Georgia game and fish [Vol. 6, no. 12 (Dec. 1971)]

GEORGIA

DECEMBER1 1971

Jimmy Carter Governor
Joe D. Tanner Director
State Game & Fish Department
COMMISSIONERS
James Darby Chairman
Vidalia-1st District
William Z. Camp, Sec. Newnan-6th District
Leo T. Barber, Jr. Moultrie-2nd District
Dr. Robert A. Collins, Jr. Americus-3rd District
George P. Dillard Decatur-4th District
Rankin M. Smith Atlanta-5th District
Judge Harley Langdale Vald9sta-8th District
Clyde Dixon Cleveland-9th District
Leonard Bassford Augusta-1 Oth District
Jimmie Williamson Darien-Coastal District
TECHNICAL SERVICE DIVISION Jack A. Crockford, Assistant Director
Leon Kirkland, Fisheries Chief Hubert Handy, Game Management Chief
LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION R. K. Fansler, Colonel
Chief of Law Enforcement
Bill Cline, Major Deputy Chief, Northern Region
Calhoun (404) 629-8675
J. D. Atchison, Major Deputy Chief, Southern Region
Metter (912) 685-2145
David Gould, Major Supervisor of Coastal Fisheries
Brunswick (912) 265-1552

FEATURES

Hunting The Buffalo

Marcus B. Morehead 2

Bonus Bird

Aaron Pass 5

Wild Hog Hunt

Marvin Tye 8

1972 Tide Tables

11

Backyard Bonanza

Dean Wohlgemuth 15

How To Invite Ducks To Dinner

Dean Wohlgemuth 18

DEPARTMENTS

Sportsmen Speak

23

Outdoor World .

24

Sportsman's Calendar

25

ON THE COVERS

ON THE COVER : Decoys at da w n. A golden sunrise over still water, with decoys

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set and hunters in their blinds. But will the b irds com e in? To make sure that they

do, see " How To Invite Ducks To Dinner," by Dean H. Wohlgemuth on page 18.

Photo by Ted Borg.

ON THE BACK COVER : Many hunters pass up what can be rewarding hours spent hunting the woodcock; erratic, swift and unp red ictable of flight . For a discussion of hunting this challeng ing game b ird read " Bonus Bird," by Aaron Pass on page 5. Photo by Jack Crockford.

Oiiilia ufish

December 1971

Volume VI

Number 12

G e orgia Game and Fish is the official monthly magazine of the Georgia Game and Fis h Departm ent, publish e d at the De partment' s offices, Trinity -Washington Build ing , 270 Washington St., Atlanta , Ge orgia 30334. No advertising accepted . Subscriptions are $1 for one year or $2 .50 for three years. Printed by Will iam s Printing Company, Atlanta, Ga . Notification of address change must include old address label from a recent magazine , new address and ZIP code, with 30 days notice . No subscription requests will be accepted without ZIP code. Articles and photographs may be reprinted when proper credit given. Contributions are welcome, but the editors assume no responsibility or liability for loss or damage of articles, photographs, or illustrations. Second-class postage paid at Atlanta, Ga .

PUBLIC RELATIONS STAFF Pho ne 656 -3530

Dean Wohlgemuth, Chief Editor

Bob Wilson Manoging Editor

Jim Couch Photographer

Marvin Tye Press Services

Ben Gunn Audio-Visuals

Aaron Pass Special Publications

Margaret Howard Circulation

EDITORIAL

Is There Still A Place For Hunting?

Hunting has always been a way of mostly by immigration, hunting pres- other words, the federal government

life for mankind. Many years ago, sure increased . There were absolutely would pay three-fourths of the cost

man hunted out of necessity for food. no controls on hunting at this time. of these projects.

I Nowadays, hunting is done for pleas- "Meat hunters" and "market hunt- The most recent excellent example

ure and for sport.

ers" slaughtered game at an alarming of how this works is Sapelo Island.

In recent years, the public opinion rate, and before long, game popula- This island was purchased about two
... of hunting has drastically changed. tions dwindled so that some species years ago to become a state wildlife

In the past it had always been ac- became extinct or virtually so.

refuge, to be used to raise deer and

cepted readily, but since the Gun Let us take a look at Georgia his- turkeys for stocking. The purchase

Control Act of 1968 and events lead- tory in wild game population. As price was just under $1 million. Of

ing up to passage of that act, public recently as 40 years ago , there were this, the state paid one-fourth, the fed-

opinion has gone more and more in indeed very few deer in our state. In eral government paid three-fourths.

the other direction.

the year 1928, the last known deer All work done on this island will be

To many persons, hunting is of- in the north Georgia mountains was under the same basis, with us paying

fensive , and to some even cruel. killed , having been chased down with one-fourth of the cost and receiving

There are those who say there is no dogs. If, after that, anyone saw a the rest from Pittman-Robertson.

place in our society for hunting, deer anywhere in the state, the news- It is true that in an envronment

since it is no longer necessary for papers carried the story. What few uninhabited by man , wildlife popu-

survival. They claim it has depleted deer there were, were to be found lations tend to balance each other,

our wildlife, and that it is barbaric only in the Okefenokee Swamp, or through predation , competition for

and undesirable.

on lan~e south Georgia plantations. food and other factors limiting food

Hunting does yet, very definitely, Federal legislation was passed in and cover. However, populations of

have a place in our society, and is the early 1930's which began to slow- wildlife of this type are not really

necessary if we are to have an abun- ly reverse the trend. Of course, the healthy populations. Nor are they

dance of wildlife. A close look at sale of hunting licenses provided stable. They fluctuate greatly.

the present day situation will point funds for the State Game and Fish Under a careful management pro-

out these facts.

Commission to begin conservation gram, which is possible only through

First, let's go back a bit into the and restoration work. But the fed- efforts of a conservation agency sup-

history of wildlife and its populations. eral legislation provided for an 11 ported by the hunter through license

When white settlers first came to the per cent excise tax to be placed on fees and funds from P-R, much

continent, there was abundant wild- the sale of firearms and ammunition higher and healthier populations are

life. Hunting pressure was very, very under the Pittman-Robertson Act. possible . And the populations of

low. Yes, there was some hunting at This tax money could only be used game are much more stable.

that time , carefully controlled hunt- for wildlife management. It was pro- The reason that we now have very

ing. The Indians hunted for the meat rated back to the various states on high deer populations in the state is

they needed , but were very careful not three factors: population of that state; because we've had these funds to

to be wasteful. Therefore, you'd have revenue fr(jm this tax collected in that stock and protect deer. And as a

to say this was controlled hunting. state; and participation by that state's matter of fact , there are now many

There has never actually been a time conservation agency.

more deer in Georgia than there were

in this world when there was no hunt- Pittman-Robertson or P-R funds before white men ever set foot on

ing at all , except in certain relatively work this way: for every dollar a Georgia soil!

small areas.

state would spend in a wildlife man- Since deer is one of the best ex-

Upon arriving in America, the agement program approved by the amples, I'll stay with this species a

white man also began hunting to fill federal government, the P-R program while longer. Let us say that we had

his needs. As the population grew, would add three more dollars. In

(Colltillued on Page 22

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HUNTING THE- BUFFALO!
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By Marcus B. Morehead
Photos by Sam Pate, Jr.
o , this isn't a story about odiferous men in buckkins crawling up on a herd of Bison bison bison, and th e se tting isn't in Wyoming, Colorado, or Montana. It 's about a place th at tee ms with ducks , woodcock , swamp rabbit, quail , deer, and bobcat, and it's all within an hour's drive of Atlanta!
Buffalo Swamp is located in Carroll County, due we t of Atlanta . The swamp itself is about ten miles long and at its max imum, a half-mile wide. If you haven't heard about it before, don't feel slighted, for man y people in Carroll County don't know it exists. And so me of those who do aren't about to go nea r it.

in the summertime, fighting snakes, briars, and bugs for a chance to haul out one of the over-sized bass which inhabit it , but the swamp really comes into its sporting own during the hunting season.
Unlike the Alcovy swamps, or the Okefenokee, Buffalo Swamp is small. You can't set a canoe in midstream and expect to cover the interesting spots . No , my friend , if you want to get to know Buffalo, you've got to hoof it ! Oh, you could put a canoe in it , if you were hung up on portaging, for every fift y feet or so th at's what you'd have to do .
To hunt th e Buffalo you need chest waders (or, if you're nimble and knowledgeble, hip boots) . The wading is rough , over fallen logs, stump holes, through beaver canals. You also need a fla shlight, for if you hunt it in the morning, you 'll need to start out well befo re dawn , and if you hunt it in the afternoon , it'll be d ark before you come out. I suspect it is the rigor

The swamp is at least 150 years old, maybe older.

The cree k flowing through it (Buffalo Creek, naturally)

reaches its base level several miles before it empties

into the Littl e T all apoosa River, and its waters over-

flow into the low-lying areas which make up the swamp.

Beave r work the swamp , but they aren't its cause.

Perh aps it is the result of th e rape of the land by cotton

cropp ing during the 19th Century. Other swamps are

' . ~ presumed to have originated this way , with the streams
silting up b y the fast-paced erosion of the newly ex-

. I posed topsoil. Or, Buffalo Swamp could h ave been the

result of the natural wandering of the creek and the

river, the latter moving enough to deny easy access to

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its flank s. We are not sure yet, and may never know , but there's a certain group of sportsmen (from C arroll

County and elsewhere) who are thankful the swamp is

there, regardless of the reason!

There are brave men who venture into the swamp

involved which so far has limited the number of hunters in th e swa mp . Oh , you can pu ssyfoot around the edges , all right , as I've see n some do . And if yo u h ang aro und long enough , you can congratulate the hunters who struggle out carrying the game.
Why hunt Buffalo? If you don 't have a weekend to go to Dari en, or to Seminole , but h ave a mornin g or afternoon and want some ducks , th at's why. Or if you'd like to find out how yo ur po inter or setter stand up aga in st Mr. Timberdoodle. Or, if yo u're sick and tired of bird s sa iling after the covey rise clear into A labama , and would like to get so me big, fat , native bobwhites. Or perhaps you'd just li ke to see so me country within an hour's drive of A tl anta that h asn't changed much in a hundred years!
All of Buffalo Swamp is loca ted o n private property, so you'll be adv ised to ask permi ss ion from the local property owners first. For general advice, I'd stop at

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Johnson's Bait and Tackle Shop near the city limits of Carrollton. Carroll County people are still Southern people, and the hospitality of this town compares with any other, anywhere!
For the duck hunter, the swamp has its good share each season of blacks, mallards, green-wing teal, and pintail. The wood duck, of course, is king here, but last season I killed 18 birds, none of which were woodies (six black, twelve mallards). A friend of mine harvested 47 ducks from the swaJTip last season, about ten of which were woodies (he's even nuttier than I about duck hunting, visiting the swamp on 34 occasions between December 2, 1970, and January 20, 1971).
Leave most of your decoys at home. In the swamp, five or seven (we never set out an even-numbered spread) are all that you need. Geese do not use the swamp, but a floating goose decoy or two helps assure the wary blacks that they can land. Have a local fellow with you , or bring a buddy, for the swamp may not be big, but it's a swamp, and after dark the landmarks hide.
Last season , a local preacher went in the swamp by himself. He got some ducks, and it grew dark on him as he was wading out. He had gone in alone, but on his way out he picked up a buddy, a bobcat! The cat trailed him all the way out, screaming every so often. That's one preacher who'll never go into the swamp again , alone! I tried to convince him that the cat

wouldn't have bothered him , but his saucer-~ized eyes

told me I wasn't getting through ...

Deer tracks cover the swamp, and the local expert

deerslayers tell me that, when the going gets rough, all

the trophy bucks retire to the swamp. In the wilder

parts of the swamp I have found turkey feathers, too.

Around the edges of Buffalo are many bevys of the

old, big bobwhite. Apparently they are the vestiges of

yesteryear, surviving because they invariably plummet .

deep into the swamp's bosom when threatened.

The swamp itself is a thing of beauty to an outdoors- man, and a reminder that once this land, Georgia, be-

longed to the game. Maybe eastern buffalo, extinct now,

wallowed in its depths, and the Creek Indians (and

later the white man) named the swamp after them.

It's unfortunate that many Georgians view such places

as empty backwaters: "Wait'll we clear that swamp

out," they say, and I, for one, along with the ducks, the

bobcats, and the beaver can wait. Channelization, often

jutifiable in terms of economics and real estate, has

erased many of our local swamps, and such progress

may one day render Buffalo Swamp into a Holiday

Acres Subdivision. The eastern buffalo won't mind, for

he's passed from the scene, but what about the other

creatures? How about your son or grandson? Where

will he find his game? If we aren't careful, he'll have

to go to the history archives , and read about it in under

Odd Sports of the Twentieth Century . . .

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The low ground around the edges of the swamp contains woodcock (during their migrating ventures), swamp rabbit, deer, and an occasional bobcat.
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Th e long, flexible beak allows th e woodcock to probe underground for earth worms, th e principle food item of th e bird. Note th e bell on th e inquisitive pointer's collar; th e tinkling bell enables th e hunter to fo llow th e dog's progress in heavy cover.

