Deer Stocking Program in Georgia 1 1928-1974 <,I Federal aid in wildlife restoration . -tc ..~. State Game and Fish Commission 270 Washington Street, S. W. Atlanta, Georgia 30334 ,- THE HISTORY OF THE GEORGIA DEER STOCKING PROGRAM Compiled by Les Jefferies Intern to the Georgia Game and Fish Division of the Department of Natural Resources March, 1975 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research project was conducted in a ten-week period from January to mid-March in 1975. It was accomplished through the cooperation of the Georgia Intern Office, the Game and Fish Divison of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and also the Political Science Department of Emory University for participating in the Georgia Intern Program. This project required extensive primary and secondary research. I would like to thank the following people for their contributions in making this project possible: Fannie Black Bill Collins Jack Crockford Betty DeFoor Hubert Handy Dr. Frank Hayes Bob Howarth Dr. James H. Jenkins Terry Kile Ron Little William Parker Frank Parrish Lawrence Pearce James Scharnagel Ferd Sumrell C. V. Waters Dick Whittington -1- INTRODUCTION The slim and graceful white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is the most popular big game animal in the State of Georgia. It is native to the vast area of North American east of the Rocky Mountains, thus having the largest range of any single big game animal (Whittington, 1969). More than 175,000 Georgia hunters seek this elusive quarry each year, and they spend more time and money hunting deer than any other species (Whittington, 1975; Pass, 1973; Survey and Analysis Report, Georgia Game and Fish Division, 1973). Yet this popular sport and source of recreation would not be present today had it not been for one of the brightest success stories of wildlife conservation. At the beginning of the twentieth century, white-tailed deer were practically extinct in the State, except for a few concentrated on the relatively inaccessible coastal islands and marshlands. But through the continuing and concerted stocking and management efforts initiated by Ranger Arthur Woody and the U. S. Forest Service, and carried on by the Georgia Game and Fish Commission, Georgia's deer population today has been estimated between 200,000 and 250,000 (Terry Kile, pers. comm., 1975). -2- 1. Deer roam in Georgia's coastal region. -3- ... 2. The timberlands of Georgia are hane to these bucks. -4- 3. Scenes such as this provide evidence that the deer stocking program in Georgia is a successful one. -5- The white-tailed deer was one of the first of our large mammals to grasp the attention of early settlers of North America. It seems to have been reported especially from Virginia by early French writers who called it "Cerf de Virginia". It was then given the scientific name "Cervus virginianus" which has now been changed to Odocoileus virginianus. As the settlers explored the continent, they found this species of deer to be present in most of the eastern and central united States. The species became popularly known as the "White-tail," because of its most conspicuous physical figure (Museum of Natural History 1922) . Status and Decline of Deer in Georgia Prior to Restoration White-tailed deer apparently were widespread and fairly abundant throughout Georgia at the time of discovery and initial settlement by the white man (Newsom, 1969). The Indians pursued it before the coming of the white man and made good use of its hide, antlers, and flesh for food and clothing (Museum of Natural History, 1922). The settlers soon began to use deer as an item of trade, and it became one of the most sought after species. Deerskins shipped from colonies and towns in the Southeast as late as the 1750's brought greater returns than all other commodities combined. The former abundance of deer in Georgia is also indicated by shipments of more than 200,000 pounds of deerskins from the State between 1765 and 1973 (Blackard, 1971). William Bartram, an expert naturalist and a delightful writer, traveled throughout the Southeast including Georgia in the 1770's making extensive botanical collections. In his journal, he wrote in detail about the land, plants and wildlife he saw during his travels. Included in the accounts of March, 1975, Bartram comments: "The next morning as we sailed southward to East Florida, we saw Jekyll and Cumberland Islands, large, beautiful and fertile, yet thinly inhabited, and consequently excellent haunts for deer, bear, and other game." Bartram did indeed sight numerous deer on Cumberland Island, the southern end of St. Simon's Island, and in an area south of the Altamaha River. While making his way back north from Florida along the Suwanee River, Bartram made note of some brief observations on geographical variation in deer size. Concerning an area between the Little and Broad Rivers in present day Wilkes County, Bartram states: "The wild country now almost depopulated, vast forests, expansive plains, and detached groves; then, chains of hills whose gravelly, dry, barren summits -6- present detached piles of rocks, which delude and flatten the hopes and expectations of the solitary hospitable habitations; heaps of white gnawed bones of ancient buffalo, elk, and deer indiscriminately mixed with those of men, half grown over the moss ... since some of these objects recognize past transactions and events, perhaps not altogether reconcilable to justice and humanity" (Bartram, 1958; Bartram, 1973). The colonial government realized that there was a need for fundamental game conservation, and in 1773 a meeting of the Colonial Governing Board ruled that anyone found hunting deer with a light was to receive thirty lashes on the back "well laid" (Allen, 1948). Georgia's first law, as a member of the new nation pertaining to wildlife conservation, was quite similar to the colonial statute. This measure, which