Fowler 1
John Fowler
Erin Schubach
8th Grade Research
9 May, 2014
Tips for Hunting and Fishing in Georgia
You live in the beautiful state of Georgia. In Georgia, there are many things to do for fun.
These things include anything from playing on the lake in the summer to building bonfires in the
winter. There are two things in Georgia that people do almost all year long, hunt and fish. Today
you will learn some tips and tricks for hunting and fishing in Georgia.
The next season is probably the most hunted. Deer season opens Sept. 14. Most hunters
hunt during this season. This makes deer season probably the most regulated season. There are
many rules and regulations involved in deer season. There is much preparation that needs to be
done if you want to be a successful hunter,
Before you can go hunting, there is one thing that you have to have, a gun. Most people
would think that they can use any gun to hunt. But in Georgia, there are some specifications that
you have to meet. If you are deer hunting in Georgia, then the gun has to be a center fire weapon.
This means that the bullet has to have a primer (Georgia DNR). Rim fire weapons are illegal
because they do not have enough power. People fear that this will not kill the animal and make it
suffer. Rim fire weapons are usually 22’s. If the game warden discovers that you killed a deer
with a rim fire weapon, then he will give you a ticket, or worse, take you to jail. (Georgia DNR)
The next thing you must do for deer hunting is find out where you will hunt. Some people
prefer to hunt in the woods. Some prefer to hunt over an open field. Both of these are great
Fowler 2
places to hunt, but it depends on what time of year it is. Early season hunters need to hunt over
food plots. But late season hunters would best benefit from hunting in the woods. In the late
season all the food plots have died and the acorns have dropped. This means that the deer are
moving to the woods, (Georgia DNR).
After deciding where you are going to hunt you have to choose your stand. There are
many types of stands. There are ladder stands that are usually twenty to thirty feet in the air. Or
there are ground blinds. Ladder stands are stands that are just a seat that is attached to a ladder. A
ground blind is a blind that you sit in and it looks like a giant bush. Both are great stands to hunt
out of, (“Field and Stream”).
To kill a deer, the deer has to be there. To get the deer to come to you, you can use deer
calls. There are people that do use calls and those that do not. If you use a call then you need to
know which one to use. Some people use grunt calls, others use rattling. A grunt call imitates a
buck which attracts does. The Does then attract other bucks. Rattling is a technique that imitates
two bucks fighting (GON). Bucks try to be the dominant male in the area. So if there are others
then they will lock there antlers and fight. This attracts other bucks because the bucks are trying
to defend their territory from other males.
Now one cannot just put a stand out anywhere and expect to kill a deer. First, you have
to do some research. During the summer the deer grow something called velvet on their horns.
This protects their horns from weather and insects. But when Fall comes they scrape it all off.
Deer leave rub marks on tree, (“Field and Stream”). This is a great way to know that deer are
around. Another way that deer leave tracks is by paw marks on the ground. These are both great
ways to find out if there are deer in your area.
Fowler 3
If someone really wants to kill a big buck they need to feed them. Food plots are a great
way to attract deer. But now they have to ask themself, “What do I need to plant in my food
plot?” Well, the top seventeen things to plant are: Alfalfa, White Clovers, Red Clovers, Birdsfoot
Trefoil, Chicory, Alsike, Australian winter pea, Sweet clover, Hairy vetch, Oats, Wheat, Rye,
Trophy radishes, rape ( this is a plant commonly grown in Georgia), and turnips, (“Deer
Builder”). The best time to plant your food plot is during the cool season. This is late spring to
early summer, (“Deer Builder”). If the food plot is not planted in time then the deer will not stay
around your property for long.
Now they are ready to go deer hunting. Now they just need to know the best time to hunt.
The rut is hands down the best time to hunt anywhere. The rut is the deer’s mating period. But
the rut is different for different regions. The rut is roughly at the end of October to November.
The rut usually last about two to three weeks, (“GON”).
After deer season is over there is more hunting to be done. Bear hunting is the next type
of hunting in Georgia. Bears typically live in north Georgia, So hunting anywhere else will be
quite difficult. Like most large game hunting seasons in Georgia, there are three seasons:
archery, primitive weapons, and firearms. Archery season starts September 14th and ends
October 11th. Primitive weapons season starts on October 12th and ends October 18th. Finally,
firearms season begins October 19th and ends on December 1st.
