Georgia outdoors [Oct. 1965]

The Game and Fish Commission .predicts a record total of 30,000 deer will be token during th is year 's season.

Game and Fish Commission

Predicts Record Hunting Season

Georgia hunters are in for a record hunting season this fall, according

to forecasts by the State Game and Fish Commission.

Predictions of a "bumper-crop" in the field are based on an abundance

of cultivated and natural foods this year which are heavily utilized by

wildlife.

Deer Georgia deer hunters are in for th eir best season in history, with the total bag expected to be in the neighborhood of 30,000 d eer. The season opened October 15th in Southeast Georgia, and will open October 30th in all other deer areas. Hunting will be best in the Piedmont section, with the largest number of deer with the best racks and heaviest average weights coming out of Jones, Jasper, Putnam, Monroe, Morgan, Greene, Baldwin, Hancock, McDuffie, and Columbia counties. The next best deer hunting in the State for a large area will be in the Northeast Georgia mountain counties of Lumpkin, White, Union, Towns, Rabun, Habersham, Gilmer, and Fannin. Deer hunting prospects are somewhat less favorable in Northwest Georgia, followed by the Southwest Georgia section, where hunting w ill be
best towards the fall .line in Talbott, Marion, Stewart, Chattahoochee, and Muscogee counties.
The poorest deer hunting prospects are generally in Southeast Geor gia, with hunting best in the coastal counties and along the Savannah River. A notable exception to this outlook is the Fort Stewart Military Reservation , where deer hunting prospects will rival those of the fabulous Piedmont, especially from the population density standpoint. The sprawling military installation has been open to the public

for deer hunting for several years.

.

Squirrel

Squirrel hunting will be good to ex-

cellent in the hardwood bottoms of the

Piedmont and in South Georgia for

both gray and fox squirrels. Hunting

in North Georgia began more slow-

ly as the season opened October 15th,

but will greatly improve to excellent

in the mountains as the season prog-

resses and gray squirrels move into

the area to feed on unusually good

crops of w hite and scarlet oak acorns

and hickory nuts.

Quail

Quail hunters will be generally less

successful in 1965 than last year be-

cause of the gradually declining quail

habitat, due to the rapid transition of

open farmland into pine tree forests.

However, hunting will still be good

in th e remaining areas of good quail

habitat, due to a good summer growing

season for cultivated crops, coupled

with a bumper production of native

seeds and gr asses. The best hunting

after the season opens on November

20th will be in the North west, Pied-

mont, and Southwest sections. Hunting

will generally b e poor as usual in

Northeast and Southeast Georgia, due

to poor habitat conditions.

Rabbits

Rabbit hunting will be better than

ever in South Georgia, with r es ults at

least as good in the Piedmont section.

(Continued on Page 2)

October, 1965
VVorkshop To Study Conservation Set
Something new will be offered Georgia's ~eachers this coming summer on two college campuses where plans are being made for an unusual course dealing with nature and man's effect on it,' good or bad.
Described as a five-hour undergraduate credit course in natural resource use, the new teacher summer course being sponsored by three Georgia colleges will concentrate on the outdoors and such problems as water pollution, soil erosion, development of Georgia's mineral resources, preservation of rapidly-disappearing natural recreation areas, management of spreading forests, and dramatic changes in the predominant types of Georgia wildlife.
Two Workshops A tota l of 50 teachers will be invited to participate in the two new workshops n ext summer; one for 25 North Geor gia teachers at Rome by Shorter and Berry colleges, the second at Valdosta by Valdosta State College for an equal number of South Georgia teachers. Plans for the two workshops were formulated by a new organization known as the Georgia Natural Resources Education Council which is composed of the three colleges, the State Department of Education, and
(Continued on Page 3)
Squirrel hunting should be best in the hardwood bottoms of the Piedmont an d in South Georgia .

Lake Jackson Gets Ten Wildlife In Georgia

Inch Size Limit on Bass

Wild Turkey

A 10-inch size limit has been placed on bass in Mi~::le Georgia's Lake

Jackson by the State Game and Fish Commission.

