Field operations weekly report, 2019 January 19

Field Operations
Weekly Report January 13 January 19, 2019
This report is a broad sampling of events that have taken place in the past week, but does not include all actions taken by the Law Enforcement Division.

Region I- Acworth (Northwest)
CARROLL COUNTY On January 14th, Game Warden Garrett Pownall responded to a complaint in progress. Game Warden Pownall and local deputies located the suspects on the property. Pownall checked one fishing license and issued a citation for fishing without permission.
HARALSON COUNTY On January 15th, Game Warden First Class Daniel Gray and Game Warden Ryan Shorter conducted two programs at Haralson County High School. During the programs, students learned how to become a game warden and learned about first aid techniques when in an outdoor environment.
BARTOW COUNTY On January 19th, Cpl. Byron Young and GWFC Zack Hardy investigated a possible illegal buck that was harvested and tagged on December 31 by a hunter in Bartow County. After interviewing the subject at his residence off John Kay Road, the hunter claimed to have killed the buck on his property right behind his residence. Cpl. Young and GWFC Hardy located a ladder stand that was approximately 100 feet just inside the wood line from the subject's yard. The property he was actually hunting was not his personal land but had permission. Due to the circumstances at hand, he was issued a warning for hunting without a license and hunting without a big game license in regards to his expired license on the harvest date.
On January 19th, GWFC Zack Hardy investigated a bag of trash located on Ridge Cross Road. After interviewing the suspect in Euharlee, GWFC Hardy issued the suspect a warning for littering. The suspect advised that he paid some young juveniles to carry his trash off. Later that day, the suspect contacted GWFC Hardy in regards to him finding out who actually dumped the trash and that the trash was picked up that day off Ridge Cross Road.
Region II- Gainesville (Northeast)
BANKS COUNTY On January 16th, GWFC Kernahan conducted a WMA patrol at Wilson Shoals. During the patrol, he located an illegal dumpsite that contained a significant amount of trash. GWFC Kernahan determined who the responsible party was, and proceeded to their residence to confront them. Once presented with the evidence, the party admitted to the violation. GWFC Kernahan addressed the issue, and advised the party to clean up the trash.
BARROW COUNTY On January 14th, GWFC Chris Kernahan apprehended two subjects actively hunting deer out of season. GWFC Kernahan determined that one of the subjects had illegally taken a doe earlier that date. In addition to hunting deer out of season, the two subjects hunted without licenses, hunted without big game licenses, & failed to obtain harvest records. GWFC Kernahan also determined that one of the subjects illegally harvested an antlered deer in Sept. 2018. The violations were addressed.
HABERSHAM COUNTY On January 13th, GWFC Joe Hill received a complaint in reference to two subjects hunting ducks without permission and hunting ducks from a public road. A Habersham County deputy made contact with the two subjects as the hunters were leaving the area. The deputy gathered the spent shotgun shells and obtained verbal admissions of the violations. The deputy had the subjects meet GWFC Hill at the Habersham County Detention Center where they were both charged with hunting without permission and hunting from a public road.

WHITE COUNTY On January 14th, Cpl. Anne Wiley and GWFC David Webb responded to an in-progress fishing without permission complaint at Unicoi Outfitters on the Chattahoochee River off Duncan Bridge Rd. Cpl. Wiley and GWFC Webb observed an adult male fishing on the state road right away of Duncan Bridge Rd. The fisherman was casting his line below the cable onto the DNR LED controlled affidavit property belonging to Unicoi Outfitters. Cpl. Wiley inspected the fisherman's fishing license and found it expired. The fisherman had been told several times by Unicoi Outfitters to fish between the cables. Cpl. Wiley cited the fisherman for fishing without a license and fishing without permission. The fisherman was warned for fishing without a trout license and possession of trout without a license. The fisherman was asked to release the trout back into the river, as which he complied.
UNION COUNTY On January 18th, Sgt. Steve Seitz received a call from GSP Gainesville about an in progress illegal burn near Blairsville, GA. Sgt. Seitz responded to the area and located a male suspect who had been burning a pile of vinyl siding at his residence that was smoking up the community. The Union County Fire Department had also responded and put the fire out. Sgt. Seitz issued the male suspect a citation for burning the vinyl siding.
MADISON COUNTY On January 13, GWFC Shane Sartor checked an affidavit property for hunting activity. As a result three subjects were issued citations for hunting waterfowl without permission.

