Georgia Department of Natural Resources

ATLANTA, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- It is going to get a little wild at the Georgia Capitol this Wednesday as sportsmen’s groups and coastal conservation groups from the around the state gather to meet with state leaders for “Sportsmen’s and Coastal Day at the Capitol.”

“This is our 11th annual sportsmen’s event at the Capitol and we are excited to have this opportunity to talk about the impact that our sportsmen and women have on our state including directly supporting more than 31,000 jobs and generating more than $3 billion annually,” said Scott Tanner, the event organizer.

“We also are pleased to add the recognition of ‘Coastal Day’ to this event to highlight the more than $2 billion annually that this area generates in tourism dollars as well as the state’s saltwater fishing industry.”

A broad spectrum of sportsmen’s and conservation groups will participate with displays, educational materials, interactive activities and live animals. Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources and Coastal Resources Divisions will participate in the event.

2012 Sportsmen’s Day Participants

• Trout Unlimited
• Georgia Canine Coalition
• Georgia Hunting and Fishing Federation
• National Wild Turkey Federation
• Georgia Wildlife Federation
• Camo Coalition
• Quality Deer Mgt Association
• Heritage and Wildlife Conservation Council
• National Rifle Association
• Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
• Georgia Trappers Association
• Coastal Conservation Association
• Izaak Walton League
• GeorgiaCarry.Org
• National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucus’s
• Let’s Get Wild, Inc
• Georgia Outdoor News
• DNR Wildlife Resources Division
• DNR Coastal Resources Division

Governor Nathan Deal, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston are scheduled to speak at the event at 9:00 a.m.

“This event is an opportunity for the sportsmen of Georgia to say thank you to the legislators for their leadership and support in defending and advancing hunting, fishing, and conservation issues,” said Jennifer Lundy, State Caucus Manager for the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses. “Because of our legislative leadership, Georgia has abundant animal populations that provide our citizens with unrivaled opportunities for recreation and commerce.”

“I’m proud to participate in Sportsmen’s and Coastal Day at the Capitol,” said Mark Williams, Georgia DNR Commissioner. “Hunting, fishing and our coast are not only economic engines in our state, but they also improve our quality of life. I want to thank all of our sportsmen and partners on the coast for all they do for conservation in Georgia.”

For more information about hunting and fishing opportunities in Georgia, visit www.georgiawildlife.com . For more information about coastal fishing and recreational opportunities, visit www.coastalgadnr.org .

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- When Richard Crossley spoke at this year’s Georgia Ornithological Society meeting, the acclaimed birder and photographer noticed the number of youth in attendance.

Crossley also noticed that each one he asked said their interest in birding began with Georgia’s Youth Birding Competition, said Tim Keyes, who coordinates the annual birdathon.

Now on a nationwide book tour, Crossley is mentioning the Youth Birding Competition as a way to get youth interested in birds. All of which certainly fits the event’s intent, according to Keyes, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section.

“I think it’s giving kids an opportunity to get outside and learn about the natural world in an exciting way that catches their attention,” he said.

It also points participants toward the long-term goal: an interest in conservation, Keyes said.

The 24-hour competition sponsored by DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division, The Environmental Resources Network Inc. (TERN) and other partners returns for its seventh year on April 27-28, 2012. A banquet and awards ceremony will be held April 28 at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center near Mansfield.

Teams register in age divisions varying from kindergarten to high school (participants compete against other teams their age, in four age divisions). Teams can also volunteer to raise money for conservation organizations on a per-bird or lump sum basis.

Some 25 teams from preschool ages to teens and ranging from first-timer birders to veterans saw or heard scores of bird species and raised nearly $1,500 during the 2011 competition.

The deadline to register for the 2012 event is March 31. The competition starts at 5 p.m. Friday, April 27, and ends at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 28. Groups may use as much or as little of that time to count as many birds as possible throughout Georgia.

Although teams may start birding anywhere in the state, they must turn in their checklists at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center by 5 p.m. Saturday. While judges examine and score checklists, participants will be treated to a live animal show followed by an awards banquet packed with prizes.

The Youth Birding Competition also includes a T-shirt Art Contest – enter by March 5 – and nature journal category. Participation in the birding competition is encouraged but not required to submit artwork for the T-shirt Art Contest. Taking part in both is free, aside from the optional cost of overnight lodging.

Competition sponsors include Atlanta Audubon Society and the Georgia Ornithological Society. For more information about registering for the Youth Birding Competition, visit www.georgiawildlife.org/getinvolved or contact Lacy Mitchell at Charlie Elliott Conference Center, (770) 784-3152 or lacy.mitchell@dnr.state.ga.us. Tim Keyes, at (912) 262-3191 or tim.keyes@dnr.state.ga.us, can answer questions about the competition.

For more information on the T-shirt Art Contest, visit www.georgiawildlife.org/YBCTshirtArtContest or contact art contest coordinator Linda May at (706) 557-3226 or linda.may@dnr.state.ga.us.

Georgia DNR Names Tim Butler Ranger Of The Year

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division selected RFC Tim Butler, a conservation ranger for Pulaski/Bleckley counties, as the 2011 State Ranger of the Year.

Runner-up to the Ranger of the Year award, RFC Tim Hutto of the Southeast Georgia Region, received the 2011 James R. Darnell Award. This award is titled “The Fawn” and is a James R. Darnell sculpture.

“The State of Georgia is fortunate to have people such as RFC Tim Butler and RFC Tim Hutto who dedicate their lives to protecting our natural resources,” says Col. Eddie Henderson, Wildlife Resources Division’s Chief of Law Enforcement. “I commend both honorees for their dedication and contributions toward Georgia’s conservation enforcement efforts.”

RFC Tim Butler has been a conservation ranger for only six years, but his reputation for accomplishing hard work and his dedication to a job well done have earned him the respect of his peers and the public. His accomplishments this year include conducting 16 special details to detect resource violations such as illegal duck shoots, fish shocking and night deer hunting.

Butler is best known for his night foot patrols and scouting for illegal baiting and night hunting offenders. He also employs online satellite imagery and tax records to gather intelligence, study topography and formulate tactics to address unlawful activity before it occurs.

Butler easily transitions from working with fellow conservation rangers to assisting and cooperating with other agencies, whether they are local, state and federal levels in investigative work. His public outreach includes conducting information and education programs, participating in local cleanup efforts, promoting Wildlife Resources Division at various venues, and being an after-school mentor and instructor for the local CHAMPS (Choosing Healthy Activities & Methods Promoting Safety) program.

Earlier this year, Butler also was recognized as the 2011 Waterfowl Officer of the Year honor and twice previously has been nominated for Ranger of the Year by his work section.

In the process of determining the Ranger of the Year, WRD selected one nominee from each of the seven DNR Law Enforcement regions.

They were:

• Region 1, Calhoun – Cpl. Shawn Elmore
• Region 2, Gainesville – Cpl. Adam Loudermilk
• Region 3, Thomson – Cpl. Derrell Worth
• Region 4, Macon – RFC Tim Butler
• Region 5, Albany -RFC Bob Holley
• Region 6, Metter – RFC Tim Hutto
• Region 7, Brunswick – Cpl. Chris Ridley

For more information on becoming a WRD conservation ranger, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/enforcement/law-enforcement-section

National Shooting Sports Foundation

NEWTOWN, Conn --(Ammoland.com)- When you’re passing the turkey and stuffing around the Thanksgiving dinner table, here’s a story to tell–one that would not be possible without the thoughtfulness and generosity of hunters.

A new study commissioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation and conducted by Mile Creek Communications reveals that last year 11 million meals were provided to the less fortunate through donations of venison by hunters. Nearly 2.8 million pounds of game meat made its way to shelters, food banks and church kitchens and onto the plates of those in need.

“Given our challenging economic times, hunters’ donations of venison have never been more important to so many people,” said Stephen L. Sanetti, president and CEO of NSSF, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry.

“These contributions are just one way hunting and hunters are important to our way of life in America. Learning about these impressive figures makes me proud to be a hunter. I have donated game meat during the past year, and I urge my fellow hunters to strongly consider sharing their harvest.”

The study revealed that donations were largest in the Midwest and the South. The Midwest provided 1.3 million pounds of game meat, amounting to 46.1 percent of total donations, with the South close behind at 1.25 million pounds and 45.7 percent. The Northeast contributed 7.2 percent of total donations and the West 1 percent. Though lower than other regions, the West’s contribution still accounted for 108,520 meals.

“Certainly the Midwest, South and Northeast benefit from having large populations of white-tailed deer,” said Jim Curcuruto, NSSF’s director of statistics and research. “These figures are from confirmed sources, but annual donations could easily be double this amount if ‘direct’ donations from hunters to friends and family are included.”

Curcuruto added that NSSF commissioned the study to better understand the size and scope of these venison donations.

Groups often cooperate to ensure a successful donation program. In Georgia, according to the Athens Banner Herald, the Georgia Wildlife Federation pays for the meat to be butchered and packaged at state-licensed processors, the state Department of Natural Resources oversees the program and the Georgia Food Bank Association coordinates distributions. Additionally, the game meat satisfies shelters’ need for nutritious food items. Dave Williams, who manages food resources for a northeast Georgia food bank, said in the Banner Herald that he is focused on acquiring more nutritious items and noted, “Deer venison is such a low-fat, high-protein item, agencies greatly appreciate getting it.”

Another recent news report out of the Indiana-Kentucky-Illinois area pointed out that one deer can feed up to 200 people. Ground venison is a versatile food, with cooks using it in pasta sauces, chili, tacos, meatloaf, burgers and other dishes.

Individual hunters donate game meat and even pay for processing, though many hunters choose to work with organizations dedicated to the cause of helping the hungry. Many of these groups were sources for the NSSF study and include Hunters for the Hungry, Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry, Hunt to Feed and Buckmasters, among others. Visit this website for more information about groups active in various states.

And don’t forget to tell this heartwarming story ’round your Thanksgiving table.

NSSF Venison Donations Chart

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 6,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.

NSSF is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2011. Learn about the Foundation’s history at www.nssf.org/50.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

FORSYTH, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Grampus. Lasagna lizard. Mud devil. Snot otter.

Hellbenders may have more unflattering nicknames than a cross-county football rival, but these big salamanders with the jelly-slick skin are attracting some positive, and needed, conservation attention.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources began a long-term monitoring and survey effort focused on eastern hellbenders this year. Goals include learning more about hellbender population trends, finding new sites, and monitoring hellbenders to evaluate abundance and track changes in Georgia, according to project leader Thomas Floyd.

“One of the healthiest populations in North America is in the North Georgia mountains,” said Floyd, a wildlife biologist with the DNR Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section. “… It’s really important for us to get baseline data so we know in the future how this salamander is doing.”

Hellbenders are North America’s largest salamander. They can grow longer than 2 feet. They live in cool, clear streams - the same habitat trout need - from New York to North Georgia and as far west as Missouri. Their dependence on pristine streams makes hellbenders, which breathe entirely through their skin, harbingers of poor water quality.

Yet, both hellbender subspecies - the eastern and the Ozark, found in the White River system in Missouri and Arkansas - have experienced widespread declines, largely because of declines in habitat suitability. The primary threat is the influx of sand and other sediments, most of which are washed into streams from farmland and roads. The sediment embeds large rocks, clogging the open spaces hellbenders use for shelter, nesting and ambush sites when hunting prey such as crayfish.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated Ozark hellbenders as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. The agency also finalized its decision to add Ozark and eastern hellbenders to the list of rare wildlife regulated through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The hope is to curb unauthorized international trade.

Eastern hellbenders are a candidate for federal listing. In Georgia, they are already state-listed as threatened and no longer found in at least eight streams they once inhabited. Eastern hellbenders also are a high-priority species in the State Wildlife Action Plan, the comprehensive strategy that guides DNR efforts to conserve biological diversity.

During this year’s sampling season, Thomas and others surveyed stream stretches in the Toccoa, Nottely, Cartecay and Upper Little Tennessee River drainages, catching 36 hellbenders. They documented hellbenders in part of the Nottely that had not been sampled. But none were found in the Cartecay and Upper Little Tennessee reaches, where the large salamanders had been recorded before.

Surveys will begin again in the spring. The information will build on a 2005 Georgia survey and research in other states.

It will also help ensure the future of a seldom-seen salamander with a list of hard-to-forget nicknames.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Anglers and others who see a hellbender are encouraged to report the occurrence and location to Thomas Floyd, at thomas.floyd@dnr.state.ga.us or (478) 994-1438.
• Help conserve rare, endangered and other nongame wildlife in Georgia. Buy or renew a bald eagle or hummingbird license plate, contribute to the Wildlife Conservation Fund state income tax checkoff or donate directly to the fund. All support the DNR Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state general funds for its mission to conserve wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as Georgia’s rare plants and natural habitats in the state. Details: www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation.

