Bear Season in Middle Ga

Do ya'll think we will ever get a bear season in middle ga?

I know they have a 1-day hunt on the Gum Swamp Tract but we need a couple of weekends or several week season to thin the bears down. I have seen 4 bears in the last two weeks on my club in Bleckley county....one nice size bear and a sow with cubs, we also get several bears during the year on trail cams.

I think there is a huntable population in this area, but I guess the DNR doesn't think so.

I think there is a huntable population in this area, but I guess the DNR doesn't think so.
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I 2nd that!!!

Its hard to believe only 1 bear was killed on Mulgee last weekend. Those kinda numbers arent gonna help us get a season anytime soon. See ya Sat.

If you want to keep your deer you better be pushing for a bear season every chance you get.Between the bears,yotes and too many doe days the mtns. are almost void of deer now. I tried to tell DNR years ago that we were not getting any fawn survival but they are school trained and are supposed to know it all.A sow when she comes out of the den after having her cubs is craving protien and guess whats hitting the ground about that time? The new fawn crop;If you ever get a chance to watch a bear feed it goes with its nose to the ground and wont miss a thing the old hide and camouflage trick the doe uses is useless on a bear.And if that sow ever gets a fawn she will rember where it came from,trust me guys. The trouble is the doe has fawning ground and will return every year so will the bear it becomes a no win circle. I have watched 3 adult does for 3 years and not a one will make it to fall with a fawn when they walk by someone on the either sex days that are on almost every wma hunt that will be the end of that.

paint brush is preaching the truth. we hunt the mountains and theres no deer to speak of on some of the areas now. but you see bear or bear sign everywhere.

I agree with what your saying bud! But what can you really do? Like you said above they are much more qaulified & smarter than the avid hunter or outdoorsman that can really see whats taking place.Like here in sc I would be out to blame the coyotes more because we dont have the number of bear that you guys have.We do have two weeks of bear season that Im glad of.One still hunting & one for dogging.The turkey population here is whats really fell off bad & I blame that mostly on all the controlled burning during our nesting season,let alone what the coyotes dont get.Its all what the politicians think is best or decide now,just like the rest of the country.

Hog, " But what can you really do?" You tell me, please.

I live in Northern Greenville co. 'bout 45 miles from you. With the 'gated 'golfing' communities' buying up and posting most of the hills and hollers around us, the times they are a changin. I looked at the SCDNR website today, there's been 19 bears reported killed in G-ville Co. plus 3 illegal kills. I think Pickens Co. reported 39, that's nearly twice as many as here, with nothing but a county line in between. Not only have these 'golfing' communities reduced our hunting areas but they've disregarded how they will handle their waste water from their country clubhouses restroom/bathroom and restaurant facilities, BUT that's another rant. I have a game camera right off the branch that runs through my place. We've gotten more pics of bears and coyotes this year than anything else. We used to see plenty of turkeys and deer but not anymore. I believe 'Paintbrush's first two sentences in his post above purty much sums up what has happened in my area.

There are more and more of them here in middle ga that's for sure. My grandfather ran a sow and cub out of his trash can in Bonaire about 2 weeks ago. He said ole mama didn't show much fear either, had to honk the truck horn at her b4 she'd run off.

Hog: I left out the decline in our turkeys, we are not near where we used to be on them either,nowhere near. The USFS is hinting about the growing season burns here also,they say the benefits compared to losing a couple of nests are better. GO FIGURE.

Paint brush I think that the controlled burning is good in away because it creates regrowth & you will always find more turkeys over in the burnt woods -vs- the non burnt.The thing is the time frame in wich they pick to do it is when the hens are sitting & I really disagree with that.Im not real sure on the controlled burning issue wether or not their would be another time during the year for them to do this or not without burning up everything else.I know that if their wasnt then I guess I had prefer them not do it at all here.I have hunted ga + sc for deer,turkey for many yrs now.So I agree with you their has been a down hill slide in the last few yrs. compared to the population we once had in both states.If I renew my ga lic. again this yr it will probably only be to hunt hogs.I quit bowhunting a few yrs ago but still have been buying them since then in order to hunt turkey & hogs.This yr I dont know if it would really be worth it anymore.Alot of money to pay just to go to south ga a time or two to kill a few hogs.Last yr I hunted turkey several times down on lake russel & it was my first yr not to ever kill any or limit out.I cant remember hearing but maybe one or two birds out of about 5 trips & then they were hinned up so bad only gobbling once or twice while on the roost.Nothing compared to yrs past when you had to scratch your head & decide which one you were going after.I know also what turkeys are left that they are twice as many hens now as they are gobblers & with that being said I can still see a decline in the overall population -vs- what it once was a few yrs back.

Dutch,Sorry for turning your thread into turkey.I guess you can see that me & paintbrush have a passion so to speak for turkeys also.

Yea Hog didnt mean to mess up his thread either,but when it comes to old red legs I tend to get carried away also.Its so bad here at home ive started going out of state can hear more in one day than all season at home,and its just a shame.Back to the burns if they are done in early feb.im ok with it.Our hens dont start laying until mid to late march.Sometimes we dont hear gobbling until the 1st of apr. When I was refering to growing season burns that is late apr to early may.T heUSFS clames the can take out more under story with the spring burns.

I hunt in Twiggs county alot and we definately have alot of bears. I never minded the bears until they started destroying all my feeders. I think the problem with a season here is that there are alot of bears in a few general area mostly along the river. The bears biggest enemy is habitat loss. I think they should do a lottery hunt for a few bears.