Bears are much different from deer. The main bear people will see in Georgia is the black
bear. Adult bears are usually six feet long and three feet high at the shoulder. The usual female is
about 300 pounds. They typically live in forest areas or swamps. Bears most often feed on
Fowler 4
berries, fruit, and insects. If they feel endangered then the bear will climb in a hollow tree for
protection.
After bear hunting season is over, there is still more hunting to be done. Turkey season
is in the spring. Turkey season is different from both deer and bear season. A turkey eats things
such as bugs, insects, and nuts they find in the forest (“National Wild Turkey Federation”). Most
people hunt in the woods or in an open field. Turkeys are hunted with shotguns instead of rifles.
Many people use turkey calls when hunting turkeys. There are many types of turkey calls.
These are: the slate call, box call, or some people use mouth calls. When calling in a turkey there
are several ways to use the call. One way is to cluck on the call. A cluck is one or more short,
staccato notes. A purr is a soft rolling sound (“National Wild Turkey Federation”).
People typically hunt in either the woods or over an open field. But either way people
like to sit on a high point. It is harder to call a turkey down a hill than it is to call them up a hill.
(“Field and Stream”) The best situation is to have a flat field when the toms are hot. This means
that the toms want to mate.
When hunting turkeys people have to know what kind of weather to hunt in. Some people
hunt when there is a light rain. But the best weather to hunt in is a cool, sunny day. The turkeys
do not like to be hot. But they do not like to be wet either (“National Wild Turkey Federation”).
The biggest thing about hunting, especially turkey hunting, is someone cannot rush the
animal. The turkey is not going to come at a certain time of day. Nor will it come on a certain
day. This is why it is called hunting not killing. Someone cannot just kill a turkey every time
they go hunting (“National Wild Turkey Federation”).
Fowler 5
Turkeys are like any other animal or person. They love to eat. In the spring the gobblers
(grown male turkey) are in their rut. Therefore, they are not interested in food. But the hens are.
The gobblers are not interested in anything but the hens. This makes it easier to kill a big
gobbler.
The turkeys, during the rut, are trying to impress the hens. To do this the toms do
something called strutting. You need to find the strutting zones of the turkeys. If you can, you
will have the best chance of killing a big gobbler.
When hunting for turkeys you need to know where to hunt. Some people like to hunt in
the woods. Others prefer to hunt over an open field. But the best place to hunt is on a flat logging
road. After the loggers just scraped the logging road there are plenty of bugs and worms for them
to eat (“National Wild Turkey Federation”).
Some days the turkeys do not just come to one call. Sometimes you have to sound like a
whole flock. A way to do this is by giving a crack. A crack is a sound you can make on a turkey
call. Then let out two or three yelps. This is the best way to call like a whole flock of turkeys
(“National Wild Turkey Federation”).
After turkey season many people enjoy waterfowl hunting. There are fifteen different
types of waterfowl in Georgia. These include: Ducks, Canadian Geese, White Fronted Geese,
Snow Geese, Mergansers, Scoters, Eiders, Long-tailed Ducks, Falconry, King Clapper Sora,
Virginia Rails, Woodcocks, Commons Snipes, Gallinules, and finally Coots. The two most
sought after waterfowl are the Duck and Canadian Goose.
Ducks are the most wanted waterfowl in Georgia. There are over thirty different types of
ducks in Georgia. The seven main ducks are: the Wood duck, Mallard, the Teal, the Wigeon, the
Fowler 6
Meganser, the Ring-necked Duck, and the Redhead. The best places in Georgia to hunt ducks
are: beaver ponds, forested wetlands, farm ponds, coastal marshes, and managed impoundment.
A duck, like a turkey, must be shot with a shotgun not a rifle.
The most common duck in Georgia is the wood duck. The male wood duck is about 20
inches long and weighs about a pound and a half. The female wood duck is about 19 inches long
and weighs about 1.4 pounds. The male wood duck has a crested head that is green and purple
with white stripes coming from the eyes. The female wood duck has a crested head that is graybrown.
Geese are the second most wanted waterfowl in Georgia. There are ten types of geese in
Georgia. These are: the Canadian Goose, Lesser Snow Goose, Brant, Hawaiian Nene Goose,
Greater Snow Goose, White-Fronted Goose, Emperor Goose, Barnacle Goose, Ross’ Goose, and
finally the Cackling Goose.
The Canadian Goose is the most common goose in Georgia. Male geese are usually 25 to
45 inches tall and can weigh 13 pounds. Female geese are about 25 to 45 inches tall and can
weigh as much as 11 pounds. Geese typically build nest to protect their eggs.