SURVEY SNAPSHOT

• In late August, Floyd led a small crew on the last survey of the monitoring season, which ends when hellbenders begin nesting. (Project video at www.youtube.com/GeorgiaWildlife, under “Conservation” tab.)
• Searchers ran their hands into gaps under large rocks in a Chattahoochee National Forest stream. They lifted some rocks and worked the suddenly turbid water underneath with nets. Floyd snorkeled deeper runs, trying to spot the almost-formless amphibians whose mottled brown and gray coloration blends with the streambed.
• On this trip, the group caught three hellbenders. Each was weighed, measured, swabbed to check for amphibian diseases, sampled for DNA and tagged with a Passive Integrated Transponder, or PIT, for future identification.
• During the entire 2011 monitoring season, 36 hellbenders were caught.

HELLBENDERS ARE …

• Fully aquatic salamanders, spending their entire lives in streams and rivers.
• Found in at least 20 Georgia trout streams. (Georgia is a top state in amphibian diversity.)
• Kin to Chinese and Japanese giant salamanders, which can top 100 pounds and 6 feet in length.
• Equipped with internal gills, yet they breathe almost exclusively through their skin.
• Usually docile when handled. But they can bite. Skin secretions make them difficult to handle.
• Death on crayfish, which make up most of their diet. They also eat small fish, snails, frogs, snakes, small mammals, and hellbender eggs and larvae.
• Long-lived. One reached 29 years in captivity.
• Threatened also by stream impoundment and pollution from agricultural and industrial runoff.

LEARN MORE

• Hellbender monitoring project video above or www.youtube.com/GeorgiaWildlife (under “Conservation” tab).
• Georgia DNR’s rare species profiles, www.georgiawildlife.com/rare_species_profiles.

National Hunting and Fishing Day

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- In celebration of the passion for the outdoors that you share with 64 million other Americans, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division encourages you to get out and participate in one of the many FREE celebrations that will be held in honor of the 2011 National Hunting and Fishing day.

Governor Nathan Deal recently signed a proclamation in honor of the conservation efforts led by America’s hunters and anglers, recognizing Saturday, Sept. 24 as NHF Day in Georgia, noting the plans underway for a statewide celebration.

Events that will be offered in Georgia include seven kids’ fishing events and five Outdoor Adventure Days (activities will differ at each event – but some highlights include archery and air rifle shooting, trout fishing, hunting dog demonstrations, wildlife programs, exhibits and more). These events are spread out across the whole state – meaning that one is probably near you!

In addition to these events, a FREE fishing day is offered to all Georgia residents on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. On this day, residents do NOT need a fishing license or a trout license to fish on any public waters in the state including lakes, streams, ponds and public fishing areas. In addition, residents do not need to obtain a wildlife management area license to fish on a PFA, WMA or on Waters Creek on this day.

CHANCE TO WIN! As part of their partnership with National Hunting and Fishing Day, Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A. has donated a 2011 Grizzly 450 that one lucky outdoorsman will win. Enter to win at www.nhfday.org .

The U.S. Congress and President Richard Nixon established National Hunting and Fishing Day in 1973 to recognize generations of hunters and anglers for the time and money they donate to wildlife conservation programs. According to the proclamation signed by Governor Deal, conserving the state’s natural and wildlife resources is one of the most important responsibilities for this and future generations, and the conservation programs supported and financed by Georgia hunters and anglers have benefited hundreds of wildlife species, including deer, wild turkeys, bald eagles and songbirds for all Georgians to enjoy.

For more information on NHF Day in Georgia – including a complete listing of all events in the state visit www.georgiawildlife.com/get-involved/nhfday . For more on NHF Day across the nation, visit www.nhfday.org .

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- The largest, most successful wildlife conservation program in the world, the Federal Wildlife Restoration Program, is fueled by hunters.

Over the past 70 years, hunters nationwide have contributed more than $6.8 billion dollars to wildlife conservation efforts. In Georgia alone, since 1939, hunters have contributed more than $145 million for wildlife conservation in Georgia.

“The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program is the most successful wildlife conservation program in the world and serves as a financial cornerstone to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. It benefits all wildlife species, conserves and restores habitat and helps enhance wildlife conservation through research,” said Alex Coley, Wildlife Resources Division Game Management assistant chief and Federal Aid Coordinator.

“Through this program, America’s hunters continue to provide the most substantial source of funding for wildlife conservation and management in the United States.”

The program was established through the Pittman-Robertson Act in 1937. Through lobbying efforts in Congress, America’s hunters created this act as a way to fund conservation and management of the nation’s wildlife. Wildlife Restoration funds are accumulated from excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment. This excise tax is levied at the manufacturer’s level, collected by the Federal government, and distributed to state wildlife agencies to fund wildlife conservation and management programs. The amount of money each state agency annually receives is determined by the number of paid hunting licenses and the land area of the state.

The Wildlife Resources Division uses Wildlife Restoration funds for various types of programs, including restoring habitat and improving wildlife populations, conducting research, monitoring wildlife populations, operating more than one million acres of wildlife management areas that benefit a diversity of wildlife species and provide wildlife-related recreational opportunities, providing information to landowners on how to manage their property for various species, conducting hunter education classes and building and maintaining public shooting ranges.

For more information on the Federal Wildlife Restoration Program, visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at http://www.fws.gov/southeast/federalaid/ . For more information on wildlife management practices in Georgia, visit the Wildlife Resources Division website at www.georgiawildlife.com , contact a local Game Management office or call (770) 918-6416.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Since 1993, hunters have been bringing meat to the tables of those in need through the Georgia Hunters for the Hungry program.

Through this successful program, hunters have donated enough venison to serve more than 1.5 million meals. This year, hunters are asked to give a portion of their processed deer through the “Drop-Back-a-Pack” campaign at one of 12 participating processors through Jan. 15, 2012.

“The Georgia Hunters for the Hungry program is one opportunity for hunters to demonstrate their generosity by sharing their harvest with those in need,” said John W. Bowers, Wildlife Resources Division assistant chief of Game Management.

“The Division is proud to be a cooperator in this public-private partnership and to work with the many partners who make it possible each year.”

In a change from the past, rather than bringing in a whole field-dressed deer to donate, hunters are asked to donate a portion (“a pack”) of their processed deer. Hunters are welcome to give as many processed “packs” as they can provide. For those that can’t donate a pack, the program welcomes dollar donations to help support the efforts (donate at www.gwf.org). All hunters who donate a “pack” during this collection period will be entered into a drawing for a deer rifle, sponsored by the Georgia Wildlife Federation.

The following 12 processor locations are accepting deer now through Jan. 15, 2012 during business hours:

• Lee’s Meat Processing (461 Dove Ln Axson) 912.422.3079
• JJs Deer Processing (974 Ga Hwy 105 Baldwin) 706.776.2819
• Daffin Meat Processing (4100 River Rd Columbus) 706.322.8848
• Mossy Creek Outdoors (2788 Americus Hwy Dawson) 229.995.4109
• Barlow’s Meat Processing (1692 Milan-Eastman Rd Eastman) 478.374.5614
• Starley’s Deer Processing (190 George Hatcher Rd Irwinton) 478.946.8976
• Sealey’s Deer Cooler (5675 South Apple Valley Rd Jefferson) 706.335.9304
• Lee Processing (105 Hwy 377 Leesburg) 229.759.2869
• Wright’s Processing (126 Wright Dr NE Milledgville) 478.452.4228
• K&K Processing (6749 Good Hope Rd Naylor) 229.269.5557
• Garner’s Grinder (18630 Hwy 16 Sparta) 706.444.9228
• Stewart’s Quality Meats, Inc. (204 Washington St Vidalia) 912.537.9888

Wildlife Resources, along with the Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia Wildlife Federation and the Georgia State Association of Food Banks sponsor the program.

For more information on donating food to those in need during other times of the year, call the Atlanta Community Food Bank at (404) 892-FEED. For more information on the GHFTH program, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com , www.gwf.org , contact a WRD Game Management office or call (770) 761-3045.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Tom Patrick is walking across a chalk prairie on Oaky Woods Wildlife Management Area, pointing out plants that should or shouldn’t be there and occasionally wiping at sweat raised by the sweltering summer morning.

Drought has shriveled the summer rush of wildflower blooms that can blanket these areas yellow and purple. Even recent rains can’t erase the cracks fracturing the clay surface into jigsaw puzzle shapes.

Patrick, a botanist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, scoops some of the gray-white soil. When wet, it can bog a four-wheel-drive pickup, one reason locals call these prairies “gumbo flats.” Yet when dry, the clay turns powdery. “It’s like talc,” Patrick says, his fingers dusted white.

This limestone-rich clay is the calling card of Atlantic Coastal Plain chalk prairies. According to Patrick, the high pH, shrink-and-swell soil left over from ancient seas and seashells favors a unique suite of plants, from yellow prairie coneflower and Dakota vervain in the openings to Durand and chinquapin oaks, Biltmore ash, redbud, Carolina buckthorn and other trees along the edges.

Like other so-called Blackland prairies, chalk prairies are a globally rare habitat. Found only along a shoreline that once curved from middle Georgia through north Alabama, the grasslands have been decimated by agriculture, as well as fire suppression that encourages less fire-tolerant plants. Oaky Woods features some of the Atlantic slopes’ best remaining chalk prairies.

Plans for the 13,000-acre WMA near Warner Robins include restoring and expanding the openings to 400 or more acres, said Bobby Bond, a wildlife biologist with the DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division’s Game Management Section.

“The biggest step right now is to introduce fire back into all the prairies … and hopefully get everything on a two-year (burn) rotation,” Bond said, adding that low-impact tree removal is also a possibility.

Biologist Nathan Klaus, who, like Patrick, works with the Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, sees rich opportunities for restoration. That effort may involve mowing prairie edges where planted pines or a crush of shrubs and native trees have closed in. “We’re just trying to push that stuff back and jumpstart the fire ecology,” Klaus said.

Chalk prairies and black bears were two conservation targets when the state bought 10,000 acres of the four-decades-old WMA, long a mid-state haven for black bears. The December acquisition led to the discovery of other prairie restoration sites at Oaky Woods, thanks to insights from area manager Raye Jones and analysis of aerial imagery.

The Wildlife Resources Division also quickly made plans to burn more of Grand Prairie, the WMA’s largest chalk prairie. What had been a 25-acre prescribed fire – the usual for Grand Prairie – grew to about 100 acres in February.

The flames killed or singed plants like persimmon, red cedar and loblolly pine that are not normally abundant on chalk prairies, making room for the grasses, sedges and herbs that are more natural fits. The vegetation attracts a buzz of pollinators such as butterflies and native bumblebees, as well as wildlife like deer and quail. The prairies provide valuable brood and nesting habitat for turkeys.

Recently at Grand Prairie, Patrick pointed out Boykin’s milkwort, a rare plant with whorled leaves and white blooms, and the only known Coastal Plain occurrence of Georgia aster, a candidate for federal listing.

“We pretty much know what’s there,” he said. “We’re moving into a phase where we’re trying to determine how to manage these areas.”

OAKY WOODS WONDERS
The coastal past of chalk prairies includes oyster shells, fossil fragments and even sharks teeth in the white clay. ** These “droughty” soils combine with droughts to help exclude trees, preserving the prairies. ** Oaky Woods features other examples of unique habitats, from old-growth hardwood bottomlands to limestone bluff forests. Befitting its name, the WMA also has many different oak species, such as huge Shumard, Durand, swamp chestnut and cherry bark oaks. ** A 50-year WMA management plan is scheduled for completion next year. ** Wildlife conservation is the focus of the State Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy guiding Wildlife Resources Division and DNR efforts to conserve Georgia’s biological diversity. Learn more at www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/wildlife-action-plan .

GIVING WILDLIFE A CHANCE
The Oaky Woods chalk prairies work is another example of how buying a nongame license plate or donating to the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund through the state income tax checkoff and other ways supports wildlife conservation. Contributions benefit DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state general funds for its mission to conserve wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as rare plants and natural habitats in the state.

For more information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation or call Nongame Conservation offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218). For details on The Environmental Resources Network, or TERN, a nonprofit advocacy group for Nongame Conservation, call the Forsyth office or go to http://tern.homestead.com.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- The 2011-2012 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations Guide is available online and in print announces the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division.

This guide provides information on season dates, bag limits, hunting licenses, wildlife management areas and much more and is available to view, download and print at www.gohuntgeorgia.com/hunting/regulations .

Printed copies are available at Wildlife Resources Game Management and Law Enforcement offices and license vendors throughout Georgia.

“The Hunting Seasons and Regulations publication is designed to better inform hunters on the laws and regulations for hunting in Georgia,” says John Bowers, Wildlife Resources Division Assistant Chief of Game Management. “We encourage all hunters to review the publication each year for any changes to their favorite hunting areas, seasons or activities.”

Members of the Board of Natural Resources enact hunting regulations by acting on recommendations made by the division’s professional wildlife biologists and field personnel. Georgia’s game and fish laws are enacted by the elected members of the General Assembly.