BONUS BIRD

By Aaron Pass
Photos by the Author
Thetwo qu ail hunters breasted into the heavy brush
alo ng the creek bottom and found the setter locked on a solid point, with the pointer backing. Expecting one of the singles from the quail covey they had just flushed up on the hill the hunters strode past the point and nothing happened . Confused they stood with their guns at ready until one spoke, " He must have heard us and got up. " At the sound of his voice, the bird rose on whistling wings and bore off into the swamp. Two hasty shots were mi ssed as the bird dodged through the trees, then he turned in flight and was neatly dropped as he crossed in front of the hunters.
The pointer found the dead woodcock first and stood over it in bewilderment. He had been trained to retrieve game for his master but the plump long-billed bird at hi feet neither looked, smelled nor tasted like the qu ail he was accustomed to. Soon the hunters came and picked up the bird. Calling it a "snipe," they com-
.. mented on it artful dodging in flight and returned to serious qu ai l hunting. The American woodcock is known variously as timberdoodle, long-bill and even snipe, due to hi s superfic ial rese mbl ance to the Wil son snipe, and is regarded a an excell ent game bird . Although migratory, he is considered as upl and game and in some circles the

woodcock tops the list of preferred targets . The center of woodcock hunting is probably the northern states and southern Canada, where a number of dedicated hunters pursue the timberdoodle as a primary game bird. In most areas, however, woodcock are usually taken incidentally while hunting other game species. Thi is particularly true where ruffed grouse are the primary gamebird , since grouse and woodcock often share the same cover.
Hunters in the southeastern states seem to neglect the woodcock as a game bird, and with the exception of Louisian a, the Southeast has a very light timberdoodle harvest. This is parti ally due to the fact that quail are th e number one upland species in this region . Quail and woodcock have different h abitat requirements and quail hunters seldom venture into woodcock territory exce pt when they are seeki ng birds from a scattered covey a related earlier. The lack of knowledge concerning woodcock habitat and hunting techniques result in few birds seen, consequently most Southern hunters aren't aware of the hunting potential fo r this sporty ga me bird.
Loui sia na does recognize the potenti al and its annual harvest is equal to all the other southern states combined. Previous investigations in Louisiana have

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A dog becomes a l'aluable asset when a bird is downed in heavy cover, such as th e switch cane above, sin ce the bird is well camouflaged against the forest floor. Not all bird dogs will retrieve a fa llen woodcock, but most will "hunt-dead" and assist in locating it.

Th e hunter at left moves in on a woodcock point in a thick stand of swamp privet; a preferred type of cover for this migratory gam ebird. Woodcock usually hold well for a bird dog, and this pointer had little trouble although it had been trained on quail.

Jed some writers to conclude that 80 % of the woodcock produced in North America winter in that state. More evidence suggests that large wintering populations probabl y ex ist throughout the Southeast. Further banding ex periments should cast more light on this , and any hunter killing a banded woodcock (or any other spec ies) should take the trouble to return the band.
Woodcock have been pretty much of a mystery bird over the years due to their secretive nature and nocturnal habits. Migrating at night, a flight of birds would uddenly arrive in an area only to seemingly vanish a few days later. They also feed by night flying into fields and openings to feed on earthworms, which constitute a major part of their diet. Woodcock are seldom seen by day except when they are flu shed from their resting pl aces in th e swamp and on adjacent hillsides.
Th e di stincti ve bill of the woodcock particularly adapts it for secu ring its favored food. Using the long, flexible bill as a probe , the birds find and catch earthwo rms underground. Therefore moist, soft earth and a pl entiful supply of worms are prime considerations for woodcock cover.
Due to the earthworm diet woodcock are particularly susce ptible to pers istent, inorganic pesticides. It is not yet known if the pesticides contribute to any significant direct mortality, but hi gh leve ls of poison residue have been found in some birds from an area in Canada in which there was an in sect control program. To date, no birds have bee n found which exceed U .S.D .A . maximums for human consumption.

Another serious threat to woodcock hunting is loss of habitat, and anything which tends to eliminate the swampy areas in the flood plains of rivers and creeks is striking directly at prime woodcock habitat. In the South there are presently two programs which have a significant negative impact on those areas which woodcock favor. The draining and clearing of river bottom hardwood swamps, and their resultant conversion to agriculture is one negative influence, and the increas ing number of impoundments on Southern rivers is another. In one case the land is drained and radically altered and in the other it is flooded , but in both cases large hunks of prime woodcock habitat are lost.
The recognition of good woodcock habitat is the key to successful hunting, for these coverts tend to concentrate the birds and provide consistent shooting. In Georgia this is usaual!y a river or creek bottom where the fertile soil assures plenty of earthworms. Fields in these bottoms are also used for night fe eding excursions, while forested areas are used for daytime resting cover. A good understory of such plants as swamp privet, honeysuckle, greenbriar and switch cane seem especially attractive to the birds. In the best areas this understory wi ll be thick , but in more open woods isolated patches of cover will oftimes harbor birds if any are present in the area.
Woodcock, being migratory, are noted for their sudden appearance in a covert and, in the areas where woodcock hunting is popular, the arrival of the "flight"

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i eargerly anticipated. In Georgia the migration begins to arrive in force in early December and remains fairly concentrated through mid-January. To discover the arrival of the flight the hunter should begin checking likely areas in late November for probe holes and the chalky white droppings, which are descriptively called " whitewash."
Because the birds tend to concentrate in relatively small areas, several coverts should be located for hunting to avoid shooting one out. D on't expect a dyed-inthe wool timberdoodle man to show you "his" hunting places; most woodcock hunters are as secretive as the bird they hunt. Bribes may be effective, however, and a gift of a new car, a handcrafted English double or a imilar trinket might gain you an invite to his second or third be t covert.
Since woodcock hunting mean walking, it's a mistake to dress too warmly, but owing to the nature of the bird' preferred haunts , briar protection wi ll save a lot of needless bloodshed. Safety colored hunting clothes can al o avoid bloodshed because the woodcock 's errati:: flight pattern often brings him near other hunter in the same party.
Most shot in a typical woodcock covert will be at clo e range at a rapidly moving bird dodging around trees. This type of shooting call s for a light , fast-pointing hotgun , 12-28 gauge, with an open choke. Skeet
This cover is a bit too open for woodcock which prefer more grotmd CO I'er, but th e birds are oft en found near isolated clumps of understory. Th e use of brightly colored clothin g is highly recomm ended for woodcock hunting, particularly in denser cover.

guns are excellent, except they are usually a bit heavy.

Dogs are a vital element to a successful hunt, if not

solely for their practicality, then for the esthetics of the

thing. While woodcock can be walked up by a lone

hunter who thoroughly works good cover, it seems al-

mo t a sacrilege to shoot this classic upland bird in the

ab ence of a good dog. The woodcock's excellent cam-

ouflage is an immensely practical reason for having a

dog since many downed birds would otherwise be lost.

Although some dogs will not retrieve a woodcock , most

will "hu nt dead" and locate one, standing over it until

the hunter arrives.

There is no "best" breed of bird dog for woodcock ,

and all of the pointing and flu hing breeds have been

used succe sfully. The dense cover where woodcock are

normally hunted does call for a close working dog, and

Brittany spaniels and German short-hair pointers are

well thought of in timberdoodle circles.

The woodcock is pursued by a relatively small but

inten e group of devotees, and after shooting at this

tricky upland game bird it's easy to understand their

enthusiasm . One expert has gone so far as to label the

sport as addictive. The real allure of woodcock hunt-

ing i beyond the expla nation of simple words as are

most thin ~s which are more than the sum of their parts.

It is something that must be experienced to be under-

toad , and once experienced it calls you back.

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Our thanks to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study whose assi stance and personnel made this story and these photos possible. Spa cia I thanks to Sam Pursglove and Gary Doster whose research paper, The Woodcock as a Game Bird Resource in the Southea stern U.S., comprised the major teference material for the story .

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WILD HOG
HUNT
By Marvin Tye
Jerry Green points out boar sign on his hunting preserve near Na ylor. Freshly used wa llows, fresh tracks or rooted up areas indicate that th e animals are frequently using an area. Th e hunter who concentrates his efforts near such sign is m ost likely to score.
Photo by Marvin Tye
Each year a growing number of hunters inquire about the possibility of hunting wild boars in Georgia. One of the most frequently asked questions is, "Are there any wild boars in the state?" This question could be answered two ways. In the strict sense of the word, there are no wild boars native to North America.
We do have feral hogs which are descendants of domesticated breeds. Generations of survival in the wild have created an animal that resembles the original European or Asian wild boar in the same manner that a feral dog will resemble a wolf. Some breeds of dog closely resemble their savage ancestors and the same holds true for certain types of swine.
The term boar is intended to describe a male pig, but it is used rather loosely to describe wild hogs of both sexes. Any wild boars or wild hogs found in Georgia are classed as non-game animals and are considered the property of the landowner. The hunter who shoots such an animal without permissiOn on privately owned land could be arrested on a variety of charges.
This situation was brought about by the practice of free range in the 19th Century and early part of the t 20th. At that time, hogs, cattle and other animals were allowed to roam over much of Georgia's woods and countryside. The animals were rounded up or killed when the owner was ready to eat or sell them. Some hogs were identified by brands or tattoos placed in their ears.
In an effort to curtail illegal poaching of deer, the Game and Fish De-
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partmcnt has made it ill egal to hunt any non-game ani mal (including wild hogs) with any weapon other than shotguns with number 4 shot or sma ller, .22 rim fire rifles , centerfire rifle with bore diameter .225 or smaller, all ca liber pistol s, muzzle loadi ng firearms and bows and arrows.
The Department encourages the hooti ng of wi ld hogs in some of its ma naged area . but o nl y during deer sea o n. Bio log ists cia the hogs as an undesirable specie on most of the managed la nd in the mountains. They compete with deer and turkeys for food, root up valuable plant life a nd wa llow in trout strea m , m ak ing th em muddy and unfit fo r much aquatic life. The e hogs are descendants of free- roam ing pi gs fro m the open r ange days .
During the regular firearms deer sea on only, hun te rs can shoot wild hogs wi th firearms used for deer hunting . So me hog hunting i avai lable on Bullard Creek and Suwannoochee Wildlife Management Areas. As in the mo untain s, thi s activity is allowed onl.y during the deer hunts and not during any small game hunts.
There are places other than the managed area where the hunter can find good hog huntin g. One of these i Fort Stewart . On this large military reservation located near Sava nn ah in the sou thea tern corner of the state, hunte rs are limited to fo ur hogs per season. These may be of any size or either sex. These four hogs may be taken all on one day or at any time during the hunting seaso n. Hogs a re abundant on the military reservation. In fact, during the fir t few da ys of the 197 I archery deer season hunters bagged six deer and five hogs.
In addi tion to the regu lar G eorgia hunting lice nse or arche ry license, th e hog hunter mu st have a Fort Stewart permit which se ll s for $3 per yea r fo r military perso nnel, $ 10 per year for civilian employees and $50 per year for civilians not employed on the base. Thi also e ntitl e the h older to fi hin g privileges on the reservation. Da il y pe rmit a re available for a cost of $5 per day . As a n alte rn ate, the bow hunte r can purcha e a n a nnual bow huntin g permit fo r $20 per year. The tota l number of annual fis hin g a nd huntin g permits to be . o ld u uall y is 500 on a first come first se rved bas is. Tot al number o f one-day hunting permits to be i ucd

Predominantly hardwood forests along rier bottoms are prime spots fo r findin g wild hogs. Two G eorgia hunting presenes carer to bowlwnrers with rates of $5 per da y for an unguided hunt. One
of these is near U valda , th e other
near Na ylor.
is determined by trai ning requirements but in 1970 it did not exceed 200 for any give n day. For the latest information on regulations and permit ava il a ble, the inte rested hunter hould contact the Provost M ars hal Fort Stewart , G eo rgi a.
For the ma n who wishes to do his boar hunting exclusively wi th bow a nd a rrow, two fine areas are ava ila bl e. On e of th em is M ob ley's B owhunting Preserve ncar Uvalda. R obe rt M o ble y, owner of thi s trac t of land has 2.700 acres of predominately hardwood river bottoms alo ng the banks of th e Altamah a re ervcd for archers. o guns o r dogs are allowed . for a lim it of o ne wild hog per clay. Camping o n th e la nd i free for the hunte r.
Thi s area ha a good wi ld hog population th at is growi ng each year. In March of 1969 I was o ne of 20

Pho to by Marvin lye
bowhunter who took pa rt in a hunt at Mob ley's. Four of the archers bagged wi ld hog . mo t of the hunters saw hogs and a number of them took shot but failed to connect. Orga nized hunts arc usua lly held on th e prese rve around the Labor D ay weeke nd a nd again in ea rl y spring. Mob ley can be contacted by calling (9 12) 594-336 1.
J erry Green of aylo r runs the on ly o th er bowhunting preserve operati ng in Georgi a . He has I,800 acre in Lowndes County alo ng th e bank of the Alapaha Ri ver one mile ca t of Naylor off U . S. 84. The la nd co nsi ts of hill sides covered wi th oak , palmetto thicket . tand of pine and so me ri ve r swa mp. ide al habitat for wi ld hogs and ot her ga me. Gree n a! o a ll ow the bowhu nt er to take whitetai l deer in seaso n. Camping is free unle ss the hunter makes u e of elcc-

