Page 2B October 3, 2018
iRepOrter
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W, Johnson
. olthough we are a
few weeks away
m the open-
g day of the
20!8-19 .Firearms Deer
Hunting Season, Monroe
County deer hunters are
already brim-
ming with excite-
ment and full
of uncertainty.
Most hunters
just cannot wait
for the arrival of
what for many is
the most impor-
tant hunting date
on the calendar.
At the same time, TERRY W.
they want to
know what the new season
holds in store.
Although there is no way
to gaze into a crystal ball
and have a forecast magi-
cally appear, the prognos-
tications made by the state
deer biologist, coupled
with a close examination of
the results of the 2017-18
season, should give us a
pretty good idea as to what
to expect this year.
According to the Geor-
gia State Deer Biologist
Charlie Killmaster, "With a
couple of years of reduced
harvest on females, from
reduced either-sex days,
we've seen a slight increase
in the population. Fawn
recruitment rates have
been reasonable and stable
the last few years, and the
percentage of mature bucks
in the harvest stable"
It is clear from
this analysis the
seasonwill be
similar to the
2017-18 season.
With that in
mind, let's take
a quick look at
what happened
last year.
Based on the
JOHNSON Game Check
reporting sys-
tem, 359,262 deer hunters
harvested a total of 381,629
deer. Most of the deer
taken were does (219,019).
In comparison, hunters
took home 162,612 bucks.
Here in Monroe County,
hunters reported slaying
a total of 1,542 deer (853
bucks and 689 does). Only
42 were shot with muzzle-
loaders. As one might ex-
pect, the vast majority were
dropped with modern rifles
and shotguns. Archers took
home 201 deer.
During the 2017-18,
hunting season the average
deer hunter bagged 1.09
deer. In spite of the
fact that Georgians
could bag 12 white-
tails per year, only
13.9 percent of all
hunters took home
two deer. On the
other end of the spec-
trum, a meager 0.9
percent of Georgia's
deer hunters reported
harvesting more than
seven deer.
It is interesting to
compare the number
of days the average
hunter spent hunt-
ing to the number
of days it took to
kill a deer. Last year
deer hunters spent
an average of 20.89
days in the woods In
It takes Georgia hunters an average of almost three weeks of hunt-
ina to kill a whlt~t,~fl A,~,~r (Photo/Ga. Wildlife Resources Division)
comparison, it took them
an average of 19.17 days of
hunting to bag a whitetail.
When you compare the
number of deer harvested
within the state's phys-
iographic regions, it is
evident far more deer were
taken in the Piedmont
(which includes Monroe
County) than anywhere
else. The men and women
that hunted this region
bagged 75,371 bucks and
94,779 does. Here are the
harvest figures for the rest
of the state: Blue Ridge -
3,579 bucks, 4,666 does;
Ridge and Valley - 12,430
bucks, 13,520 does; Upper
Coastal Plain - 44,438
bucks, 79,553 does; and
Lower Coastal Plain -
24,402 bucks, 28,912 does.
Since most of us have a
limited amount of time to
go deer hunting, it is help-
ful to know when we stand
the best chance of success.
Experienced deer hunters
know that this special time
of the year is during the rut.
During this brief period,
deer are more vulnerable
because bucks are far less
cautious and are roaming
over a larger area in hopes
of finding does.
Realizing the importance
of the timing of the rut,
Georgia Wildlife Resources
Division biologists teamed
up with researchers from
the University of Georgia
and calculated the peak of
the rut for all of Georgia's
159 Counties. These figures
are based on the correla-
tion between the peak
occurrences of deer-vehicle
collisions, deer conception
rates, and movement rates
of deer. When the data
were crunched, it turns out
the peak of the rut in Mon-
roe County ranges from
Oct. 27 through Nov. 12.
In summary; ffwe fi-
nally leave hot, dry weather
behind us, the 2018-19
Firearms Deer Hunting
Season should be a win-
ner. Chances are good you
will bag a deer. However,
since it looks like it might
take you about three weeks
to bag a whitetail, you will
have to work at it. Perhaps
work is the wrong term to
use to describe going deer
hunting. Spending quality
time in the county's beauti-
ful woodlands far from the
stress of life can hardly be
called work.
I hope you have a pro-
ductive and safe hunting
season!
Terry Johnson is retired
Program Manager of the
Georgia Nongame-Endan-
gered Wildlife Program. He
has written the informative
column 'Monroe Outdoors'
for the Reporter for many
years. Email him at tjwood-
duck@bellsouth.net.
Faith Ann Rezier, No. 12, was escorted by her mother Aleah Hayman, No. 18, was escorted by her parents' Destiny Middleton, No. 28, was escorted by her parents
Heidi Moon, stepfather Dave Moon, sisters Jordan Rozier, Creed and Maria Hayman, sister Emmalee Hayman and Hollis and Tamitha Middleton and MP coaches Hannah
Alissa Rozier and Halle Rozier and MP coaches Hannah MP coaches Hannah Grossman and Jan Collins. Hayman Grossman and Jan Collins. Middleton has lettered in
Grossman and Jan Collins. Rozier has lettered in softball has lettered in softball for two years. She plans to join the softball for four yearL She plans to attend the University of
for four years. She plans to attend college and major in U.S. military. North Carolina, where she will play softball and major in
business, exercise science.
LADY DOGS
Continued from Front
hits. Sophomore Karsin Bass also had a
big game Offensively, going 2-3 at the plate
with three RBIs. Junior Mallory Turner
recorded the win in Game 1, striking out
five batters in five innings.
