, swa mps, brush y areas and grass-

Thomasville in Southwest G eo rgia, al- la nd s. F or this reason, the b obwh ite

though fin e quail hunting is found a ll tlw th rived dming th e period w h en most of

way across South G eorgia t o W aynesboro G eorgia was cl eared of t irnbPr fo r hPa\'Y

on th e South C a rolina bordPr, which has agri cul tural opPra ti ons lik P growing rotton

long been known as the Bird Dog Capitol and other ro w crops. Qu ail fl ourishPd hy

of the W orld, and is tlw site of thP fa- ea ting the highl y nutntlous SPccl s of

mous field trials.

weeds that invariably grew as an unwan t-

G enerally spea king, thi s qu a il -ri ch coun- ed by- produ ct of rowc ropping. At the

t ry is the upper and lower coastal pl ain of sa m e tinw, th e prevailing practice of burn-

South Georgia, once und er the a nci ent ing th e pin Py wood s fl oo r to prod uce bet-

ter grazing for cattl e a nd h ogs greatly

stim ulated the growth of part ridge peas

and begga rwced , two stapl es of thP hob-

white's diPt.

Whil e thi s h a ppy set of ci rcu msta nces

prevailed , excellent quail hun ting was

rPa dil y avail able to even the m ost casual

hunter. In op en country, the bi rds held

well on th e ground, wa iting to th e last

minut e to fl y for cove r. But tod ay t hP pi c-

ture has ch anged drasti cally in m any

a rPas. Oncp cultivatPd fi elds h ave been

sown to p asture grass, which d oesn't p ro-

duct' as m a ny or as d Psirabl e sePd s as t he

sea, now a relatively fl at area where extf'n- wPcds around a cotton pl a nt did. M a ny

sivc fa rming operations and pine g-roves of the wood s a rPas a re n ow grown up

Pxtcnd as far as the eye can ~ec . This a bove eye level in gallberri es, palmNtos,

land is tail o r-m ad!' for qu ail , with just a nd other und esirablf' species for quail

the right mixture of woods, brush!a nd , tha t m a ke visibility diffi cult a t h Pst. Also,

ta ll grass a nd cropl a nd, the four psscntial m an y acrPs o f op Pn la nd h ave either bePn

rPquirem ents of good quail habita t to fur- pl a nt ed in pine tree seedli ngs or haw

nish the birds food a nd protec ti\'P cover bPf'n a ll owPd t o slow ly rPtu rn to a wi ld ,

from pred a tors a nd wea tlw r.

brushy conditi on, un til growi ng trPf'S

This is the land tha t a ttrac ted thP la te sh ade o ut the sm all seed p rod ucing

president Eisenhower and m a ny other fa- pl a nts on th e ground.

mous or wea lth y hunters to G eorgia each

The res ult h as bPen a rapid decrea se in

yea r , a nd which will continue to cxPrcise thP amount of good quail hunting la nd in

its m agic a tt rac tion for ypa rs to comP, as G eorgia, wh ich is refl ected in a stPad il y

lo ng as m en a re fa scinated by thP surprise d Pclining numbPr of qu ail h untPrs a nd

o f a covey bursting into fli gh t. Th P namPs the total bag of quai l th at thPy ta ke Pach

o f these quail hunting pl a nta ti ons are leg- yPa r. F or insta ncP, in tlw I962-63 sPason.

Pnd a ry: Bluf' Springs, N il o, I ch away, a survey by tlw State GamP a nd Fish

Kinderlou, Di-La ne a nd m any others. Commission in d icatPd th a t 13'1,000 G Por-

Their 0\\11ers a nd guests are among the g ians hunted q uail a total of 1,234,000

lucki est a nd most elite groups o f huntPrs clays, bagging 4,W>8,000 bird s, '' hi ch

in the world , wh PrP ta lk of bird dogs m ade quail hunting G eorgia's m ost popu -

and shotguns is sandwich ed in bctwPPn lar type of hunting tha t SP:tSOIJ. But by thP

thP businPss d iscussions of m ult imillion 1fJ G7 -fiR sPa so n, on ly 12 1,WR hunters st ill

do ll ar fi na ncial and ind ustrial empires.

songht qua il for 9R0,2RR clays, bagging

The fabu lous qua il hunting found on only 2,498,587 birds, p lac in g quail hu nt-

tlwsP p lan tat ions is a rPstdt of tl w h a ppy in in thi rd pl an~ lwhind squ irrPI a nd

combina ti on of thrPc PSsPnti al in gredi- ciPer hunting.

