Question about checking/tagging bear

rubicon_in_ga

Senior Member
On page 29 of the regs, under Bear, it states "All bears... must be checked at the check station on the same date as killed. If station is unmanned, kills must be listed on sign-out forms... and reported to... WRD within 24 hours." It goes on to say "For bear tagging requirements see page 22."

On page 22, it states "At a minimum, the hide and skull must be taken to the Gainesville ... office within 3 business days of harvest for tagging."

Just curious, why, if you have it checked at a the WMA Ranger Station, do you still have to take it to Gainesville to be tagged? I mean, not really any big deal to me, since when I go on my hunt, I've gotta come right past the Gainesville office on my way home anyway, so it's not like it's out of the way, just wondering why they have this requirement.
 

Rich Kaminski

Senior Member
Just to see if you can follow directions

No, just joking. It's to make you jump through hoops.
Really, what they need is to pull a tooth to age the bear. They also take a scraping from the underside of the hide, but don't ask me why because I do not know.
 

xhunterx

Senior Member
if you check it at the checking station or the gw comes by your house and gets the info you don't have to take it to the regional offices. they just take the same info in case the checking station is closed when you get out of the woods or its killed on national forest land without a checking station. you can run by any checking station that is open and is closer then the regional offices
 

rubicon_in_ga

Senior Member
Well, like I said, I'll most likely do both (just to make DANG SURE I'm legal) but I just couldn't figure out the why of it. I figured the skull part must've been for the tooth aging thing. Thanks guys!
 

Coastie

Senior Member
Once the tag is on the Bear, you are legal. Check it at a check station if it is killed on a WMA or there is a hunt on a nearby WMA.
Call the 800 -241-4113 number if it is on a weekend and the Bear was killed on private property or National Forest. Call the number for the Regional office in Gainesville or Armuchee if it is normal working hours and make arrangements to have it tagged.
You DO NOT have to take it anyplace else once it has been tagged.
 
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