Photo by Bob Wilson
It is possible for archers and nwzz/e-/oading enthusiasts to hunt wild hogs throughout th e year provided th ey have th e perm ission of th e landowner. Use of high powered rifles is restricted to dee r season.

trical hooksups. The hunter may take one wild hog per day. Sows with suckling pigs are strictly off limits. Organized hunts are sometimes held at Green 's preserve in September and March. In this case the term organized hunt is used rather loosely. It simply means that a large number of hunters , usually about 20 or so, are on the place at one time. Chances are high that this number of hunters will keep the game moving and give the archers a better chance to score. For more information you can write Jerry Green at Route 1, Naylor, Georgia, or call him at (912) 2446458.
There are no guides furni hed at either Mobley's or Green's hunting preserve. The archer simply pays his fee camps out and goes hunting. There is also no guaranteed kill. Some score, others don 't. There is plenty of game and chances are good that the skilled hunter will get a chance to bag a good boar.
For those who like guaranteed hunts, Walt Hall and the Hall Brothers Hunting Club offer such a setup on 15,000 acres of forest land in the southwe t corner of Chatham County. They furnish food , equipment, dogs , lodging and guides. By equipment, they mean trucks, boats or other vehicles needed to reach the hunting area. In addition the successful hunter must pay a fee for a large trophy boar or a lower fee for a nontrophy animal that may be used for food . The Hall brothers have operated for a number of years on Skidaway Island and have just rcently moved their operation to the main-

land. It was not uncommon to see large droves of hogs on Skidaway Island, ranging in size from suckling pigs to tremendous old boars. On one trip to the island late in the afternoon I observed at least 75 of these animals in about two hours time.
Walt said that the new hunting area he controls is even better habitat for wild hogs and should provide excellent hunting. You can contact him by writing to Hall Brothers Hunting Club, Route 4, Box 392, Savannah, Georgia, or by calling (912) 354-7284. These men alJow hunting with firearms as well as bows and arrows.
The wild hog has been called an excellent, extremely wary game animal and a stupid creature that can be approached with ease. He has been called vicious by some, while others claim that he will run away from a fight every time. The truth lies some-
A boar with tusks this large can be
dan gerous. Extrem e caution should be taken when approaching a
wounded animal. If you down a boar, be
sure that he is dead before touching him.

where between these extreme views.

Like every wild animal the wild

hog will avoid contact with humans

whenever possible. The wilder the

animal , obviously, the warier he is.

An animal that is descended from

several generations of wild stock will

be almost as spooky as a deer and

will look somewhat like the original

European or Asian wild boar. An

animal that has just strayed from

capitivity may look just like a barn-

yard pig and be no harder to ap-

proach .

Regarding the question of danger,

a mature wild hog has a pair of sav-

age tusks that can cripple a man with

ease. Both domestic and wild hogs

have killed men on numerous occa-

sions. A wounded boar may try to

kill the man who shot him or he may

try to escape. The second possibility

is more likely.

A sow with young is more likely

to attack than an old boar. There are

those who believe that neither a boar

nor enraged sow with young will

press through on a charge if the man

stands his ground. It is an interesting

theory, but I don't care to test it.

The wise thing to do is to be ex-

tremely cautious when dealing with

these large animals. If you have shot

a big boar and think it is dead, ap-

proach it from behind. Be certain it

is dead before you touch it. A second

shot from close range is good insur-

ance.

The best time to hunt wild hogs

is during the colder months of the

year when insects and snakes are not

overly active or abundant. They are

an interesting species that are well

worth the hunter's time.

,_

Photo by Marvin Tye

10

Hoping to help you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, filled with pleasant~ fruitful days afield and afloat, this Tide Table for 1972 is furnished to you, complhnents of GAME & FISH Magazine for your use in coastal fishing and hunting. Carefully tear it out of your magazine, then fold it and put it in your tackle box, hunting coat, or wherever it will always be handy, for use all year long. It is the only Tide Table that will be published in the magazine this year.
To keep up to date on everything about hunting and fishing in Georgia, keep up your GAME & FISH subscription. For new subscriptions, send $1 for a year or $2.50 for three years to GAME & FISH Maga zine, 270 Washington St. , S.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30334. For renewals, please furnish the address label off your latest issue. For your convenience, use the coupon in the magazine.
And don't forget .. . gift subscriptions can handle all your Christmas shopping needs r conveniently and inexpensively ... and you can't give a better gift to a sportsman!
Here's wishing you Happy Holidays and the best in outdoor sports!
The Staff
P.S. Please remember ... be a good sportsman. Obey all Game and Fish regulations. And don't litter!

1972 GEORGIA TIDE TABLES

Times given are Eastern Standard-adjust for Daylight Saving by adding one hour.

Calculations are for Savannah River Entrance. Corrections for other locations can be made by using the accompanying tidal difference data. Merely add or subtract the correction as indicated for the specific location.

2707 2715
2719 2727 2731
2733 2739 2743
2747 2749 2757 2761

GEORGIA

DIFFERENCES

Time

High

Low

Water Water

Savannah River
Tybee light Port Wentworth

-0 08 -015 + O 33 + O 41

Tybee Creek and Wassaw Sound
Tybee Creek entrance . Thunderbolt Isle of Hope, Skidaway River

-0 07 + O 34 + O52

+ O 02 + 0 09 + O 25

Ossabaw Sound

Egg Islands

+ O06

Fort McAllister, Ogeechee R. + O 50

Cane Patch Creek entrance . + 0 57

+ O07 + 1 13 + O 40

St. Catherines and Sapelo Sounds

Kilkenny Club, Kilkenny Cr.. Sunbury, Medway River Blackbeard Island Mud R., at Old Teakettle Cr.

+ O 31 + O56 + O20 + O47

+ 013 + O 42 + O 19 + O 43

2762 2763 2769 2771 2773
2779 2781 2785 2787
2797 2799 2807 2817
2821 2823 2825 2827

Doboy and Altamaha Sounds
Blackbeard Cr., Blackbeard I. Sapelo Island Darien, Darien River. Wolf Island Champney 1., S. Altamaha R.
St. Simons Sound
St. Simons Sound bar St. Simons light. Troup Cr. entr., Mackay R.. Brunswick, East River
St. Andrew Sound
Jekyll Point Jointer Island, Jointer Creek Dover Bluff, Dover Creek . Cumberland Wh., Cumb. R..
Cumberland Sound
St. Marys Entr., north jetty . Crooked River entrance Harrietts Bluff, Crooked River St. Marys, St. Marys River

DIFFERENCES

Time

Hi!Jh

Low

Water Water

+ O 21 0 00
+ 1 10 + O06 + 1 12

+ O 44 + O 02 + 1 12 + O 35 + 2 30

+ O 01 + O 24 + O 54 + O 55

-0 05 + O 28 + O 49 + O 40

+ O 28 + 1 02 + O57 + O 40

+ O 28 + O 49 + O 49 + O 42

+ 015 + 1 23 + 2 09 + 1 21

+ O 15 + 1 12 + 212 + 1 13

11

JANUARY, 1972

High Water

low Water

Day

A.M. Ht. P.M. Ht. A.M. P.M.

1 Sat. 8:14 8.0 8:39 6.7 1:58 2:39

2 Sun. 9:00 7.8 9:25 6.6 2:48 3:25

3 Mon. 9:43 7.5 10:12 6.4 3:34 4:08

4 Tue. 10:26 7.1 10:57 6.3 4:20 4:48

5 Wed. 11:07 6.7 11:43 6.1 5:04 5:29

6 Thu. 11:49 6.3

5:52 6:12

7 Fri. 12:24 6.0 12:30 6.0 6:38 6:56

8 Sat. 1:12 5.9 1:15 5.7 7:31 7:45

9 Sun. 2:01 5.9 2:05 5.5 8:28 8:37

10 Mon. 2:52 5.9 2:56 5.4 9:24 9:29

11 Tue. 3:49 6.1 3:55 5.3 10:18 10:21

12 Wed. 4:46 6:3 4:50 5.4 11:09 11:09

13 Thu. 5:37 6.6 5:44 5.6 11:59 11:57

14 Fri.

6:23 6.9 6:33 5.9

12:45

15 Sat. 7:08 7.2 7:16 6.2 12:44 1:32

16 Sun. 7:47 7.4 7:55 6.4 1:30 2:14

17 Mon. 8:28 7.5 8:40 6.7 2:16 2:57

18 Tue. 9:08 7.5 9:25 6.9 3:01 3:38

19Wed. 9:51 7.3 10:12 7.0 3:46 4:19

20 Thu. 10:38 7.1 11:02 7.1 4:35 5:05

21 Fri. 11:27 6.7 11:59 7.0 5:23 5:52

22 Sat.

12:18 6.4 6:24 6:47

23 Sun. 12:58 7.0 1:20 6.0 7:25 7:49

24 Mon. 2:01 6.9 2:25 5.7 8:36 8:55

25 Tue. 3:09 6.9 3:39 5.6 9:45 9:58

26 Wed. 4:23 6.9 4:53 5.7 10:50 11:00

27 Thu. 5:30 7.2 6:00 6.0 11:47 11:59

28 Fri.

6:28 7.4 6:51 6.3

12:45

29 Sat. 7:17 7.5 7:40 6.5 12:52 1:34

30 Sun. 8:00 7.5 8:24 6.7 1:43 2:19

31 Mon. 8:41 7.4 9:04 6.7 2:30 3:00

Moon Phases: lost Qtr. 8th, New Moon 16th, 1st Qtr. 23rd, Full Moon 30th

MARCH, 1972

1 Wed. 8:48 7.0 9:11 7.0 2:49 3:05

2 Thu. 9:19 6.7 9:43 6.9 3:27 3:39

3 Fri.

9:51 6.5 10:15 6.7 4:06 4:12

4 Sat. 10:26 6.2 10:51 6.5 4:41 4:45

5 Sun. 11:01 5.9 11:30 6.3 5:20 5:22

6 Mon. 11:42 5.7

6:01 6:05

7 Tue. 12:16 6.2 12.29 5.5 6:53 6:56

8 Wed. 1:07 6.0 1:22 5.4 7:52 7:57

9 Thu. 2:06 6.0 2:24 5.3 8:57 9:03

10 Fri.

3:15 6.1 3:33 5.5 9:57 10:05

11 Sat. 4:21 6.4 4:37 6.0 10:50 11:03

12 Sun. 5:22 6.8 5:38 6.6 11:41 11:54

13 Mon. 6:13 7.2 6:29 7.2

12:29

14 Tue. 6:57 7.5 7:17 7.8 12:48 1.16

15 Wed. 7:43 7.7 8:03 8.2 1:39 2:02

16 Thu. 8:27 7.7 8:49 8.4 2:27 2:48

17 Fri.

9:14 7.5 9:37 8.4 3:15 3:33

18 Sat. 10:03 7.1 10:28 8.1 4:06 4:20

19 Sun. 10:54 6.7 11:23 7.7 4:57 5:11

20 Mon. 11:52 6.3

5:53 6:08

21 Tue. 12:24 7.3 12:57 5.9 6:56 7:15

22 Wed. 1:31 6.9 2:09 5.7 8:04 8:24

23 Thu. 2:41 6.6 3:23 5.7 9:14 9:33

24 Fri.

3:54 6.5 4:34 6.0 10:15 10:33

25 Sat. 4:57 6.6 5:35 6.4 11:06 11:28

26 Sun. 5:51 6.8 6:22 6.8 11:57

27 Mon. 6:34 6.9 7:01 7.1 12:15 12:39

28 Tue. 7:13 6.9 7:36 7.3 1:02 1:18

29 Wed. 7:46 6.9 8:06 7.4 1:43 1:55

30 Thu. 8:19 6.8 8:38 7.3 2:24 2:30

31 Fri.

8:47 6.6 9:08 7.2 3:01 3:05

Moon Phases: lost Qtr. 8th, New Moon 15th, 1st Qtr. 22nd, Full Moon 29th

Day
1 Tue. 2 Wed. 3 Thu. 4 Fri. 5 Sat. 6 Sun. 7 Mon. 8 Tue. 9Wed. 10 Thu. 11 Fri. 12 Sat. 13 Sun. 14 Mon. 15 Tue. 16 Wed. 17 Thu. 18 Fri. 19 Sat. 20 Sun. 21 Mon. 22 Tue. 23 Wed. 24 Thu. 25 Fri. 26 Sat. 27 Sun. 28 Mon. 29 Tue.

FEBRUARY, 1972
High Water
A.M. Ht. P.M. Ht.
9:18 7.1 9:40 6.6 9:53 6.8 10:19 6.5 10:29 6.5 10:57 6.3 11:04 6.2 11:23 6.2 11:44 5.9 12:17 6.0 12:27 5.6 1:02 5.9 1:12 5.4 1:54 5.8 2:07 5.2 2:55 5.9 3:06 5.2 3:58 6.0 4:10 5.3 5:03 6.3 5:12 5.6 5:54 6.7 6:04 6.0 6:42 7.1 6:53 6.5 7:25 7.4 7:36 7.0 8:06 7.6 8:22 7.4 8:49 7.6 9:07 7.6 9:32 7.4 9:56 7.7 10:15 7.1 10:45 7.6 11:10 6.7 11:40 7.4
12:06 6.2 12:40 7.1 1:05 5.8
1:44 6.8 2:14 5.6 2:55 6.6 3:31 5.5 4:11 6.6 4:48 5.7 5:18 6.8 5:54 6.1 6:15 7.0 6:41 6.5 7:00 7.2 7:24 6.8 7:39 7.2 8:03 6.9 8:17 7.1 8:38 7.0

low Water A.M. P.M.