was passed in 1790, prohibited deer hunting at night with "firelight", and provided a penalty of five English pounds and thirty lashes (Malone, 1965). Georgia, however, was the only colony at the end of the colonial period which had not provided for closed deer seasons (Palmer, 1912). In fact, the first legal deer hunting season was not established in Georgia until 1849 (Allen, 1948). These early laws were not effective because there were little or no personnel and money to enforce them. In addition, both the people and the courts had little sympathy for the restrictive regulations (Blackard, 1971). The influence of human meddling with nature's stocking plan is especially noticeable in the deer herds of Georgia. With the settlement of the State, the species's range gradually decreased and the number of herds decreased accordingly (Allen, 1948). In particular, the settlement of North Georgia, marked by the discovery of gold in 1828 and the Cherokee Land Lottery of 1832, initiated the extermination of deer in North Georgia (Jenkins, 1953). By 1850, plantation life was flourishing throughout much of Georgia and game populations started down (Jenkins, 1953). With increasing agricultural land use, the deer became an annoying crop menace to the relatively high rural population of the State. Many rural residents killed deer at every opportunity and considered it their absolute right to do so. Eventually, the deer populations were isolated from each other and formed concentrated populations. Herds were effectively separated from other herds by wide barriers of agricultural areas and centers of population (Allen, 1948). -7- The large areas of undisturbed timber that are most suitable for deer became seriously lacking in several areas of the state. The decline of the deer population had an unusual aspect in Northeast Georgia. Although it was an area of comparatively virgin timber, rugged terrain, sparse population, extremely poor transportation, and little market hunting, the deer were completely wiped out within sixty years after the first settlers appeared. Most local exterminations of deer in eastern united States have been associated with market hunting, heavy timber cutting, or extensive agricultural developments. Here in the southern Blue Ridge, these factors did not play an important part. The rugged early settlers, who inhabited the area, took large numbers of deer for their own purposes in remote mountain coves with large packs of hounds. Just north of this area in the Great Smokies, large iron bear traps were frequently used for deer trapping. It is most likely, however, that the majority of deer in north Georgia were taken using large packs of well-trained dogs. The open character of the forest floor significantly contributed to the ease of taking deer by dogs. This is accentuated by the practice of burning to create pastures initiated in the area by the Indians and continued by the settlers (Jenkins, 1953). The last known deer in the mountains was killed with the aid of dogs in 1895 in what is now Fannin County. The practices of year-round hunting with dogs and killing deer regardless of age or sex seem to have been common decimating factors throughout the other states of the southeastern region. River bottoms, swamps, and certain coastal marshes provided the last stronghold for deer during the era of extreme exploration in the State. These areas afforded protection to deer largely because of their inaccessibility (Blackard, 1971). Fortunately for the deer, there were in the State certain conservation-minded individuals, who posted their land and rigidly patrolled these areas against the hunters. In the southern half of the state, including the lower portion of the Piedmont and the coastal plains, these areas of refuge were on the large plantations. Many of these plantations are in existence today and are still used as game refuges. These refuges were neither inviolate sanctuaries, nor were they areas especially set aside for the preservation of the deer. Instead, they were hunted annually by the owners and, except for protection, the deer were left to fend for themselves. No efforts toward furnishing food or cover were made, nor were these refuges posted or fenced (Allen, 1948). -8- The Restoration Period Following the complete extermination of deer in about 1895, very little was done during the period of heavy timber cutting until 1928, at which time the Chattahoochee National Forest had been set up and was operating (Jenkins, 1953). Saddened hunters and conservationists, who by now were valuing deer hunting more as a source of recreation than as a cheap source of meat, began to long for the deer's restoration. The result was a resurgence of interest in deer that lead to the initial restockings, which were largely undertaken by the tireless efforts of one man, Ranger Arthur Woody (Morrison and Wohlgemuth, 1969). Many years before, when Woody was a child, he saw his father kill a deer which was said to have been the largest and last of the native whitetails in the north Georgia region. Woody, who loved hunting, was determined to bring deer back to Georgia (Huber and Conarro, 1947). In 1927, Ranger Woody loaded his family in his new 1926 Dodge and set out for the Pisgah National Game Preserve in North Carolina. There, he managed to get five fawns, named Nimble, Billy, Nancy, Bessie and Bunny Girl, with the understanding that he would care for them. Woody remained persistent in his effort to restock deer in the mountainous region, for he searched in every possible source for game. He heard of three deer left by a carnival in Cleveland, Georgia, which were kept in a fenced-enclosure at Hightower Gap in what is now the Blue Ridge Management Area. At the end of three years, they were released into the area (Handy, pers. comm., 1975). Ranger Woody was very proud of these deer and disapproved of the deer hunts held during the last few years of his