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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 1990
Birdwatchers will be out in force April 14
Birdwatchers will be out in force
in April 14lh when the Ocmulgcc
Chapter of the Audubon Society
holds its Second Annual Birdalhon.
This annual event is held to raise
money for conservation and
educational projects of the society.
Pam Guynn on of our Local
Audubon Society, members from
Elko is the Recording Secretary and
Birdathon Co-Ordinator for the
Ocmulgcc chapter. She stated that
the Birdalhon is much like the
popular Walkathon except that
pledges arc for the number of
species identified instead of miles
walked. Sponsors make a gift of a
specific amount or agree to pay
forecast
BLACKSHEAR -- The water is just a tad over normal and a little on the stained
side There are a few people trying for white perch and shellcrackers and doing
pretty well We haven't seen any bass or catfish.
•• Reported by Marian Stewart, Campers Haven.
WEST POINT - The lake is at 631, four feet below full pool and 67 degrees.
Power is being generated 24-hours a day. Water clarity is good throughout the
entire lake with some of the creeks a little bit clearer. Largemouth action has been
excellent, try the back of coves in very shallow water using Savage worms with
blue flash and june bug color and silver Rat-L-Trapswith blue backs. Hybrid
action has been slow, but wait for the next cold front to come through and surface
action should be good down by the dam. Crappie have been spotty although
action has been good down by Beech Creek in the timber and Whitewater Creek
using Hal-flies in the dark r=green color.
- Reported by Jack Baytos, Highland Marina
SINCLAIR - Bass fishing has been above average. Generally speaking, the lake
is dingy-to-muddy with some clearing water coming in from the tributaries into the
main part of the lake. We've been taking bass on crankbaits and spinnerbaits,
along and in the grass beds. The fish have been in 6 inches to 6 feet of water in
above average catches. Crappie fishing has been slow. Most are being taken on
dark jigs and a few on live minnows. Catfish are plentiful using live worms. There's
no report of hybrids or stripes. The water level is normal and the temperature is
in the mid-60s.
- Reported by Glenn Colwell, Little River Park
JACKSON - We're having some unsettled weather right now, but fishing has
been fair. We're seeing a lot of small fish - keepers - but no big fish. They're
mostly bass on shadraps, Rat-L-Rap and Rat-L-Trap and some chartreuse
colored spinner bait. There's no pattern, though. Some of the lake is still pretty
stained, but parts are clear. The lake is down about two feet and the temperature
is about 60 degrees - it's cooled off some. I think that's why our big fish have
dropped off.
- Reported by Van Kersey, Kersey's Fish Camp
SEMINOLE - Whites and hybrids are stacked up below the dam and they're
taking shad and using them (or bait. Some good size ones came in Thursday
night. We’re seeing some shellcracker and bream caught on wigglers and
crickets. Bass fishing has improved considerably the past day or two- it's the
best it's been since the floods came through. The water temperature was 63
degrees Friday morning at daylight and that's a little 100 cold, but the weekend
sunshine will heat it up. The water level is normal and it's real dingy in the main
lake, but crystal dear back in the pockets.
- Reported by Jack Wingate, Wingate's Lunker Lodge
EUFALA - The bass have been pretty good off and on. I had a report this
morning from two gentlemen who were fishing the grass Thursday night and had
four eight-pounders. We had a tournament Tuesday that boated three ten
pounders. The biggest string was Monday and it went 31 lbs. in seven fish. It's
supposed to be clear and sunny Saturday and Sunday with a temperature of 65-
75 degrees. The lake is about a foot or a foot-and-a-half below full pool. The water
is starting to clear up.
- Reported by Art Cunningham, Lake Point State Park Resort
OCONEE - Bass are hitting on chrome Rat-L-Traps and punkinseed worms and
chartreuse spinner bait in shallow water and in the coves. Crappie are fair-to
good on minnows and grub under the bridges and in the coves Catfish are good
with worms. We don't have any report on stripers or hybrids. The lake is down
about 6 inches and the temperature is about 58 degrees. The water is still dingy.
It's suppose to be clear and cool for the next two days.
- Reported by Jacky Lord at Blue Springs Marina.
