Poaching on the Rise in Northeast Georgia, DNR Says

As deer hunting season continues, the number of poachers and those hunting illegally appears to be on the rise.

Last week, the Franklin County Sheriff’s office and the Georgia DNR Law Enforcement division reported six arrests related to illegal deer hunting.

In most cases, the violations included hunting after dark and hunting from a vehicle or shooting across a road.

Stan Elrod is the head of DNR Law Enforcement for Northeast Georgia.

Elrod said in one case, local and DNR law enforcement had been trying since early November to arrest a man hunting at night in the Carnesville area, but were finally able to get their man.

“We were working at night and sitting in the area trying to see if we could see a vehicle shooting after dark or at dark,” Elrod said. “Then last week, we had a deer hunter coming out of the woods right at dark and he was able to give us a description of the vehicle we were looking for. We were able to track down the vehicle and arrest the individual we had been looking for since November 9th.”

Elrod said hunters must have both a deer hunting license and a big game license and must have on the proper flourescent orange gear in order hunt deer or bear.  It is also illegal to hunt at night and to hunt from a vehicle or shoot deer from across a road.

Elrod also reminds hunters if you’re hunting on private land, you must have permission from the property owner.

While most hunting statute violations are misdemeanor charges which carry a $1,000 fine, Elrod says others carry stiffer sentences, including the loss of hunting privileges.

“Some charges in Georgia do carry a mandatory loss of hunting privileges, such as hunting deer at night. That carries a loss of hunting privileges for two years,” Elrod said. “Some statutes have built into them a loss of hunting privilege, but the majority do not. However, a lot of times we do see the courts revoke hunting privileges when it involves a safety issue, such as shooting across a road or hunting from a truck. In those cases, the judge will hand out whatever sentence he believes is necessary.”

Elrod said the public’s help is always needed to turn in poachers.

“If you see someone hunting illegally, you can call your local 911 or Sheriff’s office,” he said. “Or you can call our toll-free number at 1-800-241-4113. We have a lot of poachers this time of year and we don’t have enough officers to go around so we need the public’s help.”

Elrod also reminds callers they do not have to give their name.