life in the early 1940's. He felt that the deer herd had not reached its ultimate development and that to hunt them before that time would be detrimental to the whole undertaking, and the work would have been done in vain. Charles Elliot, the wildlife director of Georgia in the 1940's and game management experts of the U. S. Forest Service always found the ranger ready to help protect the deer, but never ready to hunt them (Huber and Conarro, 1947). In the decade following the initial stocking by Woody, several more refuge areas were set up and stocked with deer primarily from the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. The original deer restocking on these areas was by the U. S. Forest Service, however, the Georgia Wildlife Division assisted in this work beginning in 1938 (Morrison and Wohlgemuth, 1969). George W. Allen in his article "The -9- Management of Georgia Deer" (1948) states that there are reports of a few deer having been brought into north Georgia during these years from such diverse places as Montana, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Michigan, and even Europe. There are no known existing documents to verify this. To combat the dogs and poachers, the Georgia Game and Fish Commission began establishing wildlife management areas in 1938. The original ideas behind these areas was to provide a center point where deer could be watched over and dogs kept out. The idea didn't pan out, for outside the protected areas the dogs slaughtered them (Tyler, 1966). The deer restoration program was given a tremendous boost on September 2, 1937, when the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Act (pittman - Robertson Act) was passed to take effect on July 1, 1938. The federal aid funds provided by this Act laid the base for an organized restocking program. Georgia Game and Fish Director, Jack Crockford (Crockford, pers. comm., 1975) has said that the Pittman - Robertson Act was the beginning of scientific game management. Under the Act the initial expenditures on management activities are paid with state funds. Periodic and final reimbursement claims are paid by the Federal Government on the basis of 75% of the actual costs (Ruthford, 1949). There are two major restraints on the money. Money can neither be spent on law enforcement nor on education. All federal funds under the Pittman - Robertson Act must be spent on bona fide game management activities; such as restocking and management. An additional requirement is that the public cannot hunt on land that has been restocked for a five year period. This was the biggest problem, for the public did not wish to wait that long (Jack Crockford, pers. comm., 1975) . In order for a state to be covered by the original legislation, the Pittman - Robertson Act calls for the passage of laws by the states for the conservation of wildlife, which shall include a prohibition against diversion of receipts from sales of hunting licenses for any other purposes than the operation of the State Fish and Game Departments. The State of Georgia had satisfied this requirement by 1943 (Rutherford, 1949). A 10% excise tax on all firearms and ammunition (later increased to 11%) was ear-marked to cover the provisions of the Act. The amount allocated to each state is determined by its area and the number of paid license holders (Crockford, pers. comm., 1975). -10- The federal government has the option to approve or disapprove a stocking. Although the overwhelming number of stockings are approved, a few meet disapproval usually because the stocking is judged unnecessary (Crockford, pers. comm., 1975). Under the watchful eye of the wildlife managers the restocked deer flourished. Dogs and poachers were kept away; mountain lions and wolves had been eradicated. Only twelve years after the first restocking, deer had increased enough to allow the first hunt on one of the game management areas (Morrison and Wohlgemuth, 1969). In 1943, the mountain counties as a whole opened to deer hunting. Whereas the previous managed hunts, which began three years prior, were still hunts, the general hunt permitted the use of dogs. The method proved all too efficient and about 200 bucks were known to have been taken. Dog hunting in the mountains of north Georgia was outlawed with the sportsmen's consent the following summer (Jenkins, 1953). In 1944-5, the Georgia Game and Fish Commission was given permission to trap deer on the Kentucky Woodland Refuge. During that period, 35 deer were trapped under a Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration project (Blackard, 1971) . A major effort did not begin in Georgia until 1947, for during World War II most money and personnel were tied up in the war effort. In the first ten yers of the Pittman - Robertson project (FY - 1939-1948) 344 deer were stocked in 1947 and 1948 (Blackard, 1941). The major restocking program was initiated by the Georgia Game and Fish Commission about 1948. Deer began to be purchased in Texas (Arkansas Pass Area) and many were being trapped and removed from the Georgia Coastal Islands. The primary procedure for capturing these deer was by the box-trap method, whereby a box-trap is baited with feed or salt. This did not prove effective on the coastal islands, however, for their salt marshes and year round vegetation did not make the method practical (Norden News, 1956). In 1954 Jesse Smith, a trapper for the Georgia Game and Fish Commission, attempted to catch deer on the islands where they had excess population. There were many problems connected with this. Often cows, raccoons, and hogs would get in the traps. As an alternative to box-traps, an attempt was made to use a 300 foot long net and dogs to run them into it. On the first attempt the dogs caught the deer and killed it before it reached the net. -11- 3. The box-trap, an early but slow method of capturing deer. -12- In the second attempt the deer managed to reach the net