The action by the Commission was taken in an effort to preserve a tremendous crop of small bass which survived in unusual numbers after this year's spawning, apparently due to the successful stocking of threadfin shad in Jackson two years ago by the Game and Fish Commission.
The threadfin shad are a small forage fish ranging from one to four inches in length which largemouth bass and other carnivorous fish feed heavily on.
Most of this year's unusual crop of bass in Jackson are now about three to five inches long, and are expected to rapidly reach 10-inches in length this winter, if a substantial number are not caught by fishermen.
"Small bass of this size are very easy to catch, but they really a.ren't big enough to make a decent meal until they get over 10-inches long," says Leon Kirkland, fisheries coordinator of the Game and Fish Commission.
Wildlife rangers have been instructed to begin enforcement of the 10inch size limit immediately on Jackson and the Commission's High Falls lake, which is located nearby.
Improve Fishing
Kirkland says that protection of the small bass in Jackson is an essential step in the Commission's all-out program begun two years ago to significantly improve fishing in Lake Jackson, one of Georgia's oldest hydroelectric reservoirs. Fishing had dropped drastically on J ackson prior to stocking of threadfin shad, which have al-

ready resulted in improvement of crappie fishing, according to Kirkland.
"Jackson also has a heavy population of small one to four-inch fish which can be effectively utilized by these small bass," Kirkland said. He pointed out that reduction of the numbers of these smaller fish, including bream, is desirable because these small fish are not attractive ~o fishermen, they help prevent successful bass spawning by feeding on bass eggs and fry, they compete with the small bass for food, and they do not spawn heavily enough when over-crowded to produce enough young fish for bass to feed on. Population studies conducted this summer on Jackson indicated that an unusually high percentage of the lake's population is tied up in small forage fish too small to interest most fishermen.
Close Watch Kirkland says that Commission fishery biologists plan to keep a close watch on Jackson to determine how successful the 10-inch limit is in increasing bass fishing. If the results are good, Kirkland says the Commission may consider the desirability of placing a 10-inch size limit on bass in other impoundments and s t r e a ms around the State. The Game and Fish Commission has recommended a 10-inch size limit on bass in private ponds for several years, and is currently using the 10-inch limit successfully in the Commission's popular new public fishing area in McDuffie County.

The wild turkey (Meleagris ga.llopavo) is Georgia's top upland game bird.
It lives throughout the state and is most common in the northeastern and southern parts, especially the mountain sections and coastal areas. Originally found in nearly all of the states east of the Rocky Mountains, it is now practically extinct over about three-fourths of its original range.
Wildlife management practices by the Georgia Game and Fish Commission have helped bring back the birds in many sections of the state where several years passed without one being seen.
Life Cycle The "gobbling season," so familiar to the ears of Georgia sportsmen, heralds the breeding season of turkeys in Georgia, which is in March and April. One male may mate with several hens and seek to enlarge his harem throughout the laying period. Ten or eleven eggs make up the average clutch. The young birds stay with their mother until the fall of the year when they go out into the world to seek their own livelihood.

Commission's Hunting Forecast (continued from page one)

However, hunting will be less successful in North Georgia this year, due to unexplained poor production of young this year. The rabbit season opens with quail on November 20th.
Doves
The first half of the dove season which ended September 30th produced excellent shooting for native birds above the fall line in North Georgia. Production of native birds was exceptionally high this year.
Shooting in South Georgia was generally slower, but will be good during the second season beginning December 7th as migratory doves flock into the area to find warmer temperatures and more abundant food on peanut, millet, and corn fields, as well as on natural seeds and berries. Colder weather to the North will create good shooting conditions in South Georgia.
Dove hunting will be poor in North Georgia during the second season except on some harvested cornfields, due to adverse weather conditions and food shortages during December and January.

