Using old crank-style telephones leads to citation for poacher

Georgia game wardens checking on fishermen on a creek in Wilkes County encountered a man and woman attempting to electroshock fish with an old crank-style telephone.

Sgt. Matt Garthright and Chason Brogdon noticed the pair acting suspiciously around 7:30 p.m. last Friday, and as they approached, they saw the man moving away with a wooden box in his hands, according toGeorgia Public Broadcastingand theGeorgia Department of Natural Resources, Law Enforcement Division.

As they got closer, the man threw the box into the creek," GDNR reported in its Facebook post. "Sergeant Garthright was able to retrieve the box from the creek and identified it as an outlawed fishing technique—an old crank telephone used to shock fish.

Neither had a fishing license, but both were given the opportunity to immediately purchase one online. Then, the male, identified as a 29-year-old from Mississippi who was in Georgia for work, was charged with electrofishing, and the old crank telephone was confiscated.

It's been reported that fishermen in the south used jury-rigged components of old crank-style telephones to send an electric current through the water to stun fish.

The old crank-style telephones were used from the late 19^thcentury through the mid-20^thcentury, and the hand crank was used to ring up the operator.

Also, from theA.W. Perry Homestead MuseumDid you know the ring of the hand-crank telephone was based on how long the crank was turned? Different households were assigned different patterns of long and short rings so people would know who they were calling and who was calling them. They were also attached to what were called 'party lines,' meaning multiple homes were on the same line. This also means a neighbor could eavesdrop on conversations!

This article originally appeared on For The Win:Using old crank-style telephones leads to citation for poacher