but ran through it. This was the extent of attempting to capture deer via the net (Hubert Handy, pers. comm., 1975). An easier method to trap deer was needed in order to make the effort more efficient. Several ideas were approached, but Jack Crockford's idea of a propelled dart loaded with drugs was believed to be the most feasible and was experimented with. Therefore, a joint effort of the Georgia Game and Fish Commission and the University of Georgia was established to develop a dart gun. There were several major individuals involved. Mr. Jack Crockford, presently the Director of the Georgia Game and Fish Division, developed the air rifle, darts and later the syringe. Dr. Frank Hayes, of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Georgia, and Dr. Seldon Feurt, then of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Georgia and now Dean of the University of Tennessee School of Pharmacy, were instrumental in developing the drug solution that went into the dart. Several graduate students at the University also had major roles in the dart gun's development (Frank Hayes, pers. comm., 1975 - Jack Crockford, pers. comm., 1975). The first gun Crockford developed was a pump air gun. Then the search began for a suitable drug solution. The first drug extensively used was strychnine in a mixture with honey. Strychnine, a powder, was mixed with honey, which made a doughy solution that would easily stick. Honey is also absorbed quickly into the blood stream (Hubert Handy, pers. comm., 1975). The darts were fired into the most meaty part of the deer's body, the hips, and the deer was quickly paralyzed by the strychnine alkaloid derivative. An antidote, pentobarbital solution, was then administered to counteract the strychnine. A screw-worm repellent and a shot of penicillin to guard against infection were also administered. The search for an alternative drug continued, however, for the mortality rate of the strychnine on the deer proved to be too high (Norden News, 1956). In the search a half dozen entirely new drugs were found before it was discovered that nicotine was best for the job. The research team tried 165 drugs in all, hitting on the "least likely" nicotine as the 165th (Frank Hayes, pers. comm., 1975). By this time (1956) the air rifle used was powered by carbon dioxide and was known as the "Cap-chur Gun" (Blackard, 1971). In explaining the procedure at a symposium in 1957, Dr. Seldon Feurt stated: "Within a matter of minutes the -13- 4 . A scientist inserts chemicals into a dart which will be used to stun a deer. j -14- ., .. t . 5. The pump air gun, used with a strychnine dart in early attempts to trap deer with drugs. -15- I ~ 0"\ I :.E...-.......J c+ ::T o n= 00> c+-a I ~o l1l::T c -os -a 0 :E l1l -os l1l 0- 0- '< I 0 f-' -...J 0> -os I 0- 0 ~ 0- 0 >< 0l1l 0> ~ 0- 0 C -os -os l1l ~ c...+... '< ~ c Vl l1l animal's muscles fail to respond and it is completely subdued. The animal becomes paralyzed and stays in a fixed position. The duration of the nicotine effect is from thirty minutes to an hour" (Unidentified Newspaper, 1957). In a 1958 speech, Dr. Feurt said that the nicotine dart gun saved the State of Georgia $50,000 in three months alone. This solution, soon after, became used for the rounding up of cattle and for capturing dogs suspected of being rabid. The director of the Smithsonian Institute was reported to have said, "It is the greatest device for handling wild animals since the pit was first used" (Unidentified Newspaper, 1959). It wasn't until 1959 that the statewide deer restocking program was given a solid shot in the arm. Approximately 1500 deer were stocked in the six year period ending in 1965. About two-thirds of these deer were brought in from Texas and Wisconsin. With 20 years of deer trapping experience behind them, game biologists of the Game and Fish Commission found that it was more economical and efficient to purchase deer in states with better trapping conditions which also had an overabundance than to trap them inside Georgia, since the state had few large concentrations of deer at that time that could be caught as economically as deer could be purchased. The price in the early 1960's was about $35.00 per head. Trapping even a small number of deer often tied up a large number of men for a month or more (Georgia Outdoors, 1964). Most of the Texas deer were released in the northern third of Georgia, as a precaution to prevent screw-worm fly infestation. It was feared that the menace might be present in the Texas deer, therefore, if the suspicion proved to be true, the screw-worm fly would not be able to survive the winter temperatures in the northern part of the State. As a result, most of the deer obtained from Wisconsin were released in the Piedmont and Coastal Plains counties (Blackard, 1971). Acquiring deer from Wisconsin was viewed by some sportsmen as an effort to establish a herd of "large deer" in the South. Jack Crockford, Director of the Georgia Game and Fish Commission stated, however, (1974) that the obtaining of Wisconsin deer was due to the fact that it was a dependable source of supply during the initial restocking period. The acquisition of northern deer, no doubt, did excite and get the support of many Georgia deer hunters for the restocking program, although the subsequent generations of transplanted northern deer eventually lost the larger body characteristics (Blackard, 1971). -18- (1) Vl Vl C 00C (1) 0- QJ -t, c+ (1) -; "=:J QJ I < I-' 1.0 :::l I to 0- (1) (1) :::l "=:J c+ .:E..:.. The bulk of Georgia's deer restocking terminated in about 1965. Today there are still some releases, but all are intrastate transfer of deer. All deer restocked in Georgia, save the early releases by the U. S. Forest Service, were released by the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program. Georgia's white-tailed deer is one of the brightest success stories in modern scientific game management. Deer