3:15 3:56 4:35 5:13 5:56 6:44 7:35 8:37 9:39 10:34 11:25
12:20 1:09 1:58 2:44 3:30 4:21 5:10 6:05 7:09 8:21 9:32
10:36 11:33
12:39 1:27 2:10

3:38 4:15 4:51 5:26 6:08 6:52 7:43 8:44 9:40 10:36 11:30 12:15 1:01 1:47 2:31 3:14 3:57 4:44 5:32 6:27 7:28 8:39 9:48 10:49 11:46 12:26 1:11 1:52 2:31

Moon Phases: Lost Qtr 7th, New Moon 15th, 1st Qtr. 21st, Full Moon 29th

1 Sat. 2 Sun. 3 Mon. 4 Tue. 5 Wed. 6 Thu. 7 Fri. 8 Sat. 9 Sun. 10 Mon. 11 Tue. 12 Wed. 13 Thu. 14 Fri. 15 Sat. 16 Sun. 17 Mon. 18 Tue. 19Wed. 20 Thu. 21 Fri. 22 Sat. 23 Sun. 24 Mon. 25 Tue. 26 Wed. 27 Thu. 28 Fri. 29 Sat. 30 Sun.

9:18 9:51 10:28 11:11 11:59 12:30 1:29 2:33 3.36 4:43 5:40 6:31 7:18 8:06 8:55 9:46 10:42 11:45 12:11 1:13 2:20 3:22 4:23 5:18 6:00 6:36 7:13 7:45 8:16 8:49

APRIL, 1972
6.4 9:40 7.1 6.2 10:13 6.9 6.0 10:54 6.7 5.8 11:39 6.5 5.7
6.4 12:54 5.6 6.3 1:55 5.7 6.3 3:00 6.1 6.5 4.08 6.6 6.8 5:09 7.2 7.1 6:03 7.9 7.4 6:51 8.5 7.6 7:40 8.8 7.5 8:30 8.9 7.4 9:19 8.7 7.0 10:12 8.3 6.7 11:10 7.8 6.3
7.3 12:47 6.1 6.9 1:59 6.0 6.6 3:04 6.1 6.4 4:09 6.3 6.4 5:05 6.6 6.4 5:48 7.0 6.5 6:29 7.2 6.5 7:04 7.4 6.5 7:37 7.5 6.5 8:08 7.5 6.4 8:38 7.4 6.2 9:11 7.3

3:37 4:15 4:51 5:33 6:18 7:15 8:17 9:18 10:14 11:05 11:54 12:23 1:18 2:09 2:59 3:51 4:44 5:39 6:38 7:44 8:49 9:46 10:36 11:19
12:36 1:17 1:54 2:35 3:11

3:37 4:12 4:47 5:28 6:17 7:19 8:30 9:33 10:35 11:31
12:45 1:33 2:22 3:11 4:03 4:54 5:54 6:57 8:07 9:13
10:10 11:03 11:50 12:02 12:41
1:18 1:55 2:31 3:06

Moon Phases: lost Qtr. 6th, New Moon 13th, 1st Qtr. 20th, Full Moon 28th

12

MAY, 1972

High Water

Low Water

Day

A.M. Ht. P.M. Ht. A.M. P.M.

1 Mon. 9:23 6.1 9:46 7.1 3:50 3:43

2 Tue. 10:02 6.0 10:25 6.9 4:28 4:19

3 Wed. 10:45 5.9 11:14 6.8 5:08 5:00

4 Thu. 11:34 5.9

5:55 5:51

5 Fri. 12:02 6.6 12:31 6.0 6:47 6:50

6 Sat. 12:59 6.5 1:28 6.2 7:42 7:57

7 Sun. 1:58 6.5 2:32 6.6 8:41 9:05

8 Mon. 3:01 6.6 3:39 7.1 9:38 10:08

9 Tue. 4:05 6.7 4:40 7.7 10:30 11:06

10 Wed. 5:06 6.9 5:38 8.2 11:22

11 Thu. 6:03 7.1 6:32 8.7 12:03 12:15

12 Fri.

6:55 7.2 7:23 8.9 12:57 1:07

13 Sat.

7:48 7.2 8:13 8.9 1:52 2:01

14 Sun. 8:39 7.1 9:04 8.7 2:44 2:55

15 Mon. 9:34 6.9 9:58 8.3 3:38 3:46

16 Tue. 10:31 6.6 10:54 7.8 4:28 4:42

17 Wed. 11:32 6.4 11:52 7.3 5:23 5:36

18 Thu.

12:33 6.2 6:18 6:34

19 Fri. 12:50 6.9 1:34 6.2 7:15 7:39

20 Sat.

1:46 6.5 2:33 6.3 8:11 8:42

21 Sun. 2:41 6.2 3:29 6.4 9:06 9:39

22 Mon. 3:34 6.1 4:24 6.6 9:53 10:29

23 Tue. 4:27 6.0 5:09 6.9 10:40 11:18

24 Wed. 5:16 6.0 5:52 7.1 11:21

25 Thu. 6:00 6.1 6:33 7.3 12:01 12:02

26 Fri.

6:39 6.1 7:08 7.4 12:44 12:42

27 Sat.

7:14 6.1 7:40 7.4 1:27 1:23

28 Sun. 7:50 6.1 8:15 7.4 2:10 2:03

29 Mon. 8:27 6.0 8:49 7.3 2:49 2:40

30 Tue. 9:00 6.0 9:26 7.2 3:27 3:19

31 Wed. 9:41 6.0 10:07 7.1 4:09 4:00

Moon Phases: last Qtr. 6th, New Moon 13th, 1st Otr. 20th, Full Moon 28th

JULY, 1972

1 Sat. 10:57 6.7 11:14 7.0 5:06 5:14

2 Sun. 11:50 6.9

5:49 6:09

3 Mon. 12:08 6.7 12:47 7.1 6:41 7:08

4 Tue. 1:03 6.5 1:45 7.3 7:36 8:16

5 Wed. 2:00 6.3 2:46 7.4 8:37 9:23

6 Thu. 3:05 6.1 3:53 7.7 9:36 10:27

7 Fri.

4:17 6.1 4:59 7.9 10:37 11:28

8 Sat. 5:25 6.3 6:03 8.2 11:35

9 Sun. 6:28 6.5 6:58 8.3 12:2t 12:33

10 Mon. 7:24 6.7 7:49 8.4 1:23 1:30

11 Tue. 8:17 6.9 8:38 8.2 2:16 2:25

12 Wed. 9:06 6.9 9:23 8.0 3:05 3:14

13 Thu. 9:55 6.9 10:09 7.6 3:50 4:02

14 Fri. 10:44 6.8 10:52 7.1 4:32 4:51

15 Sat. 11 :30 6.6 11:33 6.7 5:14 5:36

16 Sun.

12:17 6.5 5:57 6:25

17 Mon. 12:17 6.3 1:02 6.4 6:40 7:16

18 Tue. 1:02 6.0 1:51 6.4 7:28 8:10

19Wed. 1:47 5.7 2:40 6.4 8:20 9:07

20 Thu. 2:37 5.5 3:36 6.4 9:11 10:02

21 Fri.

3:36 5.5 4:33 6.6 10:03 10:52

22 Sat. 4:34 5.5 5:22 6.8 10:52 11:43

23 Sun. 5:27 5.7 6:13 7.1 11:41

24 Mon. 6:18 5.9 6:54 7.4 12:32 12:26

25 Tue. 7:01 6.2 7:32 7.6 1:17 1:13

26 Wed. 7:42 6.5 8:10 7.7 1:59 1:56

27 Thu. 8:23 6.8 8:46 7.7 2:39 2:42

28 Fri.

9:04 7.1 9:24 7.6 3:18 3:25

29 Sat. 9:49 7.3 10:07 7.4 3:59 4:10

30 Sun. 10:38 7.4 10:54 7.1 4:42 4:57

31 Mon. 11:30 7.5 11:45 6.8 5:23 5:50

Moon Phases: last Qtr. 4th. New Moon 10th, 1st Otr. 18th. Full Moon 26th

Day
1 Thu. 2 Fri. 3 Sat. 4 Sun. 5 Mon. 6 Tue. 7 Wed. 8 Thu. 9 Fri. 10 Sat. 11 Sun. 12 Mon. 13 Tue. 14 Wed. 15 Thu. 16 Fri. 17 Sat. 18 Sun. 19 Mon. 20 Tue. 21 Wed. 22 Thu. 23 Fri. 24 Sat. 25 Sun. 26 Mon. 27 Tue. 28 Wed. 29 Thu. 30 Fri.

A.M.
10:26 11:17
12:30 1:28 2:27 3:30 4:37 5:41 6:39 7:34 8:27 9:21
10:15 11:13
12:15 1:03 1:52 2:41 3:33 4:24 5:18 6:03 6:45 7:24 8:03 8:42 9:25
10:06

JUNE, 1972
High Water Ht. P.M. Ht.
6.0 10:50 6.9 6.1 11:39 6.8
12:11 6.4 6.7 1:08 6.6 6.6 2:07 7.0 6.5 3:08 7.4 6.4 4:14 7.8 6.5 5:15 8.2 6.6 6:13 8.5 6.8 7:08 8.7 6.8 8:00 8.7 6.8 8:53 8.5 6.8 9:44 8.1 6.6 10:35 7.7 6.5 11:26 7.2
12:08 6.4 6.8 1:01 6.3 6.4 1:53 6.3 6.0 2:44 6.4 5.8 3:35 6.5 5.7 4:24 6.6 5.6 5:15 6.8 5.7 5:57 7.0 5.8 6:40 7.2 5.9 7:17 7.3 6.0 7:53 7.4 6.1 8:30 7.4 6.2 9:07 7.4 6.3 9:48 7.3 6.5 10:29 7.1

Low Water A.M. P.M.

4:48 5:29 6:18 7:09 8:07 9:04 10:01 10:56 11:51 12:39 1:36 2:31 3:22 4:13 5:00 5:49 6:37 7:30 8:21 9:08 9:55 10:42 11:25 12:13 1:01 1:44 2:25 3:08 3:46 4:25

4:41 5:30 6:28 7:31 8:38 9:45 10:43 11:44
12:48 1:43 2:39 3:33 4:22 5:17 6:08 7:04 8:01 8:57 9:50
10:39 11:28
12:09 12:55
1:36 2:19 3:01 3:43 4:25

Moon Phases: lost Otr. 4th, New Moon 11th. 1st Otr. 18th, Full Moon 26th

AUGUST, 1972

1 Tue.

12:25 7.5 6:14 6:50

2 Wed. 12:40 6.5 1:26 7.5 7:13 7:57

3 Thu. 1:42 6.2 2:29 7.5 8:16 9:07

4 Fri.

2:51 6.0 3:39 7.5 9:22 10:15

5 Sat. 4:08 6.0 4:53 7.7 10:24 11:18

6 Sun. 5:21 6.3 5:54 7.9 11:26

7 Mon. 6:22 6.6 6:48 8.1 12:13 12:23

8 Tue. 7:17 7.0 7:37 8.2 1:08 1:18

9 Wed. 8:02 7.2 8:18 8.1 1:54 2:07

10 Thu. 8:46 7.3 8:59 7.9 2:41 2:56

1 1 Fri.

9:27 7.3 9:37 7.5 3:21 3:39

12 Sat. 10:08 7.2 10:13 7.2 3:59 4:20

13 Sun. 10:47 7.0 10:51 6.8 4:37 5:00

14 Mon. 11:27 6.8 11:30 6.4 5:13 5:45

15 Tue.

12:11 6:7 5:55 6:31

16 Wed. 12:14 6.1 12:57 6.5 6:38 7:25

17 Thu. 12:59 5.9 1:47 6.4 7:28 8:25

18 Fri.

1:50 5.7 2:44 6.4 8:27 9:24

19 Sat. 2:47 5.6 3:47 6.6 9:25 10:18

20 Sun. 3:52 5.7 4:46 6.9 10:18 11:12

21 Mon. 4:53 6.0 5:39 7.2 11:12 11:57

22 Tue. 5:48 6.4 6:25 7.6 12:00

23 Wed. 6:36 6.9 7:05 7.9 12:44 12:49

24 Thu. 7:18 7.3 7:43 8.0 1:27 1:34

25 Fri.

8:02 7.7 8:22 8.1 2:08 2:21

26 Sat. 8:43 8.1 9:03 7.9 2:49 3:06

27 Sun. 9:29 8.2 9:46 7.7 3:30 3:53

28 Mon. 10:16 8.2 10:35 7.3 4:15 4:41

29 Tue. 11:07 8.1 11:29 6.9 5:00 5:36

30 Wed.

12:06 7.9 5:52 6:35

31 Thu. 12:26 6.5 1:09 7.6 6:53 7:44

Moon Phases: last Otr. 2nd, NPw Moon 9th. lstOtr. 17th. full Moon 24th, lo~t Otr 31st

\)

Day
1 Fri. 2 Sat. 3 Sun. 4 Mon. 5 Tue. 6Wed. 7 Thu. 8 Fri. 9 Sat. 10 Sun. 11 Mon. 12 Tue. 13 Wed. 14 Thu. 15 Fri. 16 Sat. 17 Sun. 18 Mon. 19 Tue. 20 Wed. 21 Thu. 22 Fri. 23 Sat. 24 Sun. 25 Mon. 26 Tue. 27 Wed. 28 Thu. 29 Fri. 30 Sat.