Regarding hunting regulations, some of the major changes for 2011-2012 include:

• Baiting of Deer & Feral Hogs: The Georgia General Assembly passed a legislation change to Georgia law relating to hunting deer and feral hog over bait. For complete information, review p. 24 in current regulations.
• Bear Season for Bibb, Houston and Twiggs Counties: In response to public desires and consistent with biological data, the Wildlife Resources Division is providing the opportunity to hunt bear on private land in Bibb, Houston, and Twiggs Counties.
• Bear Bag Limit (Northern Zone): In response to public desires and to facilitate stabilization of the mountain bear population, the bear bag limit in the Northern Zone has been increased from one (1) to two (2).
• Georgia Outdoor Recreation Pass (GORP): In response to public input and to increase the self-sufficiency of providing certain recreational opportunities on WMAs and PFAs, a GORP may be required to utilize designated fee areas on state-owned WMAs and PFAs. Additional requirements exist for certain organized events involving more than eight individuals. Individuals that hold a valid lifetime, sportsman, honorary or WMA license are exempt from this requirement.
• Raccoon Zone Lines: In response to public input, the raccoon trapping and hunting zone lines have been eliminated.
• Special Coyote Hunts on WMAs: In response to public input, several WMAs will provide special opportunities to hunt coyotes. These WMAs are Crockford-Pigeon Mountain WMA, J.L. Lester WMA, Paulding Forest WMA and Pine Log WMA.
• Feral Hog Hunts on WMAs: In response to public input, opportunities to hunt feral hogs have been added or expanded on several WMAs.
• Woodcock: In response to changes in the Federal framework for this migratory bird and in response to public desires, hunting opportunity for woodcock has been increased by 15 days.

For more information on Georgia hunting seasons and regulations, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com/hunting/regulations contact a local Wildlife Resources Division,

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

BRUNSWICK, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Some brown pelicans rescued from the Gulf oil spill last summer and released in Georgia not only returned to the state this spring, they are nesting and raising young here.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources biologist Tim Keyes recently spotted eight of the pelicans nesting in a large pelican colony on Little Egg Island Bar, a state-managed natural area in Glynn County. The birds originally from Louisiana are marked by colored leg bands.

At least seven of the nests have chicks. “So far, they look great,” said Keyes, who works with DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section.

A brown pelican rehabilitated from last year’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico watches over chicks on Georgia’s coast. A Georgia DNR biologist is monitoring eight nests involving rescued pelicans released last summer in the state. The birds originally from Louisiana are marked by colored leg bands. Photo credit: Tim Keyes/Georgia DNR

Efforts to clean and relocate the pelicans once soaked with oil from the BP spill raised questions about whether the large waterbirds would survive and whether they would fly back to contaminated areas in the Gulf of Mexico. Oiling can also affect reproduction.

While the pelican sightings are a hopeful sign for those particular birds, Chuck Hunter with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said there are still many unanswered questions about the impacts of the oil on the pelican population in general, as well as specific questions about the pelicans spotted in Georgia.

“These birds, no matter how clean, likely still have some oil in their internal systems and females especially may pass this contaminant on to the chicks,” said Hunter, chief of the Service’s Division of Planning and Resource Management for the National Wildlife Refuge System in the Southeast. “But this does tell me that it’s possible for some oiled birds to reproduce. Whether or not these chicks will fledge and survive to reproduce successfully themselves is also unknown and would take many years to determine.”

More than 1,200 birds were rehabilitated and released in Georgia, Florida, Texas and upstate Louisiana. Of those, 699 were brown pelicans, 140 of which were released in Georgia last June and July.

In the months during and after the BP oil spill that began April 2010, more than 7,000 other birds were collected dead, or died soon after. Hunter said an unknown number of additional birds were most likely exposed to oil and never recovered, either because they died at sea or in remote locations on the coast.

Keyes said the Georgia nests have two to three chicks each – normal for brown pelicans – and at least one parent sporting a leg band. The chicks have been given a health checkup and biologists are awaiting results of blood work. Keyes also banded some of the chicks so they can be tracked after leaving the nest.

“We’ll be visiting each of the eight nests weekly and monitoring the chicks, hopefully to the point we can say if they successfully fledged,” he said.

The young birds will start flying in about five weeks.

Of the pelicans released in Georgia, Keyes documented about 25 in the state this year. None were seen in December or January. It’s likely the pelicans migrated out of the area and returned to Georgia by mid-March.

Georgia DNR’s mission is to sustain, enhance and protect Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources. The Nongame Conservation Section, part of the DNR Wildlife Resources Division, is charged with conserving the native diversity of nongame animals, rare plants and natural habitats, including endangered and threatened species. The Nongame Conservation Section receives no state appropriations, depending instead on fundraisers such as the bald eagle and hummingbird license plates, as well as grants and direct contributions. Learn more at www.georgiawildlife.com . The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service is both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for its scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

ATLANTA, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Four new falcons will soon be eligible for drafting, riding the air currents that swirl around their high-rise home in downtown Atlanta.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials recently examined and banded the four young peregrine falcons in a nest outside the offices of McKenna, Long & Aldridge, 51 floors up in the SunTrust Plaza building.

Law firm chairman Jeff Haidet said the same two falcons have been nesting on the balcony for five years. The number of young this spring only increased his excitement and pride.

“This is the first year that the pair has produced four babies … and it’s always a special treat to observe their transition from hatching to flying,” Haidet said.

Two or three falcons hatched each of the previous years. Before this pair of parents, peregrines fledged foursomes outside the firm in 1999, 2000 and 2005. The 2011 nestlings will be flying within two weeks.

Peregrines are possibly the world’s fastest animal, diving at more than 200 mph to nab pigeons, ducks and other birds in mid-air. The nest at SunTrust Plaza is one of only two confirmed in Georgia. The other is in midtown Atlanta.

Jim Ozier, a program manager with DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section, occasionally hears reports that suggest there are other peregrine nests in metro Atlanta. He encouraged residents who see the falcons in pairs or possibly tending a nest in the spring to notify his office, (478) 994-1438 in Forsyth.

Peregrines were removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species because of a successful population recovery effort, but Georgia still lists the birds as rare. Historically, the only known nest in the state was at Cloudland Canyon in the early 1940s. Peregrines were apparently absent for several years during and after the DDT era.

DNR normally offers a web camera view of the nest at McKenna, Long & Aldridge, thanks to the law firm and a grant from The Garden Club of Georgia. The equipment needs upgrading, and the hope is to re-establish the behind-the-scenes look at Georgia’s highest-flying falcons in 2012.

This year’s clutch hatched in mid-April. The nestlings leave the nest at about 5 weeks old. Life can be hard for them in metro Atlanta. Hazards vary from traffic to large windows. A peregrine hatched at the firm last year was found days later suffering from trichomoniasis, a parasitic disease of young birds. The falcon was rehabilitated by Kathryn Dudeck of the Chattahoochee Nature Center and released.

Georgians can conserve endangered and other nongame wildlife such as peregrines through buying a bald eagle or ruby-throated hummingbird license plate, or donating directly to the Georgia Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund. Wildlife plate sales and direct contributions provide vital support for the DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state general funds for its mission to conserve wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as rare plants and natural habitats.

Visit www.georgiawildlife.com for more information, or call Nongame Conservation offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218).

Georgia’s Rare Species Profiled On Online

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Quick: Name the turtle found in Georgia that lures prey using part of its tongue.

Not sure?

How about the Georgia mussel that grows inch-long spines, a blue crayfish known mostly from the Chatsworth area, the shorebird that sports a long orange bill, an endangered plant beleaguered by butterflies or the minnow best identified by its lips?

Answers to these and other questions about Georgia’s rare wildlife are found in a new lineup of species profiles at www.georgiawildlife.com. The 403 updated and expanded online accounts detail the identification, habitat use, distribution, ecology and conservation of Georgia’s protected species, plus selected rare species considered at risk but not officially protected.

Brett Albanese, a project leader, said the goal is providing a reliable and current source on rare animals and plants that can used by all, from university scientists to middle school students and from biological consultants to landowners and managers. The profiles also feature information from important references such as the Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia by Linda Chafin of the State Botanical Garden.

“We tried to use the best experts to author the profiles,” said Albanese, a senior aquatic zoologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section.

The hope is that the accounts spur feedback that adds to the body of information about each species. Profiles list when they were written or last updated. Readers can report omissions and errors by email.

The profiles stem from the State Wildlife Action Plan, a strategy guiding the DNR and its partners in conserving Georgia’s biological diversity. Accounts cover basics such as descriptions and life history, as well as threats, management recommendations and conservation status of the species in Georgia. Photographs and some range maps are included. Guides and glossaries explain structures used in species identification and other technical terms.

Years in the making, the profiles reflect “a vision of protecting the natural environment in Georgia,” said Greg Krakow, a project leader and natural resources biologist involved in the effort since its start.

Nongame Conservation Section Assistant Chief Jon Ambrose noted that conservation of many of the species depends on voluntary efforts by private landowners. Ambrose said the accounts offer a new information tool that will hopefully lead to “more occurrences of the species and habitats in better condition because of better management.”

Oh, and about that nimble-tongued turtle, it’s the alligator snapping turtle. The other answers: Altamaha spinymussel, Conasauga blue burrower, American oystercatcher, Canby’s dropwort and fatlips minnow.

The profiles are found at www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation (click “Rare Species Profiles”). For more on the Wildlife Action Plan, see www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/wildlife-action-plan.

Help conserve endangered and other nongame wildlife through buying a bald eagle or ruby-throated hummingbird license plate, or donating directly to the Georgia Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund. Wildlife plate sales and direct contributions provide vital support for the DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state general funds for its mission to conserve wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as rare plants and natural habitats.

Visit www.georgiawildlife.com for more information, or call Nongame Conservation offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218).

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Georgia’s rare animals and plants need your help.

Conservation of this state’s nongame wildlife – from sea turtles to southeastern American kestrels – as well as native plants and natural habitats is supported largely by the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund. In turn, the fund depends on public contributions.

One main source of contributions is the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff. Yet giving through the checkoff has declined sharply since 2005.

The $205,000 donated in fiscal year 2010 marked the least amount since the 1990s.

What’s at stake? The checkoff and the Wildlife Conservation Fund have played a role in Georgia’s wildest success stories, such as the rebound of bald eagles and the acquisition of thousands of acres of prime habitat along the Altamaha River. This past year, fund-supported projects included the first coast-wide census of American oystercatchers and Wilson’s plovers in 10 years, surveys that discovered rare amber and freckled darters in the Coosawattee River, and hands-on conservation that reached nearly 50,000 students at six regional education centers.

By using the Wildlife Conservation Fund to attract and match federal and private grants, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section also gains about $1 for every 25 cents spent from the fund.

Nongame Conservation Assistant Chief Jon Ambrose has called the state income tax checkoff critical in “providing the match we need to get additional funding from other sources.”

More than 1,000 Georgia plant and animal species are species of conservation concern. This spring, make your mark to help them: Fill in any amount more than $1 on line 26 of the state’s long tax form (Form 500) or line 10 of the short form (Form 500EZ).

Visit www.georgiawildlife.com/node/338 for more information, or call Nongame Conservation Section offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218). State income tax forms are available online at https://etax.dor.ga.gov/.

The Nongame Conservation Section receives no state appropriations for its mission to conserve nongame wildlife – native animals not legally hunted, fished for or trapped – and native plants and habitats. The sales of bald eagle and hummingbird license plates also benefit the agency and the Wildlife Conservation Fund. Details at www.georgiawildlife.com.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Hey kids, do you like birds and love to draw or paint?

Georgia’s sixth annual Youth Birding Competition is offering a T-shirt Art Contest for resident children and teens. Many famous ornithologists were bird artists when they were young, so perhaps you could be the next John James Audubon, Roger Tory Peterson or David Allen Sibley!

A winner will be picked from each of the following age categories: primary (pre-K-second grade), elementary (third-fifth), middle school (sixth-eighth) and high school. One winner will be awarded the grand prize – their artwork will appear on the 2011 YBC T-shirt and they’ll receive a $100 gift card to Michaels. The three other winners will each receive a $50 Michaels gift card, redeemable for art supplies.

Entering is easy. Participants must draw or paint their favorite Georgia bird on paper or sheet canvas (at least 8-by-10 inches but no larger than 11-by-17 inches). Mail it in a large envelope – flat, not folded – in time to be received by 4 p.m. March 1 to: GA DNR-WRD, YBC T-shirt Art Contest (Attn: Linda May), 2065 US Hwy. 278 SE, Social Circle, GA 30025.

On a separate piece of paper, gently attached to the back of the artwork, include the participant’s name, school, age, grade level, mailing address, phone number, parent or teacher’s e-mail address and the species name of the bird depicted. The illustrated bird must be a wild species and native to Georgia. Please make sure the bird is the main focus of the artwork, and draw or paint its features as accurately as possible. Also keep in mind that rich colors will show up better on a T-shirt than faint pencil drawings.

Only one entry per person is allowed, and it must be the child’s artwork. Participation in the Youth Birding Competition is encouraged but not required to submit artwork for the T-shirt Art Contest.

Competitors in the birding event can pick up their submissions at the April 17 banquet at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, where select artwork will be displayed and winners announced.

Artwork from children and teens who do not take part in the Youth Birding Competition can either be picked up at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield during normal business hours or returned by mail – but only if a large, self-addressed envelope with four first-class stamps is included with the submission.

The 2011 Youth Birding Competition starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16, and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 17. Groups may use as much or as little of that time to count as many birds as possible throughout Georgia. Although teams may start birding anywhere in the state, they must turn in their checklists at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center by 5 p.m. Sunday. While judges examine and score checklists, participants will enjoy a live animal show followed by an awards banquet packed with prizes.

