SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (August 30, 2007) - Deer hunting remains the most popular form of hunting in the state of Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

Season dates for the various types of deer hunting are as follows:

· Archery (either sex): Sept. 8 - Oct. 12, 2007 (statewide)

· Extended Archery (either sex): Sept. 8, 2007 - Jan. 31, 2008 (only in Clayton, Cobb, Dekalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett & Rockdale counties).

· Primitive weapons (either sex): Oct. 13-19, 2007 (statewide)

· Firearms (Northern Zone): Oct. 20, 2007 - Jan. 1, 2008

· Firearms (Southern Zone): Oct. 20, 2007 - Jan. 15, 2008

Over one million acres of public land on more than 90 state-operated wildlife management areas (WMA) and other state land is open for hunting.

Information about these WMAs and other public lands is available at www.gohuntgeorgia.com.

Various WMAs offer special hunts throughout the season, including primitive weapons hunts, ladies only hunts and adult/child hunts.

For dates and locations of special hunts, check the 2007-2008 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations guide available on the WRD Web site and at all WRD Offices and license agents.

In addition to state-operated land, there is public National Forest land and private land available for hunting in Georgia. Hunters wishing to hunt on private property should get written landowner permission prior to hunting and have it with them while hunting.

Georgia sportsmen and women must possess a primitive weapons license and a big game license to hunt during the archery season and primitive weapons seasons, unless they possess a lifetime, honorary or sportsman’s license.

A WMA license is required to hunt on a WMA. Hunters may take a season total of 12 deer. No more than 10 may be antlerless deer and no more than two may be antlered bucks (one of which must have at least four points — one inch or longer — on one side of the antlers).

For more information on deer or other hunting seasons, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com.

Georgia hunters need new deer harvest record prior to 2007-08 season

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (August 30, 2007) - The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) reminds deer hunters who purchased a big game license between Sept. 9, 2006 and Jan. 31, 2007 that they need a new deer harvest record prior to the 2007-2008 deer hunting season.

Hunters under 16 years of age, landowners and honorary and lifetime license holders must also obtain a deer harvest record and complete deer harvest information. Hunters may obtain new deer harvest records free of charge from any license agent.

“A deer harvest record is good for only a single hunting season because the bag limit is a seasonal limit,” said John Bowers, Assistant Chief of WRD Game Management. “Once hunters get the 2007-2008 harvest record, they should discard old harvest records.”

Hunters must complete a deer harvest record before moving a deer from the site of a kill, except when participating in a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) or National Wildlife Refuge hunt that requires hunters to check out their harvested deer. Hunters may not possess or use multiple big game licenses or deer harvest records and should keep harvest records with hunting licenses.

“We appreciate the honesty, cooperation and support from each hunter in abiding by the game and fish laws. We encourage hunters to police themselves and use the anonymous TIP line (1-800-241-4113) to turn in those individuals who violate game and fish laws,” said Bowers.

For more information, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com , contact a WRD Game Management Office or call (770) 761-3044. ###

Misuse of tree stands creates hazard for hunters

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (August 30, 2007) - Tree stands are a continued favorite piece of equipment for hunters as they search for ways to remain undetected by game.

However, tree stands also are the leading cause of hunting incidents according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

Fifty-two percent of the hunting incidents over the past 10 years, and 41 percent of hunting-related fatalities, were tree-stand-use related.

“Hunters must be intimately familiar with how to put up, take down and properly climb into a tree stand,” says WRD State Hunter Safety Coordinator Capt. James Bell. “We encourage ALL hunters to practice climbing into and out of their stand several times prior to the opening of the hunting season.”

There are many different types of tree stands, climbing and non-climbing portable stands, portable ladder stands, permanent stands and others. Each type requires the user to be familiar with their variations to ensure safety. People who use tree stands should thoroughly review the proper way to set up the stand and make sure that all parts are stable and in good working order. Following are some tips:

· When using a non-climbing portable or ladder stand, be sure to securely fasten the stand to the tree and install ladders or steps according to the manufacturer’s directions.

· Use a safety belt or harness to secure yourself to the tree — not to the tree stand. In the event that the tree stand breaks or collapses, the harness will keep you from falling to the ground.

Hunters should have a plan on how to get down from the tree should the tree stand fail and leave them hanging from their harness. Make sure the harness is attached to the waist, allowing for 10 - 12 inches of slack between the tree and yourself. A full body harness is recommended over a simple harness or safety line.