SEPTEMBER, 1972
High Water A.M. Ht. P.M. HI.
1:31 6.2 2:18 7.5 2:48 6.4 3:33 7.5 4:07 6.3 4:43 7.6 5:16 6.6 5:46 7.8 6:12 7.1 6:35 8.0 7:01 7.5 7:18 8.1 7:44 7.7 7:55 8.0 8:20 7.8 8:30 7.8 8:56 7.8 9:04 7.5 9:30 7.6 9:34 7.2 10:07 7.4 10:09 6.9 10:42 7.2 10:48 6.6 11:23 7.0 11:29 6.3
12:09 6.8 12:16 6.0 1:02 6.6
1:09 5.9 1:57 6.6 2:09 5.9 3:00 6.7 3:12 6.0 4:04 7.0 4:19 6.4 4:59 7.3 5:15 7.0 5:51 7.7 6:06 7.6 6:33 8.0 6:52 8.2 7:18 8.2 7:36 8.7 7:59 8.2 8:21 8.9 8:41 8.1 9:08 9.0 9:28 7.8 9:57 8.8 10:19 7.4 10:51 8.5 11:14 7.0 11:52 8.1 12:17 6.6 12:59 7.7 1:31 6.4 2:08 7.5

Low Water A.M. P.M.
8:00 8:57 9:10 10:04 10:18 11:06 11:15 11:57
12:10 12:44 1:01
1:29 1:49 2:10 2:32 2:49 3:11 3:24 3:48 3:58 4:29 4:34 5:07 5:11 5:52 5:52 6:40 6:41 7:41 7:42 8:45 8:46 9:42 9:47 10:34 10:43 11:21 11:31 12:07 12:23 12:52 1:11 1:37 1:59 2:20 2:46 3:05 3:37 3:53 4:26 4:42 5:20 5:36 6:21 6:39 7:31 7:48 8:45

Moon Phases: New Moon 7th, 1st Qtr. 15th, Full Moon 23rd, lost Qtr. 29th

OCTOBER, 1972

High Water

Low Water

Day

A.M. Ht. P.M. Ht. A.M. P.M.

1 Sun. 2:47 6.4 3:21 7.4 9:00 9:48

2 Mon. 3:59 6.6 4:30 7.5 10:05 10:43

3 Tue. 5:06 7.0 5:23 7.6 11:03 11:32

4 Wed. 5:57 7.4 6:09 7.7 11:54

5 Thu. 6:40 7.8 6:52 7.7 12:19 12:39

6 Fri.

7:17 8.0 7:27 7.7 12:58 1:24

7 Sat. 7:52 8.1 7:59 7.5 1:37 2:05

8 Sun. 8:25 8.0 8:32 7.3 2:13 2:44

9 Mon. 8:56 7.9 9:03 7.1 2:49 3:22

10 Tue. 9:29 7.7 9:34 6.8 3:24 3:59

11 Wed. 10:04 7.4 10:13 6.6 3:57 4:38

12 Thu. 10:41 7.2 10:54 6.3 4:35 5:18

13 Fri. 11:30 7.0 11:43 6.1 5:17 6:07

14 Sat.

12:21 6.8 6:02 7:02

15 Sun. 12:37 6.1 1:14 6.8 7:02 8:04

16 Mon. 1:38 6.1 2:16 6.8 8:07 9:03

17 Tue. 2:39 6.4 3:17 7.0 9:13 9:57

18 Wed. 3:42 6.9 4:16 7.2 10:11 10:45

19 Thu. 4:43 7.5 5:12 7.5 11:03 11:31

20 Fri.

5:35 8.1 6:03 7.8 11:56

21 Sat. 6:26 8.7 6:49 8.0 12:19 12:48

22 Sun. 7:13 9.1 7:37 8.1 1:05 1:39

23 Mon. 8:00 9.3 8:22 7.9 1:54 2:30

24 Tue. 8:50 9.2 9:11 7.7 2:44 3:21

25 Wed. 9:43 9.0 10:06 7.3 3:34 4:15

26 Thu. 10:38 8.5 11:08 6.9 4:25 5:08

27 Fri. 11:39 8.1

5:24 6:08

28 Sat. 12:14 6.6 12:44 7.6 6:25 7:13

29 Sun. 1:25 6.5 1:49 7.3 7:34 8:20

30 Mon. 2:35 6.5 2:56 7.1 8:42 9:21

31 Tue. 3:40 6.8 3:58 7.0 9:45 10:14

Moon Phases: New Moon 7th, 1st Qtr. 15th, Full Moon 22nd, lost Qtr. 29th

1 Wed. 2 Thu. 3 Fri. 4 Sat. 5 Sun. 6 Mon. 7 Tue. 8 Wed. 9 Thu. 10 Fri. 11 Sat. 12 Sun. 13 Mon. 14 Tue. 15 Wed. 16 Thu. 17 Fri. 18 Sat. 19 Sun. 20 Mon. 21 Tue. 22 Wed. 23 Thu. 24 Fri. 25 Sat. 26 Sun. 27 Mon. 28 Tue. 29 Wed. 30 Thu.

NOVEMBER, 1972
4:43 7.1 4:55 7.0 5:31 7.4 5:40 7.1 6:14 7.7 6:21 7.1 6:51 7.8 6:56 7.1 7:24 7.9 7:30 7.0 7:58 7.9 8:03 6.9 8:29 7.7 8:34 6.7 9:02 7.6 9:09 6.5 9:37 7.4 9:45 6.4 10:14 7.2 10:26 6.2 10:59 7.0 11:13 6.1 11:45 6.9 12:08 6.2 12:38 6.8 1:03 6.3 1:35 6.7 2:05 6.6 2:34 6.8 3:06 7.1 3:35 6.9 4:09 7.6 4:33 7.1 5:06 8.2 5:32 7.3 6:02 8.7 6.25 7.5 6:55 9.0 7:18 7.5 7:46 9.1 8:08 7.5 8:37 9.0 8:59 7.3 9:30 8.7 9:56 7.1 10:26 8.3 10:57 6.8 11:23 7.8 12:01 6.6 12:21 7.3 1:03 6.5 1:22 6.9 2:06 6.5 2:18 6.6 3:07 6.6 3:15 6.4 4:03 6.7 4:10 6.3

10:40 11:29
12:25 1:03 1:42 2:17 2:55 3:30 4:07 4:44 5:32 6:27 7:30 8:37 9:40
10:37 11:33
12:41 1:33 2:25 3:18 4:12 5:08 6:08 7:10 8:15 9:14
10:09

11:02 11:44 12:12 12:58
1:37 2:17 2:55 3:35 4:13 4:54 5:36 6:27 7:20 8:18 9:15 10:06 10:58 11:48 12:26 1:21 2:14 3:08 4:02 4:54 5:49 6:48 7:47 8:45 9:36 10:24

Moon Phases: New Moon 6th, 1st Qtr. 14th, Full Moon 20th, lost Qtr. 27th.

DECEMBER, 1972

1 Fri.

4:56 6.9 5:01 6.2 10:59 11:08

2 Sat. 5:41 7.1 5:48 6.3 11:46 11:51

3 Sun. 6:22 7.3 6:26 6.3

12:29

4 Mon. 7:01 7.4 7:04 6.3 12:32 1:10

5 Tue. 7:34 7.4 7:39 6.3 1:11 1:53

6Wed. 8:07 7.4 8:12 6.3 1:52 2:34

7 Thu. 8:41 7.3 8:45 6.2 2:29 3:14

8 Fri.

9:17 7.2 9:26 6.1 3:08 3:53

9 Sat. 9:52 7.1 10:07 6.1 3:45 4:31

10 Sun. 10:31 6.9 10:48 6.2 4:26 5:10

11 Mon. 11:16 6.8 11:43 6.3 5:09 5:53

12 Tue.

12:07 6.6 5:58 6:44

13 Wed. 12:35 6.5 12:58 6.5 6:59 7:35

14 Thu. 1:34 6.8 1:54 6.4 8:03 8:33

15 Fri.

2:35 7.1 2:57 6.4 9:10 9:32

16 Sat. 3:36 7.4 4:01 6.4 10:13 10:27

17 Sun. 4:42 7.8 5:08 6.6 11:12 11:24

18 Mon. 5:44 8.2 6:07 6.8

12:10

19 Tue. 6:41 8.5 7:05 6.9 12:20 1:05

20 Wed. 7:34 8.6 7:58 7.0 1:18 2:01

21 Thu. 8:26 8.6 8:51 7.0 2:13 2:55

22 Fri.

9:17 8.3 9:47 6.9 3:05 3:46

23 Sat. 10:12 7.9 10:40 6.8 3:59 4:35

24 Sun. 11:01 7.4 11:39 6.6 4:49 5:23

25 Mon. 11:55 7.0

5:43 6:11

26 Tue. 12:30 6.4 12:43 6.5 6:39 7:03

27 Wed. 1:27 6.3 1:34 6.1 7:38 7:58

28 Thu. 2:21 6.2 2:22 5.8 8:36 8:51

29 Fri.

3:16 6.2 3:19 5.6 9:33 9:42

30 Sat. 4:11 6.3 4:13 5.5 10:24 10:31

31 Sun. 5:06 6.4 5:08 5.5 11:15 11:17

Moon Phases: New Moon 5th, 1st Qtr. 13th, Full Moon 20th, lost Qtr. 27th

14

Photo by Dean Wohlgemuth

BACKYARD

By Dean Wohlgemuth

BONANZA

Would you drive across town to buy groceries, or a new suit of clothes, when just around the corner from your home you could get the same items for a lower price? Probably not. But if you did, it might be because you didn't know what was avai lable right under your nose.
Perhaps that's the case with a lot of Georgia fishermen. They travel to other states for saltwater fishing, apparently unaware that our own coastline has good fishing avai lable.
Georgia's coastline seems short, barely more than a hundred miles in a stra ight line from the South Carolin a to the Florida boundary. But wait a minute . .. our coast is NOT a straight line, far from it! Actuall y, there's about a thousand miles of coast, and the fact that it isn't a straight line means that there are man y, many acres of estuarine a reas that provide excellent fishing.
Another thing that seems to give

the wrong impression to anglers is that Georgia's coast is indented in comparison to neighboring states, while the Gulf Stream makes a convex curve away from land, making it a long, long ride by boat to the Stream. The fishing's good out there, but it just takes too long to reach it. The continental shelf is so far out, that all the water within reasonable reach of our coast is shallow, thus most people believe the fishing isn't good in the waters that are close in.
It is true you won't find such species a snook and bonefish , but if you like Spani h and king mackerel off-shore fishing, Georgia can provide top notch sport. And you don't have to go offshore at all, if you don't want to, because our "inshore" (estuarine) waters abound with speckled sea trout and channel bass. And in the hot months there are plenty of trapon.
The majority of fishing on Geor-

gia's coast is most probably for trout and channel bass (also called redfi sh) . To catch these, you don't need a large cruiser or other expensive boat. All you need is the same kind of boat that is adequate for our larger freshwater lakes. Small runabouts of 14 through 18 feet are generally ample, and modern , deluxe fi hing boats are excellent. Some coastal anglers even use wooden and aluminum ftatbottom boats, though these couldn't be considered safe, especially for persons not accus-
tomed to coastal waters. A deck,
windshield and a transom well would be appreciated when the water is rough .
Tackle needn't be too complex or expensive for bass and trout fishing Any saltwater surf or pier tackle, or even medium to heavy freshwater tackle should be adequate. Baitcasting reels and boat/pier rods of perhaps even feet will do , though this

15

Oy.wer har.1 are hard to /tlld duri11g high nde. hut you cwt .1put th em easily whe 11 the 1\"l/ler i1 dow11 . Locatillg th e har.\ at lo 11 tide. the11 .11ayi11g aro1111d to fi.lh rh e incoming tide is a ~;uud way to find a good tmur drop.
Th e ,e are rhe hair' rlwr tempT rhe f>alatt of .Htlrwarer Troll/ a11d cltwlttel bass. The more {i11ickv rrout pre/en hi.1 1hrimp alie. hut rite clwtlltel ha.u (re d{ish J i.111'1 as particular. J igs H'irh .1/wrr f>/(l.ltic 11'01'111 hodie1 a11d .llllllll Juri's 11irh good acriotl will also take rrour. Wirh th e Iii' .1hrimp , 11 .1/idin !.! .mltwattr flmll .1hould he rig{led as .\ltOH'n , with rh e ofjser-type 1roll/ /wok.
Pholo by Ted Borg