Pnts: good habita t, time a nd money. Pn- Although tlw fat(' o f q ua il hunting is

fortuna tPiy for the a\Prage land ownPr o r tiPd up inevita bl y with agrinrltnra l

qua il huntPr, without a ll thrPP, Pqual rP- tren ds, as long as rowrropping contintH'S

sul ts ca n't IJf' obtained PlsPwhPrP.

to ex ist in G eo rgia, qua il hunting in the

l\ fost of the pl a n ta tions arc o\\1w d by surroun di ng area wil l con ti mw to lw "thP

large cor pora tions or individ uals who Iwst in t lw world '. Enn in t lw thou~;mds

rnakP their m o ney in other arPa s, usin g thP 1 o f acres of nPw for Psts, good quail popu-

lations can be created by controlled burning of the forest floor und n m a tnrP trePs to stimulate the production of natural qua il foods. And on p ast ure a reas, sma ll patches of cover and food crops pl a nt ed along fence rows can lwlp rPpl acP some q uail habita t lost to grass or trees.
Although the coastal pl ain of Sou th Gmrgia wi ll continue to b e G eo rgia's fin Pst qua il hunting territory, good qua il hunting is found in the few remaining areas of the PiNlmont that sti ll h a\'e a row crop agriculture, or on areas of recPntly cleared o ut timhnl a nds bdorP tlw yo ung bushes and trees reach m a turit y. ' Vhil P th nP is some quail hunting found in NorthwPst Georgia, declining agri cult ure there is advnsp)y a ffpcting qu ail. n f'cause of the heavily wooded nature of the North Georgia moun tains and the coastal Sa ti ll a TPrrare fpw qua il a re found in Pither rPgion.
O f a ll of the five maj or typPs of hunting in thP state, quai l hunting is the hardPSI to obtain pPrrni s~ inn for , Ps1wcia lly if th e la ndowner is a quai l hunter him sp)f. T hi s sit ua ti on is complicated by the fac t tha t a lmost all of G eorgia's publicl y owned areas or private la nds whi ch are op en for public hu nting arc woodl a nds, whi ch supp ort few bobwh ites. AnothPr prob lem is th e fact that a fairl y la rge ac reage of o pen la nd is need ed fo r even a small num ber of qu ail huntn s. As a rPsult , few small farms are large Pnough to support much quail hunting.
For the out of state hunter with a short period o f time to spmd who d ocsn't m ind paying for what he gPts, G c01 gia 's twPnty comnwrr ial qu a il hunting prespncs a n' probably th e best a ns\\'cr. \\'hil P prPsPrvPs prim a rily off pr huntin g for pPnraisPd qua il duri ng tlw ir SJWr ial six- month season, man y of tlwm han' somP wi ld bird hunting as well during th P regular q u:1il sPa son, which norma ll y o pens abo ut NovPmber 20 a nd runs th rough the end o f FPhruary.
In additi on to gua ra ntePd sh ooting, most qu ail prcsPIT cs incl ude a guidP and a pa ir of wPII -trainNI bird d ogs iu thPir pri ce, whi r h may rangP from $3:-i for a half a da y's shooting to $100 a day or mo rP, somPt inws d PpPud ing on thP numbPr of bird s shot or rPlcasPd, sincP there is nn li mit on a quail presCITC for JWnraised bi rds. Some o f thP prcscrYPS also ha\'P fac ilit ies for meals and lodging at pxt ra cost. 1\fany also feature shooting for pPn-raisPd p hPasant'. A fpw ha\P dwk shooting ponds, and somP C\'Pil hold d ove shoots for wild bird~ dming tlw )Pga l seasons.
.\!t hough au occasional quail can lw bagr;-NI by a htmtPr flushing tlw bird~ up himsPif, Pslwciallv if lw know" thP cony locations wPil, tlw lwst rPsults and thP standard way of hunting quail for onP to thrPc hunters is using onP or morP bird doe;s to locate tlw qti<ItT\' and rPtriP\'P any downed or nipplPd birds hdorP tlwy arP

