Georgia
Georgia DNR making hunting more accessible
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Walter Rabon said the agency is committed to developing accessible opportunities for people with disabilities.
Earlier in January, DNR held its third adaptive hunt since 2021 when five hunters and a hunting buddy were paired with a guide for a two-day “Hunt and Learn” experience on private property in Newton County.
The hunt, specifically designed for novice deer hunters with mobility impairments, is a priority initiative for Georgia DNR, according to a release from the agency, and reflects its commitment to providing inclusive hunting, fishing and outdoor opportunities for all Georgians.
“Making the outdoors more accessible for all Georgians has been a priority of mine since being appointed to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources,” Rabon said. “Numerous barriers exist to getting involved in hunting and fishing and even more so for those with mobility impairments. We’re proud of our adaptive hunt program which seeks to remove many of these hurdles, giving more people the ability to enjoy the great outdoors.”
During the Hunt and Learn event, the hunters received valuable informational tools to aid them in future hunts, practice time at the rifle range, and a deer hunt utilizing recent advancements in technology, including the Action Trackchair.
Max Richardson, 17, was surrounded by fellow hunters, including his father Mitch, who watched his son fire a rifle alone for the first time using an adaptive trigger mechanism.
“What a wonderful event and opportunity for Adaptive hunters to be able to come together and share their abilities and challenges with hunting,” Max Richardson said. “Being able to fellowship with disabled hunters showed me new methods and hardware that can help me while in the field. I really hope this opens doors for more opportunities to hunt in the state of Georgia.”
The DNR’s Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Jasper County launched the adaptive hunt program in 2021 following the receipt of the Center’s first Action Trackchair. The Trackchair donation came as part of the All-Terrain Georgia Initiative.
Trackchairs are all-terrain wheelchairs that feature rubber tracks and the ability to navigate a variety of obstacles. The utilization of the specialty chairs allows participants to better navigate the woods to a specialized hunting blind.
Since 2021, DNR has provided 20 mobility impaired hunters, plus a buddy, an opportunity to hunt as part of this program.
Gulfstream recently announced a $5 million investment in Georgia education, welcoming students and leaders to its Savannah headquarters.
ATHENS, Ga. – Designated hitter Daniel Jackson and centerfielder Rylan Lujo combined for nine RBI Sunday, leading fifth-ranked Georgia to a 12-1 win over LSU at Foley Field.
Georgia improved to 41-11 overall, 21-6 in the SEC, while LSU dropped to 29-24 overall and 9-18 in conference play.
The Tigers return to action at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday when they play host to Florida in Game 1 of a three-game SEC series in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Thursday’s game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +.
“Georgia won the moments in this series,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “They’re going to score, so you’ve got to capitalize against them when you have scoring opportunities on offense.”
Georgia starting pitcher Caden Aoki (8-0) was the winner, limiting LSU to one run on four hits in 5.0 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.
LSU right-hander Casan Evans (2-3), making his first appearance since April 17 versus Texas A&M, started the game Sunday and was charged with the loss, working 1.2 innings and allowing four runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
“I thought Casan’s stuff looked great, and that’s good for him from a health standpoint,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy that the more he pitches, the better he is, so there might have been a little bit of rust, but I thought he competed fine.”
Georgia struck for four runs in the bottom of the second inning in an outburst highlighted by Jackson’s two-out, two-run single and an RBI single by second baseman Ryan Black.
The Tigers narrowed the gap to 4-1 in the third when designated hitter Omar Serna Jr. delivered an RBI single.
Georgia extended its lead to 7-1 in the fourth as Jackson launched a two-run homer and centerfielder Lujo lined a run-scoring single.
Lujo unloaded a grand slam in the fifth, giving the Bulldogs an 11-1 advantage.
The Georgia baseball team had long since poured out of the Foley Field home dugout and the water bottles that were thrown on the field in jubilation had been cleaned up.
The Bulldogs celebration that carried into center field after a 13-8 victory on Saturday night over LSU on May 9 had ended and players had doused coach Wes Johnson with blue sports drink.
Now, some 20 minutes later, it was postgame photo time for the freshly minted 2026 SEC regular season champions.
They gathered in front of the spot on the right field wall where the previous seven seasons of Georgia SEC championships were listed, the last in 2008. Above them on the video board was a graphic that recognized this year’s team as SEC champions.
“Watching the program grow in such a shot amount of time, it’s awesome,” said pitcher Paul Farley, who has been with the Bulldogs for all three seasons with Johnson and got the win in relief Saturday. “We’ve got four SEC games left and to be able to hang that up there the SEC champs already it’s amazing.”
Farley was speaking figuratively because the 2026 numbers weren’t on the outfield fence just yet.
Fifth-ranked Georgia (40-11, 20-6 SEC) still has a chance to put a College World Series trip up there in left field for the first time since 2008 and in a best case scenario add another national championship year in right field with the 1990 season.
“SEC champs is great, but obviously we want to do bigger and better things,” Farley said.
LSU, the team that won it all last season, was still around having a postgame talk on the artificial turf field long after the game ended.
Johnson was with LSU in 2023 as pitching coach when it won another College World Series.
“It’s massive,” Johnson said of this latest championship. “Anytime you can win this league, man, it’s so hard. Then win it outright. It’s something you want to check off on your list of things you’ve ever accomplished. It’s 10 weekends of just meat house grinding.”
Johnson said he didn’t know that the dominoes had fallen Saturday to set up Georgia being able to clinch except that he saw that Texas lost at Tennessee as the result flashed on the scoreboard.
Texas A&M also lost twice at Ole Miss to set up the clinch for Georgia.
“I’m calling pitches, I’m locked in,” Johnson said.
He said assistant coach Will Coggin told him when the game ended that ‘We’re champs.’”
Many of the players knew.
“We had a few inside operatives, I’d say, tell us,” Farley said.
Shortstop Kolby Branch said he didn’t know “until the water bottles started flying.”
Branch said another Georgia team loaded with transfers grew closer in the fall and built relationships that have turned into wins this season.
Johnson said winning the regular season title in his third season as coach in the age of the transfer portal and NIL “means a lot.”
Johnson mentioned Farley, Branch and Tre Phelps being at Georgia for all three of his seasons.
“Seeing where we were in the first fall, we forget this used to be dirt and grass,” Johnson said standing on on turf field. “And we didn’t have the cool building and we only had one batting cage, all the stuff we’ve been able to do since we’ve been here. The other side is just understanding true belief and understanding what guys can do.”
-
Tennessee2 minutes agoNew Tennessee law allows K9 officers to be transported by helicopter, ambulance to vet
-
Texas8 minutes agoTexas sues Netflix, alleges platform spied on kids and collected data
-
Utah14 minutes agoTeens airlifted to Utah County hospitals after rollover of at least 50 yards | Gephardt Daily
-
Vermont20 minutes agoCommentary | Afonso-Rojas: Who pays when businesses ignore risks?
-
Virginia26 minutes agoVirginia Supreme Court voids voter-approved redistricting referendum
-
Washington32 minutes ago
19-Year-Old Transgender University of Washington Student Fatally Stabbed
-
Wisconsin38 minutes agoSuspected human bones found in northern Wisconsin
-
West Virginia44 minutes agoWest Virginia delegate candidates in Wood County split on top issues, from manufacturing to health care rules