Huge deer on the southend of St. Simons Island

[Dustin4106]

Wow, that's a little selfish. Maybe do some research, all the hog control on Ossabaw is funded from grants that were not derived from hunting licenses or taxes on firearms. DNR does lots of other things besides managing game animals and has different funding sources for those other purposes.

I’m selfish? It’s obvious you work for dnr and I mean no disrespect but the numbers don’t lie on harvest and besides that you have a guy that has been hired to kill hogs which is ridiculous and leaves them laying nothing is done with them and I’m selfish? Do the animal rights turtle lovers no what he is doing with those hogs? There is nothing I can say to change your mind but it’s a sad day that now after all this time the turtles are more important and our way of life and visiting the island as a kid hunting like I did will not be a part of my children’s life. There is no way the deer harvest went from over 100 percent every year to at best 50-55 percent without help. There are many protest groups forming now and they way dnr is doing it should honestly be criminal. No animal should be shot and just thrown away for fun

 

[C.Killmaster]

I would love to see documentation of DNR being involved in the eradication. I'm positive that the DNR region personnel were consulted, but they had no hand in conducting the eradication. The bottom line is that a private landowner paid money to have an exotic animal eradicated from his property.

 

[Dustin4106]

I would love to see documentation of DNR being involved in the eradication. I'm positive that the DNR region personnel were consulted, but they had no hand in conducting the eradication. The bottom line is that a private landowner paid money to have an exotic animal eradicated from his property.

What about the ones on ssi? send me your email in private. There are multiple accounts of DNR being involved. It’s no secret. The fact is in Georgia if it’s not a bird or turtle or some endangered snake. They don’t care. They are only there for the politicians. Period.

 

[C.Killmaster]

I’m selfish? It’s obvious you work for dnr and I mean no disrespect but the numbers don’t lie on harvest and besides that you have a guy that has been hired to kill hogs which is ridiculous and leaves them laying nothing is done with them and I’m selfish? Do the animal rights turtle lovers no what he is doing with those hogs? There is nothing I can say to change your mind but it’s a sad day that now after all this time the turtles are more important and our way of life and visiting the island as a kid hunting like I did will not be a part of my children’s life. There is no way the deer harvest went from over 100 percent every year to at best 50-55 percent without help. There are many protest groups forming now and they way dnr is doing it should honestly be criminal. No animal should be shot and just thrown away for fun

I really wish there was a feasible way to donate meat from feral hog control, both public and private land. Feral hog meat can't be donated due to disease issues, unless you want to try to change state law.

What's really sad is that hunters used to be THE conservationists and when they hold no regard for species they don't or can't hunt then they lose all respect from the 94% of US citizens that don't hunt.

 

[C.Killmaster]

What about the ones on ssi? send me your email in private. There are multiple accounts of DNR being involved. It’s no secret. The fact is in Georgia if it’s not a bird or turtle or some endangered snake. They don’t care. They are only there for the politicians. Period.

SSI is different. It's one thing to have exotics contained on a private island, but when they start expanding beyond that it's a different circumstance. Fallow deer completely displaced whitetails on Little SSI, I doubt the hunters of the Georgia coast wanted fallow deer to take over and displace whitetails. Whitetails were non-existent on Little SSI until the fallow deer were removed.

charlie.killmaster@dnr.ga.gov, email me anytime.

 

[strothershwacker]

I really wish there was a feasible way to donate meat from feral hog control, both public and private land. Feral hog meat can't be donated due to disease issues, unless you want to try to change state law.

What's really sad is that hunters used to be THE conservationists and when they hold no regard for species they don't or can't hunt then they lose all respect from the 94% of US citizens that don't hunt.

I've enjoyed watching woodpeckers, chipmunks and even crows while waiting on a deer. As a north Georgia hillbilly I've never seen one 'em sea turtles, but like the caribou on the frozen north it does my heart good to know they are there. Thanks for what you do Mr. Killmaster.

 

[Dustin4106]

I really wish there was a feasible way to donate meat from feral hog control, both public and private land. Feral hog meat can't be donated due to disease issues, unless you want to try to change state law.

