Georgia Hunting Laws

White-tailed deer, Black bear, Wild turkey.

Guide definition: big game = bear, deer and wild turkey. All other game animals are "small game" for regulatory purposes.

Small game (regulatory definition incl. alligator)

American alligator (quota), Bobwhite quail, Ruffed grouse, Rabbits, Squirrels (gray, fox).

Upland game and small game with seasons in 2026-27.

Furbearers (hunting and/or trapping)

Bobcat, Gray fox, Red fox, Raccoon, Opossum, Mink, Muskrat, River otter, Striped skunk, Weasel.

Trapping license required to trap.

Migratory game birds

Mourning dove, Ducks (incl. sea ducks, mergansers, teal), Canada goose, Snow goose, White-fronted goose, Coot, Gallinules, King, clapper, sora and Virginia rails, Common (Wilson's) snipe, American woodcock, American crow.

Federal frameworks (50 CFR Part 20) apply; brant and harlequin duck closed.

Unprotected / no closed season

Coyote, Armadillo, Groundhog, Beaver, Starling, Pigeon, English (house) sparrow, Nutria, Feral hog (not wildlife; no closed season on private land), Eurasian collared dove (any time).

No closed season, no limit; electronic calls may be used for coyotes.

Georgia has no fall turkey season, no elk season (free-ranging elk may not be taken without written DNR permission), no pheasant season and no sandhill crane season; these species are absent from the 2026-27 season tables.

Protected animals and off-limits deer in Georgia

8 listings, from free-ranging elk to farmed deer behind a fence and any bear under 75 pounds.

Free-ranging elk

Report to the local Game Management Region Office; may not be harvested without written DNR permission.

Brant and harlequin duck

No open season.

Female black bear with cub(s); any bear under 75 lb

Unlawful to kill.

Antlerless deer outside either-sex/antlerless days

Antlerless deer (incl. button bucks) only on either-sex or antlerless seasons/hunts.

Farmed deer and exotic animals held under a wild animal license

Unlawful to hunt, shoot, kill or wound farmed deer (elk, red, fallow, sika, axis deer) or exotics (mouflon, aoudad, antelope, etc.) held under a wild animal license for sport, gain or amusement.

Other protected species

Wildlife not open by law or regulation is protected; see georgiawildlife.com for protected species lists (not printed in the guide).

Wild animals generally (possession)

Holding, possessing, releasing or importing wildlife without a DNR permit is unlawful.

Live feral hogs

Transport of live feral hogs requires a Georgia Department of Agriculture permit; hogs captured alive without a permit must be killed before transport; release only into GDA-compliant fenced areas.

Georgia weapons by season

Centerfire rifles with expanding bullets are legal for deer and bear from the firearms opener, with no magazine limit. Turkey hunters may not use rifles or handguns, and crossbows are legal in every archery season.