were virtually extinct in the state around the turn of the century. They were brought to this low ebb by illegal and excessive hunting and loss of forest habitat to agriculture. The initial deer restockings in the mountains in the late 1920's were closely protected, thus they slowly increased (Pass, 1972). Due to the rural to urban migration, much of the former cropland since World War II has been "let out" to grow back into forest. This return to woodland was augmented by the white-tail deer restoration program and strict game law enforcement by the Game and Fish Division, especially the "bucks only law" (Whittington, 1974) . It appears that in areas where there was little or no local cooperation and public support, deer herds did not expand. A pertinent example of this factor was the establishment of the Cohutta Wildlife Management Area in northwest Georgia in 1937. Having determined the area to be adequate deer habitat, the Commission stocked deer and an area manager was assigned to provide protection and management. It became apparent that these normal procedural precautions were not adequate, however, for the local people hunted year round and allowed their dogs to roam and hunt in the management area until 1960. As a result, during this period of management the deer herd never reached its potential (Blackard, 1971; Jenkins, pers. cornrn., 1975). In June, 1960, the Georgia Game and Fish Commission abandoned the Cohutta Area "due to the lack of cooperation from the local people, courts, judges, juries and the indiscriminate use of dogs for taking deer by hunters" (Handy, 1963). Several years later the citizens of the area asked the Commission to re-establish a management area, because they had no areas on which to hunt. They promised that all regulations would be abided by. The Cohutta Management Area was reinstituted in 1968 and since its reinception, no similar problems have arisen (Hubert Handy, pers. comm., 1975). The last real parasite capable of inflicting severe damage upon deer was the screw-worm fly which was eradicated by the U. S. Department of Agriculture in 1958 (Hayes pers. cornrn., 1975). The screw-worm fly (Cochliomyia americana) was often considered a serious limiting factor for deer in the warm southeastern states. The habit of bucks of rubbing the "velvet" from their horns in early fall produce small wounds which make the deer particularly vulnerable. In the years in which a mild winter occurred, the threat was greater because in a cold winter most of the screw-worms would not be able to survive. As a result, -20- 1.0 0 (l) (l) ~ OJ ~ O...J... rt ~ .(.l..).. (l) OJ Vl (l) ...... :::l rt :::l'" (l) ~ (l) I N OJ ~ f-' I 0 -+0 OJ rt ~ l:: () A o ::t:> Q rroo. -s -ros -ro-' 0> VI ro rl" 0> "ro VI -0 0> () ro 0> I tv Q. u. tv 0> I () ro :::::l rl" rol" 0> ~ o rQo. Q. 0> r-os 0> most of the disease was confined to the coastal plain provinces (Jenkins, 1953). The U.S.D.A's Sterile Male Fly Program successfully wiped out the screw-worm and, thereafter, the deer population boomed throughout the southern portion of the state (Hayes, pers. corom., 1975). Since the screw-worm, the most damaging disease to deer has been hemorrhagic disease". It was fairly widespread in Georgia in 1972, but none was reported in 1974. Still its outbreak was never very bad (Hayes, pers. corom., 1975). Dr. Frank Hayes, Director of the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia, believes that the greatest disease threats today are from foreign shores. This is due to inadequate legislation and underfunded U.S. Department of Agriculture enforcement of the inspection of animals imported into the United States. -23- Conclusion Georgia's restocking program is virtually completed, and "the buck law" has done its job in protecting the breeding stock. Yet, there remains a delicate balance between numbers of deer and their food supply that must be maintained or else damage will be done to the range that takes years to repair (Whittington, 1974). The present deer population in Georgia is given a broad range estimate of between 200,000 and 250,000 deer (Kile, pers. comm., 1975). This most likely represents more deer in this area today than were present when Columbus arrived in the world in 1492 (Pass, 1972). There are several important factors responsible for restoring deer in Georgia. These include restocking, a system of management areas to protect the deer from predators, eradication of the screw-worm fly, adequate laws and enforcement, and the increase in the acreage of forest land. Many of these programs were paid for by the license buying sportsmen in Georgia through federal aid funds accrued by an 11% excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition and made available by the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937. Yet another factor that significantly contributed to the success of the program was public cooperation. The people of Georgia apparently wanted white-tailed deer restored, and on the whole, cooperated by supporting the enforcement of wildlife regulations. The speed with which deer have become established in each locality is a good index of the amount of local cooperation that was forthcoming from that area (Pass, 1973). -24- SOURCES 1. Allen, George W., (1948) "The Management of Georgia Deer", Journal of Wildlife Management, pages 42B-432. 2. "Annual Deer Stocking Program Completed by Game and Fish Commission" (1964), Georgia Outdoors, April, 1964, page 3. 3. Bartram, William (1958), The Travels of William Bartram, New Haven: Yale University Press. 4. Bartram, William, Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida, the Beehive Press, Savannah, Georgia, 1973. 5. Blackard, Jerry James (1971), "Restoration of the WhiteTailed Deer in the Southeastern United States", M.S. Thesis, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, (unpublished). 