I I

lost in the lea ves. In G ro rgia, tlw short haired p oint ers are the mos t po pul a r bird d ogs, alth oug h longrr haired srtt ers arr a close second . Sprcialized re trievers. speciPs li ke L a borad ors, a re sPldom usPd by the average quail hunter. Unlike d Pe r or turkey hunting, qu a il huntin g isn ' t a ffec tPcl much by the tim e of the d ay, PXCPpt tha t on hot days bird d ogs work bettPr in th e early mornings a nd la te aft Prnoons.
The rea l a r t of qu a il hunting li Ps in th P ski ll of the hunter in shooting his qu arry on thP wing. Qua il a re no ted for thPir a bility to scare the da ylights out of a hunter as they burst from the ground with a sound that isn't too different from th e buzz of a sta rtl ed ra ttlesna ke, foll owPd by a swift escape through the trees and bmhes. It isn't un common for the a m ateur to bl ast awa y a t the entire covey, mi ssing them a ll. The experien ced hunt er ca lm ly picks out one bird to shoot a t, swinging with the bird and giving him plent y of lead. If single birds can be loca tPd a ft er the covey is sca tt ered , concent ra ting on one bird getting u p at a t im e is a much easie r wa y to learn good wing shooting.
Any size, m od el, bra nd or type of shotgun you can na m e can bP used for quail hunting, but most huntPrs p refer a gu n with a fairl y o pen ch oke, giving the n umber eight birdshot a wide r pa ttern and inc reasing the c han ces for a hi t.
Finding the best places to hunt quail is a technique lea rned onl y th rough expPri-
en ce. U sually, quail will be found most
o ft en nPa r fi eld borde rs, fe nce rows a n d the edge of a woods o r brush y area. FPw quail a re ordin arily sePn in d eep forest areas, although open pine woods can support a fair nu mber of bobwhites.
RABBIT
ALT HOUG H TH E RABBIT is usua ll y r a ted as Ameri ca's most hunted gam e a ni m al , he ranks a t the bottom of G eorgia 's fi ve most popula r species, which is still respectabk p opula rit y. In th e 1967-68 season, 112,6 11 licensed G eorgia hunte rs are est im a ted to h ave huntPd ra bb its 669,670 days, b agging I ,04 7,458.
During m a ny seasons, the rabbit h:1s been more p op ular, pri maril y in years wh en rabbit popul a tions wert> h igher and bPfore d eer and sq ui rrel popu la t ions increasPd to t heir present level.
But strangely enough, in the section of Georgia whPre rabbits arP the m ost pkntiful, they are the least popular with huntPrs. W hi le rabbit s a re common in all pa rts of GPorgia, they are the most numerous in Sout h Geo rg ia, PspPcia lly in the uppPr coastal p lain . Rabbits arc so m Pwhat )pss plentiful in t lw lowPr coasta l pl ain a nd in the Pied mont secti on . I n the m ou nt ains a nd N ort hwest Georgia's Li mPstonP V a lley and Lookout Plateau areas wherP rabbit h unting is most popular, rab bits arc 1 para d oxically in the shortest suppl y.