What's really sad is that hunters used to be THE conservationists and when they hold no regard for species they don't or can't hunt then they lose all respect from the 94% of US citizens that don't hunt.

99 percent of citizens will never see a sea turtle. 99.99999 will never see its nest. The obliteration of one animal for another isn’t conservation

 

[Dustin4106]

SSI is different. It's one thing to have exotics contained on a private island, but when they start expanding beyond that it's a different circumstance. Fallow deer completely displaced whitetails on Little SSI, I doubt the hunters of the Georgia coast wanted fallow deer to take over and displace whitetails. Whitetails were non-existent on Little SSI until the fallow deer were removed.

charlie.killmaster@dnr.ga.gov, email me anytime.

Oh in 100 years of being here they were going to take over now?

 

[Dustin4106]

I've enjoyed watching woodpeckers, chipmunks and even crows while waiting on a deer. As a north Georgia hillbilly I've never seen one 'em sea turtles, but like the caribou on the frozen north it does my heart good to know they are there. Thanks for what you do Mr. Killmaster.

I understand what you mean but there isn’t a government up there trying to obliterate another animal to save the caribou

 

[Nicodemus]

Oh in 100 years of being here they were going to take over now?

Read this book, A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold.

It`ll answer some questions for you.

 

[Dustin4106]

SSI is different. It's one thing to have exotics contained on a private island, but when they start expanding beyond that it's a different circumstance. Fallow deer completely displaced whitetails on Little SSI, I doubt the hunters of the Georgia coast wanted fallow deer to take over and displace whitetails. Whitetails were non-existent on Little SSI until the fallow deer were removed.

charlie.killmaster@dnr.ga.gov, email me anytime.

So what you’re saying is your protecting a hunters way of life on the coast by removing them? Kinda like the traditions of family’s that waited for the rejection notices to go to ossabaw. If DNR cared so much about conservation there would be a 12 deer limit and they wouldn’t have introduced coyotes that are wreaking havoc on deer and other small game

 

[Dustin4106]

Read this book, A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold.

It`ll answer some questions for you.

How? I’m familiar with it. It doesn’t change hogs have been on the island for over 500 years and now that ms west is gone they sterilized her donkeys and are killing the hogs that she didn’t want killed. All while also killing deer. The fallow have been here for 100 years. So in all that time they now are an environmental concern? GA DNR is nothing like western states. They actually do care about their game and manage it. There is only one difference....more people here. So why does that tell you. It’s all about insurance companies, politicians, animal rights activists, and them doing for everyone but the ones that support them. This year they even moved the alligator tagging system to online and no physical tags. That will result in more illegal kills and shows they really don’t even care about the alligators. They won’t even take the time to check them in but they will walk the beach worried about a sea turtle

 

[Nicodemus]

That still doesn`t make those invasive`s native. As for the job the DNR does, I commend them for it. I`ve seen the good they do and have done.

 

[CroMagnum]

I saw these late Saturday night by the southend of the airport near the village. View attachment 749957

View attachment 749958

St Simons was our family's spring break go to when the boys were younger. Never thought about hunting it though. Is there legal hunting on the island?

 

[Dustin4106]

That still doesn`t make those invasive`s native. As for the job the DNR does, I commend them for it. I`ve seen the good they do and have done.

Invasive? The ossabaw island hog is literally its own species found only on ossabaw island and they are trying to destroy it. Hunting numbers are decking. I have a 14 year old and to keep him interested I have to take him to Texas and Wyoming with other things we have to compete with these days. Maybe when Me and others like me get enough and stop buying a License and guns here then I hope when they don’t have their jobs they realize what they done. I will even buy my guns elsewhere. This is probably my last year hunting in this state. Grew up here hunting I miss hunting with my late brother and grandad on the islands. Been hunting since I was 12 on them. 30 years of traditions are now gone without a thought other than the new age hipsters they hit for 32k a year want a sea turtle. Georgia has 15 barrier islands. Of that 4 have developments leaving 11. The four that have developments still have nesting grounds and they walk around handing red plastic to you if you have a flash light so you won’t scare them off. So out of 15. Why couldn’t the turtles have 14 and the hogs Have one? The one by the way was a gift by ms west that they made an agreement on and are now dishonoring that agreement

Alligators are native as well. How many do you think will be shot illegally now since they don’t have to be checked in. I guess all their resources were tied up in turtle eggs and they don’t have time to check them in

 

[Dustin4106]

St Simons was our family's spring break go to when the boys were younger. Never thought about hunting it though. Is there legal hunting on the island?