Region III- Thomson (East Central)
GREENE COUNTY On January 21st Cpl. Derrell Worth cited two subjects for illegal size fish (Lake Oconee) and completed investigation which led to two citations reference violation of waste control laws. Cpl. Derrell Worth completed a month long investigation with assistance from Capt. Stan Elrod and Sgt. Matt Garthright where search warrants were written and arrest warrants issued on two subjects for the following charges: two counts theft by taking, two counts theft by receiving, one non resident hunting without big game license, one subject hunting without license, one subject hunting without big game license, two subjects hunting without permission, two subjects hunting without fluorescent orange and one subject hunting without hunter education.

Region IV- Macon (West Central)
COWETA COUNTY On January 19th Game Wardens Steven Martinez, Ken Lalumiere, Russell Epps, Cpl. Keith Page, Cpl. Keith Waddell and Sgt. Brent Railey assisted Chattahoochee Bend State Park with an Orienteering Competition. Game Wardens provided security, traffic control and searched for one lost competitor during a severe storm.

PUTNAM COUNTY

On

the morning of January 13th Corporal Bubba Stanford responded to the area BF Grant WMA in reference to

hunting without permission on University of Georgia Experiment Station property. Cpl. Stanford investigated the

case throughout the day and located four suspects. Each individual was charged with hunting without permission

and additional warnings were issued for license violations. A drake redhead duck was also confiscated.

Region V- Albany (Southwest)
BROOKS COUNTY On January 19th, Game Warden Tommy Daughtrey was patrolling Brooks County for hunting activity when he heard several volleys of shoots coming from a nearby swamp. While checking the area for the hunters, Daughtrey found where the hunters had been standing and an ATV. Daughtrey and Sgt. David Ruddell eventually located the hunters hiding in the swamp. It was determined that they had been warned by the landowner's wife that a Game Warden had driven onto the property, so they attempted to flee by hiding in the swamp. The hunters were charged with hunting ducks over bait, hunting without federal duck stamps, hunting without Georgia migratory bird licenses, and failure to allow inspection of game.
Region VI- Metter (Southeast)
IRWIN COUNTY On January 15th, Game Warden Chris Thompson patrolled the Alapaha River Wildlife Management Area for any small game hunting activity along with Indigo and Rattlesnake hunters on the property. No illegal activity was found.
TOOMBS COUNTY On the morning of January 19th Game Warden First Class Bobby Sanders received a complaint of shots fired close to a home. After arriving at the area, GWFC Sanders quickly located three duck hunters. Violations for nonresident hunting without a license, hunting without a Georgia migratory bird stamp, and hunting without a federal duck stamp were documented.
TATTNALL COUNTY On January 17th Game Warden Randell Meeks completed an investigation that started from an anonymous tip from social media. After interviewing two persons concerning a hunting trip to Tattnall County, violations for accompanying a deer hunter without fluorescence orange and for failure to record harvest were documented.
Region VII- Brunswick (Coastal)
LIBERTY COUNTY On January 13, 2019, Corporal Bill Bryson was patrolling the Liberty County Development Property off of Sunbury Road near the Coastal EMC Substation when he found a black Harley Davison motorcycle left in the brush. The motorcycle had parts removed from it, the VIN was checked and Game Warden Bryson then found out that the motorcycle was stolen out of Hinesville, Ga. GSP Dispatch was contacted and confirmed that it was stolen. A local towing company recovered the Harley Davison.

GLYNN COUNTY On 1/18/2019, Corporals John Evans, Kate Hargrove and Game Warden Cassidy Gerstorff patrolled waters offshore from Glynn County to Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary. Game Wardens inspected fishermen in federal waters catching Black Sea Bass.