There a re four d istinc t spPc irs of rabbits in Geo rgia. The most common of tlwsP is th e East r rn co tt ont ail , whi ch is found in every Georgia county. Around North\\'CSt G eo rgia and Miclcl lP G Po rgia's swa mps a nd streams, a largPr sprciPs occurs, thr swa mp rabbit. It is known loca ll y as thr ca ne-cutter or " buc k" rabbit beca use of its size . I n t he densPr swa mps o f South G eorgia and th e Satill a Tnrace down to t he saltwater m a rshr s, th r ca nec utter is re pl aced by the d a rke r co lorPd a nd much sma ll er marsh rabbit. T lw fourth spec iPs, the New E ngland co tt onta il , is found onl y in the monnt a in.~ of Northeast GPorgia. About the same sizp as the m arsh rabbit, i t is sim il a r in a ppea ra nce' to th<' EastPrn cotton ta il , PXc<'pt for a black pa tch betwee n h is ears a nd h is p inkish-buff coa t.
L ike qua il , co tt onta ils flourish best on farms with extensive a reas of culti,a ted la nd int ers pers<'d with brushy fpn cc rows, occasiona l thickets, b r ush p il es a nd fairly open wo od .~. Apparen tl y t hP sanw d ecl inP in rowcropping wh ich h as ca used a de cli ne in G<'orgia 's qua il h unting is takin g its to ll of ra bbits, especia ll y in Nort h a nd M iddle Georgia. But at the same time th a t qu a il h unt ing is becoming more difficult in O\'ergrown arPas of South G eor_gia , rabbit h unti ng there is becoming more popular than it once was.
Whil e rabbits can occasiona lly be walked up by on P or more hun ters on foot, t he m ost popula r for m of h untin _g is wi th specia lly tr:1 ined bPaglr dogs, a brred crea ted for the purpose. B<'agles make _good rabbit dog~ because of thPir clear and <'asy-to-foll ow bark , endura ncP and sma ll size. Beagles run fast eno ugh to _givP a rabbit a good ch ase, but slow enough to he unab le to ca tch him lwfore the h unt<'r ca n get a shot.
Rabbit s somPtim es divP into h ok~ or burrows in thP ground to escap<', b ut frequen t ly th<'y will circl r back to approxim a tely th e sam e a rea where th Py wP r<' first ju m ped , offer ing t h<' wa iting h untPr a ch an ce on the return trip as lw crossPs a n opening.
Beca use most rabb it hunting invoh ps shooting a t nmnin_g targ<'ts, shot.guns wit h number four to six shot a re prefPtT<'d ovPr .22 rifl e~ by most hunt <'rs. Tlw li ttlP gnn is <'xcellent for persons keen-ey<'d enough to spot rabbits sitting in tlw ir ))('cis bdorP mnning o r for a crack sh ot at movi ng targc t s.
Clothes for rabb it hun ting should llP a bout th<' same as t hos<' worn hv a qu:1il hu ntPr, inc ludin_g b riar-proo f pants fo r hra y cO\'<'r, wa t<' rp roof hoots and a fairlv light \"<'St or coat for long walking trip~.
W h ilP rabbits can h<' huntPd at ;my t ime of thP d ay, Psp<'cially with clog~. thPy mov<' around much morP in tlw morning and latP a ftrrnonn. )r;\\ing morP scPnt trails for t he clogs to find and follow.
G<'orgia rabbits in a f,w arPas arP sub-

jcct to tu la re mi a or "ra bbi t fever" , tra nsmitted by spott ed ticks whi ch u sua ll y drop off ra bbit s for the winter a fter th e first ha rd freeze. Since any in fect<' d rab bit will usua lly cl iP wi thi n ten cl ays, wa iting until tha t long a ft er the freeze is the simplest way to avoid tul a remia, a lt hough thoro ugh cookin g d estroys the germs. T lw seaso n in G eorgia usuall y o pens ab ou t th at tim e, on or a round Novetn l)('r 20, approxima tely the sa m e as th P q ua il srason.
Altho ugh thrre a re fpw rabbits found on most of Georgia's forested publi c h unting a rPas, obt a ining perm ission to h unt rabbits on private land is fairly easy in most a rpas of the St a tP, espPcia ll y South G eorgia .
DOVE
GEORC IA is seco nd to no o thrr Southeast<' rn sta te for d o\<' shooting. In fact, h unting for this gr ey speedstPr of th<' September skies is neck a nd neck with q ua il hunting for the titlP of Georgia's most popu lar gam e bird. D uring t he 1967-68 season a survey indicatPd that I06,256 hu nt e rs spent 703 ,342 hours bagging 3,377,544 d ovPs ; 878,957 b ird s more th a n were ta kPn by quail hunt ers.
What makes the dove such a popular game bird? Speed, agility, plrnti fu l numbPrS a nd edibilit y. His h abit of congregating in large numbers over a recen tl y harvested grain field in the fall crea tes an id eal situa tion for a commu n ity _get-toge ther tha t is eagerly awa it ed by shooters each year, m a rk ing th e llPginnin_g of anotlwr hu nting season.
In the opinion of many sportsmen, the dove is the hard est to h it fl ying target that a huntPr can find. At the sight of a huntf'r or the sound of a gun, a do,e loafing lazily along can come to life likP th<' second stage booster of a Sa turn rocket, swoopi ng up, d own an d siclPways in both d irect ions like a bumblee with indigestion. Surveys by ammunition companies ind icate why Mr. Mourning D ow is so popular with the powder boys: thf' nationa l average is six shots for P\"Pry dme in th<' hag, or alnwst a hox of twrnty-fi,r shotgun slwlls for <'\"<'IT fom do\<'s killPd. O f coursP, to gPt an a\PragP, a lot of huntPrs ha\T to do better ... ,mel ,,. nse. But if hf' was Pasy to hit. lw probabh wou ldn't be rwarh as popular with hunters.
l 1nlikr quail, dO\"f'S r<'quirP watrr in a pool or :1 stream to drink. During- fairly dry periods when man~ sourc<'s of watf'r arc driPd up. watprholPs can provide some J!:OOd dmr shooting r~p<'ci:llh in the late :1fternoon. Shooting dO\ rs coming to roost at sunset can also prO\idf' fa,t, sporty shooting, but huntPrs must IJ<' carP ful not to shoot past lPgal sh<loting hours.
\fost dme hunting i~ found on hatTPstccl fi<'lds of corn. mil)Pt. milo, \\ lwat, p<'anuts, pPas, and grain sorghums. Thi~ is lwcausr dmp~ nPed harP ground or <hort