DNR killed them all because They simply didn’t like them there

 

[Nicodemus]

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

 

[Mexican Squealer]

Kudzu has been here a long time too. Just sayin’...never knew anyone could get so worked up over killing a pest. @Dustin4106, with so many complaints and reliance on the govt to facilitate your family’s hunting, why not just buy an island off the GA coast and manage it how you please? Or BUY YOUR OWN land somewhere??? I’d imagine your complain about something no matter what....heck, even better, buy a place in the beloved west where they take such care and know so well how to manage game....then MOVE THERE!!

 

[strothershwacker]

I don't agree with some of the DNRs actions but I know some of them personally and can honestly say that they didn't just take some random job. At a young age they sought out there careers because of their interests and love for the wild places and the things that live there. And I'm talking from techs to biologist. They work hard, often without direct supervision because they're self motivated by their passion for what they're doing. Don't get me wrong, there have definitely been some calls made that I do not agree with, but just because I don't like it, agree with it, or find it inconvenient doesn't make those decisions wrong. The DNR does a lot of State Park stuff that doesn't benefit my hunting ONE bit. But have you ever seen them lil' city kids oooh & ahhhhhh over the wildlife they see there? Or an elderly couple taking a stroll on a well kept path? Or even some city slickers doing s'mores round a DNR fireside grill.
Seems like most people are blinded by WHAT THEY WANT, rather than looking at the big picture. The DNR manages PUBLIC land. PUBLIC. P-U-B-L-I-C land. If it were up to me you could only hunt with a stickbow all season and there would be hogs running rampant in every county of the state! But that wouldn't benefit the whole. Bear population is exploding in north Georgia and I love it! Problems for the DNR and every resident with a garden or a garbage can, but I love it! I love hunting 'em, eating 'em & seeing them. Instead of running the DNR down, we orta be buying their lunch when we see 'em. So put that in yer smipe & poke it!

 

[C.Killmaster]

Invasive? The ossabaw island hog is literally its own species found only on ossabaw island and they are trying to destroy it. Hunting numbers are decking. I have a 14 year old and to keep him interested I have to take him to Texas and Wyoming with other things we have to compete with these days. Maybe when Me and others like me get enough and stop buying a License and guns here then I hope when they don’t have their jobs they realize what they done. I will even buy my guns elsewhere. This is probably my last year hunting in this state. Grew up here hunting I miss hunting with my late brother and grandad on the islands. Been hunting since I was 12 on them. 30 years of traditions are now gone without a thought other than the new age hipsters they hit for 32k a year want a sea turtle. Georgia has 15 barrier islands. Of that 4 have developments leaving 11. The four that have developments still have nesting grounds and they walk around handing red plastic to you if you have a flash light so you won’t scare them off. So out of 15. Why couldn’t the turtles have 14 and the hogs Have one? The one by the way was a gift by ms west that they made an agreement on and are now dishonoring that agreement

Alligators are native as well. How many do you think will be shot illegally now since they don’t have to be checked in. I guess all their resources were tied up in turtle eggs and they don’t have time to check them in

The island was purchased by the state, it wasn't a gift.

"In 1978, no longer able to subsidize the artistic, educational, and scientific activity on the island, and eschewing lucrative offers of resort development, Mrs. West and her brother's children chose to sell the island to the State of Georgia as a Heritage Preserve with the understanding that Ossabaw would "be used for natural, scientific and cultural study, research and education, and environmentally sound preservation, conservation and management of the Island's ecosystem."

I'm sorry you're so upset, but it seems like you have your mind made up.