Season or topic	Legal	Not legal	Source
Archery season (deer, bear)	Longbows, recurves, compounds and crossbows (incl. torsion spring); broadhead arrows/bolts for deer, bear and feral hog. Draw weight, let-off, arrow/bolt length, recovery devices and sights not restricted.	Possessing any firearm while hunting during archery deer season, unless a lawful weapons carrier (O.C.G.A. 16-11-125.1, subject to 16-11-126/127).	guide
Primitive weapons season	Archery equipment, air bows, .30-cal.+ air rifles, muzzleloaders (.30-cal.+ for deer/bear) and muzzleloading shotguns (20 ga+); scopes legal. Youth under 16 may use any legal deer firearm (and any legal bear firearm in the Northern Zone).	Possessing centerfire or rimfire firearms while hunting, unless a lawful weapons carrier.	guide
Firearms deer & bear	Centerfire rifles and handguns .22-cal.+ with expanding bullets (no magazine limit for rifles); shotguns 20 ga+ with slugs or buckshot; muzzleloaders .30-cal.+ or muzzleloading shotguns 20 ga+; air rifles .30-cal.+ and air bows; all archery and primitive weapons.	Firearms in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton (north of GA Hwy 92) and Jekyll Island; anything but shotguns and muzzleloaders (and archery) in Forsyth south of GA Hwy 20.	guide
Turkey	Shotguns with No. 2 or smaller shot; any muzzleloading firearm; air rifles .30-cal.+; air bows; archery equipment. No plug required.	Rifles and handguns (not listed as legal).	guide
Small game & furbearers	.22-cal. or smaller rimfire rifles/handguns; any muzzleloading firearm; any caliber air rifle/air gun; shotguns with shells 3.5 in. or shorter and No. 2 or smaller shot. Fox and bobcat: centerfire .17-cal.+ also legal (not on WMA small game dates).	Centerfire rifles for other small game; centerfire rifles on WMA small game dates day or night.	guide
Waterfowl / migratory birds	Shotguns 10 ga or smaller with federally approved nontoxic shot size F or smaller for waterfowl; shotguns limited to 3 shells (one-piece plug) for all migratory birds.	Possessing lead shot while hunting waterfowl.	guide
Alligator	Hand-held ropes or snares, snatch hooks, harpoons, gigs or arrows with restraining line attached; restrained alligators dispatched with any caliber handgun or bangstick, or by severing the spinal cord.	Taking an unrestrained alligator with a firearm (not listed).	guide
Feral hog	Private land: any legal weapon, day or night. WMAs/NF: only the weapons legal for the season open on the area; any legal weapon during WMA May 16-31 coyote/hog season where allowed.	Centerfire on WMA small game dates; night hunting on public land.	guide
Crossbows	Legal for any game or feral hog in any season where archery is legal; no draw, length or safety restrictions.	Possessing a cocked (loaded) crossbow in a motor vehicle on WMAs.	guide
Air guns	Air rifles .30-cal.+ and air bows (unignited compressed gas/air) legal for deer/bear during primitive weapons and firearms seasons and for turkey; any caliber air rifle for small game.	–	guide
Suppressors	Lawfully possessed suppressors may be used for hunting unless otherwise specified; landowner permission required on private land.	–	guide
Convicted felons	Archery equipment, air bows and air rifles.	Any firearm or muzzleloading firearm while hunting unless the right to carry has been restored (O.C.G.A. 16-11-131).	guide
Loaded weapon definition	A firearm is loaded if a shell is in chamber or magazine, a cap is on the nipple or powder is in the pan; a crossbow is loaded if cocked.	Loaded firearm in a motor vehicle on WMAs during open season (except lawful weapons carriers); any loaded weapon transported in a motor vehicle on National Forest land.	guide
Dog training	Handguns with blank or shot cartridges; shotguns with No. 6 or smaller shot when training with pen-raised quail (proof of purchase) and pigeons.	Other firearms, axes, climbers or other equipment for taking game while training.	guide

Blaze orange or blaze pink in Georgia

Georgia lets hunters swap fluorescent pink for orange anywhere orange is required. The 500 square inches go above the waist and may include a cap.

At least 500 sq in of daylight fluorescent orange or fluorescent blaze pink above the waist (may include a head covering), worn as an outer garment by the hunter and anyone accompanying the hunter.

Required during

Deer hunting during primitive weapons or firearms deer season
Bear hunting during primitive weapons or firearms bear seasons
Feral hog hunting during primitive weapons or firearms deer or bear seasons
Primitive weapons and firearms deer/bear hunts and special opportunity coyote and feral hog hunts on WMAs, VPAs and federal lands
WMA and VPA small game hunts concurrent with firearms deer or bear hunts (except dove and waterfowl)
WMA May 16-31 coyote/hog season

Archers

Archery hunters must wear orange or blaze pink during primitive weapons and firearms deer seasons, except in archery-only counties or WMAs.

Exceptions

Not required on WMA, VPA or Corps of Engineers tracts designated archery-only, nor during archery-only deer hunts on a WMA during the statewide primitive weapons or firearms seasons unless otherwise indicated.

Other WMA visitors

All WMA visitors are encouraged (not required) to wear orange or blaze pink during open seasons.

Sources: hunter orange and blaze pink, current on October 13, 2026.

All 36 Georgia method and conduct rules

Grouped by topic, each card is the guide rule in short form with a link to the page it came from.

Bait and feeding

Baiting (general)

Unlawful to hunt game animals or game birds on, over, around or within 200 yards of bait, or for 10 days after complete removal of bait; unlawful to place bait so as to prohibit hunting on adjacent property.

Baiting deer and feral hogs

Deer and feral hogs may be hunted over or near bait on private land in all counties with written landowner permission; baiting or hunting over bait prohibited on any state or federally managed land.

Bear baiting

No hunting bears over bait; taking big game other than deer over bait is subject to a $5,000 fine and/or 12 months imprisonment.

Dogs

Deer with dogs

Only in listed counties (or parts) during dog-deer seasons, on DNR-permitted tracts (leased 1,000+ contiguous acres or owned 250+ acres); apply 30 days ahead; permit number on all dogs and vehicles.

Bear with dogs

Prohibited in Northern Zone except Chattahoochee and Chestatee WMA dog-bear quota hunt; prohibited in Central Zone; allowed in Southern Zone except Lanier and Lowndes (still hunting only). Prohibited on Chattahoochee NF outside designated WMAs.