Photo by Ted Borg
writer fee ls a 10-foot surf spinning rod with a sa ltwater open faced reel is easie r to h andle. T e rminnal rigs are the sa me fo r both species. Most angler ee m to like to use saltwater slip float . a nd a wivel sinker perhaps a foot or so above the offset hook.
Becau e of this, saltwater fishing in Geo rgia has a brilliant outlook for the future .
Wh y h asn't it already b een utilized? Thi s is probabl y due several things. First of all , littl e has been a id about the potential. Seco ndly, good information abou t where to go a nd how to fi sh the coast is h a rd to find. M a ny loca l peopl e fi sh, but few people inl and are aware of the p osibilities, and when they do visit , it may be at the wro ng time of the moon. thu th ey go away discouraged.
Al so, it isn' t easy to find facilitie s o n the coast. Actually. there a re quite a lot of fi sh camps all up and down the coast. but there arc few places whe re angler ca n find a li t of them. For th at reason th e Public R elations Di vi io n of the G ame a nd Fish Depa rtment h as so ught to keep an up-to-date li st, but this has been difficult.
Guides. too . a re hard to find . and a strange r to these waters needs a

16

guide. Unless you have a navigation chart, and know how to read it, you'll likely get into trouble finding your way around shallow bars without getting grounded. All the marshlands look alike, making it very easy for a person not acquainted with these waters to get lost. Finding the spots to fish that are productive isn't always easy. All these things add up to the fact that, at least on your first visit or two, you'll save money and time in the long run, if you hire a guide.
It'll be worth it if you get the hang of bringing in those fish by the dozen. You'll have sport galore good eating, and lots of fun ... and you need not worry about crowded water.
Shrimp is the bait for both species. Trout are finicky enough that you'd better use live shrimp if you expect to do much good, but the channel bass aren't so hard to please. They'll take the shrimp alive or dead.
Frequently, you'll catch both bass and trout from the same spot, but it isn' t necessarily so ... it depends on the spot. Trout drops are most likely to be found over oyster bars along the edge of a marsh , and sometimes trout may be next to a steep bluff, where there are tree trunks in the water.
Channel bass may be at the very edge of the marsh grass, particularly at the mouth of a small cut where tidewater flows in and out as the tide rises and falls. If an oyster bar is close to such a spot, you may catch trout on one side of the boat, and bass on the other. The best cast for a bass would be as close to the grass as you dare, while you may toss a line up current several feet from the marsh , and let it drift down in order to lure a trout. Of course, trout are likely to be deeper than the channel bass in these conditions, so the stopper bead on the sliding float would have to be adjusted accordingly.

likely pick up some at the mouths of the cuts into the marsh. Then again , as the tide leaves the marshes high and dry, the bass ID\lSt come out the way they went in.
Also larger channel bass are likely to be found in deep channels around the islands, especially on the ocean side. They can sometimes be caught surfcasting, too.
Both trout and bass are to be found just about anywhere along the Georgia coast, but being on the right spot at the right time isn't always easy. According to Mrs. Nina Smith, wife of Phil Smith who operates Kip's Fish Camp at Shellman Bluff, the neap tide is the time to fish for trout. When the moon is in the first or last quarter, this high tide is lower than at full moon. Phil Smith told me that he believes the higher tide at full moon causes more silt to be stirred up thus staining the water and making it harder for the fish to see the bait.
On a visit to the coost last fall, I fi hed with Mrs. Smith who, according to her husband is the best guide on the coast. I had no reason to doubt it. Even though I was there during the dark of the moon , fishing could have been better. Most other boats were coming in fishless , but she put us on a few spots that produced

several channel bass. Our efforts to catch a trout, however, were nearly futile.
It's best, in planning a trip, to make arrangements a week or so in advance by calling a coastal fish camp and gettjng the operator's best guess on when the fishing should be good. Then, to play it safe, phone again the day before you leave, to see how things have been going, and how the weather has been. If you hit it wrong, a trip can be disappointing, and it's easy to get discouraged when the fish don't hit. September is considered the time to start fishing for trout and bass, but fishing won't hit its peak until November and December.
One taste of fi shing action when they're hitting right, taking the bait as quickly as you can put it in the water and you'll have to agree that Georgia's coast offers some very fine sport.
Oddly enough, it's a resource that has hardly been scratched. I'm told by fisheries experts within the Georgia Game and Fish Department that less than three per cent of Georgia's fishermen ever wet a line in our coastal waters. Yet, they say, there are more fi sh in that short coast line than in all the many large freshwater Jakes in our state.

If you hooked that shrimp just right , and got it in th e right place, you'll soon be bringing in fat trout such as this one. Mrs. Nina Smith do es th e net work for Man in Tye.
Photo by Ted Borg

Both species are likely to do best around high tide. Trout usually hit best on the rising tide, but if you're unfamiliar with local trout drops, low tide might be the best time to start. That way you can easify find the ,... oyster bars that will soon be flooded.

Channel bass find their way into the flooded marshes to feed when the wate r reaches a level that enables them to do so. When the tide first starts flowing into the marshes, you'll

17

HOW TO INVITE DUCKS TO DINNER ...

By Dean Wohlgemuth

I had to strain my eyes to see the bl ack specks just above the di stant horizon , but Don Huie's sharper eyes had already picked them up . I wouldn 't eve n have kno wn there were ducks around except th at Don began blowing hi duck call.
We watched anxiou sly as the flock headed in our general direction , but not straight at us. Do n and I h ad our fl atbottom jonboat pulled back into o rne reeds, where there was more mud th an water und er it. The reeds gave us good natural camoufl age. Our instant blind was on the back side of a cove. A small peninul a jutted out some 50 ya rd s away, and th at's where Ted Borg and Bob Wil son situ ated their boat.
Cover was more sparse th ere, but Ted needed th at va ntage point to take pictures. o I gave him my length of camoufl age netting to help conceal th eir boat.

We had looked at this spot the previous afternoon, so we had no trouble findin g it in the pre-dawn lightlessness. The cove wasn't the eas iest pl ace to get to on L ake Seminol e . . . a shallow strip across its mouth protected it from boaters . We'd had to tilt up our motors and get out of th e bo~t s to tow them across the shallow fl at .
Once we got through the shallows and to our spot, we set the decoys, then pushed our boats back into the reeds, ready to hunt by daylight.
Th at first flock came in about 9: 30, aft er the morning fog h ad burned off, and the day was bright and clea r ... and warm . We'd hoped , of course, th at we would draw cloudy, cool weather, but as it had been the day before, we again had bluebird weath er.
Don's pleading on the call did the trick, and the ducks made a long,

Excitem ent 1'1111 .1' hi11h as hun ters set th eir decoys for some du ck shooting. Th ere's really no secret m agic fo rmula for arran ging the decoys. Th e more in forma lly th ey are placed, th e m ore nat ura l and relaxed they look to th e du cks.

slow curve as they were about even with us. They went over twice, a little lower each tim e, and on their seco nd pass they were close enough to give u s a close aeri al inspection , just at a safe range.
When they were directly overhead, they fl ared off, and sped off into the di stance. Don and I looked at each other with blank expression s. What had gone wrong?
Waders were becoming more important in this hunt. We'd had to use them to get the boat into th is spot, and now we both slid into the water to look over the situation. Something had obviously spooked th e ducks, but what?
We looked over our blinds from out in th e water. They looked good. The day before, when a flock h ad shied away similarly, we'd found that
. our boats weren't hidden well enough,
and a patch of my white outboard motor had shown through when the canvas cover h ad slipped . But this time we saw nothing out of order.
Our attention turned to our decoys . Ah a ! "Here's what's wrong," Don called . H e pointed. We had r igged our decoy anchors upon our arrival at Seminole two nights earl ier, using pyramid saltwater fi shing sinkers, and heavy nylon braided line. Th e new line was shiny and white, and was floating too near the surface. In th at clear water and bright sun , the anchor lines must h ave been ve ry visible indeed to the ducks. Something was fi shy to them about this setup . The "ducks" they saw mu st have looked tied down .
We h ad origin ally set our decoys in deeper water, and th at longer line had been necessary. This time, we were fooled by the underwater vegetation , and mostly by the darkness. One by one, Don and I wrapped up the excess line so th at the decoys were flo ating on a tighter anchor line,

J 8

mentally reminding ourselves to dye the line a dark brown at the first opportunity.
Perhaps an hour later, another flock came our way, and Don once again sent out the musical note that' called th e duck s to dinner. Only this time it was our dinner, not theirs . They came in and set their wings on the second pass, and just before they touched down , we came up shooting. There was meat for the pot.
Duck hunting may seem tricky and a lot of trouble to some folks. To be ure , it can require a great deal of effort, particularly if you 're after wood duck s in their native habitat, where you wade far back into shallow swamps along streams. It's also very tricky shooting, as the woodies dart around and through the trees.
Hunting puddle ducks, such as mall a rds isn 't a hard as it probably sound to the novice who is reading most epic adventures of waterfowling. However, there are several bits of knowledge that could be passed on which might very well help improve his chance at the sport.
The first idea conjured up by most
. sportsmen when talking of duck hunt' ing i that of sitting in a blind near a et of decoys . This is probably acce pted as the best and most romantic way of hunting ducks . I'd have to subscribe to that way of thinking for the most part. However, there certainly are other ways to hunt ducks
-. and under certain 'conditions, the other ways are most productive.
I'll go over the other methods lightly in this article, however, and stick mostly to the blind-and-decoy method.
As touched on a moment ago, wood duck hunting is more frequently done by wading swamps, simply becau se that's the best way to get them . It usually requires some advance scouting to find an area of a swamp where you ' re likely to find ducks. Look for hollow trees where woodies are likely to nest, keep your eye on the water to notice whether there may be any duck feathers about, and naturally, you look for ducks. Frequent checking of an area where you have seen ducks will tell r you whether they return often enou gh to make for good hunting.
Creeks running through wooded a reas can al so be good where wading is not required. P e rhaps there's a

Photo by Deo n Wo hlgemut h.

Onc:e th e decoys are set , it's rim e fur the hunters to ge t illlo rh eir blind. T h is o ften necessirares som e on-th e-spur makeshift hlind building. 1 arura l h igh H'eed.1 and cam o uflage
n ellin g can do rh e job 1ery H'e /1 . Ju st m ake cerrain all shin y and ligh r-co lo red objecrs are H'e /1 co 1ered .

wamp nearby, or some feeding area , down current. keeping pretty much to

and ducks may pass up and down the th e in ide of the curves. Everytime

stream between re ting and feeding you round a bend , keep your eyes

areas. You 'll seldom see woodies un- open . . . there may be a fl ock of

til they're right on you , and they'll duck th ere, and you might ge t with-

be moving fast. It will take fast re- in range. A piece of camoufl age net-

action and fast shooting to hit them. ting draped over the boa t will prob-

To my way of thinking, this can very ably help.

we ll be some of the very most diffi- Big wate r? Large la kes or coa tal

cult type of hooting you'll ever en- water ? ow, these a re the pl aces

counter.

wh ere you 'll need those decoys .

When hunting woodies , it' not a Jump shooting from a boat i orne-

case of moving constantl y, talking tim e good in coa tal waters, as you

the bird . You ' re bette r off finding a pol e your bo at through Iough and

good location , a nd itting or sta nding cree k quietly, being read y to hoot

still parti ally hidden behind bu hes everytime you round a be nd. But if

or weeds, and wa it for the bird s to thi s see ms like too much wo rk , m ay-

pa s by. Th e be t hooting will, of be you 'd better try th e decoy route .

co urse, be earl y morning or late eve- Of course. ettin g decoy in tida l

ning, as the birds are moving to or water can sometimes be f rust rati ng

from feeding areas. There's al o a and if you a re n't ca reful. all you r

chance you ' ll see some mallard , teal s decoy might flo at away wh en the

and othe r puddle duck in such spots. tide run stro ng. T o off et this. u e

If you 're hunting small fa rm ponds heavy a nchor with pl ent y of line to

the re isn't lik ely to be much u e in ha ndle the deepc t water T o avoid

etting out decoy a nd waiting a round the proble m of hav ing lines show too

all d ay . Duck may spend th e night cl ea rl y. as Don Hui c a nd I did at

on such pond . le aving earl y in the Semino le. it pay to ee that th e lin e

morning to feed , and returning late a rc dyed a da rk co lo r. Al so , the re a re

in th e eve ning to bed do wn. The way comm erci al decoy a nchor o n the

to hunt such pond s i " jump" the m ma rk et on which yo u can wrap the

. . . snea k up from behind the d am , line. and a th e decoy pull s th e lin e

keeping well out of ight of th e water , up , it un wra ps by turning th e a nchor

until you 're within range . Then, you ove r a nd ove r.

jump up . ready to shoot a the ducks Al so. in tid al wate rs. be ca reful

com e bo iling off the wa te r.

yo u don't put you r boat in hall ow

An oth er form of jumping duck i water at high tide whe re it may be

u cd on river . A small boat is fl oated a truggle to get it o ut when the tide

19

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Y our heart is pounding wh en you see a sky-full of du cks like this! Th e question is how to get th em ,,ithin ran ge . Th e right combination of a blind, decoys and calling will pro vide th e opportunity you've been waiting for .

