Smoke and mirrors

[Meat Hunter]

Cedar Creek WMA opening day dove hunt, typical crowded field poorly maintained with a cursory planting of sunflower in one field and some corn husks in the other. I believe that there were more hunters than actual doves. DNR made its grand appearance with 5 rangers in all brand new f150 trucks. In the field we hunted a young female ranger walked the perimeter checking licenses. All in all on a one to ten scale, one being no doves at all to ten being a barrel burner, id say it was a 3.
I guess with all of the money going for million dollar ranges at Clybel and other nonsensical wastes of money that the great minds of our Department of natural resources have spent, not much left for taking care of fields and actually managing the land. Most of us public land hunters refer to the acronym WMA, tongue in cheek, as Wildlife Missing Areas.
Not so long ago Cedar creek was a happening dove field especially opening day, now that most WMAs are quota only, the former of which all were open and used to alleviate the crowding on the one open public dove hunt in the area. I guess we could have driven to Perry Georgia, but thats also a mob scene with blazing sun and no cover.
Yep smoke and mirrors once again, the Georgia DNR does not disappoint......

 

[antharper]

My local WMA has a couple beautiful fields . I didn’t go but heard of several limits being killed . Sorry you had a bad experience

 

[watermedic]

The Clark Hill WMA hunt was better than I expected.

 

[BBond]

Cedar Creek, Perry as well as some others in the same part of the state had issues with sunflowers this year. Also on Perry the hunter strips were planted like last year but the deer found out this year they like eating them.
Between deer, grasshoppers and a 3 week drought at the worst time sunflowers that were planted across numerous acres failed. Millet went in then because of its quicker germination rate.
Sometimes some years stuff happens. It was not a failure on the staff working the fields.

 

[ucfireman]

I was going to say, the right side of the state was dry this summer. Maybe that had something to do with it.

That said I wish the DNR would open the dove fields on something other than Saturdays (at least early on). I understand giving birds a break and not overhunting the areas but maybe a day during the week too. Not everyone has Saturdays off. Or even want to hunt with 100s of other folks.