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2026-27 · Green zone
Elbert County Hunting
Built from the 2026-27 Georgia regulations and Game Check: zone rules for Elbert County, public land, harvest history, sunrise times and businesses that serve hunters.
Photo: Shawn Taylor (CC BY 2.0)
Elbert County belongs to WRD Game Management Region 2 and spans 351 square miles around Elberton. Its 2024 Census estimate is 20,152 residents (+2.6% since 2020). 3 public areas have ground in the county; 2 are WMAs. Elberton has roughly 3,461 public acres within 10 miles, by GIS measure.
Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates (population), WRD region and zones from the GA County Zones layer, public acres within 10 miles from WRD, USFS, USFWS and DoD boundaries. Checked October 13, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Elbert County
Elbert County: doe days, bears, gators and bait
Elbert County is a Green zone county, the most liberal colour: deer of either sex are legal on private land every day of archery, primitive weapons and firearms season, 88 firearms days in all. The season limit counts all of Georgia: 12 deer, with a cap of 2 bucks and 10 antlerless.
Every county in the Green zone
Antler rule
No county-wide antler restriction here. Statewide, the second of your two bucks must have at least 4 points on one side or a 15-inch spread.
CWD status
Elbert County is outside the CWD Management Area. Testing is optional here but free through cooperating processors and taxidermists.
Bait on private land
Private land: bait allowed for deer and hogs with written landowner permission. Public land: no bait, and no hunting within 200 yards of it.
Bear zone
There is no open bear season here.
Zones from the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division either-sex days, bear and turkey rules and 2026-27 guide (PDF); DMU from the GA County Zones layer. Checked October 13, 2026.
Elbert County: dates for every game animal
From the September archery opener through the last rabbit days, 23 segments apply to Elbert County this season.
| Species | Segment | Where | Opening day | Closing day | Open? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery | Private land | Sep 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery (Either-Sex) | Green zone | Sep 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms (Antlerless Only) | Green zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Primitive Weapons (Either-Sex) | Green zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 16, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Primitive weapons & youth-only firearms | Statewide | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 16, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Firearms (Either-Sex) | Green zone | Oct 17, 2026 | Jan 10, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Special Opportunity (youth under 16 and mobility-impaired) | Private land | Mar 20, 2027 | Mar 21, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring gobbler | Private land | Mar 27, 2027 | May 15, 2027 | |
| Feral hog | Private land | Private land | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Bobwhite quail | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 14, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 15, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Rabbits | Hunting | Statewide | Nov 14, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Squirrels | Hunting (gray and fox squirrel) | Statewide | Aug 15, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Year-round (unprotected) | Private land | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Private land | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Opossum | Hunting | Private land | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Gray and red fox | Hunting (gray and red fox) | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Armadillo | Year-round (unprotected) | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Groundhog | Year-round (unprotected) | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Beaver | Year-round (unprotected) | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Nutria | Year-round (unprotected) | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
From the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division 2026-27 big game seasons, either-sex days and small game seasons, checked October 13, 2026.
Elbert County: WMAs plus other public acres
Elbert County has 3 listed public areas; the map pins them along with 5 close by over the county line. Lighter pins mark Hart County WMA and Broad River WMA, which sit outside Elbert County.
| Area | Type | Acres | Quota hunts | Game listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elbert County WMA | WMA | 2,500 | — | deer, turkey, coyote… |
| Lower Broad River WMA | WMA | 1,500 (all) | Yes | deer, turkey, dove… |
| Richard B. Russell State Park | State park | 2,508 | Yes | deer |
Also near the county: Hart County WMA (13 miles), Broad River WMA (17 miles), Richard B. Russell Lake (19 miles), Fishing Creek WMA (23 miles), Hartwell Lake (24 miles).
There is a state-managed dove field in Elbert County. Dove field list.
Public land from WRD area listings in the 2026-27 guide, the WRD WMA boundary layer, USFS, USFWS and Corps pages, checked October 13, 2026. Acres within 10 miles of the county seat are a GIS measure. All Georgia public land · Quota hunts.
Elbert County deer: Game Check reports by season
Hunters reported 2,075 deer from Elbert County through Game Check in 2025-26: 1,046 bucks and 1,029 does. WRD’s compliance-adjusted estimate is 2,786, or 5.54 deer per square mile (17th by density). That is 7% above the 2016-17 report of 1,942; the best season in the series was 2018-19 at 2,411. With firearms season still ahead, 2026-27 reports reached 247 by Oct. 12.
| Season | Game Check total | Antlered | Antlerless | Adjusted estimate | Deer/sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 (to Oct. 12) | 247 | 83 | 164 | 340 | 0.66 |
| 2025-26 | 2,075 | 1,046 | 1,029 | 2,786 | 5.54 |
| 2024-25 | 2,365 | 1,236 | 1,129 | 3,236 | 6.32 |
| 2023-24 | 2,191 | 1,097 | 1,094 | 2,640 | 5.86 |
| 2022-23 | 1,982 | 1,041 | 941 | 2,675 | 5.30 |
| 2021-22 | 2,162 | 1,182 | 980 | 2,886 | 5.78 |
| 2020-21 | 2,182 | 1,103 | 1,079 | 2,852 | 5.83 |
| 2019-20 | 2,194 | 1,047 | 1,147 | 3,112 | 5.86 |
| 2018-19 | 2,411 | 1,171 | 1,240 | 3,493 | 6.44 |
| 2017-18 | 2,148 | 1,123 | 1,025 | 3,040 | 5.74 |
| 2016-17 | 1,942 | 997 | 945 | 2,668 | 5.19 |
Deer checked on public land in Elbert County
| WMA | 2025 season | 2024 season |
|---|---|---|
| Elbert County WMA | 32 | 37 |
| Lower Broad River WMA | 23 | 17 |
WRD DeerHarvestReports service and deer harvest dashboard (county summary; 2026-27 through Oct. 12, 2026 and provisional). Adjusted values and per-square-mile figures are WRD’s. Checked October 13, 2026.