For more information on the T-shirt Art Contest, visit www.georgiawildlife.com, click on the “Get Involved” tab and then the “YBC T-shirt Art Contest” link (www.georgiawildlife.com/node/950). You can also contact art contest coordinator Linda May at (770) 918-6792 or linda.may@dnr.state.ga.us.

The same web site includes Youth Birding Competition details, including how to register a team for this exciting event. You can also contact the competition coordinator Tim Keyes at (912) 262-3191 or tim.keyes@dnr.state.ga.us.

BRIEFLY: WILD FACTS: BACKYARD BIRD COUNT

Even if you’re not a biologist, you can help monitor bird population health. How? By participating in the annual Great Backyard Bird Count! Sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, this citizen science event is set for Feb. 18-21. Just count birds from a favorite place (perhaps your yard or a nature center) for at least 15 minutes on one or more of the days. Record the highest number of each species you see together at any one time. Then enter your checklist at www.birdsource.org/gbbc. By combining your count information with other nationwide data, the Great Backyard Bird Count provides an early warning system for birds in need of conservation help.

WILD Facts is a regular feature written by Linda May, environmental outreach coordinator with the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Tim Keyes hope for the 2011 Youth Birding Competition is more birds and more birders.

“We always like to see the (bird) numbers increase, but hopefully participants will continue to increase,” as well, said Keyes, a Georgia Wildlife Resources Division biologist who coordinates the competition.

Bird and youth totals have been on the rise since the Wildlife Resources Division joined with The Environmental Resources Network Inc. and other partners to begin the 24-hour birdathon about six years ago. Greater participation fits the event’s long-term focus of cultivating a deep interest in wildlife and conservation.

Teams totaling more than 130 birders ages 6-18 and ranging from first-timers to veterans reported an amazing 184 bird species last year. There are about 200 bird species in Georgia during mid-spring.

The 2011 competition is April 16-17, with a Sunday evening banquet and awards ceremony at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center near Mansfield. Teams can register in age divisions varying from kindergarten to high school (participants compete against other teams their age, in four age divisions).

Fundraising is a voluntary component. Teams can raise money to support their chosen organization on a per-bird or lump sum basis.

The deadline to register is March 31.

The sixth annual competition includes a T-shirt Art Contest – enter by March 1 – and nature journal category, two areas in which Keyes and T-shirt Art Contest coordinator Linda May also welcome more entries. “There are so many different ways to appreciate birds other than just counting them,” Keyes said.

Participation in the birding competition is encouraged but not required to submit artwork for the T-shirt Art Contest.

All of the events are free.
The Youth Birding Competition is based on the World Series of Birding event in Cape May, N.J., and sponsored by the Wildlife Resources Division and T.E.R.N., the friends group of the division’s Nongame Conservation Section.

The competition starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16, and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 17. Groups can use as much or as little of that time to count as many birds as possible throughout Georgia. Although teams may start birding anywhere in the state, they must arrive at the “finish line” at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center by 5 p.m. Sunday.

The Youth Birding Competition T-shirt Art Contest was started in 2008. It is open to Georgia residents in pre-K through high school. The grand-prize winner will receive a $100 Michaels gift card and their artwork will be featured on the 2011 Youth Birding Competition T-shirt. Other participants may win $50 Michaels gift cards.

For details on the T-shirt Art Contest, go to www.georgiawildlife.com/node/950 or contact Linda May at (770) 918- 6792 or linda.may@dnr.state.ga.us.

For more information about registering for the Youth Birding Competition, go to www.georgiawildlife.com/node/951, or contact Lacy Mitchell at Charlie Elliott Conference Center, (770) 784-3152 or lacy.mitchell@dnr.state.ga.us.

Tim Keyes, at (912) 262-3191 or tim.keyes@dnr.state.ga.us, can answer questions about the competition.

2011 Youth Birding Competition

** What: Free bird-a-thon and fundraiser for youth from kindergarten through high school. ** When: April 16-17. Registration is open. Deadline to enter: March 31. ** Where: Teams can bird anywhere in the state, but must arrive at the finish line at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield by 5 p.m. April 17. ** T-shirt Art Contest: Deadline to enter is March 1. Details at www.georgiawildlife.com/node/950 or contact Linda May at (770) 918- 6792 or linda.may@dnr.state.ga.us. ** Registration: Lacy Mitchell, Charlie Elliott Conference Center, (770) 784-3152 or lacy.mitchell@dnr.state.ga.us ** Competition contact: Tim Keyes, (912) 262-3191 or tim.keyes@dnr.state.ga.us ** Online: www.georgiawildlife.com/node/951

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Teachers and students across Georgia are invited to celebrate Georgia’s wildlife diversity from the mountains to the sea by participating in the annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest.

Whether walking through a cove forest in the mountains, canoeing down the Altamaha River or wandering Spanish-moss draped hammock forests on Sapelo Island, students can explore all the wildlife diversity Georgia’s natural habitats have to offer and illustrate their discoveries in the 21st annual conservation art contest.

This year’s competition theme, “Celebrating Georgia’s Wildlife from the Mountains to the Sea,” showcases the state’s native plant and animal diversity inhabiting each physiographic region, from the Appalachian Mountains in the Blue Ridge ecoregion to the sandy beaches of the barrier islands ecoregion. March 21 is the postmark deadline for entries in the state-level contest, which is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and The Environmental Resources Network, or T.E.R.N., friends group of the Nongame Conservation Section.

The poster contest is open to all kindergarten through 5th-grade students in public schools, private schools and home-school groups. Participants enter at the local school-level with drawings that depict their observations of Georgia’s native plants and animals. Top school-level entries proceed to the state contest at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens. First-, second- and third-place winners are chosen there for four divisions: kindergarten; first and second grade; third and fourth grade; and fifth grade.

The top 12 winners will be featured in the 2011-2012 Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest school-year calendar. All state-level contest winners also will be on display during weekends April 8-23 at Georgia DNR’s Go Fish Education Center in Perry.

The Go Fish Education Center offers an educational journey through Georgia’s watersheds to learn about our diverse aquatic wildlife, their natural habitats and the impacts of water pollution. Visitors can see live fish exhibits, explore Georgia’s underwater habitats from mountain streams to black water swamps, test their fishing skills with interactive fishing and boating simulators, and view aquatic wildlife, including alligators! Visit www.gofisheducationcenter.com for directions, fees and operating hours.

The goal of this year’s Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest theme is to generate a greater knowledge and appreciation of the state’s diverse and increasingly threatened wildlife and their habitats. It is only a deep concern and commitment to these wild places that will ensure their existence for future generations to enjoy.

Visit www.georgiawildlife.com (click “Get Involved” and the poster contest link) or www.uga.edu/botgarden for contest rules, entry forms and further information about the 21st annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest. DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section, the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and T.E.R.N. have sponsored more than two decades of nongame wildlife exploration, education and art with the annual contest.

The Nongame Conservation Section, part of Georgia DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division, is charged with conserving nongame wildlife, including animals that are not hunted, fished for or trapped, plus native plants and natural habitats. The section receives no state general funds, depending instead on fundraisers such as the sale of the eagle and hummingbird license plates and the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff.

Visit www.georgiawildlife.com for more information, or call Nongame Conservation Section offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218).

POSTER CONTEST at a glance ** 21st annual Give Wildlife a Chance Poster Contest ** Theme: “Celebrating Georgia’s Wildlife from the Mountains to the Sea” ** Emphasis: Generate a greater knowledge and appreciation of Georgia’s diverse and increasingly threatened nongame wildlife and their habitats. ** Postmark deadline for state-level contest entries: March 21. ** Top 12 winners showcased in 2011-2010 school-year calendar. ** State-level entries displayed at the Go Fish Georgia Education Center in Perry during weekends of April 8-23. ** Details: www.georgiawildlife.com/node/1110 or www.uga.edu/botgarden.

Fees Going Down For Hunting And Fishing License Purchases

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- In news that is sure to be welcome in the current economy – some of the transaction fees for recreational licenses are being reduced, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division.

The internet transaction fee is going from $2.75 to $2.50 and the in-store transaction fee will go from $3.25 to $3.00.

The telephone transaction fee will increase, going from $4.00 to $5.00. These fee changes will go into effect on Jan. 3, 2011.

Two years ago, hunters and anglers were introduced to a new system for purchasing their recreational licenses including internet transactions, telephone transactions and in store transactions. This new system incorporated transaction fees for purchases. Fees are applied to each transaction (not each individual license, unless purchased at different times). License buyers also should remember to take advantage of a special discount of $2.75 on transactions if an annual license or a 2-year license is renewed before it expires.

“Per our agreement with the license vendor that we would be able to reduce the amount of transaction fees for internet transactions, we were able to determine that a reduction in fees would come at a future date,” says Michael Spencer, Supervisor of the Division License and Boat Registration Unit. “So, I am pleased to announce that the time is now – there is a transaction fee reduction for both internet and in-store purchase of hunting and fishing licenses.”

Licenses can be purchased online (www.georgiawildlife.com ), at an authorized retail license agent (find a list of retail agents at www.georgiawildlife.com) or by phone (1-800-366-2661).

All licenses that currently are free continue to be free and do not require a transaction fee. This includes: Harvest Information Program (H.I.P.) licenses, deer harvest records, senior licenses (65 and older) and honorary licenses. No credit card? No problem. Most retail locations take cash for transactions. Also, a prepaid credit card may be purchased at a variety of locations and used to complete transactions over the Internet or telephone.

Sales of hunting and fishing licenses and boat registration provide key financial support for fish and wildlife conservation.

For more information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com.

Frog Listener Volunteers Answer Call To Help Survey Frogs Across Georgia

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

FORSYTH, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Sarah Barlow had a small problem. She had a deep knowledge and interest in frogs and toads, including two wildlife degrees focused on herps and a thesis exploring frogs’ use of restored wetlands.

But the former city of Savannah environmental planner had no place to apply that experience.

“I had all these strong (frog) identification skills that I wasn’t able to use,” Barlow said.

The answer: NAAMP. Developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program is an international study investigating the distribution and relative abundance of amphibians across the continent. NAAMP depends on frog-savvy volunteers who monitor local listening routes three times a year.

Barlow signed up last year. She contacted Georgia NAAMP coordinator John Jensen of the state Department of Natural Resources, practiced her frog-ID skills and passed the required online quiz. She even drove her rural, 10-mile route near Glennville beforehand, checking out the habitat at the set listening sites.

Barlow then squeezed the two hours-plus it took per survey into her already hectic schedule. The result is what she described as “a very relaxing way to spend the evening.”

Considering the fieldwork she did in Louisiana for her thesis, “This was a lot tamer than being in the middle of a bayou on a four-wheeler,” Barlow said laughing. “This was country club frogging!”

Enjoyable and vital. Frogs can serve as sentinels of environmental change. Many frogs and other amphibians are high-priority species in Georgia’s Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy that guides DNR efforts to conserve biological diversity. NAAMP monitoring data is analyzed for patterns of amphibian decline, stability or increase on local and wider levels.

Jensen, a senior wildlife biologist with the DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section, said more surveys are needed to pinpoint trends in Georgia. 2011 marks only the fourth year of the state’s involvement. But the immediate payback has included volunteers identifying lesser-known frogs in areas the species had not been documented before, Jensen said.

He’s hoping for more volunteers for 2011. Forty-five of the state’s 73 routes were covered this year. Most of the unassigned routes are in south Georgia.

Jensen suggested would-be volunteers assess their frog identification abilities, then contact him by e-mail, john.jensen@dnr.state.ga.us, or phone at the Nongame Conservation Section office in Forsyth, (478) 994-1438. The first listening window next year opens Jan. 15.

Barlow is now a naturalist at Sandy Creek Nature Center in Athens. She plans to look for a 2011 route closer to home. But she will be putting her frog skills back into play, calling the citizen-powered NAAMP surveys “important work to be done.”

Georgians can help conserve amphibians and other nongame wildlife, native plants and natural habitats through buying a wildlife license plate featuring a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird. They can also donate to the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund through the state income tax checkoff, online at www.georgiawildlife.com (click “Donate the Nongame Wildlife Conservation Fund”) and in other ways.

Contributions are vital to the Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section. The section receives no state general funds for its mission to help conserve wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as rare plants and natural habitats in Georgia.

For more information, go to www.georgiawildlife.com/node/338, or call Nongame Conservation Section offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218). State income tax forms are available online at https://etax.dor.ga.gov/.

LEND AN EAR
Hone your skills at one of the following websites, or buy a copy of the CD “Calls of the Wild – Vocalizations of Georgia’s Frogs” from DNR, (478) 994-1438. (The $15.36 cost per CD goes to the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund.) ** jcmaerz.myweb.uga.edu/lab/GANAAMP/index.htm ** wwknapp.home.mindspring.com/GAFrog.Toad.html ** www.ugapress.org/index.php (search for “Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia”)

NAAMP NEWCOMERS
Gauge your frog identification skills before volunteering. (Deciphering species when multiple frogs are calling is where it gets a little tricky, Jensen said.) If unsure, first try the public quiz at NAAMP. ** Don’t be daunted. While Georgia has more than 30 frog and toad species, all are not heard on one route. Barlow said she heard, on average, about eight kinds. She advises practicing, plus previewing your route. ** Expect a reward. One, the work helps monitor impacts of habitat change, such as the loss of temporary wetlands. Two, as Barlow said, learning to identify wildlife by sound builds “a greater appreciation of being in the woods.”

