GON Outdoors

Meet GON turkey hunting freelance writer Donald Devereux Jarrett as he talks about his latest turkey-hunting article,When Turkey Calling, Sometimes Less Is More [https://www.gon.com/hunting/when-turkey-calling-sometimes-less-is-more]. From Overcalling to a game of Cat-and-Mouse, sometimes just learning to shut up and be patient is what'll kill that Georgia longbeard.

What in the heck is that man thinking? Why do these things seem to only happen to him? If you're a regular reader, heck if you've ever read Life On The Back Pagethese questions may have escaped your lips. On this episode of the GON Outdoors podcast we visit with outdoor writer Daryl Gay with the hope of finding some answers to these questions. Join us for an entertaining look into Daryl's adventures with Jake The Hermit and his Life On The Back Page.

Hunting season is over. Bucks begin to shed their antlers. Now what? On this episode we talk with Bruce Swearingen from 4S Wildlife about feeding programs, mineral sites and how hunters can establish programs that will enhance the deer herd on their property.

A head-turner of a buck was taken from Oconee National Forest on Saturday, Nov. 2 by Tony Jones, of Locust Grove. Although an estimated gross score isn’t known, arguably the most impressive feature of the Jasper County buck is its 22-inch inside spread. “I really appreciate everyone from GON for helping me get this recognized. This is definitely the best buck for me so far,” said Tony. Tony, who has hunted ONF for 10 years, said a hunting area near a powerline was where he wanted to hunt that morning, but somebody had already beat him there. Being a good public-land hunter, Tony had plenty of other places to try. “I knew there were a bunch of scrapes in the area (I ended up hunting) from being in there a couple of weeks earlier,” said Tony. Tony hunts from a ground blind, and it was after daylight when he arrived in an area of hardwoods surrounded by bedding thickets. He got his blind set up and had just gotten settled into his chair when he heard a deer walking. “I take a look out the blind window, and I see the deer walking down the hill from the pine thicket,” said Tony. “I got a good look at him with the binoculars, and I saw one side of his rack, so I knew it was a buck. I grabbed my rifle, and I put the scope on him, and he’s facing me at this time, so I see how wide he is. I immediately get on his shoulder, squeezed the trigger and down he went. “It took me more time to walk in than to sit there and take the deer.” Tony was hunting with a Savage .308 that was recently given to him by his father-in-law. “He wants to pass the gun down to my son, who is only 2 years old now,” said Tony. “My father-in-law actually requested that I take the gun hunting and kill a deer with it, and I was able to do that. It was a pretty special deal to take that caliber of deer with the rifle that was given to me.”

Scott Hodges, a taxidermist who lives in Byron, Ga., has long been a friend of GON and the people who work here. Editor Daryl Kirby catches up with Scott just before the primitive-weapons deer season and youth week to talk about Scott's background in the outdoors, his relationships with GON, and how the 2019 hunting seasons are going. Show Links: Just days after this podcast was recorded, Scott's son Ross did end up killing a buck. See his pictures and hunt story here [https://www.gon.com/truck-buck-entries/491838]. Southern Reflections Taxidermy [https://www.facebook.com/Southern-Reflections-Taxidermy-262394840447236/]