Georgia Whitetail Deer Hunting 2026: Season Dates, Extended Counties, License Costs & Nonresident Guide

Georgia deer hunting in 2026-27 opens with archery September 12 – October 9, then primitive weapons and youth-only firearms October 10–16, then firearms October 17 – January 10. Twenty-nine counties keep extended archery through January 31. The bag is 12 deer (10 antlerless, 2 antlered). Nonresidents 16 and older pay $100 + $225 = $325 for annual licenses. Always confirm at Georgia DNR.

• Archery: September 12 – October 9, 2026 (statewide)
• Primitive weapons / youth-only firearms: October 10–16, 2026
• Firearms: October 17, 2026 – January 10, 2027
• Bag: 12 deer (up to 10 antlerless, 2 antlered)
• Nonresident annual stack: $325 (hunting + Big Game)

Quick Facts: Georgia Whitetail Deer 2026-27

Dates and fees above are from the official 2026–2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations (eRegulations / WRD). Either-sex days are county-color coded—not a single statewide firearms either-sex calendar. Georgia has no hunt for free-ranging elk.

Why Georgia for Whitetail Deer

Georgia is one of the most accessible Southeast whitetail states: a 12-deer bag, a season that starts mid-September and runs into January, and no general-season draw. Terrain runs from Piedmont farm-and-pine country to Coastal Plain bottoms to North Georgia mountains and Chattahoochee National Forest.

Wildlife Management Areas and Voluntary Public Access (VPA) properties add public opportunity. Quota hunts cut pressure on some of the better tracts if you apply on time.

2026-27 Season Dates

Archery

September 12 – October 9, 2026, statewide. Private-land archery is either-sex in most of the state.

Nine southwest counties are buck-only for the first two weeks of archery (September 12–27): Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, and Thomas. Either-sex archery there starts September 28.

Archery-only counties (no firearms deer hunting): Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, and Fulton north of GA Hwy 92. Jekyll Island (Glynn County) is also closed to firearms deer hunting. South of GA Hwy 20 in Forsyth County, only shotguns and muzzleloaders may be used.

You may keep hunting with archery during primitive-weapons and firearms seasons. Wear at least 500 square inches of hunter orange or blaze pink during those later seasons, except in archery-only counties or as posted on WMAs.

Primitive Weapons and Youth-Only Firearms

October 10–16, 2026, statewide except archery-only counties. Scopes are legal. Air rifles .30 caliber or larger and air bows are legal. Youth under 16 may use any legal deer firearm during this statewide primitive-weapons week.

Firearms

October 17, 2026 – January 10, 2027 is the statewide firearms window. Either-sex days are not the same in every county. The regulations map private land into color groups (yellow, orange, green, magenta, cyan, gray). Some mountain counties are mostly buck-only with only a few either-sex days. Many agricultural counties are either-sex for the whole firearms season. Green and magenta counties also get an October 3–4, 2026 antlerless-only firearms weekend. Magenta counties keep firearms either-sex through January 15, 2027.

Confirm your county on pages 12–13 of the current WRD guide before you plan a doe hunt.

Extended Archery (29 Counties)

These counties allow archery September 12, 2026 – January 31, 2027: Baker, Barrow, Bibb, Calhoun, Chatham, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Columbia, Decatur, DeKalb, Douglas, Early, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Grady, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Miller, Mitchell, Muscogee, Paulding, Richmond, Rockdale, Seminole, and Thomas.

That list is mostly metro Atlanta plus southwest Georgia. It is extra antlerless opportunity, not a second statewide gun season.

Bag Limits and Antler Restrictions

• Season limit: 12 deer—no more than 10 antlerless and no more than 2 antlered
• One of the two antlered deer must have at least four points, one inch or longer, on one side or a 15-inch outside spread
• Dooly and Macon: every antlered buck needs a 15-inch outside spread
• Hancock, Harris, Meriwether, Montgomery, Randolph, Talbot, and Troup: same 4-point or 15-inch rule as the statewide “one of two” standard, applied as listed in the county notes
• Game Check all deer within 24 hours; write the harvest on your Harvest Record before you move the animal

Button bucks with no antler above the hairline count as antlerless and are legal only on either-sex or antlerless days.

Licenses and Fees

You need a hunting license and a Big Game license (age 16+) and a free Harvest Record.

Extra days may be added for up to 11 consecutive days. Georgia does not sell a named 3-day or 7-day deer package at $25–$100. A short trip still needs both hunting and Big Game privileges. Example: a 3-day nonresident stack is about $32 + $146 = $178 before the $3 online fee.

