FORT BENNING, Ga., (Aug. 31, 2016) -- Officials from the Fort Benning Conservation Branch addressed changing regulations for the 2016-2017 hunting season at the Hunting, Fishing and Recreation Open House Aug. 25 at the Benning Club.

Brent Widener, lead natural resource specialist, stated there are three big changes that will be implemented during the 2016-2017 hunting season on Fort Benning.

"One of the biggest changes we're doing is requiring every hunter on Fort Benning to wear a bright orange hat while they're hunting," said Widener. "A lot of hunters are using climbing stands, which obscures the orange vest on their back. The primary concern is everybody's safety.

"The second change is that we aren't going to allow anyone to put out bait on Fort Benning. In previous years we've allowed it, but we aren't going to allow it anymore. We're the last piece of property in Georgia that still allows bait to be put out for hunting. Plus, from a biological perspective, we don't want to feed any other animals like hogs out there.

"The last big change is due to multiple concerns expressed to us by hunters in the Fort Benning community about harvesting too many deer. We're not going to adjust harvest, but we are going to collect more biological data on deer this year so that we can keep track of deer harvesting this year."

Despite these changes, morale was still high after the event. Larry Wagner, a frequent hunter on the installation, said that no matter how regulations changed, he could think of no better place to hunt than Fort Benning.

"Fort Benning is the best place to hunt in the world," said Wagner. "You can hunt year-round. You can hunt doves, turkey and ducks as far as birds go. When it comes to big game, you've got deer, coyotes and pigs. You don't need to go anywhere else for hunting. You can't beat it."

For more information on upcoming hunting events or regulations, Widener said to visit www.benningmwr.com/hunting-and-fishing/.