Turtle Watchers Cap ‘Good Year’ For Loggerheads

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

BRUNSWICK, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- A record-breaking year came to a close recently as members of the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative met in Brunswick to wrap up the nesting season.

There were 1,750 loggerhead nests recorded in 2010, topping the previous record of 1,646 from 2008. Last year’s nesting totals were much lower, with only 995 reported.

Members of the coop gave updates on various projects ranging from genetics data to predation issues. The overarching message: It was a good year for sea turtles.

For the last 22 years, Sea Turtle Cooperative members have worked to conserve Georgia’s turtles. Coordinated by the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the group of volunteers, researchers and biologists from various agencies monitors turtle nesting activities on Georgia beaches.

This season, Cumberland Island led all barrier islands with 486 confirmed nests.

“Both our nesting numbers and our hatchling success numbers were really high this year,” said Doug Hoffman, National Park Service biologist on Cumberland Island. “An average year for us is around 225 nests and we doubled that this season.”

In addition, Cumberland saw its predation rate drop from 67 percent in 2000 to less than 1 percent this year, a figure Hoffman is proud to report. “I came on board in 2000 when predation was at the highest levels it has ever been,” he said.

“… In the last 10 years we have taken measures that include live trapping of raccoons, shooting hogs and placing screens on every nest – all of which have reduced the predation rate to almost zero. The only thing we still have a problem with is ghost crabs, but you see that on every island. “

Cumberland also accounted for about half of the strandings during the nesting season, or 43 of 119 sea turtles found washed up along the coast. This may be in part due to the length of the island’s coastline, which stretches for 17 miles. Whenever a turtle washes ashore dead or comes to the beach and then dies, it is referred to as a stranding.

On Tybee Island, the nesting storyline was a little different. Tybee recorded some of the lowest numbers, with only 10 confirmed nests. However, that number was still high for a developed beach.

Tammy Smith, Sea Turtle Project coordinator for the island, was very excited that her group of volunteers not only beat local rival St Simons Island, which reported only five nests, but also made strides toward improving the habitat for turtles.

“Lighting pollution is one of our biggest issues, being a developed beach, but this year we were able to get the hotel on the south side of the island, in an area we call the strand, to turn off the lights in the top three balcony levels,” helping limit the number of disoriented turtles, Smith said.

Turtles often mistake lights on the beach for moonlight, which they use to navigate back to the water after nesting. A turtle can become disoriented and then exhausted looking for the ocean and end up on busy roads or in backyards. Lights are also a problem for hatchlings, which may head toward roads and homes rather than the water, making them more vulnerable to predators.

Tybee turtle volunteers also had their first encounter with a live adult turtle this year, one that happened to have been tagged on Wassaw Island. “That was pretty neat; most of us had never seen a turtle actually laying a nest,” Smith said.

Jekyll Island had a decent year with 140 nests. Emily Walker, night patrol team leader for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, reported that the last nest finally hatched in early October. Overall, Jekyll’s hatchling success rate has been holding steady at 62 percent. Walker attributes that to moving fewer nests this year due to less erosion. “We only lost two nests, so that was pretty exciting,” she said.

Another development on Jekyll had to do with lights on the beach.

“We were able to get a new lighting ordinance passed this year that states that if you have suitable nesting habitat on the beach you have to use appropriate lighting for turtles,” Walker explained. “Already there are hotels changing their lights and there is a good chance it contributed to us having fewer disorientations due to lighting this season.”

Despite the record year for loggerheads, biologists urged caution. Federal criteria require that the population increase by 2 percent a year for 50 years for the species to be considered recovered. The 50-year nesting goal for loggerheads in Georgia is 2,800 nests a year.

Mark Dodd, a senior wildlife biologist and Sea Turtle Program Coordinator with Georgia DNR, said the loggerhead population in Georgia “has sustained a long-term decline, but over the last five years, we have seen average or above-average nesting years. “We are hopeful that we are seeing the beginnings of a recovery, but it is still too early to say.”

Dodd praised the Sea Turtle Cooperative. “We are very grateful to our cooperators for all their hard work,” he said. “Without them, we wouldn’t have a sea turtle conservation program in Georgia.”

Loggerheads, the most common sea turtle on Georgia’s coast, are state-listed as endangered. The nesting season runs from May through September. Daily monitoring of nesting began in 1989.

Georgians can help conserve sea turtles and other animals not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as native plants and habitats, through buying wildlife license plates that feature a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird. They can also donate to the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff, or directly to DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section. These programs are vital to the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds.

Visit www.georgiawildlife.com for more information, or call Nongame Conservation Section offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218).

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- For the 2009-2010 hunting season, Georgia reported 45 hunting incidents, 14 of which involved firearms.

With the upcoming Oct. 16 opening of firearms deer hunting season, hunters are encouraged to review the ‘Ten Commandments of Firearms Safety’ before heading to the woods.

“Ultimately, each hunter is responsible for keeping themselves and others safe while pursuing deer this hunting season,” says Walter Lane, Hunter Development Program Manager of the Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.

“This includes respecting all firearms and being absolutely certain of their target.”

The ‘Ten Commandments of Firearms Safety’ is an excellent safety checklist, covered in all hunter education courses and well worth a review by any hunter who utilizes firearms to hunt.

The Ten Commandments of Firearms Safety are as follows:

• One: Control the direction of the firearm’s muzzle. Keep the safety on and fingers off the trigger at all times until ready to shoot.
• Two: Identify the target and what is beyond it before shooting. Know the identifying features of the game hunted and be absolutely certain that what you are aiming at is that game.
• Three: Treat every firearm as if it is loaded.
• Four: Be sure the barrel and action are clear of obstructions and that only the proper size ammunition is used in the firearm.
• Five: Always unload a firearm when it is not in use, leave the actions open, and carry empty firearms in a case to and from shooting areas.
• Six: Never aim a firearm at anything that you do not intend to shoot. Avoid all horseplay with a firearm.
• Seven: Never climb a tree or fence, or jump a ditch or log, with a loaded firearm. Never pull a firearm towards you by the muzzle.
• Eight: Never shoot a bullet at a flat, hard surface or at water. Make sure backstops are adequate during target practice.
• Nine: Store firearms and ammunition separately and beyond the reach of children and careless adults.
• Ten: Avoid all alcoholic beverages and drugs before and during shooting.

For more information on firearms safety, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com or contact the Wildlife Resources Division’s Hunter Education office at (770) 388-0045.

Georgia Firearms Deer Season Opens October 16

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- It is finally that time of the year again for Georgia hunters.

Firearms deer season opens Saturday, Oct. 16 and lasts through Jan. 1, 2011 in the Northern Zone and in the Southern Zone, through Jan. 15, 2011.

“Regulated hunting is the most cost effective and efficient means of managing the deer herd,” says John W. Bowers, assistant chief of Game Management for the Wildlife Resources Division. “In addition, sportsmen and women provide more than $30 million each year to fund wildlife conservation in the state through license fees and self-imposed excise taxes collected on the purchase of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment and fishing equipment.”

More than one million acres of public hunting land is available to hunters in Georgia, including more than 100 state-operated wildlife management areas. In addition to traditional hunters, many special hunts are offered, including ladies-only and adult/child hunts. Dates and locations for these hunts, as well as WMA maps, are available in the 2010-2011 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations guide at www.gohuntgeorgia.com .

During the 2009-2010 firearms deer season, 305,000 licensed hunters harvested more than 398,000 deer in Georgia.

Hunters are allowed a season total of ten antlerless deer and two antlered deer (one of the two antlered deer must have a minimum of four points, one inch or longer, on one side of the antlers).

A valid hunting license is required to hunt deer during firearms season, as is a big game license and a deer harvest record. In most cases, a separate WMA license is required to hunt on a WMA. All deer hunters must wear at least 500 square-inches of fluorescent orange above the waist to legally hunt during firearms season, except on archery-only areas.

Georgia is considered the top destination in the country for non-resident hunters and continues to draw tens of thousands of hunters from across the country each year. The state’s quality deer herd and the availability of vast acres of public hunting land serve as the main appeal.

For more information on deer hunting seasons and regulations, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com .

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

BRUNSWICK, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division recently selected Capt. Doug Lewis of the Brunswick Law Enforcement office as the 2010 Supervisor of the Year.

Until this past month when he was promoted to Captain of the Region, Lewis served as Administrative Sergeant for the DNR Law Enforcement office located in Brunswick, Georgia. This office oversees operations in ten coastal counties, including Chatham, Camden and Glynn. He is a 24-year veteran of the department and served 13 of those years as Sergeant.

“Capt. Doug Lewis exemplifies the outstanding leadership that we expect from our officers,” says Col. Homer Bryson, Chief of the Law Enforcement Section of Wildlife Resources Division. “His motto is that ‘you take care of your staff and your staff will take care of you’ and he absolutely does his best to make sure that his staff receives the best, and they support him 100 percent.”

During this past year, Capt. Lewis was key to the success of a pilot CAD project for this Region, including involvement with installation, implementation and troubleshooting. He also was involved in the procurement of equipment associated with a $1.4 million Port Security Grant awarded to this Region.

Lewis is involved with the administration of the Joint Enforcement Agreement and serves on the Grays Reef Advisory Panel. In addition to the recognition as ‘Supervisor of the Year’ with DNR Law Enfocement, he also received the “Wayne County Volunteer of the Year” award for his efforts with a local catfish tournament and other events.

Capt. Lewis previously received the James R. Darnell Award and additionally, was recognized as Ranger of the Year in 1989. Fellow law enforcement officers nominated for this award include Sgt. Steve Seitz, Sgt. Bo Kelly and Sgt. Butch Potter.

For more information on the 2010 Supervisor of the Year Award, call the Wildlife Resources Division Law Enforcement Headquarters office at (770) 918-6408.

A Whimbrel with the tracking device attached

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

BRUNSWICK, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- After an amazing journey, the pigeon-sized shorebird has settled down in the remote Coppename Monding Nature Preserve in the South American country of Suriname.

The rest is deserved. The bird, a whimbrel, has just traveled more than 4,700 miles, including nearly 3,500 miles nonstop in five days!

While whimbrels are known for long-distance migrations, it has been unclear how exactly far they fly and where they go after leaving Georgia. Until now.

Chinquapin, one of two whimbrels fitted with radio transmitters in Georgia in May, is providing key information about the species’ migration patterns to Georgia Department of Natural Resources biologists and other partners in the study at the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William & Mary.

After leaving the Georgia coast, the tagged whimbrels flew north to Hudson Bay in Canada, one of them nonstop. Transmitter data shows that Chinquapin ended up approximately 350 miles west of the bay, below the Arctic Circle in the Northwest Territories.

Chinquapin departed this summer territory for Coats Island in Hudson Bay during the second week of July and stayed there until early August. At Coats Island, he geared up for the next leg of what would become a marathon migration flight.

During the early morning hours of Aug. 5, Chinquapin flew 600 miles south over Hudson Bay, then continued down the length of James Bay, over Quebec, over Maine and finally out over the open Atlantic Ocean. Tropical Storm Colin was pumping north toward Bermuda as Chinquapin headed south. He appears to have skirted the storm’s cyclonic winds by swinging 300 miles east of Bermuda on Aug. 8. His transmitter beeped next from the beaches of northwest Puerto Rico on Aug. 10 near Playa de Isabela – a nonstop journey of 3,470 miles. That’s the equivalent of flying about five days around-the-clock from Boston to Anchorage, Alaska.

The small bird was not finished, though. After a two-week rest, he headed 1,300 miles south over the island of Grenada to Suriname, his current location.

Although from only one bird, the information received is invaluable, said Brad Winn, a program manager with the DNR Wildlife Resources Division’s Nongame Conservation Section.

“Chinquapin is just one tagged whimbrel, but it is important to remember that these are gregarious birds, so it is likely he is flying in a flock,” Winn said. “His movements also represent thousands of other smaller shorebirds that make similar flights from the Arctic to South America and back.

“It is pretty mind-boggling that a bird the size of a pigeon can leave subarctic Canada and go nonstop to the beaches of Puerto Rico. It is an amazing journey and it is something to be awed and admired. We don’t know if he will stay at his current site – whimbrels are known to spend winters on both coasts – so it will be interesting to see where he goes.”

The transmitter-toting whimbrels are not only showing scientists the resources they and their kind need to exist, such as seasonal foods and nesting habitat, they are also reminders that maintaining the health of coastal landscapes has implications beyond state lines and even national borders. Whimbrels and many other species of shorebirds are in Georgia by the thousands for a short period each year.

“These global migrants visit us on their migratory trek for about six weeks each spring to feast on the fiddler crabs in our marshes,” Winn said. “The energy they get from our crabs supports them during the next 2,000- to 3,000-mile leg of their annual migration. If our marshes are destroyed or become polluted, the crabs will be gone and this vital link in the migratory chain will be lost.