Now it is summer time and all waterfowl seasons are over. What do people do when
hunting season is over? Well, some people is doing one of two things, on the lake or having fun
on their boats or fishing. Many people in Georgia fish. There are 325 species of fish in Georgia.
These include the bass, the crappie, the catfish, the trout, the bluegill, the sunfish, the warmouth,
the Flier, the Jackfish, the pickerel, the carp, the Walleye and many more. There are twenty three
different lakes in Georgia. This is not including all the ponds and rivers in Georgia. There are
also many saltwater fish.
Fowler 7
The most sought after fish in Georgia is the bass. There are six species of bass in
Georgia. These are the, Small Mouth, Suwannee, White, Striped, Hybrid Striped, and the most
common, the Large Mouth Bass. Bass can be found in most any lake, pond, or stream in Georgia.
The most common bait to use on a bass is the worm ("Bass Habitats.").
The next kind of fish is the crappie. There are two species of crappie in Georgia. These
are the black and white. Black crappie are very similar to white crappie. In fact, they are so
similar that it is a common mistake to call a white crappie a black crappie or vice versa. Crappie
are without a doubt the most fun fish to catch because they can be caught on a stick they are so
small. They can be caught most often in cooler weather. "Fish Identification | Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division."
Another type of fish is the catfish. There are three types of catfish in Georgia. These are:
the Channel catfish, the Flathead catfish, and the Blue catfish. The channel catfish is the most
common catfish in Georgia. It is said that catfish are most attracted to dead and rotting animals,
but this is a myth. In fact, catfish are most attracted to live bait and invertebrates in their
environment (“HOW TO CATCH CATFISH’
The next type of fish is the trout. There are three types of trout. These are the Rainbow
trout, the Brown trout, and the Brook trout. The most common type of trout in Georgia is the
Rainbow trout. The 13 best baits to use for trout are: the Rebel Wee-Craw, the Berkley Gulp!
Trout worm, the Lindy Fuzz-E Grub, the Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue, the Rebel Tracdown
Minnow, the Strike King Bitsy Minnow, the Luhr-Jensen Hus Lure, the Rapala Count Down, the
Blue Fox Vibrax, the Mepps Comet Mino (Size #1), the Mepps Little Wolf (Size 1/4), the Mr.
Fowler 8
Twister Micro Crawfish, and the Mr. Twister Twister Mite ("Fish Identification | Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division").
The final kind of fish is the bream. There are seven types of bream. These are the
common Beam, Bream, Freshwater Bream, Bronze Bream, Abramis Bream, Blue Gill, and
Shell-Cracker. The bream is a very fun fish to catch because you can use light weigh bait and
they fight more than any fish in Georgia. The best bait to use for bream is a speculator rig with a
bream bait. Bream bed and lay their eggs in grass and trees.
So as you can see there are many hunting and fishing opportunities in Georgia. Hunting
and fishing are two of Georgians main past times. As long as you have the right material and
know what you are doing, hunting and fishing both can be very fun for anyone. Hunting and
fishing are not only past times for many people in Georgia. It is also something that they have
passed down over the years from one generation to the next. I hope one day I can teach hunting
and fishing skills to my kids and see them hand this hobby down to their kids.
Fowler9
Works Cited
"Bass Habitats." Bass Fishing Resource Guide®. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
"Bait Tips For Big Bream." Bait Tips For Big Bream. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
"DeerBuilder.com - Food Plot and Habitat Improvement for Whitetail Deer." DeerBuilder.com –
Food Plot and Habitat Improvement for Whitetail Deer. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Georgia DNR - Wildlife Resources Division. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"Field & Stream — The World's Leading Outdoor Website." Field & Stream. N.p., n.d. Web. 29
Jan. 2014
"Fish Identification | Georgia DNR - Wildlife Resources Division." Fish Identification | Georgia
DNR - Wildlife Resources Division. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"GON.com - Home Page - Georgia Outdoor News." GON.com - Home Page - Georgia Outdoor
News. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
"HOW TO CATCH CATFISH." HOW TO CATCH CATFISH RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar.
2014.
“NWTF” What you need to know about turkey hunting. N.p. n.d. Web. 06 May 2014
"Top Trout Lures: 13 Best Trout Fishing Baits of All Time | Outdoor Life." Outdoor Life. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.
"White Crappie vs. Black Crappie – The Difference Simplified." WetaWorm RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 02 Mar. 2014.