SHELL POINT, FLA. - We're seeing speckled trout and Spanish mackerel us
ing live shrimp and artificial grubs on the flats. Out in the deep water grouper,
grunts and rockbass are doing well using cigar minnows, LY and squid in 50-60
feet of water Saturday's high tides are 1:34 a.m. arid 1:53 pm. with lows at 7:40
a m and 8:02 p m. The Sunday high tides are 2:16 a m. and 2:18 p m., with lows
at 8:07 a m. and 8:37 p.m.
- Reported by Dink Williams, Shell Point Marina
SUWANNEE, FLA. - They're still catching speckled trout with grubs and shrimp
and the Spanish mackerel are still out there and being caught on spoons There's
a few whiting. It's nice and sunny with a few little clouds here and there.
Saturday's high tides will be 12:05 a m. and 12:25 pm., with lows on Saturday at
6:25 a m. and 6:45 p.m. Sunday's high tides are 12:45 a m and 12:50 p.m. with
lows at 6:50 a m. and 7:20 p.m.
-Reported by Ray Taylor, Bill's Fish Camp
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Phone 922-9603
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PERRY, GEORGIA'S HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1870-FQR COVERAGE OF YOUR EVENTS, CALL 987-1823
I The Houston Home f
Journal
from a dime a species to a dollar or
more for each species of birds seen
by their team in a twenty four hour
period. Three or more teams will be
fielded this year with at least one so
these teams from Houston County.
According to Chapter President,
Jerry Amcrson of Macon, the teams
will probably identify between 50
and 90 species of birds in Middle
Georgia at this time of year. Last
year teams identified as many as 76
to 89 species of birds. President
Amcrson strongly urges everyone
interested in conservation to make a
pledge or outright donation to the
Aububon Society.
Half of the proceeds of the
Bobby JP*|b _ I
USLJSJ
Birdalhon will go to the Southeast
region Audubon Society which is
headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida
to support regional environmental
projects such as their current fight
to save the Everglades.
I 1
NATIONAL AUDUBON BIRDATHON PLEDGE CARD
j lam happy to pledge $ per species identified by the Houston County team on April 14,1990
I My tax-deductible gift of $ is enclosed, payable to Ocmulgee Audubon Society
] FROM; Name PLEASE MAIL TO: PAM GUYNN
159 Grovania Road
Address Elko, GA. 31025
I I
| City/State/Zip |
I I
I I
Turkey season begins and hunters
can expect a 40,000-bird harvest
The Georgia Turkey Season,
which opened Saturday, March 24,
will run through May 15. Nearly
all counties in Central Georgia arc
open except for Bleckley, Dooley
and Bibb. Check the regulations for
full details. Number two shot or
smaller is legal for turkey and the
limit is two per year. A big game
license is required to turkey hunt
along with a regular hunting
license. According to Georgia
Outdoor News.
The Georgia Game and Fish
Division predicts a 1990 gobbler
harvest of around 40,000 birds -
more than two and half times of the
total statewide population of
14,000 to 17000 turkeys just 17
years ago.
An average eastern turkey
gobbler is about four feet long from
the tip of its tail lot he tip of its
beak, weighs from 17 to 21
pounds, and has a wing spread of 60
inches; a hen measures about three
feel long, weighs 9to 11 pounds
with a wing spread of up to 48
inches.
According to the National Wild
Turkey Federation records, the
heaviest turkey killed in Georgia
weighed 31-lbs. and 1-oz. and was
killed by Richard White of
Maysville. The longest Georgia
beard, from a turkey killed by
Buckey R. Garner of Gumming,
measured 16 1/2-inchcs long.
Rodney Mandray of Odom holds the
record for Georgia’s longest spurs: 1
5/8-inches. The longest eastern
turkey beard on record measured 16
7/8-inches; the heaviest tom
weighed 33-lbs. 4-oz; and the
longest spurs measured two inches
long.
A turkey can hits speeds of 12 to
15 mph running; 40 mph flying
and can fly for more than a mile -
on long, sustained downhill glides.
A turkey's eyes arc positioned on
the sides of its head, giving it
nearly 360 degree vision. It has
poor depth perception, however, and
will often bob and turn its head to
get better views of an object from
different directions.