“We have a responsibility to be good stewards of our coastal habitats for birds that call the entire Western Hemisphere home.”

Whimbrels are a high-priority species in Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy that guides DNR efforts to conserve biological diversity.

Georgians can help conserve whimbrels and other nongame wildlife, native plants and natural habitats through buying a wildlife license plate featuring a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird. They can also donate to the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund through the state income tax checkoff or online at www.georgiawildlife.com. Contributions are vital to the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state general funds for its mission to help conserve wildlife not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as rare plants and natural habitats in Georgia.

Details at www.georgiawildlife.com/node/338, or call Nongame Conservation Section offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218).

ON THE NET Track Chinquapin’s travels at www.wildlifetracking.org/index.shtml?tag_id=84206

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Since 1993, hunters have been bringing meat to the tables of those in need through the Georgia Hunters for the Hungry program.

This successful program celebrated serving its one-millionth meal in 2007 and continues to provide opportunities during hunting season for hunters to share their harvest with those in need.

Currently, hunters can donate deer at fifteen participating processors through Jan. 15.

“The Georgia Hunters for the Hungry program is one opportunity for hunters to demonstrate their generosity by sharing their harvest with those in need,” said John W. Bowers, Wildlife Resources Division assistant chief of Game Management.

“The Division is proud to be a cooperator in this public-private partnership and to work with the many partners who make it possible each year.”

Wildlife Resources, along with the Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia Department of Agriculture, Georgia Wildlife Federation and the Georgia State Association of Food Banks sponsor the program.

Thanks to these partners, and to the efforts of Georgia hunters and participating meat processors, nearly 30,400 pounds of venison were collected, processed and distributed to food banks across the state in 2009. This meat provided approximately 152,000 meals for needy Georgians. Since the program’s inception in 1993, more than 288,282 pounds of venison have been donated.

Hunters interested in participating in the GHFTH program can bring field-dressed deer to any designated drop-off location. All hunters who donate a deer during this collection period will be entered into a drawing for a deer rifle, sponsored by the Georgia Wildlife Federation.

The GHFTH program has extended donation opportunities to include the “Drop Back a Pack” program. This opportunity allows hunters to donate some of their processed venison when they visit the processor to pick up their meat. All participating GHFTH program processors will have a freezer indicating where hunters can “Drop Back a Pack” for the program.

The following fifteen processor locations will accept deer or commercially processed venison from Sept. 11, 2010 – Jan. 15, 2011 during business hours:

• Axson – Lee’s Meat Processing, (912) 422-3079
• Baldwin – JJ’s Deer Processing, (706) 776-2819
• Canton – Mitch’s Archery and Deer Cooler, (770) 479-7004
• Columbus – Daffin Meat Processing, (706) 322-8848
• Dawson – Mossy Creek Outdoors, (229) 995-4109
• Eastman – Barlow’s Deer Processing, (478) 374-5614
• Fairmount – Pine Log Processing, LLC, (770) 382-6328
• Irwinton – Starley’s Deer Processing, (478) 946-8976
• Jefferson – Sealey’s Deer Cooler, (706) 335-9304
• Leesburg – Country Jacks, (229) 883-6017
• Milledgeville – Wright’s Deer and Wild Hog Processing, (478) 452-4228
• Naylor – K&K Deer and Wild Hog Processing, (229) 269-5557
• Sparta – Garner’s Grinder, (706) 444-9228
• Stephens – Fire Tower #2 Meat Processing, (706) 743-3766
• Vidalia – Stewart’s Quality Meat, Inc. (912) 537-9888

The following locations will be available between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.; Nov. 20-21, 2010:

• Newnan – Royal Baptist Church, Hwy. 34 Bypass N to Royal Mayo Rd.
• Rockmart – Lamar’s Sports Center, 392 Atlanta Hwy.
• Rome – Lavender Mountain Hardware, 4065 Martha Berry Hwy., NW

For more information on donating food to those in need during other times of the year, call the Atlanta Community Food Bank at (404) 892-FEED. For more information on the GHFTH program, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com , www.gwf.org , contact a WRD Game Management office or call (770) 761-3045.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- The 2010-2011 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations Guide is available online and in print announces the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division.

This guide provides information on season dates, bag limits, hunting licenses, wildlife management areas and much more and is available to view, download and print at www.gohuntgeorgia.com . Printed copies are available at Wildlife Resources Game Management and Law Enforcement offices and license vendors throughout Georgia.

“The Hunting Seasons and Regulations publication is designed to better inform hunters on the laws and regulations for hunting in Georgia,” says John Bowers, Wildlife Resources Division Assistant Chief of Game Management.

“We encourage all hunters to review the publication each year for any changes to their favorite hunting areas, seasons or activities.”

Members of the Board of Natural Resources enact hunting regulations by acting on recommendations made by the division’s professional wildlife biologists and field personnel. Georgia’s game and fish laws are enacted by the elected members of the General Assembly.

Changes for the upcoming season include:

• In an effort to encourage youth participation in hunting and enhance youth hunting opportunities, the Georgia General Assembly passed SB 474. This legislation included language that establishes a special youth hunting opportunity that allows youth under 16 years of age to hunt deer during the primitive weapons season with any firearm legal for hunting deer. This includes primitive weapons hunts on wildlife management areas.
• Tugaloo State Park, near Lavonia on Lake Hartwell, hosts a quota archery deer hunt in December 2010. Apply online at www.gohuntgeorgia.com .
• Mistletoe State Park, near Augusta on Clarks Hill Lake, hosts a quota firearms deer hunt in December 2010. Apply online at www.gohuntgeorgia.com .
• Alligator quota hunt opportunities have expanded. The number of available permits has increased from 700 to 850. Quota opportunities were increased in each of the nine zones. Details and applications may be found at www.gohuntgeorgia.com .

For more information on Georgia hunting seasons and regulations, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com contact a local Wildlife Resources Division, Game Management Office or call Hunter Services at (770) 761-3045.

National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. - -(AmmoLand.com)- The National Wild Turkey Federation joined with 14 other conservation organizations of the Georgia Bobwhite Technical Team, by recently signing a Memorandum of Agreement committing to the recovery of bobwhite quail and other early successional habitat dependent species, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division.

More than four million acres of habitat must be enhanced across Georgia’s landscape to achieve Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative (NBCI) recovery goals.

“I commend NWTF along with the other conservation partners that signed this Memorandum of Agreement to formalize collaborative efforts and send a message that Georgia is working to address the ecological and economical problems associated with loss of early successional habitat,” says Division Director Dan Forster.”

In recent decades, the Northern Bobwhite, Georgia’s state gamebird, has experienced drastic population declines primarily because of land use changes resulting in a loss or degradation of early succession habitat, important not only for quail, but also woodcock, rabbits, wild turkeys, certain songbirds and many other wildlife species. This decline has resulted in a reduction of quail hunters and wildlife associated recreation opportunities for Georgia’s citizens and in the loss of millions of dollars of economic revenue in rural Georgia communities. Similar declines are occurring across the South and are a priority concern for all southeastern state wildlife agencies.

In March 2002, the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Southeast Quail Study Group published the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, a 22-state recovery plan that establishes habitat and population goals by state and physiographic province for the restoration of bobwhite quail to their 1980 population level. The NBCI is currently being revised and expanded to 35 states to further refine bobwhite habitat and population recovery goals. The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division is in the process of developing a Georgia NBCI implementation plan to target specific landscapes for habitat restoration to benefit bobwhites and other grassland dependent wildlife. The plan is scheduled for completion this fall.

All of the Georgia NBCI participating organizations are committed to the recovery of bobwhite quail and other early succession species. Participants include: the U. S. Forest Service, Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission, the Georgia State Council of Quail Unlimited, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Army, Fort Stewart and Ft. Benning, the Farm Service Agency, the D.B. Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, the Tall Timbers Research Station Albany Quail Project, Quail Forever, the Georgia Forestry Commission, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Georgia Association of Conservation District Supervisors and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

For more information on the Northern Bobwhite Conservation Initiative call Reggie Thackston WRD Private Lands Program Manager at 478-994-7583 or go to www.bobwhitetech.org. For information on GACDS programs, please contact Crista Carrell at 706-542-3065 or go to www.gacds.org.

Wood Storks Nesting In Restored Wetlands In South Ga

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- For more than 70 years, nearly 90 acres of a Mitchell County bottomland lay mostly dry, drained by a shallow ditch that cut through the heart of the cup-shaped tract.

Yet in 2003, owners James and Sue Adams applied to enroll the site in a federal wetlands restoration initiative called the Wetlands Reserve Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service approved a permanent conservation easement. The ditch, dug in the 1930s to fight mosquitoes and malaria, was plugged in 2006. Water soon flooded the tall grass and cypress trees.

And this year, like last, endangered wood storks joined a growing throng of cattle egrets, anhingas and little blue herons that have adopted the reborn wetland as a rookery.

Earlier this month, Natural Resources Conservation and Georgia Department of Natural Resources workers eased small boats across shimmering green duckweed and around cypress trees crowded with stick nests and white chicks. One pond cypress no more than 25 feet tall held seven wood stork nests. In the tree, nine storks, their black heads bowed, eyed the boats. Across the pond, adult and young birds squawked and clucked in the afternoon heat turned thick by thunderstorms roaming the horizon.

DNR Nongame Conservation Section employees estimate the site has 125 wood stork nests. The count is part of an annual spring survey of the imperiled birds in Georgia. Biologists discovered the new Mitchell County nest site after a stork the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was tracking by satellite transmitter in Florida moved to south Georgia.

James Lee Adams Jr. is pleased. The former engineer retired from farming in 2000, the same year he was named Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year. But he still deals in land and has long kept close tabs on agricultural programs. Adams said it was obvious to him and his wife the property, part of a larger intact wetland covering about 200 acres and surrounded by cropland, should “never have been put into production.”

The Wetlands Reserve Program allowed them to take it out.

For wetlands degraded by urbanization and intensive farming, the voluntary program offers financial incentives for permanent or 30-year conservation easements, as well as cost-share agreements for restoration. Wetland protection and restoration are established as the main land-use for the duration of the easement or agreement. Wildlife benefit, and landowners still control access.

Commonly called WRP, the Wetlands Reserve Program had 2 million acres enrolled as of 2009. The goal is another 1 million in five years.

Keith Wooster, state wildlife biologist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said Georgia has about 16,500 acres in 45 sites, all in the southern part of the state. Wooster rates the Adams’ property, owned largely by the couple’s AA Land Co., as the top “two or three site in southwest Georgia.”

James Tillman Sr., the agency’s state conservationist, said Georgia has “enjoyed tremendous success” helping landowners install wetland conservation practices through the WRP. The help from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and its partners continues after the habitat is restored, Tillman said.

“This assistance may be in the form of reviewing restoration measures, clarifying technical and administrative aspects of the easement and project management needs, and providing basic biological and engineering advice on how to achieve optimum results for wetland-dependent species.”

The option for permanent protection helped attract the Adams. “I think we have a responsibility No. 1 to look after the land,” James Adams said. “… We’re just holding this land in trust.”

Controlling access and receiving a financial return also proved important. James sees public support through programs like WRP as vital so small landowners can afford to set aside land for conservation.

Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan, a strategy that guides Wildlife Resources Division and DNR efforts to conserve biological diversity, emphasizes such technical and financial assistance, Nongame Conservation Section Chief Mike Harris said. “One of our top five areas of focus is working with private landowners, and I think this is a good example of a program that restored some valuable habitat,” Harris said.

What was a prairie-like field that soil conservation technician Dan Baker said “you could walk across” is now wet, rich habitat for a variety of wildlife, from eastern kingbirds and black-bellied whistling ducks to common gallinules and American bullfrogs.

Plus a lanky wading bird struggling to regain its foothold in the U.S.

ON THE NET
www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov/programs: Wetlands Reserve and other conservation programs through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. ? www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation/wildlife-action-plan: State Wildlife Action Plan

WOOD STORK INSIGHT
Wood storks are tactile, or “touch,” feeders. As they wade, they move their partially opened beaks through shallow water and snap shut on fish or other prey they touch. This means the storks need some wetlands that are shrinking, and concentrating potential prey, as well as wetlands with enough water to protect the birds’ nests from raccoons.

Georgia DNR’s Wildlife Resources Division (www.georgiawildlife.org) regulates hunting, fishing and the operation of watercraft, protects nongame and endangered wildlife, and maintains public education and law enforcement programs to ensure conservation of natural resources. The division’s Nongame Conservation Section conserves the native diversity of wild animals, plants and natural habitats through education, research and management.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (www.ga.nrcs.usda.gov) has worked with Georgia landowners to protect the state’s natural resources for more than 75 years. The agency provides technical assistance on natural resources issues and assist individuals, groups, communities and counties implement soil and water conservation practices to protect the 34 million acres of privately owned land in Georgia.

A Hungry Bear Can Ruin A Camping Trip

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga --(Ammoland.com)- Whether it is a “roughing it” summer tent camping trip or a comfy stay at a cabin in the woods, there’s always a possibility for a black bear sighting or encounter in North Georgia.

With more than 75 established campgrounds and an estimated 4,000 black bears in this part of the State, campers should always be aware and prepared for a black bear encounter. The key to preventing an unfavorable experience is to properly store food and garbage.