On hand ta take advantage of good dove hunting in North Georgia during the first half of the season were, left to right, standing: Arnold Boyd, Spec Towson, Jim Dunlap, Mickey Wilson, Gayle Dunlap, Dr. Bill Miller; kneeling: W. T. Wing, G&F Commissioner Ed Dunlap, and Ed Little. The dove hunt was sponsored by the Gainesville National Bank.
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Ducks
Native wood duck hunting will be better than ever this year along wooded rivers and streams and in flooded beaver pond swamps. Excellent migratory duck shooting is also expected during the later season this year, which begins November 30th. The best hunting will also be in Georgia's rapidly increasing number of beaver ponds. Hunting will also be good on the Georgia coast, if weather conditions north of Georgia are severe enough to drive the birds south.
Turkeys
Turkey hunting prospects are only fair in the South Georgia counties, with little if any improvement in the apparently declining population, which has been over-hunted in these areas for many years. Hunters have a long season in all three open areas, generally from October 30th to February 28th, depending on the individual section.

Summer Boating Fatalities

Cut by Two Thirds of Last Year's

Boating fatalities on Georgia lakes this summer have been cut by more

than two-thirds of last year's totals, according to accident reports compiled

by the State Game and Fish Commission.

Fatalities involving boats dropped from 50 persons last year to only 17 this year by the end of August, which is the last month of heavy boating activity.
At the same time that boating accidents dropped two-thirds, drownings which did not involve a boat dropped by one third, from 77 last year to 51

safety before the public throughout the entire summer.
"We think that the tragic accident at the beginning of the boating season in which 7 persons lost their lives in an overcrowded boat on Lake Aliatoona had the effect of arousing publie interest in the importance of water safety," Malone said.

for the same period this year. Drownings in Georgia for the same period from all causes were cut almost in half, from 127 to only 68 this year.
Public Interest
"Along with the boaters themselves, the lion's share of the credit for this tremendously encouraging drop in water fatalities should go to the many volunteer workers with the Georgia Water Safety Congress who have done such a fine job," said Rosser Malone, director of the State Game and Fish Commission.
He singled out the Red Cross, Power

Understaffed
"We also feel that the efforts of our rangers had a good bit to do with the two-thirds reduction in boating fatalities, even though we're understaffed and don't have enough men and boats to adequately patrol the lakes," Malone said. "We are hopeful that next year we'll have sufficient funds for effective patrolling so that we may maintain the record set this year,". he said.
With the announced support of Governor Carl Sanders, the Game and Fish Commission plans to ask the next session of the General Assembly for

Squadron, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Marine Patrol, and Jaycees for their activities, along with Georgia newspapers, press associations, and radio and television stations for keeping boating

additional funds to hire more rangers and purchase sufficient patrol boats for boating safety activities, along with an expanded public hunting and fishing areas program.

Conservation Workshop (continued from page 1)

State and federal conservation agencies.
Noted zoologist Dr. Clyde Cannel, Chairman of the Department of Biology of Valdosta State, will coordinate the South Georgia workshop with well-known ecologist Miss Lewis Lipps, Professor of Biology at Shorter, in charge of the No_rth Georgia course. Both workshops will feature outstanding guest lecturers from conservation agencies and other educational institutions, as well as a number of field trips in each area to illustrate con-
servation principles to teachers on a first-hand basis.
Scholarships
Scholarships to pay the $150 cost per teacher for the three week workshop are being provided by interested organizations, including the Georgia Sportsmen's Federation, the Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs, and other interested groups. Civic organizations interested in sponsoring a teacher at one of the two workshops may do so before November 1st by contacting Jim Morrison of the State Game and Fish Commission in Atlanta, chairman of the Natural Resources Education Council.
Selection of the 50 teachers to attend next summer's two workshops

will be made from school systems in areas where civic organizations are sponsoring scholarships, as far as possible. School system superintendents in areas where scholarships have been made available will be asked to select an outstanding teacher or school administrator to attend the workshop from their system. Interested teachers may obtain more information from their school principals, curriculum directors, or from Morrison.
Officers
Other officers of the Council include Malcolm Edwards, U.S. Forest Service, Gainesville, vice-chairman; Mrs. Betty Croke, U.S. Forest Service, Atlanta, secretary; and David Almand, Cooperative Extension Service, Athens, treasurer.
Member agencies of the new Natural Resources Education Council in addition to the three colleges and the State Department of Education include the State Forestry Commission; State Game and Fish Commission; State Health Department; S t a t e Department of Mines, Mining, and Geology; State Parks Department; Cooperative Extension Service; Soil Conservation Service ; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and U.S. Forest Service.