stubble to find food, and the fall harvest occurs just as young and old birds leave the nest. This type of hunting ordinarily should be done by enough hunt ers well distributed around the edges of the field to keep the birds from landing and fpeding.
If you expect to shoot many doves, don't try to play scarecrow by standing up in the middle of the field, especially wearing white or light colored clothes. 11ost hunters conceal themselves along a weedy fence row, under a bush or tree, or build a blind of small trees or corn stalks. Camouflage suits and hats are well worth the money for a serious dove shooter. The next most important thing is to lie as low as possible in your blind, motionless until the bird is in shotgun range. When you shoot, don't forget to swing your shotgun with the bird, lead him a few feet and pull. But don't be disappointed if it takes many shots to begin connecting. Even the best wingshots miss on doves, so stock up on shells: they don't sell them on dove fields. Don't shoot at birds flying low on the ground; you may pepper another hunter nearby.
Almost any gauge, action, and choke will do for dove hunting, although 12 gauge pumps or automatics are most common, using an improved or modified choke barrel and shot ranging in size from seven and a half to nine.
When looking for a place to go, as in quail hunting, it helps to know somebody, but invitations to a dove shoot are easier to get than those for quail hunting, since more hunters can be accommodated at the same time. \\Tith the encouragement of conservation agencies, farmers are more freqtwntly opening their dove fields to the public on a fpp basis, but finding out when and whPre these shoots will lw held is a prohlem unless you live in the area. One source of information is tlw local county wildlife ranger, or thP county agent, since both come in contact with many farmers. Some of the licensed com-

mercia! quail preserves also have dove shoots.
Why does Georgia have such a large population of doves? Many of the birds are born and raised here, especially those shot in September. But by the middle of November, almost an equal number of doves migrate into Georgia from the north, rapidly expanding the population. Since most of these migratory birds go to South Georgia, half as many hunters there take more than twice as many doves in both the early and late season than their North Georgia counterparts. There is little dove shooting on the Georgia coast or in the mountains of the Northeast, where grain fields and farms are scarce. Generally speaking the best dove shooting is found south of Augusta, Macon, and Columbus, the fall line at the top of the upper coastal plain.
Normally, the dove season opens in September for the entire state, closes in October, and opens again in December and January. This split season and the bag limit, as well as the regulations against "baiting" a field and the shooting hours for doves are set by the federal government, because the dove is a migratory species covered by the Migratory Bird Treaty Acts with Mexico and Canada. Georgia and the other states are given a choice of the opening dates of thPir seasons within a specified period for a specified number of half days of shooting.
The mourning dove is not a ground scratching bird like the quail, and it must find its food lying on top of the ground. This is the reason that it prefers small grains or other plant seeds that it can pick up, preferably off of bare ground in a cultivated field. Areas that have been recently burned over also fit this dPscription, because most weed seeds that doves prefer are highly fire resistant.
Generally speaking, the best dove shooting in Georgia is found in the same areas that produce tlw best quail hunting.

