Seus Land Exchange Inc.

Georgia's squirrel season is approaching. It begins August 15th until February 28th. The limit is 12 per day.

As Emory Josey points out,

Hunters don’t have much to do from the end of turkey season until the fall seasons come in. Squirrel hunting takes up the slack and offers some opportunities earlier than the most species. Aug. 15 opens the squirrel season with a bag limit of 12 bushy-tails and allows hunters to wring out the kinks from a long summer layoff.

There is a reason for the early season and the liberal limits. Squirrels are extremely prolific and populations are usually large. Add to that the fact that squirrels are quite often unwanted pests and you have a blueprint for early hunting.

And according to LakefrontHartwell.com,

Photo by: Ella Mullins

Labels: Georgia hunting, georgia squirrel hunting, small game hunting, squirrel hunting

By Stan Sheram, Photographer

The preparation, the rifle, the bow, the special ammunition, the camp, the fresh morning air, the hunt, the kill, the trophy... It's all about creating memories, and nothing captures those memories like a photograph.

If your hunting gear doesn't include a camera, you're missing an opportunity to capture the special moments that you've invested a lot of time and money to create. For about what it costs for a pair of hunting boots, you can buy a decent digital pocket camera. You'll wear out the boots, but the photos you take with that camera will last for generations.

How To Choose A Camera

The first question I'm often asked is, "What's the best camera?" I can't tell you that anymore than you can tell me the best rifle for target shooting. I can, however, give you some suggestions that will help you choose a good camera. Here are some considerations.

You wouldn't buy a no-name firearm from some guy named Sully who yells at you on television hawking his "AS SEEN ON TV" brand. So, don't buy a camera like that either. Buy a brand you've heard of: Nikon, Canon, Kodak and Olympus are four good brands.

You can spend as much on a camera as you did for your last 4WD truck, but it's not necessary to spend a fortune to get good photographs. Last week I saw a Nikon pocket digital camera at a local warehouse club store for $80. You've spent that much on gas going to a dove shoot and come home with a sore shoulder and no birds.

Don't get too excited about the megapixel thing. Almost any digital camera you buy today will be 6 or better megapixels and that will be adequate for your purpose. If it has more megapixels, great, but don't let that be the only determining factor.

Look for a camera that uses AA batteries. It's easy to carry spares and you can find them most anywhere. A deer stand isn't the best place to find an outlet to charge a special purpose battery made specifically for your camera.

Don't worry about all the special features; you won't use them anyway.

A good display on the back is helpful, especially if you are trying to view it in sunlight.

Many pocket cameras are weather/water resistant, a nice feature to have outdoors.

Check the telephoto zoom on the lens. Optical zoom is typically 3 to 5X; the higher the number the better. Digital Zoom is worthless.

Setting Up Your Subject

You'll only get one chance to photograph your trophy kill in the field, and it only takes some common sense and a couple of minutes to do it right.

Keep in mind that the animal is the focal point of the picture. Show the animal in a dignified manner by cleaning up excessive amounts of blood or rubbing a handful of dust on areas that might be a distraction. Move anything from the camera view that might distract from the primary subject. Position the animal as close to its natural lying position as possible. Try folding its front legs underneath to raise the head. A hunter shown in the photo should be behind the animal and close enough to touch it. Kneeling 5 feet behind a small buck won't make it look twice as big; it will just look like you're kneeling 5 feet behind a small buck. Check your clothes. Your hat turned backwards and a blood-smeared shirt hanging out of your pants makes you look like an idiot not a hunter. If you want to include your gun in the photo, make sure it's unloaded and not pointing at your head...the idiot thing again.

Tips On Lighting

Lighting is very important. Keep the sun behind you as much as possible. Available light (no flash) may give a more natural looking photograph, but shoot both with and without flash. Using flash in daylight can fill in shadows that can be a distraction. If your shot is made after sunset, flash is a must on subjects close to you. Note that the flash on a point-and-shoot camera is only effective at night for a short distance-typically 5-10 feet - important to keep in mind when you set up your shot. I always laugh when I see a stadium full of people with hundreds of flashes going off trying to photograph something a couple of hundred feet away. They've effectively illuminated the back of the person's head in front of them and ruined any chance at all of getting the shot. If you have a distant shot in a low light situation, turn off the flash. Most of today's cameras have an auto ISO feature that can automatically compensate for very low light and sometimes the effect is quite pleasing. I want to emphasize shooting with and without flash. If the subject is farther away than the effective flash range of your camera, you'll usually get a much better shot without the flash.