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A fish population co nducted on the river indi-
cated the estab lishment of walleye.
Stocking at New Dam
Site Successful
Walleye have been successfully stocked in the Coosawattee River near the site of the new Carters Dam, according to Leon Kirkland, fisheries coordinator of the Game and Fish Department.
A fish population study, conducted downstream from Ellijay, produced walleye up to eight inches in length, indicating that the species is now established in the river.
The walleye were stocked last April and May as part of a program to develop a balanced population of desirable game fish in the river prior to the completion of Carters Dam. When the dam is finished, the fish will carry over from the river, stocking the lake.
Kirkland also cited the fact that a large number of small minnows was also taken in the study, indicating an abundant supply of forage fish that is not being utilized. On the basis of these findings, the Department also plans to stock the northern smallmouth bass, making an additional game fish for anglers and brood stock for the impoundment.
Mountain T rout The study is part of a series of population studies being conducted on the Coosawattee. After the dam is completed, additional studies will be made to determine the success of the stockings, to develop future impoundment management procedures, and to determine if the lake conditions develop that will support mountain trout in the reservoir. A fish population study consists of controlled experimental sam p 1in g methods in which a small section of a river or lake is treated with a chemical toxin which kills fish for a short period of time but will not affect animals. All the fish in the area are collected, weighed, inspected, and counted. On the basis of information gained from such sampling, biologists can determine how to manage the area to produce the best possible fishing. The studies have no permanent effect on fishing, and in two or three weeks, fish from surrounding areas repopulate the small sample area.

Lanier Trout Stocking Produces Fish Bonanza

Rainbow trout stocked in Lake Lanier only last January have provided

Georgia fish biologists their most spectacular triumph in recent years.

When stocked by the State Gam and Fish Commission last winter in the nation's most popular reservoir. trout averaged a mere eight inches in size. Several of the stocked trout have been caught going over three pounds in size, although most of the trout range in the one to two pound category - phenomenal growth for trout in such a short period of time.
"All of the fish that we've seen come out of the lake so far are good and fat," said Leon Kirkland, fisheries coordinator of the Game and Fish Commission. Asked how he knew trout could survive in Lanier, Kirkland explains, "We've been making scientific tests of the water temperature and oxygen content at Lanier for the past five years. The results looked promising, and this year's successful experimental stocking proves that we were right, even though some persons insisted that trout wouldn't be able to live in Lanier."
Increased Stocking Kirkland says the Commission plans to stock Lanier a second time this winter on an expanded basis, due to the success of this year's stocking. Indications are that this year's experimental stocking will be increased this winter by four or five times. "This won't cause any reduction in current stocking rates in mountain trout streams," Kirkland said, "because these extra fish are the result of a new system of raising trout more efficiently at our Summerville hatchery." Kirkland says the new system consists of raising two groups of trout at Summerville as compared to only one per year in previous years.
Probably the largest string of trout to come out of Lake Lanier, or any Georgia lake for that matter, was

caught the weekend befor~ Labor Day by Roswell angler Talmadge Redd and four other anglers, who caught 31 trout in a si ngle night which tipped the scales at 56 pounds- after being gutted. Redd said the largest fish was 18lh inches long and weighed about three pounds, considerably larger than any Redd had ever caught out of a mountain stream.
During August and September, angle rs had their best luck fishing 40 to 50 feet deep near the Buford D am, but as the water temperatures change in Lanier this fall, the trout will spread throughout the entire reservoir.
Kirkland says the Commission is carefully studying all the other Georgia reservoirs which might be suitable for trout, but only Lake Burton offers conditions needed by trout for successful year around survival and growth .

This is how the 8 to 10 inch rainbow trout looked when they were stocked in the lake lost January.

Terry, Tony, and Charles Holcombe and Talmadge Redd show proof that the stocking program has paid off.

STATE GAME & FISH COMMISSION Public Information Office 401 State Capitol Atlanta, Ga. 30334
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Hunting Forecast; Conservation Workshop

GEORGIA OUTDOORS
Jim Morrison, Editor Ronnie Abney, Managing Editor
Walt Stevens, S taff Writer

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