Georgia deer hunting: WMAs, 2026-27 seasons and county harvest
Georgia hunters reported 206,677 deer through Georgia Game Check in the 2025-26 season, 103,907 of them bucks (WRD). The 2026-27 firearms season runs October 17, 2026 to January 10, 2027, after archery from September 12 and the primitive weapons week of October 10 to 16 (WRD regulations, page 16). Public hunting is on WRD's wildlife management areas, each with its own dates.
Data updated October 2026. Seasons: WRD's 2026-27 regulations. Harvest: WRD Game Check reports to 2025-26. Quota hunts: WRD's 2026 lottery reports.
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When are Georgia's 2026-27 deer, bear and turkey seasons?
Georgia's statewide deer seasons for 2026-27 open with archery on September 12. The primitive weapons week, which includes the youth-only firearms days, runs October 10 to 16, and firearms season runs October 17 to January 10. WMAs, state parks and federal land set their own dates, listed on each WMA's page here.
| Season | Dates |
|---|---|
| Deer, archery | September 12 to October 9, 2026 |
| Deer, extended archery (29 counties, listed on page 11) | September 12, 2026 to January 31, 2027 |
| Deer, primitive weapons and youth-only firearms | October 10 to 16, 2026 |
| Deer, firearms | October 17, 2026 to January 10, 2027 |
| Bear, Northern Zone, archery | September 12 to October 9, 2026 |
| Bear, Northern Zone, primitive weapons and youth-only firearms | October 10 to 16, 2026 |
| Bear, Northern Zone, firearms | October 17, 2026 to January 10, 2027 |
| Bear, Central Zone, firearms | December 19, 2026 |
| Bear, Southern Zone, firearms | September 17 to 19, 24 to 26, October 1 to 3 and 8 to 10, 2026 |
| Turkey, special opportunity (youth and mobility-impaired hunters) | March 20 to 21, 2027 |
| Turkey, private land | March 27 to May 15, 2027 |
| Turkey, WMAs, VPAs and national forest | April 3 to May 15, 2027 |
The deer limit is 12 a season statewide: no more than 10 antlerless and no more than 2 antlered, and one of the two antlered bucks must have at least 4 points of one inch or longer on one side, or a 15-inch outside spread. Every deer, bear and turkey must go on the hunter's harvest record and be reported through Georgia Game Check within 24 hours. The turkey limit is 2 gobblers a season, 1 a day, and 1 per WMA or national forest area.
Source: 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations, page 16; limits, 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations, pages 11 and 16.
What are Georgia's private-land deer zones?
On private land, WRD splits the state's counties into six deer zones, each with its own either-sex days. 133 counties are in the Green zone. Each county's page here shows its zone's 2026-27 dates.
| Zone | Counties | Firearms either-sex days, 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Rabun County, Towns County | Nov. 28 to 29, 2026; Jan. 1, 2027 |
| Cyan | Fannin County, Union County | Nov. 6 to 12, 2026; Jan. 1, 2027 |
| Orange | Dawson County, Gilmer County, Habersham County, Lumpkin County, Murray County, Pickens County, Stephens County, White County, Whitfield County | Nov. 6 to 12, 2026; Nov. 20 to 26, 2026; Dec. 28, 2026 to Jan. 10, 2027 |
| Green | 133 counties | Oct. 17, 2026 to Jan. 10, 2027 |
| Magenta | Baker County, Calhoun County, Decatur County, Early County, Grady County, Miller County, Mitchell County, Seminole County, Thomas County | Oct. 17, 2026 to Jan. 15, 2027 |
| Gray | Clayton County, Cobb County, DeKalb County, Fulton County | No firearms season (archery only) |
Source: 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations, pages 12 to 13; WRD county deer, bear and alligator zones.
Where can you hunt public land in Georgia?
WRD manages 110 wildlife management areas with a page here, from Cohutta WMA (96,583 acres) down to small tracts near town. Each page has the area's 2026-27 dates, its deer harvest by season, its quota hunts and a map. See every Georgia WMA.