“Bears can become habituated to people when they are fed – whether intentional or not. When a bear knows it can get a ‘free meal,’ it will return again and again until eventually it loses its natural fear of humans. This is when the majority of human-bear conflicts occur and the bear is labeled a nuisance,” explains Adam Hammond, wildlife biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division.

Proper food storage while camping means that no food, drinks, coolers or garbage should be left out in the open. Even non-food items with strong odors, such as toothpaste, deodorant and soap should be secured.

All food and scented items should be secured either inside a vehicle or cabin – not in a tent. If backcountry camping, place items inside a knapsack and hoist it out of reach of bears and other wildlife (at least 10 feet off the ground and 6 feet from tree trunk).

Bears in Georgia
Black bears commonly are found in three areas of the state – the north Georgia mountains, the Ocmulgee River drainage system in central Georgia and the Okefenokee Swamp in the southeastern part of the state. However, black bears can and do range over larger areas; especially in early spring and late summer, when natural food sources are scarce. Young male bears are also known to disperse in an effort to establish their own territory.

Though the American black bear (Ursus americanus) is now considered the most common bear in North America and the only native bear found in Georgia, at one point the species was nearly eradicated from the state due to poaching and habitat loss. Yet, because of sound wildlife management practices Georgia’s current black bear population is healthy and thriving and estimated at approximately 5,100 bears statewide.

For more information regarding black bears, visit www.georgiawildlife.com, contact a WRD Game Management office or call (770) 918-6416. The public also can visit their local library to check out a copy of an informational DVD entitled, “Where Bears Belong: Black Bears in Georgia.”

GoHuntGeorgia.com

WAYCROSS, Ga --(AmmoLand.com)- Designed with everything outdoors in mind, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division’s 3-day archery camp aims to educate and engage adventurous youth. Registration is now open for the camp, which is scheduled for June 1-3, 2010 at Laura S. Walker State Park in Waycross, Georgia.

“Archery camp is going to be three days worth of fun-filled outdoor adventures,” says Jen Pittman, shooting sports program manager with the Wildlife Resources Division. “This is a great opportunity to develop archery skills and to expose children to the exciting outdoor opportunities around them.”

Campers should expect constant activity, including target practice, fishing, outdoor exploration, wildlife identification and hunter safety presentations.

Camp is intended for youth ages 9-14. To register, an archery camp registration packet must be completed and turned in along with a $40 payment to the Wildlife Resources Division by May 26. Camp hours run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

Need information about other archery summer camps? Find out more at www.georgiawildlife.com , select “Education,” “Shooting Sports” and “Archery Summer Day Camp.”

For more information or to obtain a camp registration packet, contact Matt Stewart at (229) 430-1847 or Matt.Stewart@dnr.state.ga.us

Coyote Sightings Increase

GoHuntGeorgia.com

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(AmmoLand.com)- The distinctive call of the coyote or “song dog” echoes across our state, from the more welcoming rural areas of wooded forests and open fields, to the less inviting backyards of metro Atlanta neighborhoods.

Rapid human population growth across the state coupled with the coyote’s unique ability to adapt and thrive, contributes to today’s increased observation of coyotes in urban settings.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division encourages residents to educate themselves and take the proper precautions essential to co-existing with coyotes.

“Historically, coyotes were most commonly found on the Great Plains of North America. However, their range has expanded greatly. They are one of the most adaptable species on the planet. In fact, coyotes have adapted quite well to living in suburbs and cities like Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta,” says John W. Bowers, Wildlife Resources Division assistant chief of Game Management.

“Preventive actions are the best solutions for residents to reduce the potential for human-coyote conflicts,” explains Bowers.

Though the coyote’s principal diet typically consists of small rodents and fruit, they are characterized as opportunistic and will prey on small, domestic animals if given the opportunity. Because of this, small house pets (such as cats), young or small livestock and poultry are vulnerable and susceptible prey.

The Division advises landowners and homeowners to heed the following precautions to ensure the safety of their animals:

• Take pets indoors during the night, as this is the coyote’s primary hunting time. (In addition to coyotes, small pets may fall prey to free-roaming dogs and great horned owls.)
• If the pet must be kept outside, install fencing and motion-activated flood lights to discourage predators.
• Small livestock or poultry should be kept in an enclosed or sheltered area. Coyotes rarely bother larger livestock although they are often blamed for such nuisance instances. (It should be noted that free-roaming dogs, rather than coyotes, are notorious for harassing, injuring or killing livestock.)

The Division encourages residents to also heed the additional following tips in an effort to minimize coyote habituation to humans and ensure public health and safety:

• NEVER, under any circumstances, feed a coyote.
• Keep items, such as grills, pet food or bird feeders off-limits. Clean and store grills when not in use, keep pet food indoors or feed pets indoors and refill bird feeders infrequently and in small amounts.
• Make trash cans inaccessible. Keep lids securely fastened or store trash cans in a secured location until trash pick-up.

Additional solutions for managing coyotes and the problems they may cause include trapping and/or hunting. Coyotes are not native to Georgia and may be hunted/trapped year-round. The Division does NOT provide trapping services, but maintains a list of licensed trappers permitted to provide this service across the state.

To access this listing, visit www.georgiawildlife.com (Select “Permits and Other Services” and then select “Nuisance Wildlife Trapper List”).

“The Division receives numerous calls each year. Most callers report the sighting of a coyote or request coyote relocation,” says Bowers. “Relocation is not a solution. Relocating coyotes only moves the problem into someone else’s backyard. It also may result in a slower death from the stress of being released into unfamiliar territory. Trapping and killing habituated or problem coyotes is the only reasonable way to keep them out of backyards.”

While coyotes closely resemble a small dog in appearance, the distinctive characteristics that set the species apart are upright, pointed ears, a pointed snout, low forehead, a mottled color fur pattern ranging from black to reddish-blonde and a bushy tail that is generally carried straight out below the level of the back.

For more information regarding coyotes, visit www.georgiawildlife.com , contact a Wildlife Resources Division Game Management office or call (770) 918-6416.

Swallow-Tailed Kites

GoHuntGeorgia.com

BRUNSWICK, Ga --(AmmoLand.com)- High among the branches of pines in southeast Georgia, the lifeless eyes of strategically placed swallow-tailed kite decoys stare at the world, eyeing platforms for artificial nests that biologists hope will soon lure the state-listed kites.

Based on research on establishing post-breeding roosts in Florida, Tim Keyes of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources thinks the decoys and platforms may attract swallow-tailed kites to nest on state lands.

Most kite nests in Georgia have been recorded on private lands.

“While we have had excellent working relationships with many private land owners, we have also lost some important nesting habitat on private lands,” said Keyes, a wildlife biologist with the DNR’s Nongame Conservation Section. “The goal of this project is to determine whether we can establish nesting sites on state lands where we can actively protect and manage for them.”

Keyes and tree climbers from Avian Research and Conservation Institute, or ARCI, carefully picked five sites, then added nest platforms and mounted three decoys for each site in nearby trees. The decoys are actually repainted crow decoys with the kites’ distinguishing scissor-like tails added.

Artificial nesting platforms have been used only once before in Georgia, and with limited success. In 2008, one nest was recorded at an artificial nest site.

“Kites appear to have plenty of suitable habitat along the lower reaches of our large rivers, but they seem reluctant to expand into new areas, often using the same nesting clusters year after year,” Keyes said.

“Based on their social nature (the birds nest in small clusters of two to three pairs), we hope to attract birds to new nesting sites with the decoys.”

Swallow-tailed kites breed between late March and July, so the season is in full swing and 29 nests have been confirmed. Most of these nests were spotted during surveys by helicopter. Researchers will survey nests from the ground and air, monitoring sites and nesting success, twice a week through the nesting season.

Although the swallow-tailed kite has no federal status under the Endangered Species Act, it is listed as rare in Georgia. Populations appear stable but not increasing, with about 1,200 breeding pairs in the U.S. Approximately 100 pairs breed in Georgia.

“After fledging, kites form post-breeding groups which are important to document for population estimates. In Florida, these groups can be as large as 2,000 birds, but the largest roost found in Georgia was 100 birds, with 15 to 30 birds more typical,” Keyes explained.

“Here in Georgia we see smaller groups and they move around from one day to the next, maybe 100 birds but usually more like 20 to 30 birds, and we don’t know why. There is still a lot we don’t know about these birds.”

Once these roosts break up, the kites start their arduous southbound migration to southern Brazil.

The best places to see a swallow-tailed kite in Georgia are near any of the large rivers in the lower Coastal Plain, such as the Satilla, Altamaha, Ogeechee or Savannah. One of the best times to see the birds is in late summer when they regularly feed over open fields with Mississippi kites, and often ranging well into the Piedmont region.

Georgians can help conserve swallow-tailed kites and other animals not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as native plants and habitats, through buying wildlife license plates featuring a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird. They can also donate to the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund state income tax checkoff. Both programs are vital to the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds.

Visit www.georgiawildlife.com for more information, or call Nongame Conservation offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218).

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

MANSFIELD, Ga. --(AmmoLand.com)- Looking for a way for the whole family to enjoy the outdoors this spring?

Come to Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center’s JAKES Day Saturday, May 15! This fun-filled event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center’s (CEWC) Discovery Area in Mansfield.

Sponsors for the JAKES Day include the Georgia Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

Admission is free and includes an array of activities that focus on wildlife, conservation efforts and outdoor recreational opportunities in Georgia. Children can try their hands at archery, fishing, shooting sports, and can go on a mini-boat ride with a WRD Conservation Ranger. Show your spirit for the outdoors by getting your face decorated with wildlife art! Presentations scheduled for this event include puppet shows from Keep Covington/Newton Beautiful, retriever demonstrations, and live snake and bird of prey programs. Several exhibitors from wildlife-related organizations also will be on hand to give out information and goodies to those interested in expanding their outdoor horizons.

The first 300 kids will receive a free t-shirt and a free hot dog lunch from the Georgia Chapter of NWTF (adults can eat for a nominal fee). For kids under 17 years old, memberships in the NWTF’s JAKES club (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics, & Sportsmanship) will be available for a small membership fee. Door prizes will be given away at the close of the event too! Be sure to stop by the Visitors’ Center to view an indoor planetarium set up by the Atlanta Chapter of the National Astronomy Club, tour the museum, and visit the gift shop. Discounts will be available for several gift gallery items (excludes hunting & fishing licenses and Charlie Elliott books).

For further information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com and choose the “Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center” quick link, or call CEWC at (770) 784-3059. To get to CEWC, take I-20 to Exit 98. Travel south on Highway 11, go through Mansfield and continue three miles south to the entrance at Marben Farms Road on the left. Then follow the JAKES Day signs to the Discovery Area. Hope to see you there!

Spring Time Bears

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga --(AmmoLand.com)- A black bear sighting, even somewhere like metro Atlanta, is not altogether unusual, especially during the Georgia springtime.

That’s because during the spring and summer, young male bears that are “on their own” for the first time may be found roaming and sometimes stumbling into non-traditional bear range, including suburbs and urbanized areas.

Adult males typically force these young males out of familiar territory and what is considered traditional bear range. As a result, young males continue to roam as they try to establish their own territory.

In an effort to curb the instinctive alarm that residents may experience when a bear is sighted, wildlife biologists with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division want to inform and educate residents and visitors on how best to respond.

“If a black bear is sighted passing through an area, the best thing to do is to leave it alone,” says Wildlife Biologist Adam Hammond. “Residents should never approach a bear and never, under any circumstances, feed a bear. Even worse, attempting to ‘tree’ or corner a bear in a certain area often compromises both the safety and welfare of the public and the bear.”

If left alone, these young male bears, referred to as ‘transient’ bears, usually make their way back to more traditional bear range – the North Georgia mountains, the Ocmulgee River drainage system in central Georgia, or the Okefenokee Swamp in the southeastern part of the state. Increased reports of bear sightings from residents in North Georgia indicate that the bear population in this area is healthy and may be experiencing range expansion.

According to Hammond, unless there is evidence of aggressive behavior, or if a bear is continually getting into garbage or other non-natural food sources (i.e. birdseed, compost piles, grills and pet food), there is no real cause for alarm.

While there is no way to prevent a bear from wandering into a neighborhood, there are a few steps people can take to discourage one from staying:

• Never, under any circumstances, feed a bear. Such activity is unlawful.
• Keep items, such as grills, pet food or bird feeders off-limits to bears. Clean and store grills when not in use. Keep pet food indoors and take bird feeders down if bears are in the area.
• Convert to ‘bear-proof’ garbage containers, or store garbage in the garage or other enclosed area until pick-up day.

Properly securing food and garbage prevents bears from accessing non-natural, human-provided food sources and thereby, helps avoid the unhealthy process of habituation, which occurs when bears easily obtain food sources from humans, begin associating humans with food and as a result, lose their innate wariness of people.

The black bear is a treasured symbol of Georgia’s natural diversity. Now considered the most common bear in North America and the only bear found in Georgia, at one point the species was nearly eradicated from the state due to poaching and habitat loss. Yet, because of sound wildlife management practices, Georgia’s current black bear population is healthy and thriving and is estimated at approximately 5,100 bears statewide.

