Bear hunt clarification?

Zola049 · Jun 15, 2017

Hey guys just wanted some clarification on bear hunting in the southern zone.

1. Can I archery hunt bears in the south zone? Looking online I noticed that in the north zone it specifies archery, primitive weapons, and firearms but on the central and south it only says firearms. Thoughts?

2. Hunting bear over bait is not allowed. I've never participated in a bear hunt so all I know is what ive seen on tv where they bait those barrels. Is a corn feeder considered bear bait?

Any other information you can think of that can help me get an idea of what to expect would be great. I wont be using dogs and I think the extent of my bear hunting will be if I happened to see one while deer hunting.
Thanks for the help.

35 Whelen · Jun 15, 2017

1. ARCHERY EQUIPMENT
Crossbows, longbows, recurve bows, and compound bows are allowed
for hunting any game or feral hog. Arrows for hunting deer, bear or feral
hog must be broadhead type.

2. BAITING
Bait: corn, wheat, other grains, salts, apples, and other feed that
has been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered
so as to constitute a lure, attraction, or enticement to game
animals or game birds.

Zola049 · Jun 15, 2017

Thank you!

Rich Kaminski · Jun 16, 2017

Bear cannot be baited anywhere in the state of Georgia. Even if a bear eats bait putouton private property and wanders onto a WMA and you shoo it; if that bear has any kind of bait in its stomach or teeth - the game warden may cite you. In the southern zone you can only hunt bear one day a year usually around December 10th. I think they expanded it to 3 days this comming season, but check the regulations to be sure.

Zola049 · Jun 16, 2017

Interesting. Would be pretty ridiculous to get cited like that but hey anything is possible I guess.

I believe I read that there are 4 weekends to hunt in the south zone this year. 2 in sept and 2 in oct.

Joe Brandon · Jun 16, 2017

Rich Kaminski said:
Bear cannot be baited anywhere in the state of Georgia. Even if a bear eats bait putouton private property and wanders onto a WMA and you shoo it; if that bear has any kind of bait in its stomach or teeth - the game warden may cite you. In the southern zone you can only hunt bear one day a year usually around December 10th. I think they expanded it to 3 days this comming season, but check the regulations to be sure.

This is false information. The southern zone has a 3 weekend hunting schedule. Please read the regs carefully and or call the Georgia DNR for any clarification you need on the game laws. Do not relay on the opinions of a forum when it comes to the law.

C.Killmaster · Jun 16, 2017

Rich Kaminski said:
In the southern zone you can only hunt bear one day a year usually around December 10th. I think they expanded it to 3 days this comming season, but check the regulations to be sure.

That's actually the central GA population. There are 3 separate bear populations in the state and each has a different season.

Zola049 · Jun 16, 2017

Joe Brandon said:
This is false information. The southern zone has a 3 weekend hunting schedule. Please read the regs carefully and or call the Georgia DNR for any clarification you need on the game laws. Do not relay on the opinions of a forum when it comes to the law.

No doubt. I always read the regs eventually. I like asking on forums as well because sometimes I'll interpret something from the regs incorrectly. Thanks all for the help!

Rich Kaminski · Jun 18, 2017

I hunt Twiggs county (it is in the southern zone) and up to and including last year you were only allowed to hunt bear 1 day a year, usually around Dec 10th. Houston County has the same exact regulations - so make sure you check the reg's.

35 Whelen · Jun 18, 2017

CENTRAL BEAR ZONE
Bibb, Houston, and Twiggs Counties

SOUTHERN BEAR ZONE
Brantley, Charlton, Clinch, Echols, Lanier,
Lowndes and Ware Counties

Rich Kaminski · Jun 18, 2017

35 Whelen you are correct for the bear zones

However in my original statement I spoke about baiting and Twiggs and Houston counties (I do not know about the others because my hunting club is in Twiggs) we are allowedto bait deer. And what I said was if the game warden finds bait in a bears stomach or teeth; that he might cite the successful bear hunter with baiting even if the bear are the bait on a different property. Now that is the full story.

Rich Kaminski · Jun 18, 2017

And personally I don'tcare to hunt bear as I have a few already include the one in my avatar which is a Brown Bear that I took in Russia.

across the river · Jun 21, 2017

Rich Kaminski said:
However in my original statement I spoke about baiting and Twiggs and Houston counties (I do not know about the others because my hunting club is in Twiggs) we are allowedto bait deer. And what I said was if the game warden finds bait in a bears stomach or teeth; that he might cite the successful bear hunter with baiting even if the bear are the bait on a different property. Now that is the full story.

No they cannot. The charge is hunting over bait, not killing a animal with bait in its stomach. The actual law (which is what actual citations are based upon) from title 27 says:

4) Any person who takes any big game animal, other than deer, within 200 yards of any place where any corn, wheat, or other grains, salts, apples, or other feed or bait has been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered so as to constitute a lure, attraction, or enticement for any game bird or game animal shall, upon conviction of thereof, be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature and shall be punished as provided by Code Section 17-10-4.

A bear having some corn in its stomach doesn't prove the above law has been violated.

ripplerider · Jun 22, 2017

across the river said:
No they cannot. The charge is hunting over bait, not killing a animal with bait in its stomach. The actual law (which is what actual citations are based upon) from title 27 says:

4) Any person who takes any big game animal, other than deer, within 200 yards of any place where any corn, wheat, or other grains, salts, apples, or other feed or bait has been placed, exposed, deposited, distributed, or scattered so as to constitute a lure, attraction, or enticement for any game bird or game animal shall, upon conviction of thereof, be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature and shall be punished as provided by Code Section 17-10-4.

A bear having some corn in its stomach doesn't prove the above law has been violated.

This is true but I've heard several stories of G.W.s making the successful hunter take them to the exact kill site where they looked for signs of baiting.

Zola049 · Jun 22, 2017

ripplerider said:
This is true but I've heard several stories of G.W.s making the successful hunter take them to the exact kill site where they looked for signs of baiting.

That has happened before here in south florida during turkey season on the WMA's for folks shooting birds under or near feeders

308 · Jun 23, 2017

Just prior to the 2016 season... we found bear scat in the middle of mountainous national forest that was hours/miles away from the nearest location that could practically be baited...

Stay outside the required distance/sight-line rules and hunt...

Then hire me as an expert witness for your trial... you'll win...

Where we found the corn laden bear scat, nobody in their right mind would pack in corn to bait with...

Bears roam wide ranges... especially the big boys...

Wardens have jobs to do, but so do we... If you're in the right... show up for court proceedings...

I know of one case where the warden was wrong... and lost...

I've always wondered why there was a wall of shame... where game criminals are publicized... but not wardens who file bad charges...

The shame shoe, fits both feet...

Rich Kaminski · Jun 23, 2017

In other clubs I belonged to herein Georgia we had members forced by Game Wardens to take them to the kill spot of the bear. They looked for blood and bait. Luckly for me - I have taken enough bear including the Russian Brown Bear in my avatar with me and a pure chocolate black bear in Minnesota. And pleasedon't try to tell me about Game Wardens because wehadone who would ride a dirt bike around our locked fences and tell hunters to come down out of their tree stands so he could check thenumber of bullets in their guns. We fixed his wagon - but I will not tell you how!

Zola049 · Jun 24, 2017

Well I don't plan on doing any funny business. Just wanted some clarification. im on 650 acres so i would say that it would be pretty tough to find a bear on my property that hasn't visited one of my corn sites. Hopefully if given the opportunity to harvest one, I won't run into any issues.

Bear hunt clarification?

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