Gobblers may gobble year
round, but lengthening
photoperiodism seems to be the
principle stimulus that triggers the
Duluth man takes Sinclair tourney
J. Edwin Hunt of Duluth,
Georgia, placed first in the Red
Man Bulldog Division qualifier held
Sunday on Lake Sinclair.
Hunt landed six bass weighing
16 pounds, 13 ounces. He received
$2,154 of the tournament purse
which totalled $8,695. A field of
190 anglers competed in the event.
Hunt fished rocky areas near
Little River Park. He caught his
Perry woods 'n water
The other half of the money
stays with the local chapter to fund
local projects. One of these projects
is the sponsoring of Audubon
Adventure classrooms in local
schools. The Society furnishes
onset of breeding activity and spurs
gobbling activity. Weather, the
physical condition of birds and
other factors may play lesser roles.
Young of the year turkeys moult
their tail feathers from the middle to
the outside. The new feathers are
longer; thus the center feathers of a
jake's tail arc longer. Adult turkeys
moult their tail feathers from the
outside toward the center, but the
replacement feathers are the same
length as the old feathers.
During the moult, a turkey’s
flight feathers are often shed when
the bird flies to roost. If you find
several flight feathers you may have
found a roosting area.
Turkey eggs measure 2 to 2 1/2
inches long - noticeably larger than
chicken eggs. As many as 20
blotched white eggs may be laid in
a nest, but 10 or 12 is average.
A hen may be bred several
limes, but she must be bred only
once to lay a complete clutch of
eggs.
By delayed implantation, a hen
bred once may lay fertile eggs more
than 60 days later.
Most turkey nests arc located
within 100 feet of a field or
opening and arc concealed in heavy
vegetation.
Feral dogs and raccoons are
among the principle predators of
turkey nests.
A hen will lay one egg a day
until the clutch is complete, only
then will the 25 to 28 day
incubation period begin. Eggs that
were laid as much as 10 to 14 days
apart will hatch within
approximately 30 hours of each
other.
Poults are able to fly at about
eight days old and can begin to
roost in trees within about two
weeks. Initially the hen will brood
the poults on a tree limb until the
young birds no longer fit beneath
her.
For the first two or three weeks
fish on shad raps and spinnerbaits.
Second place went to Ronnie
Lawrence of Clanton, Alabama.
Lawrence boated six bass
weighing 16 pounds, five ounces.
He fished pockets in Oconee River
using spinnerbaits. Second place
paid $1,361.
Johnny Worth of Powder
Springs, Georgia, placed third with
six bass weighing 14 pounds, one
ounce.
material for the classroom teacher
to instruct pupils in grammar
school about ecology, preservation
and conservation.
Part if the local money is also
used to send a college student to an
Audubon Summer Workshop. A
student majoring in a biological,
wildlife or conservation field is
chosen to attend the summer
ecology workshop where they
receive extensive instruction in
conservation and natural sciences.
The camp this coming summer will
probably be in Arizona.
The Ocmulgcc Chapter also
holds a Christmas bird count which
of life a turkey’s diet is primarily
insects.
Approximately 50 percent of all
poults that hatch do not survive to
six weeks of age. Great homed owls
are the principle nighttime predator
on poults. Other predators include
feral dogs, raccoons, bobcats,
coyotes, house cats, and snakes.
The gobbler's breast sponge is
an accumulation of stored fat.
Gobblers feed very little during
breeding season, instead living off
the reserve of fat. Gobblers killed
early in the season lend to be
heavier than latc-scason birds.
A turkey has an appetite for a
large variety of foods. More than
350 species of vegetation have been
documented in a turkey's gizzard and
more than 300 kinds of insects and
small animals including lizards and
small snakes.
The Georgia Chapter of the
National Wild Turkey Federation is
rated No. 1 nationally for raising
Hannon's moon times
for hunting & fishing
II EXCELLENT TIMES || GOOD TIIVIUs
IQQO F or fishing & hunting for fishing & hunting
i A.M. j P.M. A.M. I P.M.
