Georgia Deer Registry · harvest history
Georgia Hunting Records
The minimum scores for the Georgia Deer Registry, then the records WRD keeps in numbers: deer harvest since 2016, spring gobblers, black bears since 1979 and the alligator quota hunt since 2003.
Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Georgia Deer Registry minimum scores
Scores follow the Boone and Crockett system, taken by an official measurer after the antlers dry 60 days. Entry is free and has no deadline.
WRD Game Management program recognizing quality white-tailed deer legally taken under fair chase in Georgia, scored by an official Boone & Crockett measurer (antlers dried 60 days). No entry fee, no deadline; certificate issued. Pick-ups must meet firearms minimums; sheds, velvet, split skull plates and altered antlers ineligible; deer already accepted by Boone & Crockett or Pope & Young qualify automatically.
| Antler category | Firearms minimum | Archery minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Typical | 145 | 120 |
| Non-typical | 170 | 145 |
WRD lists a "Hog Down Awards Program" among feral hog resources; no details printed. No statewide record list exists beyond the registry, so no single “state record” buck or bear is named here.
Sources: Deer Registry rules PDF; WRD registry page; feral hog resources, last reviewed October 13, 2026.
Georgia deer harvest since 2016
WRD’s estimate for 2025-26 was 298,302 deer, 163,601 of them does, the highest of the ten complete seasons in the series. The low point was 2016-17, at 258,038.
Top counties, 2025-26
By physiographic region, 2020-21
| Region | Bucks | Does | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Mountain | 2,948 | 1,375 | 4,323 |
| Ridge and Valley | 11,100 | 9,140 | 20,240 |
| Piedmont | 54,355 | 58,073 | 112,428 |
| Upper Coastal Plain | 40,241 | 53,829 | 94,070 |
| Lower Coastal Plain | 17,520 | 21,540 | 39,060 |
The 2020-21 summary counted 209,124 deer hunters. The Piedmont region led that table with 112,428 deer, 42 percent of the regional total.
Estimates are WRD’s compliance-adjusted figures; the 2023-24 PDF printed 298,022, slightly off the dashboard. Sources: WRD DeerHarvestReports; deer dashboard; 2020-21 summary, last reviewed October 13, 2026.
Georgia spring turkey harvest
Spring 2020 is the high mark at 14,412 reported gobblers. The 2026 season closed with 12,634.
Top counties, spring 2026
2024 hunter survey
Sources: turkey harvest service; 2024 turkey report, last reviewed October 13, 2026.
Georgia black bear harvest by zone
Hunters took 490 bears in 2025: 326 in the Northern zone, 157 in the Southern zone and 7 in the one-day Central zone hunt.
| Zone | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Zone | 306 | 499 | 326 |
| Central Zone | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Southern Zone | 175 | 95 | 157 |
| Statewide | 484 | 599 | 490 |
North Georgia, 2025
County bear figures exist for north Georgia only. Sources: 2025 bear summary; WRD harvest summaries, last reviewed October 13, 2026.
Georgia alligator quota hunt records
The longest alligator in the reports came in 2019 at 170 inches. Zone 2, covering Baker, Decatur, Grady, Miller, Mitchell and Seminole counties, gave up the most gators in 2024 with 111.