· Use an equipment haul line to pull your gun or bow into or out of the stand. Make sure that the firearms or bow is unloaded before pulling it up.

· Be careful not to fall asleep. Be aware of medications that cause drowsiness and avoid taking them before hunting.

· Never use alcohol or drugs before or while you hunt as it is against the law.

· Always tell someone where you will be hunting and what time you expect to return.

For more information on tree stand or other hunting-related safety, contact the nearest WRD Law Enforcement Office, go to www.gohuntgeorgia.com or call (770) 761-3010.

Required hunter ed course conveniently available online

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (August 30, 2007) - Taking a hunter education class in Georgia is easier than ever, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

Hunters can access an approved hunter education course online at www.beasafehunter.org, use a hunter education CD-Rom or take the traditional classroom course. The Internet and CD-Rom courses satisfy eight of the ten required hours to complete the course. Hunters then must attend a two-hour (minimum) review / test course and if all requirements are successfully met, students receive their hunter education certificate before leaving the classroom.

“The hunter education course available by Internet, which first became available two years ago, is very popular, especially with young hunters and/or those whose schedules do not allow time to fit in the traditional classroom course,” says WRD Hunter Education Coordinator Capt. James Bell.

Completion of a hunter education course is required for any person born on or after January 1, 1961, who:

· purchases a season hunting license in Georgia.

· is at least 12 years old and hunts with a weapon without adult supervision (adult supervision means 18 years of age or older with a minor being in sight or hearing distance of that person).

· hunts big game (deer, turkey, bear) on a wildlife management area (including any hunter age 12 or older). The only exceptions include:

· a person purchasing a short-term hunting license (as opposed to a season license). Hunters with short-term licenses are no longer required to show proof of having taken an approved hunter education course regardless of the person’s state of residence.

· any person hunting on his or her own land, or that of his or her parents or legal guardians.

Those interested in the Internet course should go to www.beasafehunter.org . After completing all lessons and the review test, students should print and sign the “Hunter Education Final Report and Affidavit.”

If under age 18, a parent or guardian must sign the affidavit. Students should then go to the WRD website at www.georgiawildlife.com, click on hunting, then hunter education to find a review course.

Students also can call 1-800-864-7275 to register for a review course. However, there is a service fee associated with this phone service.

Hunters must bring the signed, completed “Final Report and Affidavit” to the review course or they will not be allowed to take the final test.

For more information regarding the online hunter education course or other options, go to www.gohuntgeorgia.com or call 770-761-3010.

Hunters contribute billions to conservation efforts

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. (August 30, 2007) - Whenever Georgia hunters purchase hunting licenses, firearms, ammunition or archery equipment they are supporting wildlife conservation through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program.

This is the largest and most successful conservation program in the world, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division (WRD).

Since 1939, hunters have contributed more than $109 million dollars through this program and together with hunting license fees they continue to provide the primary funding for wildlife conservation in Georgia.

Nationally, more than $5.2 billion has been provided to state agencies for wildlife conservation through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program.

“The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration program benefits all wildlife species, conserves and restores habitat and helps enhance wildlife conservation through research,” says WRD Assistant Chief of Game Management John Bowers. “Through this program, America’s hunters provide the most substantial source of funding for wildlife conservation and management in the United States.”

The Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, also known as the Pittman-Robertson Act, was passed in 1937. Through lobbying efforts in Congress, America’s hunters created this act as a way to fund conservation and management of America’s wildlife.

Wildlife Restoration funds are accumulated from an excise tax of 12.4-percent on bows, arrows, parts and accessories; an excise tax of 10-percent on pistols and revolvers; and an 11-percent excise tax on other firearms, shells and cartridges.

This excise tax is levied at the manufacturers level, collected by the Federal government, and distributed to state wildlife agencies to fund wildlife conservation and management programs. The amount of money each state agency annually receives is determined by the number of hunting licenses the state sells and by the size of the state.

WRD uses Wildlife Restoration funds for many types of programs, including:

· restoring habitat and improving wildlife populations,

· operating more than one million acres of wildlife management areas that benefit a diversity of wildlife species and provide wildlife-related recreational opportunities,

· providing information to landowners on how to manage their property for various species,

· conducting hunter education classes, and

· building and maintaining public shooting ranges.

For more information on the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program, visit the USFWS website at http://www.fws.gov/southeast/federalaid/. For more information on wildlife management practices in Georgia, visit the WRD website at www.gohuntgeorgia.com, contact the local WRD Game Management office or call (770) 918-6416.

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