Beyond deer: Elbert County harvest figures
Elbert County produced 69 reported toms in 2026; its best spring since 2016 was 2020 with 125. The limit is one gobbler a day and two a season; only gobblers may be taken. On public land, Lower Broad River WMA (2) and Elbert County WMA (1) reported birds in 2026.
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gobblers | 83 | 61 | 62 | 53 | 54 | 69 |
Turkey: WRD Turkey Harvest service (Game Check, not adjusted). Checked October 13, 2026.
After the shot in Elbert County: who to call
Distances are straight-line miles from the middle of Elbert County.
Taking a deer in
Processors from the Georgia Wildlife Federation list accept Hunters for the Hungry donations.
For a mount
Guides and plantations
Where to buy a license
Region offices
Processors: Georgia Hunters for the Hungry, WRD CWD drop-off sites and directory listings; shops from the Go Outdoors Georgia license agent locator and directories; guides from Discover Georgia Outdoors; offices from WRD, DNR Law Enforcement and USFS. Checked October 13, 2026; call ahead. All Georgia hunting services.
Elbert County: daily hunting hours
In Georgia, legal hunting hours run from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Doves, ducks and other migratory birds stop at sunset.
Worked out for Elbert County in Eastern time from the rule in the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division guide (hunting hours). Hogs, coyotes, raccoons and some furbearers may be hunted at night on private land; check the guide. Shooting hours for every county.
Elbert County base towns and next-door counties
Population figures come from the Census 2024 estimates; unincorporated places have none.
- Elbertoncounty seat · 4,760 residents · 3,461 public acres within a 10-mile radius
Adjacent Georgia counties: 5; across the state line, Abbeville (SC), Anderson (SC) and McCormick (SC).
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Can you burn in Elbert County?
- When a permit is needed: Year-round.
- Georgia EPD Summer Burn Ban counties (May 1 to Sep 30): Elbert County is not on this list.
- Who sets a ban: (1) The State Forester/GFC Director may order outdoor burning banned in one or more counties when drought or other conditions make burning unusually hazardous (O.C.G.A.
- Warming fires: Georgia DNR WMAs: Rule 391-4-2-.60(8) allows camping and other recreational use year-round unless indicated or posted otherwise at the check station or site.
Elbert County: where to shoot
Elbert County holds 3 listed ranges, including Bobby Brown Archery Range from the WRD list.
Facilities: Static Archery Range with 4 Targets, 20 3-D Target Trail
Lines for trap, skeet, sporting clays, 5-stand, rifle, handgun and archery
Lines for archery and 3D archery
Ranges from the WRD range list and directory listings, checked October 13, 2026.
Elbert County, dinners, courses and trials
NWTF banquet and adaptive hunt account for 3 upcoming events here.
Upcoming
| Date | Event | Where | Sign up | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 27–28, 2026 | Adaptive/Supported Hunt – DEER Private Land at Bobby Brown · Adaptive hunt | Elberton, Elbert Co. | Apply | Source |
| Nov 2–3, 2026 | Adaptive/Supported Hunt – DEER at Richard B Russell State Park · Adaptive hunt | Richard B. Russell State Park, Elberton, Elbert Co. | Apply | Source |
| Feb 27, 2027 | Granite City Chapter · NWTF banquet | Elbert, Elbert Co. | Buy tickets | Source |
Elbert County FAQ
Can I bring a deer from another state into Elbert County?
Only boned meat, hides without heads, clean antlers and skulls, and finished taxidermy.
Is a blaze orange hat enough in Elbert County?
Only if your outer garments total 500 square inches above the waist.
When can I shoot a doe in Elbert County?
Elbert County is in the Green zone: 88 firearms days are either sex, the whole season plus Oct. 3-4. Archery and primitive weapons are either sex.
Where can I get a deer cut and wrapped in Elbert County?
Our list puts Lakeside Taxidermy & Deer Processing, Parhamtown Processing LLC and Bond Processing LLC closest.
How many gobblers can I take in Elbert County?
One a day and two a season, statewide.
What was the best recent deer season in Elbert County?
2018-19, with 2,411 deer reported through Game Check.
How much public land does Elbert County have?
3 listed areas touch it, Elbert County WMA and Lower Broad River WMA among them.
Does Elbert County have any bear hunting dates?
None. WRD opens bears only in the three zone groups of counties.
Does the Outdoors GA app work without signal in Elbert County?
Yes, Game Check in the app works without cell service.
Answers drawn from the 2026-27 Georgia hunting guide, big game seasons, harvest reporting rules, WRD Game Check data and the sources cited above. Checked October 13, 2026.
Loose ends before Elbert County
Quota hunt deadlines come early; apply through Go Outdoors Georgia well ahead.
Sources: WRD 2026-27 hunting guide (PDF), big game seasons, Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, Census and the agencies linked in each section. Checked October 13, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Shawn Taylor (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Midwest Region (Public domain); chumlee10 (CC BY-SA 2.0); DaPuglet (CC BY-SA 2.0); Petit Jeano (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Geological Survey (CC0 1.0); ZionNPS (CC BY 2.0).