By: Adam Hammond, GA DNR Wildlife Biologist
Improvements to the check station at Cohutta WMA.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division has been working to make improvements to many of our wildlife management areas. Here’s a look at some of the improvements being made to WMAs in northwest Georgia.
Game Management recently renovated the exterior of the Holly Creek Check Station at Cohutta WMA. Additionally, damaged wood has been replaced at the weigh shed, a hand rail to the steps has been added, and the exterior wood siding has been stained. Similar work was done recently to the check stations at Rich Mountain WMA and on to the West Cowpen Check Station of Cohutta WMA. Among the improvements is an updated WMA entrance sign for Rich Mountain WMA which was installed on the Owltown Tract.
Cohutta WMA is over 96,500 acres of land that is managed cooperatively with the U.S. Forest Service as part of our WMA system. Cohutta WMA is over 150 square miles in size and is larger than three of Georgia’s 159 counties! The WMA is approximately 98-percent national forest land (part of the Chattahoochee National Forest) and 2-percent privately-owned land that we lease. Cohutta WMA is located in the Appalachian mountains of north Georgia in Fannin, Murray, and Gilmer counties.
New sign at Rich Mountain WMA.
Rich Mountain WMA consists of nearly 23,000 acres of land in Gilmer and Fannin counties in the north Georgia mountains. The Owltown and Cartecay tracts are state-owned lands located just outside of Ellijay totaling 5,062 acres. The Cartecay Tract is an archery-only tract just south of HWY 52 along the Cartecay River. The Owltown Tract in combination with approximately 18,000 acres of land that is part of the Chattahoochee National Forest, make up the remainder of the Rich Mountain WMA.