Time to provide your input!

[35 Whelen]

If you want to voice your opinion on hunting regulations:

http://www.georgiawildlife.com/Hunting/RegulationsProcess

If you can not attend a meeting, mail, phone, or email your comments.

 

[Buckman18]

The deer/bear season in the Chattahoochee National Forest needs to be re-instated to the same dates as the State. We still have some great hunting in late December in Towns County, and DON'T want the season closed now...

 

[tree cutter 08]

I agree about the season and was one change I suggested along with no doe days on nf for a few years. While some may disagree, Also suggested allowing one of the bears to be any size and other over 75lb. I think this change alone would help reduce the number of bears. Alot of bears get a pass from being close to the legal size and no telling how many are shot that are to small and left in the woods because of fear of a ticket.

 

[goshenmountainman]

I think the season is alright just like it is, I don't like it closing in the start of the rut like it does but I am willing to let it be like this for a while to repopulate the mountains. I also don't think we need any doe days at all, we got to give a little in hopes to bring back the herd we once had. I think they need to get rid of all the bears, they are only hurting the deer herd. Lots of people including myself are letting bears walk because its to hard to get them out of places that have locked gates, also think we need a dog season for bear to get the population down with no limit on the fuzzy suckers. May not be to popular with alot of people but it needs to be done. I have seen more bear this year than I have deer in the mountains, let a few real nice bucks walk waiting for a bigger one that didn't show. Maybe he will be there next year and with the season closing he will get to breed some does without having to worry about being shot.

 

[Killer Kyle]

I'd love to see the old deer dates back in place. Sunday in Rabun County in the NF, I found buck rubs not even a week old. I mean SUPER FRESH. I want to see a longer deer season like the rest of the state, and a winter bear dog season in January. Lots more people would be running dogs on them if they could, and that could help out slightly more with best harvest. Also an increased bear bag limit to three, and more winter/summer hog rifle hunts /dog hunts on the WMA's. Of course, that is my utopia, and I realize that is never gonna happen, but I'll still provide my input anyway!!

 

[deerpoacher1970]

I'd love to see the old deer dates back in place. Sunday in Rabun County in the NF, I found buck rubs not even a week old. I mean SUPER FRESH. I want to see a longer deer season like the rest of the state, and a winter bear dog season in January. Lots more people would be running dogs on them if they could, and that could help out slightly more with best harvest. Also an increased bear bag limit to three, and more winter/summer hog rifle hunts /dog hunts on the WMA's. Of course, that is my utopia, and I realize that is never gonna happen, but I'll still provide my input anyway!!

A BEAR dog season in January would be a waste of time,most bears are in a den the best time to have it would be in October.

 

[Hammer Spank]

Bear harvest limited to archery only. Ill be sure to send them my opinion.

I bet they listen to me just as much as the rest of you

 

[Hammer Spank]

Im all for removing the size limit on bears because it makes no biological sense. I cant imagine who would accidentally kill a 75 lb bear, but I have no issue with people doing so if they choose.

 

[tree cutter 08]

I'd say you would be surprised hammer. If it wasnt for deer hunters with boom sticks taking there first and usually last bear each season we would be over run. Do away with head and hide tagging also. I'd say at least a few dozen are to small and get left in the woods each season. Not to mention how many trouble bears are gut shot and nothing said.

 

[Buckman18]

A couple thoughts:

1. If reducing the bear population is really the goal, a bear only gun season of a couple weeks in late July - early August, before the archery opener, would be an effective ticket for that goal.

2. I read someone mention the NF deer herd repopulating... I would argue the smaller deer herd in the NF is not from hunter over harvest, and keeping the season open would have <1% net impact on the herd. By this late in the season, only the hard core among us are still out there, but now is arguably a very good time to bust a 5+ yr old in the peak or post rut. I've got a house full of December Mtn deer heads. I would also argue that the western NC mountains, with their super short 3 week rifle season, have no more deer than our mountains. In fact, it's quite the contrary. Another example is Cohutta, very few rifle days on a huge piece of rock, and those mountains have no more deer than our mountains. A shorter season is not the ticket to a higher deer population. Instead, timber mgmt, food plot mgmt, and coyote mgmt would go a lot further in my estimation.

 

[Buckman18]

A BEAR dog season in January would be a waste of time,most bears are in a den the best time to have it would be in October.

Not true. We run bear/hog dogs in January in western NC quite successfully. It is true bears aren't as easy to come by in the winter, but hardly a waste of time.

 

[Ihunt]

I want to see a longer deer season like the rest of the state

The state deer season closes at the same time.

 

[Ihunt]

I want to see a longer deer season like the rest of the state

The state deer season closes at the same time.

 

[Ihunt]

Sorry. Double post.

 

[35 Whelen]

I want to see a longer deer season like the rest of the state

The state deer season closes at the same time.

He is referring to the fact that the Chattahoochee National Forest deer/bear season ended on December 26th, the state season ends January 8 this year.

 

[lampern]

I commented that the doe limit on the national forest should be reduced 1 per season max outside of WMAs.

 

[lampern]

A dog hunting season for taking bears would also help control their numbers.

It does in SC and NC.

 

[ripplerider]

The few bucks killed on National Forest after Dec. 26 arent going to affect the herd in any meaningful way. We've got lots bigger problems than that. I agree with eliminating mtn. doe days on N.F., killing more bears somehow ethically (personally dont believe in baiting... agree with doing away with weight limits on bears.) Timber management would help more than anything. By the way, the best buck by far I saw this year chased 2 does across my property Christmas morning! Was cooking,by the time I got my rifle they'd crossed onto land I dont have permission to hunt. Man he was a good one, long yellow tines clearly visible at 300 yds. I have to admit I was tempted.

 

[ripplerider]

I just submitted my views on the early closure on National Forest. Hope all yall have done so. Im going to try my best to make one of the meetings too.

 

[Killer Kyle]

I agree about the minimal impact on deer population after Dec 26th. MUCH of the NF up here is so deep, and so virtually inaccessible, no man will ever hunt it again. There are places so deep and rough in the Cohuttas, Brasstown Wilderness, Swallow Creek, Warwoman, and old Coleman River WMA that it is just about impossible to even get to, much less hunt. Loads and loads of bucks will live and die there and never see another human, or even hear a vehicle besides aircraft. Those deer can grow old and die and never even know humans exist. There aren't even that many hunters out here in Late December. Just think about the fact that a man can park his truck at an old logging road, or closed off FS road which gives him access to hundreds if not thousands of acres, and nobody else will park there to hunt. He might have to hike two or three miles to get to his spot. One or even a few parking there over the course of a season cannot cause overharvest of a deep population in a huge expanse of wilderness.
After Thanksgiving, go up on old lake Burton WMA and ride around on a Saturday morning and count how many hunters are there on a December day. You'll probably count the trucks on one hand. And that is prime time to kill a buck there. Where I was Sunday, there is only one way in and one way out, and it was about 2.5 mike hike to get to where I was going. When you get there, you are surrounded by probably several thousand acres of wilderness. How on earth can I go in there, hunt that giant area, kill one or two bucks, and cause over harvest?

Also, I disagree about the January bear dog hunt. I think it would be a lot more successful than people realize. Don't underestimate a good pack of bear dogs....They will surprise you. And the number of bears they can get on in the dead of winter might surprise you too.