6. "Commission Stocks 800 Deer in Fifty Georgia Counties" (1962), Georgia Outdoors, April, 1962 - Volume I No.1, page 7. 7. "Game and Fish Predicts Record Hunting Season" (1965), Georgia Outdoors, October, 1965 - page 1. 8. Handy, Hubert (1963), "Brief History of the Chattahoochee Forest Cooperative Wildlife Management Area". 9. Huber, W. W. and R. M. Conarro (1947), "How Deer Came Back to Georgia" The Atlanta Journal Magazine, January 5, 1947, pages 18-19. 10. Jenkins, James H. (1953), Game Resources of Georgia, Game Management Division Federal Aid Project, W-I-R. 11. Longhurst, William M. (1969), "The Effectiveness of Controlling Big Game Populations in North America", Hopland Field Station, Hopland, California. 12. Malone, Rosser (1965), "Activities of the Game and Fish Commission 1964-1965", Presented at the Governor's Breakfast, Tuesday, June 29, 1965. 13. Marshall, Dan and Dick Whittington (1969), "What About Whitetails", Reprinted from Georgia Game and Fish Magazine. 14. Morrison, Jim and Dean Wohlgemuth (1969), "Deer", Guide To Hunting in Georgia, Georgia Game and Fish Commission, pages 7-10. 15. Newsom, J. D. (1969), "History of Deer and Their Habitat in the South", Proceedings of a Symposium, Nacogdoches, Texas, pages 1-4. 16. Norden Norden (1956), October, 1956. 17. Palmer, T. S. (1912), "Chronology and Index of the More Important Events in American Game Protection 1776-1911", u. S. Department of Agriculture Biological Survey, Washington, D. C. Bull. 41, 62 pages. 18. Pass, Aaron (1972), "Georgia's White-Tailed Deer", Outdoors in Georgia, October, 1972. 19. Pass, Aaron (1973), "White-Tail Forecast - 1973", Outdoors in Georgia, pages 5-6, September, 1973. 20. Rutherford, R. M. (1949), "Ten Years of Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration", Wildlife Management Institute, Washington, D. C., 128 pages. 21. "Survey and Analysis Report" (1973), Georgia Game and Fish Division. 22. Taylor, Walter P. (1969), The Deer of North America, Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 23. Tyler, Jim (1966), "A Crop to be Harvested", Georgia Game and Fish, October, 1966. 24. "The White-Tailed Deer" (1922), Leaflet - Number 1, Field Museum of Natural History, Department of Zoology, Chicago. 25. "White Tailed Deer" (1965), Georgia Outdoors, September, 1965, page 3. 26. Whittington, Dick (1972), "To Kill a Doe", Outdoors in Georgia, October, 1974. 27. Wohlgemuth, Dean (1975), "Rayonier", Outdoors in Georgia, January, 1975, Volume IV, Number 1, pages 7-9. Appendix Table I comprises a list of deer stockings by county since 1928. There have, no doubt, been a few other stockings, but neither is there a record nor personal reminiscence about such activities occurring. I encourage the Georgia Game and Fish Division in its additional restockings to keep accurate and organized records to supplement this project report. Very few written records included names of those persons involved in the deer stockings, whether as trapper, transporter, or releaser. As a result this information is almost entirely from personal reminiscences and highly subject to error. Those persons named for each particular stocking does not necessarily mean that they were the only ones involved. For those stockings in which an asterisk (*) appears for "persons involved", some of the following people were involved in that particular stocking: Jack Crockford Robert Cannon Bob Howarth Jesse Smith Lawrence Pearce Hubert Handy Johnny Jernigan F. K. Jones Dick Whittington Jim Scharnagel Charles Cox William Davis Oscar Dewberry Robert L. Downing These persons were involved in deer trapping on the coastal islands during the late 1950s and early 1960s. For those stockings in which two asterisks (**) appear for "persons involved", some of the following people were involved in that particular stocking: William Davis Lawrence Pearce Arthur Abernathy Tom Smith For those stockings in which one (*) or two (**) asterisks appear along with a (some) name(s), the one(s) named were definitely involved and "probably" some of the others listed corresponding to the asterisk(s). In the stockings with deer from Texas, the deer were obtained by contract, with the dealer transporting the deer. Therefore, in most cases Georgia Game and Fish personnel were not involved in the transporting aspect of Texas deer. -25- List of Persons Involved in Georgia Deer Stocking Whether as Trapper, Transporter or Releasor. Arthur Abernathy Gene Burnett Roe Canup Robert Cannon Glenn Caves Bill Collins Bi 11 Cooper Charles Cox Jack Crockford David Davis William Davis Oscar Dewberry C. R. Dixon, Jr. Danny Dobson Robert Downing Frank Early James Ezell Lewis Finney Hugh Forrester W. F. Foster Scott Fussell Kelly Grimes Hubert Handy Ely Hansen Frank Hayes W. 1. Hewitt J. D. Hogan Tip Hon Bob Howarth James H. Jenkins Johnny Jernigan R. D. Johnson F. K. Jones Joe Ki ght Elonzo King Wa11 ace Ki ng Ross Knowlton Ron Little Leroy Love Dudley McEachin Charles Marshall Dan Marshall Orva1 Mull i nax ~1ari on Nesmith E. S. Painter Frank Parri sh Preach Parsons Lawrence Pearce Charlie Pierlie Raoul Puig Skippy Reeves James Scharnagel Ted Seeley DeWitt Shaver Bob Sires A. t1ac Smi th Jesse H. Smith Tom Smith Vernon Smith George Speed C. V. Waters Di ck vJhitti ngton Buford Withrow Arthur Woody Chester York -26- Key to Table I (l) Year of release indicates fiscal year, which covers the period from the previous July 1, to June 30 of the year listed. Calendar years are indicated with C II II after the year indicated. (2) Key to Abbreviations: BBI = Blackbeard Island; JKI = Jekyll Island; PWR = Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge; OBI = Ossabaw Island; BES = Berry Schools WMA; LAR = Lake Russell WMA; CLH = Clark Hill ~~A; UNG = University of Georgia, pen deer; SCI = St. Cathernine's Island; OFS = Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. County Year Appling 1962 1971 1972 Banks 1963 Banks, Habersham, and 1950 Stephens 1951 Bartow 1945 1965 Brooks 1962 