Tips On Composition

Composition is the one thing that can ruin an otherwise perfect shot. You can have a great camera, great subject, great background, perfect lighting and then spoil it all with poor composition. You can minimize this problem if you shoot several shots and shoot them from many different angles. Keeping your eye not just on the subject, but also on what you're about to capture in the background. Try a few shots from a low angle, eye level with the subject. Experiment with both close in and wide shots being careful that you're entire subject is in the frame. If you're unsure, shoot a wider shot, as you can always crop it later. Don't forget to try vertical shots as well. Many subjects will standout better when shot from a vertical perspective rather than the standard horizontal perspective. Snap a lot of shots. The great thing about digital photography is that, since there's no film, it doesn't cost anything if you don't print them. You can delete an unwanted shot but you'll probably never get another chance to shoot the same shot again.

The hunting experience isn't just about the hunt. Don't forget to capture the Cook stirring his secret recipe chili or Old Bo stretched out beside the fire. I'll let you decide whether Old Bo is a dog or one of your hunting buddies...or both. The only bad picture is the one you didn't take.

One more tip - you already know this but you just haven't done it yet - read the camera manual. If you're one of then that thinks manuals are for sissies, then at least read the "quick start" guide. If you can't do that, then please, please find the "Fully Automatic" setting (usually a green symbol on a dial), and set it there and shoot away. If you want to really go out on a limb, find the setting that turns the flash off for those distant low light shots. If the flash is set to "On" or "Automatic", and it fires, your camera thinks that the subject is less than 10 feet away and sets the exposure accordingly. You'll ruin an opportunity to shoot a beautiful sunset.

On your next outing, pack a camera with your gear. It will give you an opportunity to share your experience with others and preserve your memories for a lifetime.

Stan Sheram, retired banker, poor journalist and worse hunter, a pretty good photographer sometimes, and owner of ScenicImage.com.

Labels: Georgia hunting, outdoor digital photography, photography

Deer can be found all over Georgia, but some regions have more white tail than others. However, comparing one Georgia region to another isn't an accurate comparison. We'll break it down for you by getting to the points in the article, Georgia's 2008 Deer Update.

TIP: Press Ctr + F (Windows) or Apple + F (Mac) and search for the county you are interested in for a quick find.

Northwest Georgia

This area is the Ridge and Valley, the western edge of the Blue Ridge, and the Piedmont geophysical regions.

Overall Prediction:
There are some great deer in this area, but there are also a lot of people around which make it difficult because of the competition. The state-managed wildlife management areas in this region offer some good hunting, along with some national forest land outside of the WMA system.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• Berry College firearms hunters had an 18 percent success ratio last season and hunters at Crockford-Pigeon Mountain had an 11 percent firearms success rate.
• Down in the Piedmont area of Region 1, hunters at Paulding Forest WMA enjoyed an 8 percent firearms success rate on this very popular tract near Dallas in Paulding County.
• Moving from the Piedmont up into the Blue Ridge, the Cohutta WMA in Fannin, Gilmer and Murray counties offers tough, but rewarding mountain hunting.
• Firearm hunters had just a 3 percent success rate last season --respectable, given the rough terrain and reduced numbers of deer in the mountain habitat.

In conclusion:
Generally hunters in this part of the state expect to see more deer in the more-developed areas at lower elevations and few deer higher up, where the deer depend solely on what Mother Nature chooses to deliver in terms of the mast crop.

Northeast Georgia

This is the heart of the Georgia mountains, and some northern Piedmont counties as well. Things are expected to be looking up this season.

Overall Prediction:
Wildlife biologists say hunters will be more successful is there is more vegetation this year than last.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• Barrow, Madison, and Hart counties in the Piedmont are our best for overall success rates. However, there is very little public land in those counties, so it may take some work to find somewhere to hunt.
• Our top three WMAs for overall success most years are Lake Russell, Dawson Forest, and Coopers Creek for numbers of deer. All of these WMAs have a proven track record.

New Opportunities:
Wilson Shoals WMA is in Banks County. Last year was the first year of a new season structure there. Wildlife biologists felt the small 2,800-acre area was getting too much pressure, so they changed the seasons around a little to more archery and fewer firearms either-sex days to reduce the harvest a little. Coinciding with the change in season structure is an effort to improve habitat. They planted 70 acres of shortleaf pines this year with plans to plant 200 more, and thinned about 100 acres to create more early succession habitat and improve food and cover for the deer.

Northern Central Georgia

Senior wildlife biologist I.B. Parnell has several tips on the upcoming season.

Overall Prediction:
The upcoming season will be about like last season, maybe a little better.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• The best counties for overall success in Region 3 are Burke, Washington, and Wilkes.
• Our best WMAs are the 8,100-acre Di-Lane in Burke County, which had a 19 percent success ratio last year; the 1,700-acre Big Dukes Pond WMA in Jenkins County, with a 14 percent success rate; and the 4,800-acre Oconee WMA in Greene County, which had a 13 percent success ratio.

New Opportunities:
Both Di-Lane and Tuckahoe WMAs are underutilized by hunters. The facilities have been improved in the last year by constructing a bathhouse, so hunters might want to give them a try this season.

