Hunt and Learn Opportunities

        Hunt and Learn events give young hunters (ages 10-17) and their supervisors hands-on experience learning important skills and conservation knowledge. These classes are geared toward all experience levels and are set up in three tiers: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Every Hunt and Learn event accommodates all three experience levels. Classes include the basics of squirrel, deer, rabbit, quail, falconry or turkey hunting. Participants learn the biology and history of the animal and how to dress and care for harvested game.

Alligator Quota Hunts

This year’s alligator season is fast approaching and, with it, the deadline to apply for quota hunts. To enter the quota lottery, you must fill out an application at www.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com by 11:59 PM EST on July 31, 2017 to qualify.

2017-2018 Hunting Regulations Major Changes

The 2017-2018 hunting seasons and regulations are here! The Hunting Regulations Guide will be on shelves and on-line soon, but while we wait, here’s a sneak peak at some of the major changes and new opportunities for Georgia hunters coming this year!

A Quest To Quota

Okay, so I am thinking about applying for a quota hunt this year. I am a relatively new hunter, but in conversations with my more experienced hunting friends, I am told that a quota hunt might just help me land that deer I really want.

Wild Turkey Wellington

Wild turkey is very lean, so it’s a challenge to keep the meat moist. The mushrooms, cooked in butter, and the pastry shell help keep the turkey breast from drying out. A little bacon doesn’t hurt, either. Fancy mushrooms and shallots aren’t necessary to make a flavorful duxelles (pronounced: “duke-sell”) for this wellington. Button mushrooms and onion still cook up with tons of flavor.

Coyote Challenge Contested: Correcting Misconceptions

From March until August, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division is promoting the Georgia Coyote Challenge. This program not only encourages the lethal removal of coyotes for wildlife management purposes, but also presents participants with an opportunity to win a lifetime hunting/fishing license (or credit for purchase)—thanks to the Georgia Hunting and Fishing Federation. This program was developed for the management of wildlife in Georgia, which is an important factor for conservation of our natural resources.

Deer Movement and Habitat

Have you ever had a deer wander right up to your stand? Maybe it’s luck, but it’s most likely the deer is motivated by food or procreation, the two main reasons deer move.

Unfortunately, as deer movement increases with the rut, they tend to cross roads more frequently and with less caution. Rut is the mating season for deer, and the deer hunting season is scheduled to overlap it. Bucks are most active during the rut. They have a slightly larger roaming range during this time so they can find does and maintain a diverse gene pool. Unfortunately during this three-month-long event, deer may roam into human developments, causing them harm. Hence the increase in deer-car collisions during the rut.

Extreme weather and drought can also cause deer to seek more supportive stomping grounds. Excellent native habitat

Deer Population

Currently, the estimated deer population in Georgia is 1.27 million. This may seem small compared to the 10.1 million people living in Georgia, but it does not account for an accurate number of deer in urban areas. Deer living in suburbs and areas not zoned for hunting are hard to monitor due to the fact that most of the data about the deer population is from hunters in more rural areas. Urban neighborhoods also provide safety and food which attract more deer and desensitize them to human activity. This can be dangerous for both the humans and the deer. It’s important to remember that deer are wildlife, with an emphasis on the “wild.”

5 Tips for Waterfowl Season

#1. Make sure you are properly licensed

No matter your level of experience, it is always a good idea to review the requirements for any kind of hunting. Regulations and requirements can change season to season, leaving you in the dark and with a possible fine. Just a few minutes looking over what licenses you need can save you some headache and some money. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources calls for hunters to have a Georgia Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program, also known as a HIP License. There is also the Federal Duck Stamp that all duck hunters sixteen years of age and older must have. These are in addition to a standard hunting license and a Georgia Waterfowl Conservation license.

#2. Know your limits and the species

Different species of waterfowl have different limits per day, and even

A Beginner’s Guide to Hunting Public Lands — Part 3

By: Charlie Killmaster, State Deer Biologist

How to Hunt – Hunting Etiquette for Public Lands

Step 7– Head to the check station and read all available signs. This is where you will find current information about any issues that have come up since the Guide was printed.

Step 8– Public Land Etiquette. There are no designated spots on public land, with only a few exceptions (such as blind areas on some waterfowl hunts or the island deer hunts). Because everything is “first come, first serve,” you need to do plenty of scouting in advance of a hunt and pick out several good spots (5 or more, preferably). This will save you a heap of heartache in the wee hours of the morning when there’s a truck parked in your only spot. It should be widely known, and accepted, that if someone beats you to an area, you gracefully bow out and move on. But that doesn’t mean walk another 100 yards and start climbing a tree. If you can still see another hunter from the stand, you’re probably too close.

Likewise, always expect the possibility that another hunter will walk in on you. In this case, politely flash your light—or whistle if it’s daylight—and the other will likely move on. There will sometimes be the occasion that someone is not aware of these common courtesies or simply doesn’t care; just remember that you have access to hunt 1 million acres of prime land for the nominal fee of $19. If it’s daylight and someone walks past you, don’t get discouraged, I’ve seen tons of huge bucks killed because a late hunter arriving in the woods jumped the buck out of cover, and he ran past the next guy that was already set up.

A good rule of thumb for avoiding other hunters is to stay away from trucks. Unless it’s a large parking area that is a single access point for hundreds of acres, you shouldn’t park next to anyone else and risk disturbing them.

Here are a few other little “Dos and Don’ts”:

–Don’t skybust (shooting at high-flying, distant birds). You will not kill a duck or dove from 100 yards away. Wait until you think you could hit it with a rock.

–Do sight in your rifle.

–Do bring a deer cart. It will make your life much easier—unless you’re Paul Bunyan or a glutton for punishment. Hand trucks and dragging tarps make adequate substitutes for the budget conscious like myself.

–Do bring a climbing stand (w/ harness). Mobility is key to being successful, and your risk of having a stand stolen is higher if you leave it in the woods.

–Don’t cordon off spots with signs and tons of flagging tape that you have no intention of picking up when you leave. This is litter, and there are no designated spots. In fact, some hunters will target those spots thinking they are better and try to beat you there.

–Don’t gut your deer and throw the guts or carcass on the roadside or campground. Gut it where it drops, or drag any unusable parts into the woods 30 or 40 yards away from other hunters.

–Don’t knowingly try to cut someone off to a bird when turkey hunting. There’s nothing worse than working a bird and have someone run in and spook him. If you hear 5 owl tooters and crow cackles all honking at the same gobbler, it’s best to move on to another spot.

A few other little odds and ends.

-Dove dates are typically only listed for WMAs that have dove fields. You can still hunt doves on other WMAs when small game dates and state dove season coincide.

-For small game animals not specifically listed, they may be hunted when WMA small game dates for the area you are hunting and state season for that animal coincide, unless otherwise specified. This generally applies to rabbits, quail, squirrels, woodcock, snipe, grouse, waterfowl, foxes, bobcats, crows, alligators (quota only), marsh hens, and raccoons.

-You can only kill bears on WMAs that specifically list a season for them.

-Coyotes and feral hogs can be taken during any open season only with the legal weapons for that season, unless otherwise specified.

-Nongame, unprotected species may only be taken during small game dates. This generally includes armadillos, groundhogs, beavers, starlings, English sparrows, and pigeons. You’ll have to resist the temptation to blast an armadillo with your 30-06 during deer season.

-Bicycles are great tools for accessing remote areas for turkey and small game seasons.

-You can’t take ATVs off-road, so they don’t do you much good even where they are allowed.

You should already know all the information in Step 8 since you read the General WMA Regulations 3 times.