- Sign-in is required for every bear, deer and turkey hunt on a WMA unless the area's listing says otherwise. Hunters sign in once for each hunt or season, online at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com, from the day before the hunt (page 20).
- Deer killed on a bonus hunt do not count against the season limit and are not reported through Game Check: they go to the area's check station on the day of the kill (page 20).
- No more than one gobbler a season may be taken on a single WMA or on national forest land outside WMAs (page 20).
How do Georgia's quota hunts work?
Georgia's most sought-after WMA deer hunts are drawn by lottery. The 2026 deer and bear quota application period ran June 1 to September 1, and dog-deer hunts were taken September 1 to 30 (page 26). WRD publishes how many hunters applied for each hunt and how many were selected. For 2026, 17,875 hunters applied for a deer quota hunt as their first choice.
| Most applied-for deer quota hunts, 2026 | Applicants | Selected |
|---|---|---|
| B.F. Grant WMA, 1st Hunt, Bonus Quality Buck and Antlerless, Firearms | 2,819 | 300 |
| Berry College WMA, 1st Hunt, Bonus Either Sex Last Day, Firearms | 2,748 | 1,000 |
| Berry College WMA, 2nd Hunt, Bonus Either Sex, Firearms | 2,414 | 1,000 |
| B.F. Grant WMA, 2nd Hunt, Bonus Quality Buck and Antlerless, Firearms | 1,739 | 301 |
| Clybel WMA, 1st Hunt, Bonus Either Sex, Firearms | 1,668 | 200 |
Source: WRD quota hunt lottery reports, 2026; application periods, 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations, page 26.
Which Georgia counties have the most deer harvested?
Burke County (3,322), Washington County (3,230), Laurens County (3,101), Hancock County (3,095) and Floyd County (2,953) led Georgia in 2025-26. See all 159 counties, each with 10 seasons of WRD's numbers.
| Season | Deer reported statewide | Bucks | Does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 206,677 | 103,907 | 102,770 |
| 2024-25 | 207,842 | 107,460 | 100,382 |
| 2023-24 | 216,572 | 109,451 | 107,121 |
| 2022-23 | 194,144 | 100,647 | 93,497 |
| 2021-22 | 181,688 | 96,100 | 85,588 |
Source: WRD deer harvest reports (Georgia Game Check), county totals added.
Questions hunters ask
When does deer season open in Georgia in 2026?
Archery season opens September 12, 2026. Primitive weapons season runs October 10 to 16, and firearms season runs October 17, 2026 to January 10, 2027, by WRD's 2026-2027 regulations (page 16). WMAs have their own dates.
How many deer can you kill in Georgia?
12 a season statewide: up to 10 antlerless and 2 antlered, one of which must have 4 points of an inch or more on one side or a 15-inch spread (2026-2027 regulations, page 11).
Do you have to sign in to hunt a Georgia WMA?
Yes, for bear, deer and turkey hunts, unless the area's listing says otherwise. Sign-in is online at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com and opens the day before the hunt (2026-2027 regulations, page 20).
How do Georgia quota hunts work?
Hunters apply in the summer, choosing hunts in order. WRD's lottery gives priority to hunters with more priority points, and the 2026 reports list each hunt's applicants and the hunters selected. Deer and bear applications ran June 1 to September 1, 2026.
Get a Georgia hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Georgia are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Georgia included.
Where these numbers come from
- Seasons, limits, zones and WMA rules: 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations, pages 11 to 26.
- Harvest: WRD deer harvest reports (Georgia Game Check). Quota hunts: WRD quota hunt lottery reports, 2026. WMA dates: WRD WMA hunting opportunities, 2026-27 season (FY27).
- Maps: WRD WMA boundaries; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries.
FilledTag is not part of Georgia DNR. WRD's hunting pages are the final word on every rule.