Hunter education: Hunters born on or after January 1, 1961 must complete a hunter education course before buying a season hunting license. Hunters under 16 are not required to complete the course (they hunt under adult supervision unless they are 12–15 and already certified). Out-of-state and Canadian certificates count. Hunter education is not required to buy an apprentice or short-term license. Ages 16–25 must show the card when buying a season license and carry it while hunting.

Purchase at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com, 1-800-366-2661, or licensed vendors.

WMA Quota Hunts

Quota hunts cap hunter numbers on selected WMA, state park, and other managed hunts.

• Applications open June 1 at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com
• Deer, youth deer, and state park deer deadline: September 1, 11:59 p.m. EST
• Group applications: up to five hunters on general deer quota
• Unsuccessful applicants earn priority points for later years

Many WMAs also have open (non-quota) deer dates. Area bag limits on WMAs can be tighter than the statewide 12. Bonus WMA deer are checked at the station and are not written on your Harvest Record. Read the area listing plus statewide rules before you go. Hunters 16 and older need a valid hunting license (or Lands Pass, if only visiting) to enter a WMA.

Where to Hunt Georgia Whitetails

North Georgia Mountains

Lower density, steeper country, and Chattahoochee National Forest. Forest Service land east of I-75 is closed to antlerless deer—bucks only. West of I-75, follow the national-forest either-sex dates, which are not the same as private-land days.

The Piedmont

Rolling farms, pines, and hardwoods—Georgia’s core deer country. Strong density on both WMAs and private land.

Coastal Plain / South Georgia

Pine plantation and river bottoms, including some of the larger WMA blocks. Several southwest counties use the magenta calendar (buck-only early archery, firearms either-sex into mid-January).

Public Land Access

Statewide WMAs, VPA leased private land (list at GoHuntGeorgia.com), Chattahoochee National Forest, and Oconee National Forest. National-forest archery during gun season must follow firearms either-sex dates on the forest.

Rut Timing in Georgia

North Georgia typically ruts earlier than the Coastal Plain. Do not treat one statewide peak week as gospel.

CWD, Game Check, and Sunday Hunting

CWD was first detected in Georgia in January 2025. As of April 2026, the CWD Management Area is Atkinson, Berrien, Lanier, and Lowndes counties (plus any county within five miles of a new detection). Hunters in the CMA should use listed processors, taxidermists, or self-serve sites at GeorgiaWildlife.com/cwd. A CWD-positive deer does not count toward the bag. Carcasses brought in from out of state are limited to boned meat, cleaned skulls/antlers, hides without heads, and finished taxidermy.

Game Check: log date and county on the Harvest Record before moving the deer. Report online, in the app, or at 1-800-366-2661 within 24 hours. Do not remove the head until the deer is processed, stored, or submitted for CWD testing.

Sunday hunting is legal under statewide seasons. Individual WMAs, VPAs, and federal areas set their own open days—check that listing before a Sunday trip. Written landowner permission is still required on private land you do not own.

Nonresident Whitetail Deer Hunting in Georgia

How to Hunt Whitetail Deer in Georgia as a Nonresident

No general-season draw. Two paid licenses plus a free Harvest Record.

What nonresidents 16 and older need:

• Hunting license: $100 annual, or $20 one-day + $6 per extra day
• Big Game license: $225 annual, or $130 one-day + $8 per extra day
• Harvest Record: free
• Hunter education if born on or after January 1, 1961 (season licenses)
• Optional Sportsman’s License: $400 (bundles hunting, fishing, big game, trout, migratory bird)

Nonresident youth 15 and under hunting big game need a nonresident hunting license but not a Big Game license, plus a Harvest Record. Youth Sportsman’s is $50 annual.

Access: WMAs, VPAs, and the two national forests. For lower pressure, apply for deer quota hunts June 1–September 1. Nonresident landowners still buy nonresident licenses.

Buy at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com.

Key Resources

• Georgia DNR seasons and dates: georgiawildlife.com/hunting/hunter-resources/seasons-and-dates
• 2026–27 regulations (eRegulations): eregulations.com/georgia/hunting
• Licenses: gooutdoorsgeorgia.com · 1-800-366-2661
• Game Check: GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com or 1-800-366-2661
• CWD: georgiawildlife.com/cwd
• Quota hunts: georgiawildlife.com/hunting/quota
• Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests: fs.usda.gov/conf

For more whitetail hunting guides by state, visit The Inside Spread State Guides.