Bulloch 1972 Chand1 er 1950 Carroll 1963 1965 Catoosa 1971 1972 Bu Do 00 12 00 00 Unk.s 18 0 1 24 TABLE I Total 18 3 Source Wise. BES 1 Sapelo Island 24 Texas Released Surrency 6 miles N. Baxley SW Baxley Near Homer Persons Involved ** Collins, E. King, Withrow, Parrish Waters, Parrish Howarth 00 24 24 00 79 79 0 0 est. 25 est. 25 00 12 12 00 10 10 22 0 4 00 40 40 00 12 12 00 10 10 04 8 12 01 0 1 Blue Ridge LAR WMA J. H. Smith Blue Ridge LAR WMA J. H. Smith Wise. W. of Charlie, Pier1ie, Roe, Cartersville Canup Texas Folsom C.V. Waters R. D. Johnson Wise. BrooksLowndes Co. Line Howarth ** BES Statesboro Painter, Collins Texas Chandler Co. L. Pearce, Refuge Bruher Texas 6 mi. N. Howarth, N. Whitesburg Waters Texas 15mi. S. Carrollton Howarth, Puig BES 3 mi. S. Collins, E. King, Ringgold Withrow Gordon Unk. County Painter, Collins (Cont'd) County Year Catoosa 1975 (Cont I d) Chattahoo- 1951 chee -Bu -Do 20 52 00 Chattoga 1965 0 0 Unk.s 0 77 10 Cherokee 1957 0 a 24 1957 0 0 27 Total Source 72 BES 77 Texas 10 Texas 24 Texas 27 OBI Released CountyWide Old Thomas Sewell Refuge 6 miles W. Summervi lle All atoona WMA Pinelog Mtn. 1958 0 0 15 1958 5 14 0 1959 15 18 0 1962 0 0 17 1974 6 16 0 Cherokee 1974 6 16 0 15 OBI Allatoona WMA 19 SCI Allatoona WMA 33 SCI Allatoona WMA 17 Texas 5 mil es E. Ball Ground 22 BES Littl e River 22 BES Little River Clarke 1960 0 0 9 9 1960 0 o est.12 est. 12 1960 1 0 0 1 1960 or 0 o est. 6 est. 6 1961 Maryland Tallassee Rd. OBI Tall assee Rd. OBI Tall assee Rd. PWR Near Wat- kinsville (Cont1d) Persons Involved Little/Coll ins Davis/Ezell/King Pearce/Hanson A. Mac Smith Waters, Johnson Unk. J.H. Smith/Dewberry Downing/Pearce Howarth/Jernigan * J.H. Smith * Howarth Howarth Waters Unk. Coll ins, E. King,Withrow,Early Dobson, Little Crockford, Hayes, Cox Cox* Whittington J. H. Smith Whittington County Year Clarke 1962 (Cont'd) 1963 or 1964 Clinch 1958 1958 1959 Clinch, 1958 Echols and Lanier 1958 1959 Coffee 1965 1965 1972 Coweta 1972 Crawford 1962 Dade 1948 1975 -Bu -Do 00 Unk.s 25 Total Source 25 Texas Released 5 miles N. E. Athens Persons Involved Handy Howarth 24 0 6 UNG Whitehall Hayes 32 30 0 58 4 0 0 50 4 8 16 62 OBI 17 SCI 50 SCI 28 SCI Homerville Homerville Arabia Bay WMA Suwanoochee WMA J .H. Smith * L. Pearce * Whittington, Cox, 1. Smi th , Scharnage1, J.H. Smith * Pearce/J.H. Smith, Howarth* 48 0 12 0 o est.34 est.34 93 0 12 40 0 4 57 0 12 01 0 1 0 0 23 23 0 0 44 44 15 20 0 35 OBI Suwanoo- chee WMA SCI Suwanoo- chee WMA OBI Unk. OFS Unk. Sapelo Is Hurricane (6) Creek WMA Candler Co. (6) BES Unk. Wise. 5 mil es S. E. Roberts Texas Lookout Mountain BES S.L Section of County J. H. Smith * Whittington, Cox, * Scharnage1, T. Smith Whittington/ Marshall, Dewberry Whittington, Marsha11 , Kight Cooper, Caves, Waters, Coll ins, Withrow, Ki ng Painter, Collins Whittington, Pearce A. r~ac Smi th Collins, Little, D. Davis, Ezell (Cont'd) COJmtv Dodge .Yell .RY..Qo. 1962 a a 1971 6 5 Dooly 1974 11 4 1962 a a 1964 a 8 1965 5 2 Douglas 1962 1963 Dougherty 1964 aa aa 18 24 1964 1 1 1965 a 1 Echols 1958 1958 Elbert 1962 1963 Emanuel 1965 Fannin 1968 15 a3 aa aa 35 14 1979 2 2 Unk.s 9 a a 10 a a 19 12 a a a a a 22 25 a a a Total Source Released Persons Involved 9 Wisc. Little Oc- Unk. mulgee River 11 BES Littl e Oc- Collins! E. King! mulgee River Withrow 15 Sapelo Central Part Waters! Finney! Grimes, Island of County Collins, King! Withrow 10 t~i sc. Flint River * * 8 PWR 5 miles S. Pinehurst Whittington 7 JKI 5 miles S. * Vienna 19 Wisc. Dog River Howarth * * 12 Texas Dog River Howarth! Waters 42 JKI Marine Corps Whittington! Supply Center Downing 2 PWR Marine Corps Whittington! Supply Center Downing 1 Quantico Marine Corps Whittington! Marine Supply Center Downing Base! Va. 6 OBI Unk. J. H. Smith * 3 SCI Unk. A.P. Cannon* 22 Texas 2 miles N. Howarth Ruckersvill e 25 Texas 8 miles N. Elberton Howarth 8 JKI 10 mil es SW Whittington! Downing! Swainsboro Dewberry 5 Near Cohutta WMA Waters! Coll ins, Brunswick! Dewberry Ga. 4 Cl ark Hi 11 Ti bbs Trail Waters! Collins! (2 ) (2 ) Withrow! Burnette BES (2) Tumbling Creek (2) (Cont'd) County Fannin, Lumpkin, and Union Year 1928c 1929c Fannin 1968 and Gi lmer 1978 Floyd and 1963 Polk Floyd, 1958 Gordon, Walker, and Whitfield Forsyth 1962 Gilmer 1963 1971 1972 Gilmer 1938 and Murray 1968 1969 1969 1972 -Bu -Do 00 Unk.s 4 Total 4 00 24 24 35 0 8 31 0 4 00 23 23 0 0 est. 35 est. 35 00 32 32 00 26 26 34 0 7 3 28 0 31 00 11 11 48 0 12 10 12 17 39 33 0 6 9 17 0 26 Source Pisgah, N.C. Released Persons Involved Present Arthur Woody Blue Ridge WMA Pisgah, Present Arthur Woody N.C. Blue Ridge WMA Gumlog (1) Cohutta WMA BES (l) Betty Gap Lookout r~tn. (l ) N. Brunswick (5) Collins, Withrow, Waters, Burnette BES Cohutta WMA Collins, Waters, Withrow, Burnett Texas Near Cave Springs Howarth, Waters, Johnson OBI John's ~1tn. J.H. Smith, Pearce, WMA Downing, Howarth, Dewberry, Jernigan Texas Chattahoochee River Garland, Howarth Texas Rich Mtn. WMA Mullinax, Howarth, Waters, Johnson, Taylor BES Dougan Mtn. Collins, E. King, Withrow, Early BES Rich Mtn. WMA Painter, Collins, E. King, Early Pisgah, Cohutta WMA Seeley, Parsons, N.C. Woody, Ca 1dwe 11 CLH Cohutta WMA Collins, Marshall BES Cohutta WMA Collins, Waters, Withrow, Burnette CLH Cohutta WMA Collins, Waters, Ba1d tv1tn. E. King BES(25) Coosawattee Painter, Early, WMA Coll ins Wa1ker Co. (l ) E. King, Withrow (Cont'd) County Year Gordon 1957 1958 1962 1963 Gordon, 1973 Pickens, and Gilmer 1974 Greene 1957 Gwinett 1962 1963 Habersham 1936 and Rabun Hall 1962 1963 Harris 1962 Harris and 1959 Ta 1bot Heard 1962 Bu Do 21 28 18 11 00 00 12 19 Unk.s 0 0 25 22 0 Total 49 29 25 22 31 Source Released OBI (47) Unk. BBI (2) OBI Sugar Mtn. Texas Texas BES 5 miles W. Fairmount 5 miles W. Fairmount Talking Rock WMA Persons Involved J.H. Smith, Downing, Dewberry, Pearce, Howarth J.H. Smith, Downing, Dewberry, Pearce, Howarth Howarth, Waters, Johnson Howarth