SAT. 7 || 9:45-11:45 10:05 - 12:05 [ I 3:50- 5:20| 4:05- 5:35
SUN.B 10:25-12:25 10:50-12:50 4:30 - 6:00 4:50 - 5:20
MON. 9 11:15- 1:15 11:35- 1:35 5:20 - 6:50 5:40 - 7:10
OTUE 10 12:05 - 2:05 12:30 - 2:30 6:05 - 7:35 6:25 - 7:55
WED.II 1:00 - 3:00 1:20 - 3:20 6:55 - 8:25 7:20 - 8:50
THU. 12 1:45- 3:45 2:05- 4:05 7:45- 9:15 8:05 - 9:35
FRI. 13 2:35- 4:35 3:00- 5:00 8:30- 10:00 8:50 - 10:20
SAT. 14 3:25- 5:25 3:45- 5:45 9:25- 10:55 9:45-11:15
SUN.IS 4:15- 6:15 4:35- 6:35 10:10-11:40 10:30 - 12:00
M0N.16 5:05- 7:05 5:25- 7:25 11:00-12:30 11:20- 12:50
TUE. 17 5:50- 7:50 6:10- 8:10 11:50- 1:20 12:10- 1:40
OWED.IB 6:45- 8:45 7:05- 9:05 12:45- 2:15 1:05- 2:35
THU. 19 7:40- 9:40 8:00-10:00 1:35- 3:05 1:55- 3:25
FRI. 20 8:35-10:35 8:55- 10:55 2:30- 4JO 2:50- 4:20
SAT 21 9:15-11:15 9:35- 11:35 3:15- 4:45 3:35 - 5:05
SUN. 22 10:05-12:05 10:30- 12:30 4:05 - 5:35 4:25- 5:55
M0N.23 10:55-12:55 11:20- 1:20 4:55- 6:25 5:15 - 6:45
TUE. 24 11:45- 1:45 12:05- 2:05 5:45- 7:15 6:05 - 7:35
#WED.2S 12:35- 2:35 12:55- 2:55 6:35- 8:05 6:55 - 8:25
THU. 26 1:20- 3:20 1:40- 3:40 7:25- 8:55 7:45- 9:15
FRI. 27 2:05- 4:05 2:25- 4:25 8:10- 9:40 8:35-10:05
SAT. 28 2:55 - 4:55 3:15 - 5:15 9:00-10:30 9:20-10:50
SUN. 29 3:45 - 5:45 4:05 - 6:05 9:50-11:20 10:10-11:40
M0N.30 4:30- 6:30 4:50- 6:50 10:35-12:05 10:55-11:25
Q - FULL MOON 0 - DARK MOON
is nol a fund raiser, but is strictly
to inventory the bird population of
Georgia. Usually on the Christmas
count 75 to 80 species of birds arc
sighted...
Georgians who birdwatch arc
extremely fortunate. The slate has
an extremely varied geography
which varies from the alpine
conditions of the high north
Georgia mountain peaks to the
swamps of south Georgia and the
almost subtropical coast. These
varied conditions make for ideal
habitat for many species of birds.
Over 375 species of birds arc
resident in the slate or arc regularly
seen here.
$142,258 at 16 banquets last year.
The sum is $64,233 ahead of
second-place North Carolina.
The turkey's beard is actually a
specialized feather.
Approximately 10 percent of all
turkey hens will have beards. Their
beards tend to be smaller and
thinner than a gobblers. (Bearded
hens are not legal birds during
Georgia's turkey season.)
The record non-typical eastern
gobbler, killed in Arizona, had
seven beards that totaled 66.8
inches long.
A hen's droppings will form a
rounded mound; a gobblers will
form an extended, cylindrical "J"
shape 2-3 inches long.
During severe weather a turkey
may slay on the roost for several
days without flying down for food
or water.
Turkey scratching is "V" shaped
with the point of the "V" indicating
the direction of travel. The turkey
backs up as it scratches, raking
leaves behind it as it searches for
acorns, seeds, grubs and other food.
If a turkey track measures more
than 4 1/4 inches long from the tip
of the center toe to the heel pad, and
the distance between tracks is more
than 11 1/2 inches, its a tom's
track. Smaller tracks, and it's likely
a hen or a jakc.