However, doves have benefited more than quail from recent inrrpases in the beef and dairy cattle industry, primarily because cattle and livestock feed crops such as corn, millet, lespedeza, oats and hay.
Curiously, this abundance of food for doves in recent years may well have had the effect of producing poorer hunting by spreading the birds out on a greater number of fields than were once available. In previous years when harvested small grains were found in only a few fields in each county, doves from a wider area were more concentrated. This situation may well become more severe in the future. Whether it is a blessing or a curse to dove shooters is still a matter of opinion, but at least doves are fairly well assured of not sharing the fate of their look-alike, the now extinct passenger pigeon.
WATERFOWL
THOUSANDS OF DUCKS and other species of waterfowl migrate to Georgia from the north each year, but duck hunting has never been widely popular in the State due to difficult hunting conditions, their relatively restricted habitat on wooded streams, swamps and marshes, the low bag limit, and declining numbers during recent years.
Most of Georgia's duck hunting occurs on the coast, but a fair amount of jump shooting from a floating boat can be found on many of the inland streams as well as on bPaver pond swamps, Pspecially for wood ducks. Occasionally, decoys arP used.
Geese shooting is virtually non-existent in Georgia. The major wintering grounds are to the south and the north, and NorthPrn geesP hunters have begun growing corn for the birds to keep them from migrating south in search of food. Because of this, hunting for the awkward coot IS more common than goose hunting.

Marsh hens (gallinules) arc the most popular migratory bird seco nd to du cks on the Georgia coast. They are hunt ed from a sma ll boat at tmu sua ll y high tid(s over the marsh grass, or along the mud hanks of sa ltwa ter creeks at low tid e.
Georgia has two state public waterfowl areas, the Altamaha Area at D;trien on the coast and the Lake Seminole Area in Southwest G eorgia near Bainbridge. The Savannah National Wilrllife Refuge is a lso open for duck hunting.
TURKEY
ONCE PLENTIFUL in th e entire eastern United States, the wild turkey is now virtua lly extinct on most of his former range. A survey in 1968 by the State Game and Fish C omm ission indi cated th at a huntable population exists in only thirt y- five of Georgia's 159 counti es, primarily in Southeast and Southwest Georgia on private plant;J tions a nd on game management areas in l\lidrll e and Nor th Georgia . Ex-
cept for spotty restoc kings, th e re~naining
turkeys are strung out up and down the hea \y CO\'er of th e major river a nd rreek swamps. Counting the eighty-seven co unti es th at have some turkeys, but not in hunt able numbers, there are thirty-five counties without any tmkeys at all.
Georgia's turkey habitat suffers from too many pine tree forests, but game biologists say there a re thousands of acres of suitable habitat, especially inland swa mps and extensive beaver pond areas where turkeys cou ld be success fu ll y restocked with ad eCJuate protection. The State Gam e anrl Fi ~ h Commission pl ans to accomplish this goal by raising wild tmkeys for trappin g and restockin g on th e State's newly acquired Sapelo Island Game l\fana gemcnt Area for a twenty-year ga me managemen t program similar to the one th a t so successfully restored deer to most of Georgia in the past twenty years.
The only areas currently open to the general public for turkey hunting are on the Chattahoochee National Forest in North Georgia and on several game management areas of the State Game and Fish Commission, prim ari ly huntin g for gobblers during the spring mating season. The area around Clark Hill ncar Augusta is one of the best a reas for tmkeys in Georgia. Spring turkey hunting re(juires comiderablc skill in usin g a tmkey ca ll that imitates a hen. Both rifles and shotguns arc used.
BEAR
lll!NTING for blark bear in G eorgia is \irtual ly a thing o f the past. For many years, the on ly bear season has been in the counties surrounding the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which has the highest bear and alligator population of any area in Georgia. Even here, the season