Collins, Withrow, E.King, Little, Dobson 18 24 0 26 31 10 00 22 00 24 0 0 est.12 00 25 00 49 00 20 0 0 est.33 00 22 42 57 22 24 est.12 25 49 20 est.33 22 BES Talking Rock Collins, Withrow, WMA E.King, Little, Dobson BBI (7) Oconee J.H. Smith, Early * OBI (60) National Forest Texas N.W. Lawrenceville Howarth, Handy Texas N.E. Lawrenceville Howarth, Handy NC Lake Burton Parsons, Seely, Woody, WMA Caldwell T~xas 8 miles N. Lul a Handy, Howarth Texas E. Gainesville Howarth, Puig Wise. 3 miles S. Hamil ton Howarth * * OBI 10 miles W. * Tal botton Wise. 3 miles E. * * Howarth Centralhatchee (Cont'd) County Year Bu Do Houston 1962 0 0 1964 2 4 Jackson 1960 or 1961 Jasper and 1947 Jones Jasper, 1944 Jones and Putnam 1950 00 03 00 00 Jeff Davis 1962 0 0 1963 4 13 Jenki ns 1965 1 3 1971 0 1 Johnson 1962 0 0 Laurens 1962 0 0 1964 4 4 1965 3 5 Laurens, 1964 Tift, and Wil cox Lee 1964 27 36 00 Lowndes 1962 0 0 Unk. s 22 0 24 0 143 45 17 0 0 0 10 19 0 0 0 11 8 Total Source 22 Wise. 6 JKI Released 4 miles E. Kathleen 4 miles S. Haynesville Persons Involved ~~hittington ** Whittington ** 24 Texas Sandy Creek Howarth, Handy Area 3 Ky. Wild PWR Unk. Lands,NWR 143 BBI (21) Cedar Creek Canup, Pierlie KY (32) WMA Wise. (90) 45 BBI Cedar Creek J.H. Smith WMA * 17 Wise. Bullard ** Creek WMA 17 PWR Bullard Creek WMA Howarth, Whittington 4 OFS Unk. * l~hittington, Dewberry 1 BES NE part of County Collins, E. King, Whitti ngton 10 Wise. 8 miles SE * * 1. Smith Wri ghtsvi 11 e 19 Wise. N. part of Whittington, Oconee River Hogan, * * 8 JKI 5 miles N. Dexter Whittington, Downing, * 8 JKI 5 miles N. Dexter Whittington, * Dewberry 63 JKI Unk. Whittington, Downi'ng 11 NC Near Warwick Unk. (via FL) 8 Wise. Unk. ** (Cont'd) County (Cont'd) Lowndes Lumpkin Year 1964 1936c Bu Do 2 14 00 Macon 1962 0 0 McDuffie 1951 and Wilkes 1952 00 8 14 1952 1953 McIntosh 1957 1974 Murray 1968 1970 1971 1972 Murray 1970 and Fannin Oglethorpe 1962 1963 Paulding 1948 Pickens 1948 10 00 11 12 10 7 28 00 02 03 00 00 00 00 Unk.s 0 8 19 28 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 19 0 0 23 24 45 45 Total Source Released Persons Involved 16 PWR Moody AFB Whittington, Downing 8 Pisgah, Chestatee NC WMA Parsons, Seeley, Woody, Caldwell 19 Wisc. 6 miles W. 1. Smith, Marsha11 vi 11 e Whittington 28 Texas Cl ark Hi 11 WMA A. ~,1ac Smith, Hansen 22 BBI (22) Cl ark Hi 11 Blue Ridge WMA WMA (1) J.H. Smith, Crockford 1 Blue Clark Hill Ri dge ~~MA WMA L. Pearce 7 BBI Clark Hill WMA J. H. Smith, Crockford 2 BBI Unk. Pearce 3 Sapelo Unk. Waters, Love Island 1 Blairs- Cohutta WMA Whitti ngton vill e, Ga. Bear Creek 35 BES (33) Cohutta WMA Collins, Burnett, With- Pol k Co. (2) row, E. King, Waters 19 BES Cohutta WMA Collins, Burnett, Withrow, E. King, Waters 2 BES Cohutta WMA Co11 ins, Pa inter 3 BES W.Fork- Collins, Barnett, E. Jack1s River King, Withrow, Waters 23 Texas 3 mil es NE Howarth Sandy Cross 24 Texas 2 miles S. Vesta Howarth 45 Texas NvJ corner of A. Mac Smith County 45 Texas S. of Sconti A.Mac Smith (Cont'd) County Year (cont1d) Pickens 1963 Pierce 1964 Bu Do aa 44 Pi ke 1965 a a Putnam Rabun 1957 a 3 1955 a a 1956 12 11 1962 a a Stephens 1964 2 7 Sumter 1962 a a Talbot 1958 29 31 1960 Taylor 1962 Telfair 1962 Tift 1964 Towns 1962 Treutlen 1969 a3 aa aa 28 aa 25 Unk. s 23 a 16 a 55 5 42 a 10 a a 22 8 a 30 a Total Source Released Persons Involved 23 Texas S. of Jasper Howarth, Waters 8 JKI 4 miles E. Patterson Whittington * Downing 16 Texas 5 miles S. Unk. Zebulon 3 Unk. Rock Eagle Unk. 55 OBI Warwoman WMA Handy * 28 OBI (24) Warwoman WMA J.H. Smith, PWR (4) Pearce, Handy 42 Texas Coleman River Howarth, Waters, WMA Speed, York 9 JKI 10 miles N. Handy, Toccoa Whittington 10 Wisc. 4 mil es E. Methvins I~h itt i ngton Pearce 60 OBI Hendricks J.H. Smith, Dewberry, Farm Pearce, Howarth, * Holloway farm Downing Bickley Farm 3 PWR Oak Mtn. Cox, Whittington, 1. Smith 22 Wisc. 8 Wisc. 4 mil es N. Reynolds 8 miles SE Rhine Whittington, Pearce, ** ** Whittington 10 JKI Central part Whittington, Downing of County 30 Texas Swallows Creek WMA Howarth, Handy, Waters 7 CLH Pendleton Creek NE Soperton Whitti ngton, D. Marshall (Cont'd) )unty Year :ont1d) ~eut1 en 1970 'oup 1962 ti99s 1965 lion 1961 1972 ion and 1973 nnin son 1962 1ker 1965 re 1944 1961 1962 vne and ~rce 1973 1974 ~e1 er 1962 1965 ite 1936 1940 itfie1d 1965 1974 Bu Do Unk.s Total Source Released Persons Involved 06 0 6 00 22 22 37 10 20 00 52 52 01 0 1 11 18 0 29 00 20 20 00 15 0 0 est.30 15 est.30 95 0 14 11 18 0 29 88 0 16 4 17 0 21 4 15 0 19 43 0 7 0 0 est.10 est. 10 CLH Pendleton Creek NE Soperton D. Marshall Wise. 8 miles ** NW LaGrange Howarth JKI 5 miles E. * Whittington Bull ard Dewberry Texas Gum10g Refuge Handy BES Coopers Creek Painter, Collins BES Coopers Creek Collins, Little, E. King, Withrow, Early, Dobson Wise. 10 miles SW * * Thomaston,Ga. Whitti ngton Texas Pigeon Mtn. Waters, Johnson BBI Waycross Pier1ie, Canup State Forest BBI ~Jaycross Hewitt, Hatchett, State Forest Whittington PWR Waycross Whittington State Forest Sapelo Little Sati11a Cooper, Hon, Island WMA Knowlton Paradise Rayonier Parke HMA Reeves, Cooper, Sires Wise. Oconee River T. Smith, Hewitt, Dixon, McEachin, Howarth JKI Oconee River Whittington, Dewberry Pisgah, Chattahoochee Seeley, Parsons, NC WMA Caldwell 00 12 2 14 0 12 Texas 16 BES (Cont'd) N. Dalton County-wide Waters, Fussell Collins, Little, E.King, Early, Withrow ** County Wilcox Wilkes Year Bu Do 1962 00 1964 33 1963 00 Unk. s 20 0 24 Total Source Released 20 Wise. 6 JKI 24 Texas 5 miles S. Abbeville 5 miles S. Pineview 5 miles E. Tignall Persons Involved Whittington Whittington. Downing Howarth TABLE II Total of the Origin of Stocked Deer STATE Georgia Kentucky Maryland North Carolina Texas Virginia Wisconsin Unknown TOTAL: TOTAL 1819 35 9 80 1058 439 30 3741 The Department of Natural Resources is an equal opportunity employer, and employs without regard to race, creed, color, sex, age, or national origin. ~ ~