In Game 2, MP's bats exploded for five
runs in the first and 10 runs in the second,
led by sophomore Alissa Rozier, who had
two doubles and a home nm while driving
in six runs. Seniors Destiny Middleton
and Aleah Hayrnan each had a pair of
hits, including a double, while sophomore
Emmalee Hayman added a home run and
three RBIs. Junior Lauren DeFore picked
up the win in Game 2, pitching all three
innings for the Lady Dogs.
MP head coach Hannah Grossman said
she was concerned about facing the Lady
Huskies coming into the series because
by rain. The Bulldogs honored their three
seniors, Aleah Hayman, Middleton and
Faith Ann Rozier following Wednesday's
win.
Middleton started on the mound against
Jackson for the first time in her illustri-
ous four-year varsity career, and she
didn't disappoint, striking out the first
batter she faced. But two batters later,
Grossman slid Middleton back to her
customary third base role and brought
in normal starter Lauren DeFore. The
move proved prescient as DeFore in-
duced two straight ground ball outs to
Middleton to end the first inning.
Middleton then ignited MP's offense
in the bottom of the inning, leading
off with a double to right-center. She
then scored the game's first run on an
RBI groundout by another senior, Faith
Ann Rozier. After the rain delay, MP
added to its lead in the bottom of the
second on another double to right-cen-
Howard had played well against MP this ter by Middleton, driving in Victoria
year. She said she never imagined that her Vining.
squad would dominate the series like it The Lady Red Devils finally got on
did.
"We came ready to play" MP head coach
Hannah Grossman said. "It started off with
good defense in the first inning. And we've
been working on hitting and discipline at
the plate, and it showed tonight."
The Lady Dogs extended their winning
streak to seven games with a 15-4 home
victory over Perry on Thursday. Alissa
Rozier led MP with three hits, including a
double and a homer. Middleton, Bass and
Faith Ann Rozier also contributed two hits
apiece. Turner recorded the victory on the
mound for MP.
Thursday's victory improved MP's final
regular season Region 2-AAAA record to
8-2, giving the Lady Dogs a second-place
regular season finish behind No. i seed
West Laurens.
One night earlier, MP outlasted rival
Jackson 7-4 in a non-region region home
contest on Wednesday that was delayed in
the early innings for more than a half-hour
the scoreboard in the top of the fifth
inning when Chelsea Gotel scored on
a fielder's choice ground ball. However,
DeFore got Jackson's Shermayah Webb,
who led Jackson with two hits and two
RBIs, to ground back to the mound
for the third OUt, stranding the tying
run on third base. The Lady Dogs then day. (Photo/Richard Dumas)
seized firm control of the game in the
then capped off an outstanding Senior
Night effort with a line-drive double to
left-center, plating her younger sister for
MP's final run. Jackson scored three runs
of its own in the top of the seventh offMP
reliever Turner, but the Lady Dogs pre-
MP pitcher Lauren DeFore tossed a three-inning shutout in
Game 2 of the Lady Dogs' series sweep of Howard on Mon-
vailed 7-4 when shortstop Alissa Rozier
got the final out by tagging a nmner, who
was trying to advance from second to
third.
Middleton had two doubles, two runs
scored and an RBI to lead the Lady Dogs'
offense while Faith Ann Rozier added a
double and two RBIs. The team's other
senior, Aleah Hayman also had a solid
night, starting in left field and contributing
an RBI and an excellent catch.
"I'm very proud of them" Grossman said
of her three seniors. "It just shows you how
much they work for it. They work tre-
bottom of the fifth inning when Middleton
scored her second run of the game on a
miscue by Jackson pitcher Mallory Watson
offthe bat ofAleah Hayman, Nazari Jack-
son then added to MP's lead on a two-run
single up the middle, scoring Alissa Rozier
and Faith Ann RoZier to give MP a 5-1
advantage. MP then added one more in
the inning on an RBI single by Emmalee
Hayman to put the Lady Dogs ahead 6-1.
MP then scored one more run in the
bottom of the sixth when Alissa Rozier
reached on a two-out double down the
leftfield line. Her older sister Faith Ann
mendously. I had them in seventh grade,
and then I started back with them their
freshman year, so I've had them all the
way. And just to watch them grow as play-
ers and as individuals, it makes me happy
' knowing the people that they are and who
they've become. And I can't wait
to see what they've got coming."
Middleton, whose bat has
heated up as the season has gone
on, said she was thrilled to take
an unexpected star turn in the
pitching circle on Senior Night.
"Yes, it was so exciting,' Mid-
dleton said of pitching for the
first time. "I was kind of scared at
first, but when I got in the game
and started doing good, I kind of
relaxed a little. But it was fun and
funny. I always play around with
Coach Grossman when I ask to
pitch. And when she finally put
me in, I was like, 'Oh my gosh" It
was tim"
One nightprior to the Jackson
win, on Tuesday; Sept. 25, MP
outscored Spalding 12-7 in a cru-
cial region road contest. Alissa
Rozier led the Lady Dogs' offense
with three hits, including a triple,
while Aleah Hayman contrib-
uted a pair of doubles.
The Mary Persons softball team
will next travel to West Laurens
to face the Lady Raiders in the
Best-of-3 Region 2-AAAA champion-
ship series beginning with a doubleheader
starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. An if
necessary Game 3 would be played at 5
p.m. on Thursday.
Also, the MP JV Lady Dogs lost 7-1
at home to Jackson in four innings on
Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Monroe County Middle
School softball team will next travel to
Clifton Ridge for a road contest at 5 p.m.
on Thursday. The C-Team Lady Dogs will
then face Lamar County on the road at 5
p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 9.