Photo by John Culler
...

goes out. A fl atbottom , lightweight boat and waders are recommended, but you can sink pretty deep in marsh mud , and oyster shells may cut your waders .
In marshes, it isn't hard to push a boat into the marsh grass and be well hidden with a minimum of effort. But in some places, you'll need a more elaborate blind .
If you have a place to build a permanent blind, this is the most ideal. But finding such a place, where hunting is productive most of the time, is not easy in Georgia. Howeve r, if you own or have access to a large pond or mall lake, particularl y if there is a river or swamp nearby, perhaps you have such a situati on.
Blinds should be built well in advance of the season so that they'll be weathered and natural looking, and ducks coming into the country will be used to them.
All sorts of materi al can be used for a blind. A si mple, easily built blind th at is effective is one of hogwire fencing. Posts driven into the ground or into the bottom of the lake hold up the wire . Then, use reeds brush, tall grass or weeds to weave into the fencing. If yo u build the blind in th e water, you probably will wa nt to leave one end open so that you can slide a small boat in , and it in the boat to hunt. Blinds should be built on or near quite shallow water, since this is the situation ducks are looki ng for. Th ey can find food

and shelter more easily here. The big, open water areas are usually shunned by puddle ducks . Where you see reeds and cattai ls, you see a potential duck hunting spot. In fact , any weedy water probably has hope, because it indicates not only shallow water, but availability of food .
You can build more elaborate blinds out of lumber, but you should use second-hand lumber that is well weathered. If you build such a blind over water, it'll take sturdy posts driven well into the lake bottom. If you put a floor in it, build it high enough to slide a boat underneath out of sight, and also, to keep abnormally high water out of your blind. You can build it bottomless and use a boat for a seat, but a wooden floor is better and warmer.
Wooden blinds are much more easily built on land. Such a blind can be a real comfort in the bitter weather duck hunters prefer. And it's easier to put a catalytic camp beater in one of these, too , although "cat" heaters are safe enough that, with reasonable caution, they can be used in nearly any kind of a blind, as long as they're lit in a safe place.
If you hunt open water, or if you have no place to build a permanent blind , your boat can make you a fine blind with a minimum of expense and effort. I use such a rig for nearly all of my duck hunting. M y rig doesn't yet have all the refinements I'd like, but hopefully , it will by the time the season is well under way.

My choice for a duck boat is a 12foot flatbottom aluminum jonooat. Specially built duck boats are not to be knocked, but are frequently heavy, not as roomy as could be, and most of all, expensive. Further, their use is limited to duck hunting and very little if anything else. An aluminum jonboat, however, can easily be cartopped, and can be used for pond fishing, river fishing , and just about anything.
The boat should be painted a dull brown, but a dark green will do. Bright aluminum absolutely will not do . . . you'll have to paint that boat. And it may pay to at least touch up the paint chips at the start of each season, oftener if necessary. Shiny spots can spook ducks.
Making a blind out of a jonboat need not be a major project. A footwide strip of livestock fencing can be attached temporarily around the gunwale of the boat, and then weeds, reeds, brush and so forth can be woven into the fencing to provide the blind. This can be a nuisance, however, and for my part, I find a bolt of camouflage netting the most convenient, easy and effective means of hiding my boat. With no frame at all, the netting can be draped over everything and everybody in the boat. However, a slip-on frame will help to hold the netting in place more effectively. Be sure that the motor is not overlooked when hiding your boat. An old piece of canvas can do this job quite well.

20

Motors are not a major item to the duck hunter perhaps, but a dependable motor is probably more of a must to a duck hunter than a fisherman. You may be in shallow enough water to pole, but you may not . . . and you may have a long way to go. If you're in small water, you may need no motor at all , or perhaps an electric will do. But if have far to go, a gas motor of up to 5 hp should do nicely. If you're on really big water you may want a bit larger motor to cover distance faster, but don't forget the limitations of that light jonboat, and don't forget the fact that you'll be going out well before light, and you just can't hurry through darkness.
There's no great secret to placing decoys, though you will find hunters who go to elaborate pains in setting out their blocks. There are several pattern you could use and the e may be more effective and necessary when hunting in open water, but hunting the small coves and potholes for puddle ducks doesn't require such careful setting. In the potholes and coves, put some block in close to shore near weeds as though they were feeding and resting. One decoy might be placed well out toward open water to be acting as a sentry.
Seasoned hunters usually place their decoys in such a M!y that an open spot is left near the blind, so that incoming ducks would naturally head for that spot to land, giving the hunters a shorter range shot.

from morning to afternoon. My reason for this is so that when looking for ducks, and shooting at them, I won 't have to look into the sun ... but the ducks will have to look sunward to see me. Of course, if you 're sure the day is going to be the typical duck hunting overcast, rainy weather, that isn't important. Wind can be a factor in setting up your blind and decoys. Try to set them so that the duck can come in upwind.
As for weather, this doesn't seem to be as critical a factor in Georgia a in states farther north. I've found the birds about as plentiful, and as liable to move around on warm, unny days as on nasty days . I think this is probably because by the time ducks get this far outh, they are beginning to expect better weather, and are looking for wintering grounds. Farther north , they're more transient and bad weather makes them move farther south.
Timing your hooting is a very important factor in duck hunting. Hunters should agree to watch each other and go up together. If one hunter is more experienced than the others, he should be the lead man on shooting first.

Probably the most frequent error by the less experienced hunter is shooting too soon. This is partly because ducks are pretty good sized birds, and if you're used to doves or quail, ducks look closer than they really are.
Also, ducks very often circle your decoys two or three times before coming in , and inexperienced hunters sometimes fear the birds won't be back and take chancy long shots on the fir t or second pass. True, they may not come on in but such long shots rarely do any good and may do harm . .. they may wound a duck you have no hope of retrieving, and they may frighten off those or other nearby ducks that might come in.
Of cour e, if ducks are on their third or fourth circle, were in fairly clo e last time , and still seem unlikely to set their wings, and if they are close enough to provide you with a reasonably good shot, then go ahead.
When the ducks are coming in low enough to make a landing, then patience is your best virtue . . . and this is really the only good way to shoot over decoys. Wait until they set their wings and come gliding in . If you et your decoys right , they

Waiting patiently until th e du cks are close enough before shootin g, being careful not to

m ove at all until you com e up shootin f{ , and careful aim and proper swing brings th e

desired results . .. a duck dinn er!

Photo by Ted Borg

It is to my own thinking that if decoys are too formally placed, and too close together, they appear to be nervous and on the verge of taking off. For that reason , I prefer to scatter my decoys more or less haphazardly, but leaving an open area close to the blind , some in close to weeds and cover, and one sentry out in front. Also a good idea is to have one or two goose decoys . Ducks rely on the wisdom and canniness of geese, and feel secure when a goose is present. Some hunters even use a few crow or dove decoys in nearby bushes or trees, to add to the carefree atmosphere of the spread.

Positioning of the blind and the decoys is worth mentioning. Whenever possible, I like to set my arrangement so that the un is to my back, more or less, so I may move

21

won't land before they get to you. A word about shot; it seems more
and more hunters are going for larger sizes of shot, largely because they feel the shot will carry a greater distance , thus be more effective. It is true that larger shot will carry a little farther, but the distance isn't enough to worry about. The fact is, larger shot means less pellets per load, thus a thinner pattern, and more likelihood of wounding a bird that you'll never get.
Quite a few people these days are using No. 4 shot which I personally consider to be too big for all except the very largest of ducks and even then , No. 5 shot is better. In fact , No. 6 shot will bring down any duck if he's close enough to make a good shot in the first place, and hit well enough . I doubt that No. 5 is much , if any, better than No. 6, although I will admit that on the trip described at the opening of this article, a few test shots made by both Don Huie and myself did seem to indicate 5's might be a bit better at the outer limits of reasonable shotgun range.
For smaller ducks , 6 shot is large enough, and 7 Y2 shot can be fine for teals and other small ducks.
The big problem, of course, is in hitting the bird well. A good lead is important, since ducks are fast flyers. When coming in with set wings , however, they're naturally moving more slowly, and lead must be adjusted accordingly. And as in the case of all fl ying game, angle of approach is a factor.
Having a retrieving dog is a fine addition to a hunt , adding much pleasure to be sure. Not all of us are able to keep a retriever, and may not hunt ducks often enough to make it

worthwhile. Wearing waders, and using a boat can usually solve that problem, however, though I was very disheartened on the Seminole trip to lose one wounded duck that fell into water over the top of my waders. It swam to cover and escaped before I could get the boat after it. A re-triever might have saved the bird.
Calling ducks is highly important in a successful hunt over decoys. When the ducks are flying some distance away, they might not ever see your decoys if you don't give them a holler. Too much calling adds chance for an error, however, and may sound phony to the ducks. Best advice here is to not call more than necessary.
If there's a way to describe with words on a page how to call ducks, I haven't found it. The best I can tell you is to buy a duck caJI record well before the season, listen to it until your wife threatens divorce, then practice on your own call until you can pretty well match the results of the record . Frequent practice may be more worthwhile than long practice in a session or two. I find the feeding chuckle particularly hard to do, requiring much practice. For that reason, I practice calling nearly every day, all year long ... but I have a special way of doing it!
I have found that when I call my youngsters home to dinner, they easily fail to hear their names. But when I blow that duck call, they know good and well who's calling and why .. . especially, when after several highball calls, I put out the feeding chuckle to say it's dinner time! The uniqueness of the method of calling them home gives them added incentive to come running, I'm sure. ~

"Oh rhar's nothin g- you sho uld see thl' ll'ay he handles a gun."

EDITORIAL
(Continued jro111 Page 1)
a certain area of land, and through restocking, predator control and closing hunting for a certain period of time , we had reached the best possible population of deer . . . we'll say 100 deer. The reason this is the best possible is because this area of land can produce only a certain amount of food for deer . .. it can support only 100 deer.
We decide we want more deer, so we continue to not hunt the area. True enough , next spring, natural reproduction results in perhaps 30 new fawns born. All seems well. Then. the following winter, times get hard.-There is food for only 100 deer. None of the 130 deer have enough to eat. The stron~est survive, but in a weakened condition, perhaps susceptible to disease. In the meantime, the food-producnig vegetation is dama~ed by over-browsing, so that it can provide food for only perhaps 70 deer the following year. Even though we have lost 20 deer to starvation, there are still 110 deer looldng for food . Perhaps the next year we may lose virtually all of our deer herd.
The sensible thing to do would be, upon reaching the optimum level of I00 deer with an annual reproduction of 30 deer, is to have an anual harvest through legal controlled hunting, of 30 deer. In this way, we will have the most possible deer, and all will be healthy and happy. Not hunting the herd would be the worst thing we could do for them.
Provide more food? How? The soil has only so much potential. We may raise the level of ability to support deer by planting some food patches. But we'll reach that point within a year, probably, and be back where we started . . . we'll have to hunt them or lose them.
Feed them with feeders? They'll lose their wildness, thus their ability to take care of themselves. They may also contract disease from close association at these feeders. They may even fight each other for the food. If they become accustomed to free feeding , and suddenly lose it, they'll never regain the ability to care for themselves. This again, is not a favor to the deer ... anyway, there must be limit somewhere, on how many deer we can feed . And once again, we'll need to hunt deer.
Incidentally, it is highly important

?

to realize that conservation is paid er who has the greatest effect on soever . . . the industrialist who pol-

for by the hunter and fisherman . . . wildlife. The worst predator of all, on lutes the air and water, and destroys

only by the hunter and fisherman . any game, is man , to be sure. Not the habitat for game; the developer who

A few independent conservation or- hunter, mind you, but the road builds cities where there had been

ganizations may give some lip service builder, the contractor who con- streams, woods , fields and meadows

-and indeed may be helpful in mold- structs an industrial plant, the farmer for game to live and thrive.

ing public opinion. However, the ac- who destroys weeds and brush in his If we are to benefit wildlife, we

tual work of stocking, protecting, fence rows , the forester who turns must continue to hunt . . . but stop

planting feed and otherwise managing cropland into pine thickets which needless destruction of wildlife habi-

wildlife comes from the sale of hunt- produce no food for any game what- tat! ing licenses, and federal funds. If

CV4.-.9/.V~

hunting and fishing stopped, there would be no license sales, thus no

SUPPORTS CHANNELIZING

conservation, and before long, much less wildlife.

have been a subscriber of your magazine almost since it was started and enjoy it very much .

We have spoken so far only of

I am writing this letter in rebuttal ta the

deer. While this is perhaps the best and most easily understood example,

many letters you have printed from people of all walks of life who have been running down the Soil Conservation Service.

it is by no means the only species that

I am in the ditching and grading business

works this way.