Dogs on WMAs

No big game, feral hog or coyote hunting with dogs unless specified; dogs marked with owner name/address/phone; raccoons with trail dogs only; rabbit trail dogs limited to beagles, bassets and dachshunds; dogs picked up by noon the day after a night hunt.

Training dogs on private land

Hunting license required (except own/immediate family land); no closed season; unlawful to run deer with dogs except in dog-deer season or to take game while training except in season.

Night, lights, electronics and drones

Night hunting

Alligators, raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes, bobcats and feral hogs may be hunted at night; lights for raccoon/opossum/fox/bobcat carried on body, hat/helmet or belt. No night hunting of hogs or coyotes on WMAs/National Forests.

Lights

Unlawful to blind wildlife with lights.

Electronic calls and devices

Electronically amplified sounds unlawful for game except electronic calls for bobcats, crows, foxes and coyotes (and feral hogs on WMAs). Electronic communications equipment may not be used to aid pursuit of game.

Drones

Unlawful to use a drone to locate any game species on public or private land. Drones may be used to locate feral hogs on private land subject to O.C.G.A. 27-3-24; not on public land.

Remote and computer-assisted hunting

Unlawful to use a computer or other device to remotely discharge a firearm for hunting.

Vehicles, property and conduct

Vehicles, boats and aircraft

Unlawful to hunt from a vehicle, plane, or boat under power; unlawful to hunt or shoot from or across a public road or discharge a firearm within 50 yards of a public road.

Trespass and permission

Landowner permission required, including on power line, gas line, railroad and other rights-of-way; written permission required if land is posted. Hunting from a stand attached to a transmission tower is trespassing.

Prohibited devices and substances

Unlawful to use drugs, poisons, chemicals, smoke, gas or explosives, or pitfalls, deadfalls, snares, catches, nets, live decoys or baited hooks to take game.

Dens

Unlawful to disturb wildlife dens, holes or homes or drive wildlife from them.

Hunting under the influence

Unlawful to hunt under the influence of drugs or alcohol (O.C.G.A. 27-3-7).

Wanton waste

Unlawful to kill or cripple game without reasonable effort to retrieve.

Sale of game

Unlawful to sell or buy game or parts, except antlers, hides and tails of legal deer, squirrel tails, hides of legally trapped furbearers and legal alligator products.

Multiple licenses

Unlawful to obtain, possess or use multiple licenses or harvest records to circumvent bag limits.

After the harvest

Harvest Record and Georgia Game Check

Alligator, bear, deer and turkey hunters need a current free Harvest Record; record date and county before moving the animal; report through Georgia Game Check within 24 hours (app, online, 1-800-366-2661). Bears must also be presented for tagging by zone; alligators carry a CITES tag.

Transporting game killed by another

Deer: written name, address, phone, license number and Game Check confirmation number of the hunter. Migratory birds: hunter signature, address, number by species and dates.

Deer head and processors

Head may not be removed until processed, surrendered to storage, or submitted for CWD testing; processors/coolers must receive name, date, county, sex and Game Check number.

Deer in water

Unlawful to take a deer while it is in a lake, stream or pond.

Carcass disposal and import (CWD)

Statewide disposal: leave on property of kill, commercial processor, household trash/landfill, or approved deep burial/incineration. Cervids from outside Georgia: only deboned meat, hides without heads, cleaned skull plates/antlers/teeth/jaws, finished taxidermy.

Feral hog transport

Live hogs may not be transported without a GDA permit; processors of hogs for a fee need a GDA Meat Inspection license.

WMAs, national forest and special waters

WMA sign-in and land access

Sign-in required for all WMA bear, deer and turkey hunts; anyone 16+ entering a WMA or PFA needs a license allowing state-land hunting/fishing or a Lands Pass.

WMA prohibited acts

Man-drives (3+ hunters driving deer/hogs); baiting; target practice off ranges; hunting within 50 yards of open roads; driving around gates; alcohol outside designated campsites; drones; dogs for big game/hogs/coyotes unless specified; loaded firearms in vehicles during open season (non-carriers); cocked crossbows in vehicles; trapping without permit.

WMA vehicles and camping

Vehicles on open roads only; ATVs on open roads 2 hours before sunrise to 2 hours after sunset the day before and during hunts by participating hunters; camping limited to 14 consecutive days; loaded firearms prohibited in camping areas except lawful weapons carriers.

Tree stands and hunting structures on WMAs

Only portable or natural stands; none on utility poles; big game/hog structures placed no sooner than one day before the hunt and removed by noon the day after; small game structures only on the hunt day.

National Forest rules

No discharge within 150 yards of residences, campsites or developed sites, across Forest Service roads or water bodies, or into caves; no loaded weapons in vehicles; hogs daylight only; no night hunting of coyotes; no placing food or bait that attracts wildlife.

