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WMA, southwest Georgia
Chickasawhatchee WMA A Hunter's Guide
19,700 acres of wma in Dougherty, Calhoun and Baker counties, with 2026-27 dates, harvest numbers, licenses and a map.
Photo: Toby Gray (CC0 1.0)
Chickasawhatchee WMA season dates, 2026-27
16 lines in this season's WRD listing apply to Chickasawhatchee WMA: deer, turkey, quail, dove, coyote and small game. The quota lines (6) add up to 777 hunters. Also marked: 1 bonus deer line and 2 youth lines.
| Game | Type | Dates | Marks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | Buck Only: Sept. 12-27 | — | |
| Deer | Archery | Sept. 28-Oct. 9, Dec. 24-Jan. 31 | — | |
| Deer | Primitive | Oct. 10-23 | — | |
| Deer | Firearms | Nov. 20-27, Dec. 18-23 | Youth | Deer hunting is not allowed during the quail quota hunts listed below. |
| Deer | Firearms | Nov. 5-7 | Quota 350 | Deer hunting is not allowed during the quail quota hunts listed below. |
| Deer | Firearms | Dec. 10-12 | Quota 350 Bonus deer | Deer hunting is not allowed during the quail quota hunts listed below. |
| Turkey | — | Apr. 3-9, 10-16, 17-23 | Quota 30 | |
| Turkey | — | Apr. 24-May 15 | — | |
| Quail | — | Nov. 14, Dec. 5, 26, Jan. 9, 16, 23 | Youth Quota 2 Sign-in | Daily bag limit is 3/person. Quail hunting on designated dates only. Maximum of 3 people/party on quota hunts. Daily bag limit is 3/person. Hunting party must check in at kiosk or online. Complete 1 harvest survey per party. |
| Quail | — | Nov. 14, Dec. 5, 26, Jan. 9, 16, 23 | Quota 5 Sign-in | Daily bag limit is 3/person. Quail hunting on designated dates only. Maximum of 3 people/party on quota hunts. Daily bag limit is 3/person. Hunting party must check in at kiosk or online. Complete 1 harvest survey per party. |
| Quail | — | Nov. 28, Dec. 8 | Sign-in | Daily bag limit is 3/person. Quail hunting on designated dates only. Maximum of 3 people/party on quota hunts. Daily bag limit is 3/person. Hunting party must check in at kiosk or online. Complete 1 harvest survey per party. |
| Dove | — | Sept. 5 | Quota 40 Sign-in | Quota on designated fields only. All other areas are open. |
| Dove | — | Sept. 12-Oct. 11, Nov. 21-29, Dec. 19-Jan. 31 | — | Quota on designated fields only. All other areas are open. |
| Coyote | — | May 16-31. Feral hogs may be hunted with dogs. | — | |
| Small game | — | State Seasons | — | No fox squirrel hunting. |
| Waterfowl | — | State Seasons | — |
Dates and symbols from the 2026-27 Georgia regulations listing, wording as printed by the source. Checked October 13, 2026.
Chickasawhatchee WMA by the numbers
Think of Chickasawhatchee WMA as a wildlife management area run by WRD spread over Dougherty, Calhoun and Baker counties. WRD handles it out of the Albany office (Game Management Region 5). It is run by the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division. Its 19,700 acres put it 16th by size among 121 WMAs on our list. The nearest covered town is Leary, around 6 miles off in a straight line.
Chickasawhatchee WMA, county by county
| County | Seat of county | People | Either-sex colour | Bear zone | Alligator | Deer checked, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dougherty County | Albany | 82,418 | Green | None | Zone 3 | 674 |
| Calhoun County | Morgan | 5,441 | Magenta | None | Zone 1 | 1,347 |
| Baker County | Newton | 2,732 | Magenta | None | Zone 2 | 1,041 |
From the source page (Georgia 2026-27 Hunting Regulations (eRegulations) area listing); counties and zones from the WRD county zone tables; county deer counts from WRD Game Check; population from the Census 2024 estimates. Checked October 13, 2026.
Deer and turkeys taken on Chickasawhatchee WMA
In 2025-26 the reported take on Chickasawhatchee WMA reached 168. The best season on the chart is 2023-24 at 195; the lowest, 115 in 2020-21. Early 2026-27 figure, still climbing: 17. The spring 2026 turkey count for Chickasawhatchee WMA was 8, out of 142 across the years shown. Treat them as a floor. They are Game Check entries, not adjusted totals.
Deer counts, Chickasawhatchee WMA
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | All deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 (in progress) | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| 2025-26 | 85 | 83 | 168 |
| 2024-25 | 111 | 65 | 176 |
| 2023-24 | 110 | 85 | 195 |
| 2022-23 | 124 | 64 | 188 |
| 2021-22 | 68 | 51 | 119 |
| 2020-21 | 71 | 44 | 115 |
| 2019-20 | 79 | 53 | 132 |
| 2018-19 | 73 | 52 | 125 |
| 2017-18 | 69 | 57 | 126 |
| 2016-17 | 69 | 64 | 133 |
Spring gobblers at Chickasawhatchee WMA
| Year | Gobblers |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | 8 |
| Spring 2025 | 7 |
| Spring 2024 | 1 |
| Spring 2023 | 7 |
| Spring 2022 | 3 |
| Spring 2021 | 17 |
| Spring 2020 | 26 |
| Spring 2019 | 19 |
| Spring 2018 | 21 |
| Spring 2017 | 19 |
| Spring 2016 | 14 |
Deer from WRD deer harvest reports, turkeys from WRD turkey harvest layer; as of 2026-10-13. Checked October 13, 2026.