L eiters o f general interest will be used as and have built a few of the private watershed

Quail, for example, must be hunted

possible. L eiters must be brief and to th e point. Th e number of leiters receiled pre-

ponds and have ditched quite a lot of the swampland where there has been channeliza-

..

to be kept healthy. Again , lack of l'ents us fro m using all leiters. Wh en sel'winter food and cover makes hunting erallelters on th e same subject are recei1ed

tion. I have been ditching today on Buffalo Creek in Carroll County just south of Carrollton, Georgia. I was reared near that creek and the

a must. Of every 100 quail born this th e editors resen e th e right to use only whole swamp has never had enough game an

f spring, only 15 to 20 have a chance th ose which cover th e subject best. L eiters it to hunt, with the exception of a few buck

of survival to reproduce next spring.

should be signed; however, names will be withh eld upon request.

rabbits, which were next to impossible to get to hunt. There have been no fish in the creek for

This is true whether quail are legally

at least 8 or 10 years because the stream is too

hunted , or not hunted at all . . . it THANKS FOR THE GAME RANGERS polluted.

makes no difference! But this is quite all right, since those 15 or 20 quail

I think the game rangers are doing an autstanding jab af keeping the illegal hunting

There will probably be readers who will write you and say that all I am interested in is the jab of ditching the land that surrounds the creek.

are quite capable of producing the 100 birds next year that the range can support through the summer and

dawn, I admire them and the fine job they are doing.
Each year about two weeks before archery season enters I scout far deer signs to see where

But if they could see the rich, moist soil that would grow fine pasture year round, I think they would change their minds. At the time I am writing this letter, the upland pasture is so

fall months. What happens to the rest? If not

the hunting is best. I was in Putnam County late one afternoon last week. I was coming out of a side road after looking for signs just before

dry that it would burn like a powder keg and the bottom -land pasture is much needed .
I would also like to mention the fact that I

taken by the hunter, predators will dark when I was stopped by three rangers look- saw the pictures that WSB -TV showed on this

take some, starvation the rest. Starvation, believe me , is a far more

ing for illegal hunters. They were nice ta me as they questioned me and found out what I was doing . As I drove off I felt good about what

very creek and they only showed what they wanted the public to see. I know most of the people who have land on this creek and if they

cruel way to come to an end than the had happened because I knew they were doing had not wanted the channelization af this

instantaneous termination by firearms.

a good job af cutting down on illegal hunting and violators of all types of hunting .
I hope the rangers will keep up the good

stream , they could have slapped it. It is my opinion that the work that the Soil
Conservation Service did an this creek has been

Further, in hunting birds, the work th is season and all future seasons.

worth the taxpayers' money.

coveys are scattered, and the birds intermingle with other coveys. At the

Keep up the good work, rangers. E. Howell Milledgeville

I also believe that the Georgia Game and Fish Department and Soil Conservation Service are going to have to work together on the chan-

start of the year, all the birds in the

nelization of future streams instead of butting

r covey are brothers and sisters. By the

LIKES MAGAZINE

heads. This will never accomplish anything, but

,. end of the season, when they break

During a five month cruise in the Mediter-

only cost the taxpayers more money. I agree with the Georgia Game and Fish Department

into pairs to mate, if they've been ranean, it is indeed a distinct pleasure to re- that there are streams that should be left alone.

scattered several times, these mates will be from separate broods. This prevents inbreeding, and again makes

ceive my monthly copy of GAME & FISH magazine . You should be congratulated on your excel lent layout and selection of material. I was very much impressed with the color photographs in

I also think the Game and Fish Department and Soil Conservation Service should be joining farces and fighting pollution instead of each ather.

for the strongest population. The hunter also keeps the birds on

the newer issues. I' ll miss a lot of the hunting and fishing this
year, but GAME & FISH does give me a large

I would also like to say that I am proud of the jab the Game and Fish Department is doing in keeping the deer population up in the state.

their toes. They learn they must be degree of empathy with my fellow Georgia I am a deer hunter and hunt in a lot of the

careful in order to survive. The same general patterns are true

hunters and fishermen enjoying our wonderful state. Keep up the goad work .
Joseph M. Respess

state as well as in other states. After hunting in Colorado and Canada, I still say there is noth ing ta compare with hunting the White Tail Deer

of nearly all wildlife. In the case of

USS Saratoga

in the hills of Georgia.

most species of small game, the hunter has little or no influence otherwise, on their populations. Game popula-

Everyone certainly likes to receive compliments but we are glad to know that some of our readers have noticed the changes that we have made in recent issues. We think that color

I would like to make it clear that I am solely responsible for this letter and its contents and that the Soil Conservation Service had nothing to do with same.

tions of all types are , to be very sure, controlled by man. However, under controlled hunting, it is not the hunt-

photographs and additional pages .with more articles makes Georgia GAME & FISH a beHer magazine. Comments and suggestions from our readers are always welcome.

Max Denney Bremen
See "Hunting The Buffalo" on page 2.

.,.,

the
OUTDOOR
LOCAL CONSERVATIONIST HONORED BY AMERICAN MOTORS
Mrs. Charles P . Yarn, of Atlanta, was recently presented an American Motors Conservation Award for 1971 at the annual conference of the Nature Conservancy in Savannah. Mrs. Yarn was selected as a recipient of an award in the non-professional category for her outstanding work as a private individual in the area of natural resources conservation. She was specifically cited for her efforts to preserve the islands and marshes along the Georgia coast. Working through the Garden Club of Georgia, the Nature Conservancy, the Georgia Conservancy, and S.A.V.E. , Mrs. Yarn has contributed to the creation of public awareness of the value of coastal islands and natural areas.

WORLD
The American Motors program, under the direction of Ed Zern, outdoor writer/ humorist, has been in operation since 1953. American Motors' board chairman, Roy D. Chapin, Jr. , said of the awards program, "Among problems confronting our nation today, the preservation of our natural resources assumes an imperative quality . . . our wisdom in preserving the environment will importantly determine the way of life of future generations."
Each year 20 awards are presented, 10 each in professional and non-profess ional categories, for dedicated efforts in the field of renewable natural resources. In addtion to Mrs. Yarn's 1971 award, Game and Fish Assistant Director Jack Crockford won the 1970 award in the professional category.
-Aaron Pass

DEER POACHERS CONVICTED
IN LOWNDES COUNTY CASE
An all-night stake out, shrewd detective work, and a high speed chase in the early morning hours produced the arrest and conviction of two men in the Game & Fish Department's increased war against deer poachers and night hunters.
According to Wildlife Major J. D. Atchison, Deputy Chief of Law Enforcement for the Southern Region, State Court Judge T. Guy Connell of Valdosta sentenced Willie Fred Daniels, 22, of Naylor to a 12-month sentence after Daniels pleaded guilty to charges of hunting deer out of season , hunting deer without a license, and possession of deer out of season.
Atchi son said that Charles D. Bennett, 23, of Stockton, was fined $200 and sentenced to 12 months in county jail after pleading guilty to charges of hunting deer without a license and possess ion of deer out of season. The jail sentence was suspended.
A pickup truck driven by Daniels and various pieces of equipment including lights, a handgun and ammunition for various weapons were confiscated, Atchison said.
The incident began when Wildlife R anger L. C. Taylor left his home at 8 p .m. Saturday night, September 18, to patrol an area of Lowndes

Book Review
THE WATER LORDS, R alph Nader's Study Group Report on Industry and Environmental Crisis in Savannah, Georgia.
By James M. Fallows, Grossman Publishers, New York,
New York. 255 pages, $7.95.
This is a book for everyone-not ju t the fi sherman interested in the condition of the Savannah River, not just th e citizens of Savannah who mu st live through the e problems every day-anyone who needs water for survival should read this one! The report at times becomes quite frightening and appalling and makes one rea li ze why he must care, no matter what region of the U. S. is his home. All cities and all human beings depend on water and the misuse of water suppli es will prove disastrous to all.
The study points out many facets of the Savannah problem: air poilu-

tion, water pollution, unequal taxation, corporate arrogance, and others. THE WATER LORDS is an excellent ecological document showing quite eloquently how man's mismanagement of his most vital and irreplacable resources could be his final mistake.
The study group's report is very readable, giving the story of Savannah's problems from the major beginning of the river pollution in 1935 up to what is being done, or not being done, to decrease the near overwhelm ing pollution in 1971. The book is filled with facts, quotes, and charts documenting the in formation and yet all is presented in such a way that the reader does not become bogged down with statistic . Indeed , the statistics lend credibility to what might otherwise be construed as exagge rations.
Even those who have become apathetic or think they have lost their capacity for outrage will find many shocking facts in THE WATER

LORDS . However, not all of the facts

are negative. Accounts are given

about the mill that proved pollution

can be controlled and credit is given

to the individuals and agencies that

are really doing all possible to fight

the atrocities of massive pollution

and corporate deception.

Mr. Fallows also points out the

unique quality and beauty of the

Savannah community. The members

of the study group were quite im-

pressed by the people of Savannah

in their desire to preserve the history

of the city. The accomplishment of

restoring this history in such a way

that the past lives beautifully with the

present is often praised.

THE WATER LORDS basically

makes one look closely at what is

being done to his air and water and

ask why. Many of the whys are an-

swered in Savannah's situation but

this study is an excellent guide to

follow in uncovering the reasons no

matter where the pollution problem

exists.

-M. H.

County where local residents had complained of night deer hunting activity. Taylor parked his vehicle just north of the Echols-Lowndes County line off Ga. Highway 135 in

Sportsman's Calendar

DUCKS AND COOTS: November 22, 1971 , through January 20, 1972. Bag limit on ducks shall be three (3) daily with a possession limit of six (6); and the bag limit on coots shall be fifteen (15) daily with a possession lim it of thirty (30).

a postion where he could observe traffic in the general area. Every two hours, Taylor would drive the dirt

RACCOON: (I) Oct. 16, 1971 , through Feb. 29, 1972, in Carroll , Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Barrow, J ackson, Madison, El.

Shooting hours are from one-half hour before su nrise until sunset.
NOTE: The limits on ducks may not

roads nearby and search for signs of traffic or other activity. Early the following morning, he found foot prints on one of the dirt roads and marks where an animal had been dragged

bert, and all counties north of those listed. Bag limit one (l) per night per person.
(2) All counties south of the above named counties are open year round for the taking of raccoons. No bag limit.

include more than (a) 1 black duck dail y: (b) 2 wood ducks; (c) 1 canvasback or I redhead . The possession limit on ducks shall not include more than: (a) 4 wood ducks; and (b) 1 canvasback or I redhead or 2 black ducks.

into the road . Closer examination revealed blood signs and deer hairs on the bushes. Following the trail about 80 yards from the road, Taylor found the site where the animal had been killed. He found other drag signs about 11/2 miles up the road, indicating that perhaps two deer had been killed that night.
Taylor radioed Biological Aide C. E. Davis for assistance. The two men searched the area thoroughly and found two expended .22 caliber rimfire cartridge hulls and tire tracks with an unusual tread design. The men decided to drive into Nay-

SQUIRREL: Statewide season is Oct. 16, 1971 , through Feb. 29, 1972. Bag limit ten (I 0) daily.
QUAIL: November 20, 1971 , through February 29, 1972. Statewide season. Bag limit twelve (12) daily; possession limit th irty-six (36) .
RABBIT: (I) November 20, 1971, through January 31 , 1972, in the counties of Carroll , Fulton , DeKalb, Gwinnett, Hall , Ha bers ham, and all counties north of those listed will be open for rabit hunting. Bag limit five (5) daily.
(2) November 20, 1971, through February 29, 1972, in all counties sou th of the above l i ~ ted counties. Bag limit ten (10) daily .

The limit on mergansers is 5 daily and 10 in possession, of which only 1 daily and 2 in possession may be hooded merganasers .
BRANT: November 15 1971 , through Janu ary 23, 1972. Da ily bag limit shall be six (6) . Shooting hours are from onehalf hour before su nrise until su nset.
SCAUP: An add itional two (2) scaup daily and four (4) in possession may be taken during the regular duck season November 22 , 1971. through January 20, 1972. in that portion of Chatham, Bryan, Liberty. Mcintosh, Gl ynn, and Camden Cou nties lying east of the of the Intercostal Waterway . Shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise until s un set.

lor and see if they could locate a vehicle with this style tread.
The men spotted the tracks of such a vehicle on an unpaved road in

WOODCOCK: November 20, 1971 , throu gh January 23 , 1972. The dail y bag limit shall be five (5) and the possession limit shall be ten (I 0). Shooting hours are

GALLINULE: November 7, 1971, through Ja nuary 15, 1972. Bag limit is fifteen (15) daily and thirty (30) in possession. Shooting hours are f rom one-half

Naylor and then saw two men stand- from one-half half hour before sunrise hour before sunrise until sunset.

ing beside a pickup in a residential until sunset.

DOVES: Oct. 23 through Nov. 10; Dec.

..


neighborhood. As Taylor tried to approach the men for questioning, the men hopped into their truck and sped away.

COMMON (WILSON'S) SNIPE: December II , 1971 , through February 13, 1972. The daily bag limit shall be eight (8) with a possession limit of sixteen (16).

18 through Jan. 15, 1972. Daily shooting hours, 12 noon prevailing time, until sun-
set. Bag limit, 12 per da y, possession limit, 24. At no time shall the hunter have in his possession more than one daliy bag limit

According to the ranger's report, he pursued the suspects at speeds

Shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise until sunset.

(12) while traveling from the shooting area to his car or home.

exceeding 80 m.p.h. with siren on and

red lights flashing. The truck stopped

at the intersection of Ga. Highway
221 and Old State Road where the
two suspects were apprehended. The chase ended at 9:30 a.m., Sunday,

Oiie ufish

Send check or money order to: Georgia GAME & FISH Magazine 270 Washington St ., S.W ., Atlanta, Go . 30334

more than 13 hours after Taylor bad begun his stake out.
The ranger reported that the truck contained meat from at least three individual deer. It was assumed that the men were attempting to sell the meat.
According to Game and Fish Director Joe D . Tanne1~ poaching is one of the most serious problems facing the state's deer herd . Due to increased funds from the license in-

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