West Central Georgia

Region 4 is in west central Georgia.

Overall Prediction:

• Most areas have very reasonable deer densities. However, there are a few that are still overabundant and even a few that have been slightly over harvested. The mast crop last season was spotty -- exceptional in some areas and a complete failure in others.
• The population is lower in some areas than it has been in the last few years, a result of widespread quality deer management and the willingness of hunters to harvest does. This is actually a good thing though; populations are now at a healthier level.
• The region has some good public lands available.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• The best WMAs in this region for overall success are B.F. Grant and Cedar Creek in Putnam County and Joe Kurz WMA in Meriwether County.
• B.F. Grant had a firearms success ratio of 11 percent last season, Cedar Creek had 17 percent, and Joe Kurz 28 percent.

New Opportunities:
Archery hunters have some real opportunity in Region 4.

After firearms season opens, the Archery-Only areas turn into ghost towns. For bowhunters who stick it out, they have Berry Creek on Rum Creek WMA, Sprewell Bluff Natural Area, Fall Line Sandhills Natural Area, Standing Boy Creek State Park, Dixie Creek on West Point WMA, and Gum Swamp Creek on Ocmulgee WMA virtually all to themselves. Fall Line Sandhills Natural Area is brand new too, 876 acres of archery hunting in Taylor County.

Southwest Georgia

Wildlife biologist Julie Robbins keeps tabs on the deer population--

Overall Prediction:

• The deer herd in Region 5 is stable overall.
• Some counties in the northern portion of the region have seen declines in deer densities over the past 10 years -- Stewart County in particular -- where others have seen stable to slightly increasing deer herds. Declines in deer numbers can be attributed to increased hunting pressure, changes in the landscape, and possibly other factors such as predation from coyotes and domestic dogs, as well as competition with feral hogs.

Best Hunting in the Area:
Look closely at Chickasawhatchee, to the southwest of Albany, with a firearms success ratio of 17 percent, and the quota hunts at Flint River WMA in Dooly County and River Creek WMA near Thomasville.

New Opportunites:

• The 9,000-plus-acre Silver Lake WMA in Decatur County will be open for hunting this year. This area includes the newly-acquired Silver Lake and Hog Farm Tracts which are part of International Paper's Southlands Experimental Forest, as well as about 1,000 acres of what used to be part of Lake Seminole WMA.
• The area is planning to offer either-sex archery and primitive weapons hunts, two quota hunts, and two buck-only firearm hunts. The projected deer density is 15 to 20 per square mile. The area is a mix of open longleaf pine stands, industrial forest stands, and hardwood drains and should be good hunting.

Southeast Georgia
This covers Southeast Georgia on the Coastal Plain.

Overall Prediction:
The Altamaha River cuts through the region and its extensive bottoms are good deer habitat. Several large WMAs offer hunters plenty of room in which to spread out.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• Bullard Creek WMA provides 13,900 acres of public-land hunting on the Altamaha River near Hazelhurst.
• Another Altamaha River tract, 8,100-acre Horse Creek WMA west of Hazelhurst, isn't quite a true river bottom, but is proper lowland nonetheless.
• Another WMA that hunters may want to take into consideration is Dixon Memorial WMA just south of Waycross near the Okefenokee Swamp.

Coastal Georgia

Senior wildlife biologist Brooks Good has advice to offer hunters--

Overall prediction:

• The deer herd in the coastal region is in good shape, and continues to offer hunters high percentage hunting opportunities. This past season's mast crop was good to excellent throughout the coastal plain and provided a viable food source for deer late into the season.
  
• Getting some rain this spring was encouraging and as long as the summer was not too dry, browse should be good going into fall.

Best Hunting in the Area:

• Top counties in the Lower Coastal Plain are Wayne, McIntosh, and Camden. While deer on the coast tend to be smaller than their cousins in the Upper Coastal Plain and Piedmont, these counties still produce for hunters in good numbers.
• The best chance for harvesting a deer is on Sapelo and Ossabaw Islands. Both of these barrier islands offer hunters a unique experience to hunt deer in some of the most beautiful maritime forest in the country.

New Opportunities:
The state of Georgia purchased Clayhole Swamp WMA in Glynn County and Penholoway Swamp WMA in Wayne County. These recent acquisitions have already produced some quality deer and should only get better as improvements continue to be made in wildlife habitat on the property. I would rate these as the up-and-coming WMAs on the coast.

In conclusion... 
Wherever you live in Georgia you will be able to find a great hunt. It's time to get started, and with gas prices decreasing, maybe you can even travel to a part of the state you've never visited before.

Photo Credit: (Flickr, By: Alodor)

Labels: deer hunting, deer hunting in Georgia, Deer in the fall, Georgia hunting, hunting season, white-tailed deer