| Season | Permits | Taken | Average length, in. | Longest, in. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,030 | 408 | 104 | 164 |
| 2023 | 1,030 | 471 | 104 | 162 |
| 2022 | 1,030 | 390 | 99 | 142 |
| 2021 | 1,030 | 391 | 98 | 150 |
| 2020 | 1,030 | 372 | 102 | 164 |
| 2019 | 1,000 | 326 | 104 | 170 |
| 2018 | 1,000 | 278 | 103 | 162 |
| 2017 | 1,000 | 194 | 104 | 161 |
| 2016 | 1,000 | 248 | 101 | 162 |
| 2015 | 1,121 | 326 | 102 | 169 |
| 2014 | 850 | 238 | 100 | 159 |
| 2013 | 850 | 247 | 98 | 167 |
| 2012 | 850 | 253 | 99 | 161 |
| 2011 | 850 | 219 | 102 | 160 |
| 2010 | 850 | 306 | 101 | 165 |
| 2009 | 700 | 193 | 103 | 161 |
| 2008 | 551 | 173 | 104 | 163 |
| 2007 | 550 | 192 | 100 | 160 |
| 2006 | 500 | 185 | 95 | 160 |
| 2005 | 500 | 161 | 98 | 162 |
| 2004 | 300 | 101 | 100 | 158 |
| 2003 | 184 | 72 | 97 | 144 |
By zone, 2024
| Zone | Taken | Average length, in. |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 29 | 115.9 |
| Zone 2 | 111 | 110.9 |
| Zone 3 | 16 | 93.9 |
| Zone 4 | 18 | 92.7 |
| Zone 5 | 25 | 107.1 |
| Zone 6 | 30 | 100.6 |
| Zone 7 | 67 | 102.5 |
| Zone 8 | 80 | 97.1 |
| Zone 9 | 32 | 102.1 |
2024: 1,030 permits, 408 harvested, successful hunters averaged 3.3 days and 2.2 assistants. 2021 report is preliminary (Nov. 8, 2021).
The 2021 longest gator is 150 in. in the season report and 180 in. in another WRD summary; the season report is used. Sources: 2024 season report; 2023 report; harvest summaries, last reviewed October 13, 2026.
Georgia public tracts with the most deer reported
The ten public land units where hunters reported the most deer in 2025-26, WMAs, national forest outside WMAs, Corps land and the two Army posts included. Chattahoochee National Forest outside WMA led with 1,146.
| Area, as Game Check names it | Deer 2025-26 | Bucks | Does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chattahoochee National Forest outside WMA | 1,146 | 974 | 172 |
| Redlands WMA | 421 | 250 | 171 |
| Oconee National Forest outside WMA | 385 | 260 | 125 |
| Corps of Engineers, Clarks Hill Lake outside WMA (Lake Thurmond, Corps of Engineers) | 327 | 150 | 177 |
| Fort Stewart | 301 | 178 | 123 |
| Mayhaw WMA | 239 | 119 | 120 |
| Allatoona WMA | 197 | 115 | 82 |
| Fort Gordon | 189 | 117 | 72 |
| Flat Tub WMA | 170 | 60 | 110 |
| Chickasawhatchee WMA | 168 | 85 | 83 |
WMA counts are Game Check reports, not adjusted, and bonus-hunt deer checked at stations are not in Game Check. Sources: WRD deer by WMA, last reviewed October 13, 2026.
Georgia records and harvest questions
What score gets a buck into the Georgia Deer Registry?
145 typical or 170 non-typical for a firearms buck, and 120 typical or 145 non-typical for archery.
Does it cost anything to enter the registry?
No. There is no fee and no deadline, and WRD sends a certificate once an official measurer has scored the rack.
Can a found or shed antler be entered?
Pick-ups qualify if they meet the firearms minimums. Sheds, velvet antlers, split skull plates and altered antlers do not.
Is there a Georgia state record list?
Not beyond the Deer Registry. WRD keeps no separate state record book for bears, turkeys or other game.
How many deer were taken in 2025-26?
WRD estimated 298,302, from 206,677 Game Check reports: 103,907 bucks and 102,770 does reported.
Which county had the most deer?
Burke County, with an estimated 5,033 in 2025-26, ahead of Washington and Laurens.
How big do Georgia bears get?
In north Georgia in 2025 the average male weighed 209 pounds and the average female 155 pounds.
What is the longest alligator in the reports?
170 inches, from the 2019 season. The 2024 average was 104 inches.
Which spring had the most gobblers?
2020, with 14,412 reported through Game Check.
Before the truck leaves a Georgia driveway
Dates, fees and limits on this page come from the Wildlife Resources Division. Before a trip that depends on one of them, open the WRD source linked in the band.
Other photos on this page: Wesley Fryer (CC BY 2.0); Intermountain Region US Forest Service (Public domain); YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); Nicholas A. Tonelli (CC0 1.0); fishhawk (CC BY 2.0).