Am I confused? WMA Access Rant

northgeorgiasportsman said:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the guys that do the work. But all that effort mowing roads, plowing and planting food plots really only affects a tiny fraction of the entire WMA. Coopers is the WMA I'm most familiar with, and if you added up all the wildlife plantings/plots, it's probably less than 1% of the total WMA. Whereas, some controlled burns and timber harvests could potentially "manage" much more of the total acreage, therefore benefiting more of us hunters.

When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, the game checkout list at the checking station was often several pages long. These days, I seriously doubt it goes more than a page if even that.

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Killer Kyle said:

That is one thing I feel very strongly about....planting trees. At the Dahlonega meeting I asked a FS guy "what is the legality of me collecting up a bunch of chestnut seeds or persimmon seeds, sprouting them, and direct seeding them. Let's say I wanted to do that myself one day...could I? He said well....the motto we go by is "bring nothing in, take nothing out". I think fruit and nut trees could be an extraordinarily cheap supplement to the diets of certain species. Plant persimmons around field edges, and get supplemental fall forage during lean years. Plant chestnuts, and that tree will be dropping nuts for like 70 years once it begins to bear. Crab apple trees can produce extremely late providing forage. If funds would allow, plant crops that deer can find more useful like peas, corn, and brassicas.
That would be a dream. All it takes to sprout seeds and nuts is to collect them, put them in bags with moist medium, and throw them in the fridge. The seeds will do the rest. Is is about the cheapest thing a manager can do and provides decades of additional forage. Think about hunting over a Grove of chestnut trees and persimmons in archery season. Holy Moly!!!!!

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Killer Kyle said:

You would not believe the amount of work our techs do year round on the WMA's. The vast majority of work they do goes unseen. All we do is walk in and see a nice pea field and clover plot and seldom do we stop to thank them. I spoke to one tech that I know personally, and who I will soon intern with. His first year on Lake Russell, he logged over 400 hours on the tractor mowing, plowing and planting, cutting road edges. Maintaining structures, trapping hogs, conducting mast surveys, bear population surveys, monitoring trail cams, cutting down or hazard trees, assisting in controlled burns, digging fire breaks, working the managed hunts. He works three WMA's as a tech, not just on one really. Lake Russell is his primary, Wilson Shoals is his secondary, and Hart Co WMA is his tertiary. They establish and fix signs, maintain tractor and implement equipment, chainsaws and cutting equipment. They also assist in local wildlife issues. He was on the team that went and got the gator in commerce and relocated it to south GA. He is also on a storm damage team, and was sent down to Cumberland Island with a crew of Sawyer's for about a week to do nothing but cut downed trees. There's a lot more management that goes on than people realize. They make a hard earned 32k per year. I met a tech on Chattahoochee during the Oct rifle hunt at the check station, and I made sure to introduce myself, shake his hand, and thank him for the good work they do. Without them, the wma's would be a dismal place to spend our loafing time. Would I like to see more management? Absolutely! Would I like to see more open hunt days, especially during deer hunts? Without question!!! But I am also thankful for what work they can do with what little budget they have. In my opinion, they are unsung heroes. Seldom does their name come up in praise, but more often in scorn. We have a lot more to be thankful that we realize.

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j_seph said:

Kyle, did you see the pic of the big 10 from dnr trail camera up there

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Killer Kyle said:

Sure did. If I remember correctly, the pics they had of him in the last two years were in January both years I believe. He is unbelievable. Plenty of deer on the WMA. I'll be out there fighting the masses Thursday and possible Saturday evening. You going?

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Lumpkin Hunter said:

Very good thread about the National Forrest system. Doesn't the CNF close before the rest of the state? I don't understand this at all. You should be able to deer hunt the entire season just like if on a hunting club. This land is some hunters hunting club. I don't hunt CNF much anymore except for turkeys but I do feel it should be open state season.

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j_seph said:

Will be there wed thur morning fri. I have a date with a buck I shot and wounded last year, hoping he's still around.
Buddy of mine actually found that trail cam bucks sheds. If you know where that cam was he's not the only hoss there either

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Killer Kyle said:

I know where he was hanging, but I ain't after him. I'm sure several people are. I went after a buck I clipped back two years on Swallow Creek yesterday morning. I got to where he runs a lead going up the big ridge, and I got straight ripped by the wind. Wind chill was 10°. I mean the wind was howling at 3,200. I didn't plan well. I figured the deer were blown off the top down the other side of the ridge so I hiked out at 10:30 and went to Lake Russell. I hiked in a pretty good ways, to a place I'd been wanting to look at for weeks. Got to the exact spot I was headed, and a deer trail ran down the lead. It stunk. A rutting buck had been walking on it probably just that morning. That lets me know it's "on" on Lake Russell. I am excited for the hunt. You camping or driving J?

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tonyrittenhouse said:

A question I have it says Firearms deer season on Chattahoochee National
Forest (OutsideCensoredofCensoredWMAs)
Oct. 22 – Dec. 26, 2016

If you look on page 30 it says bear for the Northern zone is Firearms oct.22 - Jan. 8th.
So can we still Bear hunt on NF land with firearms from the 26th thru Jan. 8th. ?

Also it says Firearms deer season, not archery deer season ends on the 26th, So after the 26th can we archery deer hunt intil the 8th ?

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