Waterfowl reservoir restrictions

No hunting within 600 ft of docks/houses/structures etc. on Lakes Allatoona, Lanier and Walter F. George; within 300 ft on Georgia Power north Georgia lakes and on Blackshear, Oconee, Seminole, Sinclair and Oliver.

Closed areas

Counties or parts not opened by law or regulation are closed; Morgan Falls Lake (Bull Sluice) in Fulton County and Willeo Creek closed to all hunting.

Shooting preserves

Pen-raised birds on licensed preserves need a hunting license or shooting preserve license; bobwhite quail may be hunted Oct. 1-Mar. 31 on licensed preserves.

Orange, pink and young hunters

Hunter orange / blaze pink

500 sq in of fluorescent orange or blaze pink above the waist for deer, bear and hog hunters (and companions) during primitive weapons and firearms deer/bear seasons; archers too except in archery-only counties/areas.

Youth supervision

Under 16: direct supervision by a licensed adult able to take immediate control of the firearm (12-15 with hunter education may hunt alone). On WMA big game youth hunts one adult per child and the adult may not hunt.

Baiting, Sundays and Game Check in Georgia

Corn for deer and hogs is legal on Georgia private land in every county with written permission, but the 200-yard and 10-day rules still decide when a turkey or dove hunt is legal near it.

Topic	Rule
What counts as bait	Bait: corn, wheat, other grains, salts, apples and other feed placed, exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered so as to lure, attract or entice game animals or game birds.
The general rule	Unlawful to hunt any game animal (except as noted) or game bird on, over, around or within 200 yards of bait, or to hunt an area for 10 days after complete removal of all bait; unlawful to hunt game or feral hogs over bait, or place bait, on any state or federally managed land; unlawful to place bait so as to make hunting on adjacent property unlawful.
Deer and hogs on private land	Deer and feral hogs may be hunted over or near any bait on private land in all counties, provided the hunter has written permission from the landowner.
Public land	No baiting or hunting over bait for any game or feral hog on state or federally managed lands (including WMAs and National Forests).
Bears	No hunting bears over bait. Taking big game other than deer over bait: fine of $5,000 and/or imprisonment up to 12 months (guide).
Turkeys	Placing bait for deer or hogs may make a property (or part of it) un-huntable for other species such as turkeys.
Doves and ducks	Federal baiting rules (50 CFR Part 20) apply to migratory birds.
CWD feeding advice	Recommendations (not rules): broadcast bait/feed over 500+ sq ft; avoid troughs, gravity feeders, salt licks or piles on the ground; move feeding sites periodically; limit baiting/feeding to times when actively hunting.

Sunday hunting

The 2026-27 guide imposes no statewide Sunday restriction: statewide seasons run on consecutive dates including Sundays, and WMA/VPA listings schedule some hunts on Sundays. Individual WMAs, refuges and Corps lakes may restrict days of the week in their own listings.

Harvest reporting

Harvest Record required (free, any age); record date and county before moving the animal; report via Georgia Game Check within 24 hours (app, GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com, 1-800-366-2661) and write the confirmation number on paper records.

No Sunday statute was found among the Title 27 section headings, so none is cited. Sources: definitions and baiting; CWD guidance; season tables; Game Check, current on October 13, 2026.

Georgia hunting penalties and fines

A Title 27 violation is a misdemeanor unless the code says otherwise. Bear cases carry fines up to $5,000, a three-year loss of privileges and at least $1,500 restitution per bear.

General penalty

Any violation of Title 27 (Game and Fish) is a misdemeanor unless otherwise specified (O.C.G.A. 27-1-38).

Baiting big game other than deer

Guide: fine of $5,000 and/or imprisonment up to 12 months. Statute: misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature (O.C.G.A. 27-3-9(b)(4)).

Bear violations

O.C.G.A. 27-3-26: fine $500-$5,000, up to 12 months confinement, or both; hunting and fishing privileges suspended 3 years; restitution of at least $1,500 per bear; equipment (not vehicles) forfeited.

Harvest recording and reporting

O.C.G.A. 27-3-29: misdemeanor, fine up to $200, up to 30 days, or both.

Hunting under the influence

O.C.G.A. 27-3-7: conviction suspends hunting privileges 1 year (0.08+ test) or 2 years (refusal), until a DUI risk reduction program is completed and a $200 restoration fee ($500 recidivist) is paid; hunting while suspended is a misdemeanor.

Transport or release of live feral hogs

Loss of hunting privileges up to 3 years and fine of $1,500-$5,000.

Quota hunt fraud