\\'oulcl probably have been closeel many years ago were it not for complaints from !we keepers of hears wnc king their hi,es. Still hunting for bears in this thick area is unhcarrl of; the onl y comm on method is the usc of dogs.
There are a few hears scattered out in tlw rest of Georgia, especially the North Gcor~ia rn ounta ius, but they an not numerous enough to be huntable.
SMALL GAME
RUFFED GROUSE are found only in the high a ltitude mountains of Northeast Georgia, where they are hunted with bird dogs or by still hunters seeking squirrels. Ample hunting areas arc available on Chattahoochee National Forest lands and on sma ll ga me hunts on State Game and Fish Commission management areas.
'Coon hunting is similar to Georgia rabbit hunting in that it is the most popular where raccons arc the rarest - the nearly dry hills and mountains of North Georgia , where pa cks of special ly trained cl ogs a re used to hunt th em at night.
In Sout h Georgia and the coastal sections raccoons are abundant, but there is little or no interest in hunting them. They arc considered pesky predators of the eggs of turkey, wood duck, quail and turtles. In recent years, rabies in South Georgia raccoons has been a problem .
y
Crows are fou nd in Pvery Ceor,gia county, although they are most abundant in South Georgia in thP fa ll . SitK P therP is no season or bag li mit on crows, do\'e shootPrs frequently hunt them to practice their markmamhip before the opening of thP hunting season, using rrow ca lls and owl decoys. A hunting license anrl plugs in shot guns a re rCCJUircd.
y
\Tot actually cons iclererl a ~alii<' spec ies in GPorgia, wild hogs that are r!Pscenclants of domestic stork _gone wild arc becoming more popular, primarily in the ri\'Pr swamps of ~firldl e ami South Ceorgia. D ogs are usually u~ed. In many areas hogs arc ~till wnsidcrcd privatP prnpPt y hy landowners. ll umers shoulrl he careful to sPrme permission lwfon hunting them.

Game biologists oppose th e introduction or cont in ued existence of hogs on ga me management areas because tlwy never lwcornc as numerous as deer and usua ll y cause a great deal of damage by rooting up vegetation, competin g for foorl with other animals and wallowing in trout streams.

Fox h unting is also a nocturnal sport us-

ing a pack of large hounds that once was much more common in Georgia than it is today. Due to the large amount of forest area, hunters often lose sight and sound of the ir dogs. In a few loca tion s, they are

sti ll hunted on horseba ck during the day.
y

A few hunters usc packs of dogs to hunt bobcats at night, along with some predator ca lling. Bobcats are found in almost Pvery county in G eorgia with large forests, but are most common in the river swamps of South Georgia.
y

'Possu m hunting is similar to coon

hunting. It is don e at night with a clog,
primarily by youngsters and occasionally
by th e raccoon hunters.
y

Wilson's snipe and Amer ica n woodcock

are two migratory game birds that are more popular in areas of the country not

as bl essed with quail hunting as Georgia is . Roth birds are commonly found in low wet areas around creeks, branches, beaver pon ds. lakes and swamps. \\'oodcock especially prefer alder thickPts along a rreck swamp.

Snipe arc almost impossibl e to hunt with a bird dog hccal!Se thP\" sPlrlom hold still for th e dog, flnshing whPn the

doc; comes near. They usually rise close to a walking hunter, within l.'i to 2i yards. W oodcork will holrl for a birr! dog trained for quail hunti ng.
The birds are slightly larger than bollwhite fjuail, hut thPy do not CO\"PY up in thP winter.
y

(;porgia's hunting season~. bag limit-;

and hunting regulations change from yPar

to year to meet changing game popula-

tions and other condition:;. A rmrent

ropy of each year's regulations may be ob-

tained hy writing the Sute GamP and

Fish Commission, 270 Washington St.

S.W., Atlanta. Ga., 301:H.

\it I

15

GEORGIA HUNTING AREAS

Dear Sportsman : This book has been written by the staff of the
State Game and Fish Commission in cooperation with Atlanta Magazine to help you find Georgia's best hunting spots.
The information on where to go, when, and
how to hunt in Georgia is a result of many years
of experience of Georgia 's dedicated game personnel and wildlife rangers . Increasing the enjoyment that hunters find on Geor gia's magnificent
f1eld s, forests, and waters is a primary goal of
the State Game and Fish Commission.
Thi s publication is a small token of our ap-
pre ciation to you and your feilo w sportsmen for your support of these efforts in the past, as well as the future.
Good luck, and good hunting !
Sincerely,
George T. Bagby, Director,
State Game and Fish Commission