For more information regarding black bears, visit www.georgiawildlife.com or contact a Wildlife Resources Division, Game Management office. The public also can visit their local library to check out a copy of an informational DVD entitled, “Where Bears Belong: Black Bears in Georgia.”

GA Whale watching researchers conducting North Atlantic right whale work spotted the alligator on March 9...

GoHuntGeorgia.com

BRUNSWICK, Ga. --(AmmoLand.com)- What may have begun for a Georgia alligator as a day of sunning on the banks of the marsh ended with the approximately 5-foot long reptile nearly 20 miles out to sea, drifting in an area usually roamed by right whales, sea turtles and other marine life.

Heavy rains that washed marsh wrack and other debris miles into the sea from the mouth of the Altamaha River may be to blame for the bizarre event.

Researchers conducting North Atlantic right whale work spotted the alligator on March 9. At first, whale observers Monica Zani and Heather Foley thought the animal was debris, a partially submerged tire or possibly a dead alligator washed out to sea. After getting closer, they realized the gator was very much alive and still able to dive for short distances.

Foley snapped a few photographs before the team moved on. “Considering that we were an in inflatable boat 20 miles offshore, we didn’t want to risk having the gator inadvertently puncture the boat,” Foley said.

Not long after the encounter, the research crew came across a rip-line of marsh wrack, pollen and other debris, most likely at the edge of a freshwater plume coming from the Altamaha River after recent rains. Wrack is an accumulation of dead marsh grass.

Generally freshwater creatures by nature, alligators are fairly common in and around salt and estuarine waters along the Georgia coast, said Brad Winn, program manager for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section.

“They feed heavily on marine fish, raccoons and feral hogs in the marshes, and swimming in the surf is not an unusual observation,” Winn said. “On more than one occasion we have pulled stingray barbs out of the cheeks of 12-foot males.”

What is unusual, according to Winn, is the distance the alligator was found from shore. It is likely this gator swam into the Altamaha after a day of sunning and was swept out to sea by unseasonably cold water after recent heavy rains.

Too chilled to fight the waters that carried it, the alligator ended up farther out at sea than what is considered normal.

GoHuntGeorgia.com

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(AmmoLand.com)- A convenient but critical way to support Georgia’s wildlife needs your help this tax season.

State income tax checkoff contributions to the Georgia Wildlife Conservation Fund have declined in recent years. While not an all-time low, contributions for the most recent fiscal year fell another 20 percent, or nearly $60,000 from the previous year.

Yet, the checkoff is a key fundraiser for the Wildlife Conservation Fund. The fund is administered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Non-game Conservation Section and dedicated to the conservation of non-game and endangered animals and plants statewide.

The Non-game Conservation Section receives no state funding for its mission to conserve non-game wildlife. Non-game includes native Georgia animals not legally hunted, fished for or trapped, as well as native plants, from sea turtles to songbirds and pitcher plants.

Jon Ambrose, assistant chief of the Non-game Conservation Section, said the Wildlife Conservation Fund is also used to attract federal and private research and conservation funding to Georgia. By using the fund as match, DNR gained $1 for every 25 cents spent from the fund over the past two years. The Nongame Conservation Section has averaged about $1.5 million a year in federal State Wildlife Grants over the past decade, Ambrose said.

The checkoff “is critical in terms of providing the match we need to get this funding from other sources,” he said.

The Give Wildlife a Chance checkoff has been a success since its creation in 1989. Thanks to the generosity of Georgians, more than $6 million has been raised. Contributions played a part in many conservation achievements, varying from the restoration of bald eagle populations to land acquisitions such as the prized Silver Lake Wildlife Management Area near Bainbridge.

That success story can continue with the help of conservation-minded Georgians.

This year, even in the midst of a recession, citizens can reverse the decline in checkoff contributions by filling in any amount more than $1 on line 27 of the state’s long tax form (Form 500) or line 10 of the short form (Form 500EZ). Contributions can be deducted from refunds or added to payments.

For more information, go to www.georgiawildlife.com/node/338, or call Nongame Conservation Section offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218). State income tax forms are available online at https://etax.dor.ga.gov/.

The Nongame Conservation Section also benefits from sales of the bald eagle and ruby-throated hummingbird license plates, an annual fundraiser called Weekend for Wildlife, and donations. Details at www.georgiawildlife.com.

GoHuntGeorgia.com

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga --(AmmoLand.com)- The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division recently selected George “Rip” Masters as the 2009 Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor of the Year.

This award is presented annually in recognition of an instructor who displays outstanding volunteer efforts in educating sportsmen and women on wildlife conservation and the importance of safety while hunting.

“Rip Masters is always ready to help spread the word about hunter education,” says Col. Homer Bryson, Chief of Law Enforcement. “He is involved with every aspect of the planning process for classes and goes out of his way to give his attendees a personal experience.”

Georgia “Rip” Masters has been a volunteer hunter education instructor since 1986, and has twice previously been nominated for this same honor. He is keenly active on holding the interest level of his students – taking it so far to build, at his own expense, various bullet and shotshell displays to help illustrate topics.

He personally reviews the test with any student that may not have passed in order to ensure that the student leaves feeling more confident to come back and take the test again. He also likes to provide new hunters with maps of local places to hunt. Masters wants students to have an enjoyable experience, not that the course and the test is just a requirement.

The selection of the Hunter Education Instructor of the Year begins at the region level. Each of the seven WRD Law Enforcement Regions picks the outstanding instructor in their area and sends them to the DNR Law Enforcement/Hunter Education office. The applications are then submitted to the Hunter Safety Committee. This committee is made up of WRD personnel from Game Management, Fisheries Management and Law Enforcement who are knowledgeable in working with volunteers and about hunter safety education. The committee then makes the final selection.

For more information on the Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor of the Year or hunter education classes, call the WRD Conservation Education Office at (770) 918-6414. For more information on GHEA, visit their website at http://gheanet.homestead.com/AboutGHEA.html .

Turkey Hunters Encouraged To Put Safety First

GoHuntGeorgia.com

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga --(AmmoLand.com)- Successful hunting trips require a combination of skill, patience and most importantly, preparation. As turkey season rapidly approaches, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division encourages preparation first, hoping that hunters will brush up on important turkey hunting safety tips before hitting the woods.

“Hunters should always be sure to identify their target before pulling the trigger and should never shoot at sound or movement,” advises Lt. Judd Smith. “Turkey hunters have to utilize their firearms safety knowledge and remember ways to keep themselves and others safe while in the woods.”

Hunters are encouraged to review the following turkey hunting season safety precautions.

Season opens on Sat., March 20:

• Never wear red, white, blue or black clothing while turkey hunting. Red is the color most hunters look for when distinguishing a gobbler’s head from a hen’s blue-colored head, but at times it may appear white or blue. Male turkey feathers covering most of the body are black in appearance. Camouflage should be used to cover everything, including the hunter’s face, hands and firearm.
• Select a calling position that provides at least a shoulder-width background, such as the base of a tree. Be sure that at least a 180-degree range is visible.
• Do not stalk a gobbling turkey. Due to their keen eyesight and hearing, the chances of getting close are slim to none, but a hunter in motion greatly increases his/her chances of being mistaken for game.
• Be careful using a turkey call. The sound and motion may attract other hunters. Do not move, wave or make turkey-like sounds to alert another hunter to your presence. Instead, yell in a loud voice so other hunters know you are in the area.
• Be careful when carrying a harvested turkey from the woods. Do not allow the wings to hang loosely or the head to be displayed in such a way that another hunter may think it is a live bird. If possible, conceal the turkey in a blaze orange garment or other material.
• Although it’s not required, it is suggested that hunters wear blaze orange when moving to and from a vehicle and hunting site. When moving between hunting sites, hunters should wear blaze orange on their upper bodies to lessen chances of being mistaken for game.

Additional Safety Tips

Turkey hunters must possess a valid hunting license and a big game license to legally hunt turkeys in Georgia. If hunting on a Wildlife Management Area, hunters must also possess a WMA license. Sportsmen and women must always obtain permission from the landowner before hunting on private land. Only male turkeys may be harvested, and the season bag limit is three gobblers per hunter.

For additional turkey hunting information or turkey hunting safety tips, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com , contact the nearest Wildlife Resources Division Law Enforcement office or call (770) 918-6414.

GoHuntGeorgia.com

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga --(AmmoLand.com)- Turkey hunters across the state are practicing their yelps and clucks in preparation for the upcoming turkey season. Opening day is Sat., Mar. 20 and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division anticipates that the 2010 season should be good, and harvest levels should be similar in comparison to the past several years.

“There should be many vocal 2-year old gobblers available for harvest this year thanks to the high reproduction rate in the summer of 2008,” says Kevin Lowrey, Wildlife Resources Division wild turkey project coordinator.

Statistics from the 2009 season harvest summary indicate that an estimated 56,113 resident Georgia hunters bagged 27,323 turkeys last year. The bird to hunter ratio (harvest rate) for 2009 was .49 birds per hunter – the same as in 2007 and 2008. According to Lowrey, Georgia’s current turkey population is estimated at 300,000 birds. Georgia turkey hunters are privileged with one of the longest turkey seasons nationwide. With a bag limit of three gobblers per season, hunters have from Mar. 20 through May 15 to harvest their bird(s). Because most hunters pursue wild turkeys on private lands, the Wildlife Resources Division reminds hunters to always obtain landowner permission before hunting.

WMA Hunting Opportunities Georgia’s Wildlife Management Areas offer excellent turkey hunting opportunities. Through the WMA system, resident hunters have access to nearly one million acres of prime hunting land for just $19 a year. Success rates and total harvest numbers from 2009 may help indicate which WMAs hunters should target this year. In the northwest, Crockford-Pigeon Mountain and Berry College WMA reported the highest harvest rates. In the northeast, Dukes Creek WMA and Wilson Shoals WMA had the highest harvest rates. In west central Georgia, hunters should try Joe Kurz WMA and Rum Creek WMA. In east central Georgia, Di-Lane Plantation WMA and Tuckahoe WMA reported high harvest rates. In the southeast, hunters should visit Dixon Memorial WMA and Sansavilla WMA. Middle Georgia hunter should try River Bend WMA Finally, in southwest Georgia, River Creek WMA and Chickasawhatchee WMA had the highest harvest rates. A special WMA license is required for any person 16 years or older who does not possess a valid honorary, sportsman or lifetime license when hunting wild turkey on a WMA, Public Fishing Area or State Park. In addition, both a valid hunting license and a big game license are required to legally hunt wild turkey. Wild turkey legally can be hunted with shotguns, loaded with No. 2 or smaller shot, any muzzleloading firearm, longbow, crossbow or compound bow.

Conservation of the Wild Turkey in Georgia
The comeback of the wild turkey is one of Georgia’s great conservation success stories. Although the bird population currently hovers around 300,000 statewide, as recently as 1973, the wild turkey population was as low as 17,000. Intensive restoration efforts, such as the restocking of wild birds and increased emphasis on biologically sound hunting seasons, have helped re-establish turkeys in suitable habitat in every county. This resurgence is due to the efforts of private landowners, hunters and conservation organizations like the National Wild Turkey Federation.

The Georgia Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation has donated more than $3,220,977 since 1985 on projects that benefit wild turkey and other wildlife. The NWTF works cooperatively in partnership with the Wildlife Resources Division and other land management agencies with the focus on habitat enhancement, hunter access, wild turkey research and education. There currently are 96 state chapters of the NWTF with membership totals of more than 16,000.

For more information regarding wild turkey hunting opportunities, WMA hunting opportunities, 2010 wild turkey hunting seasons, regulations or license requirements in Georgia, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com .

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Monticello, GA --(AmmoLand.com)- A USDA Forest Service Law Enforcement Officer was fatally shot Friday, March 5, at the Ocmulgee Bluff Equestrian Recreation Area on the Oconee Ranger District of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in Jasper County.

The officer, Christopher Arby Upton, 37, of Monroe, GA, was on routine patrol in the area about 11 p.m. Two individuals were hunting coyote with a high-powered rifle equipped with night vision and apparently mistook the officer for game. After the shooting, the hunters dialed 911 and reported a hunting incident.

“This is a tragic incident where the loss of a Federal officer’s life could have been avoided,” said Steven Ruppert, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Southern Region of the Forest Service. “This is a devastating loss for Chris’ family, our agency, other law enforcement officers and his friends and neighbors in Monroe.

“All of our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” Ruppert said. “The standard procedure for a hunter is to identify your target and then shoot,” said Homer Bryson, Law Enforcement Colonel for Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). “The hunter failed to do this, and mistook the officer for game. He then shot and instantly killed the officer.”

The shooter, Norman Clinton Hale, 40, McDonough, GA, and an observer, Clifford Allen McGouirk, 41, of Jackson, GA, were hunting coyotes. The incident investigation is being conducted jointly by the Forest Service and GDNR WRD and is ongoing.

Upton, a 4-year veteran of the Forest Service, had previously worked as a game warden for the Department of Defense, US Marine Corps, at Beaufort, South Carolina, and as a conservation officer, game warden and pilot with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. He is survived by his wife, Jessica, and a 4-year-old daughter, Annabelle. Arrangements are pending.