HUNTING FACILITIES
Adamson's Hun ti ng & Fishing Camp. Roy Drt/!.Rers, 654-9058. Ga. 26 1 near G lenvi lle. Private Preserve- Deer, Turkey. Small Ga me. Du cks. Bru nswick Quai l Farm.J. W Harrington . 26513-18. -133 Old Jesup Hwy.. Brunswick. Private Preserve- Deer, Wi ld Hog. Q uail. Small Game, Ducks. The Callaway Gardens Hun tin~ Pre~erve . Dutch .\!artin. 6632281. Ga. IH near Pin e Mou n tain. Private Preserve-Quail. Cedar Springs Farm. J. B. Frie rson Ill. 539-2-127. Rt. I. Kensington, Ga . Private & Other Private Land - Deer. F1~h. Quail. Doves, Small Game. Edgewood Hunting Preserve.\\'. A. El.1lwny. 629-815-1. Hill City, Ga. Commercia l-Quai l. Doves, Pheasants. Ch ukkan. Fletcher's Lake Hunting Preserve , Bobby Ffetcl!e r, -1685800. U.S. 319 near Oci ll a. Priva te Preserve- Deer. Quail. Doves, Small Game , D uc ks. Grey field Lodge, Riel! Fergueson. 261--1377. Cumberland Island. Other Priva te Land- Deer, Small Game, Ducks. Hall Bros. Hunting Club. l\11: Hall. 35-1-728-1. Skidaway Island. Other Priva te Land-Deer. Wild Hog. Duc ks, Sma ll Game. Indianola Hunting Club. Thomas W Hodge, 242-Dl)()J. U.S. R-lnear Valdosta. Private - Quai l. Small Game. Jack Wingate's Fishing Lodge. Ja ck WinRate, 246.()658. Ga. 310 near Bainbridge. Private Preserve-Ducks. J. S. Wilson Hunts , Inc ..J. S. Wilson. -168-6-115 nr -168-6688. At Lake Jackson near Monticel lo . Private Preserve. Other Private Land & Public
Land - Deer. Quail. Doves. Small Game. Kinderlou Forest Hunting Preserve. Russel Holl'ell, 24446-14. U.S. 84 near Valdosta. Private Preserve-Quail. Kip's Fish Camp. Phillip Smith. R325162. Off U.S. 17 near Brunswick. Other Private Land - Marsh Hen. Marben Farm Hunting Preserve . Bil(l' Hester. 7863331. Ga. II near Mansfield. Privately owned land-Deer. Quail. Doves. Small Game. Ducks.
Pheasants. Marsh Hunting Preserve. 5875127. Off U.S. 301 near Statesboro. Fish. Quail. Merck's Quail Preserve. Walter Merck. 729-5520. Clarks Bluff Rd. near Kingsland. Private Preserve-Quail. Mobley's Bowhunting Preserve. Robert Mobley, 594-3361. U 5. 221 near Uvalda. Private Preserve & Other Private Land- Wild Hog. Small Game. N0tchaway Hunting Preserve, T W Rent::.. Off U.S. 27 near Colquitt. Private Preserve-Quail. Oconee Hunting Preserve. Curtis Purdee. 272-5081'1. Old River Road near Dublin. Private Preserve - Turkey. Wild Hog. Small Game. Parker's Hunting Camp.Jimm1 Parker. 545-3196 U.S ..lOt near Ludowici. Priva te Preserve - Deer . Turkey. Wild Hog. Small Game. Puloski Hunting Preserve, Wilhur Slade. 893-70-11 or 1'192-2208. Off U.S. 129 near Hawkinsville. Private Land & Public-Quail. Doves. Small
Game, Ducks. Pheasants. Red hone Farms Hunting Preserve. Nell' ton l\loye. 3581658. Off U.S. J-11 ne;~r B;~rne sville. Private Preserve - Quail. Dlnes. Riverview Plantation, 294-405K. Off Ga. Jll near Camilla. Private Preserve - Quail. Sportsm ., Shooting Preserve. Jame.1 L. Tootle. 427-.\2-15 or 4273J50. U.S. J-11 near Je~up. Private Pre~erve - Deer. Turkey. Wild Hog. Quail.
Doves. Small Game. fwo Way Fish Camp, Frank Culpepper, 265-8265. U.S. 17 near Brunswick. Public Land- Deer. Small Game. DucJ...s. Wayne Co. Hunting Preserve. H. E. ORe/en, 427-9180. Off Hwy. 3-11 near Jesup. Other Private land-Quail.