Chickasawhatchee WMA described
Nothing here is our wording: it is the manager's own description.
Agency description
Chickasawhatchee Wildlife Management Area is located 12 miles southwest of Albany. The 19,700-acre WMA includes the Mike Commander Shooting Range, a managed dove field and campsites for tents and RVs. The property is a managed pine savannah that supports varied hunting opportunities, including for deer, turkey, dove, quail, small game, waterfowl and furbearers. Bird watchers will also find a number of different species at Chickasawhatchee. Dog training in designated area only.
What WRD planted for doves at Chickasawhatchee WMA
| Dove field | Region | Acres | Crops | Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chickasawhatchee WMA | 5 | 25 | browntop millet, Egyptian wheat | good |
Text and lists from the source page, Georgia regulations, WRD GIS, WRD GIS; retrieved 2026-10-13, checked October 13, 2026.
Chickasawhatchee WMA licenses and access
Ground rules, then the paperwork.
Chickasawhatchee WMA ground rules
Anyone 16 or older needs a Georgia hunting or fishing license, or a Lands Pass, just to enter. Online sign-in is mandatory for deer, bear and turkey; it opens the day ahead. A few dates are quota only, so apply ahead. Bonus-hunt deer are checked at the station on the day of harvest.
Chickasawhatchee WMA license checklist
Big game hunters add the Big Game License to a hunting license, or buy the Sportsman's, and always carry the free Harvest Record.
Three statewide rules for Chickasawhatchee WMA
Orange or blaze pink, 500 square inches above the waist, during primitive weapons and firearms deer and bear hunts. Hunting over bait is unlawful on every state or federal property, this one included. Every deer, turkey and bear goes into Game Check within 24 hours.
Chickasawhatchee WMA quota draws
Permits are non-transferable, and each unsuccessful year adds one priority point.
Driving to Chickasawhatchee WMA
From Albany: Take HWY 91 south 4 miles to jct. with HWY 62, turn right and go 15 miles, follow signs to check station.
Game at Chickasawhatchee WMA, with limits
Species with a season or a mention here: whitetails, gobblers, bobwhites, doves, coyotes, squirrels and rabbits, ducks and geese and feral hogs.
White-tailed deer
Listing starts with archery, Buck Only: Sept. 12-27.
Wild turkey
Listing starts with Apr. 3-9, 10-16, 17-23.
Bobwhite quail
Listing starts with Nov. 14, Dec. 5, 26, Jan. 9, 16, 23.
Small game
Listing starts with Nov. 14, Dec. 5, 26, Jan. 9, 16, 23.
Feral hog
Species from the area record; bag limits from the WRD bag limit table. Checked October 13, 2026.
Chickasawhatchee WMA on the map, with its neighbours
Chickasawhatchee WMA sits at the orange pin, with 3 public neighbours inside 30 miles. Their published acreage adds up to 8,200.
| Public ground | Type | Acres | Distance | Which way | Deer 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany Nursery WMA | WMA | 300 | 10 mi | northeast | 9 |
| Elmodel WMA | WMA | 1,600 | 10 mi | south | 30 |
| Mayhaw WMA | WMA | 6,300 | 29 mi | southwest | 239 |
Points from WRD, USFS, USFWS, NPS, DoD and Recreation.gov layers (WRD WMA Boundary GIS (polygon centroid)). Distances are straight-line. Statewide public land map.
Shooting range on Chickasawhatchee WMA
Chickasawhatchee WMA has its own public range: Mike Commander Archery Range and Mike Commander Shooting Range.
Facilities: 10-foot Shooting Tower, Static Targets, 3D Targets
Facilities: 200-yard Rifle Range, 25-yard Pistol Range, Classroom
- Each shooter needs a license or Lands Pass.
- Firearm lines require the free Range Safety Video Certification on Go Outdoors Georgia.
- The range bans green-tip rounds.
From the WRD range list and the GA DNR range layer, checked October 13, 2026.
Chickasawhatchee WMA: nearest towns and businesses
Closest towns first; businesses by county and distance.
| Town | County | Distance | Population | Public ground (10 mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leary | Calhoun | 6 mi | 497 | 19,838 |
| Newton | Baker | 11 mi | 560 | 4,378 |
| Morgan | Calhoun | 12 mi | 1,826 | 2,435 |
| Albany | Dougherty | 16 mi | 66,705 | 295 |
Read the county pages: Dougherty County, Calhoun County, Baker County.
Shops and processors by Chickasawhatchee WMA
WRD and ranger offices near Chickasawhatchee WMA
Towns and populations from the Census 2024 estimates; public acres within 10 miles from WRD, USFS, USFWS and DoD layers; businesses from WRD lists, store locators and listings; offices from WRD, DNR Law Enforcement and USFS pages. Checked October 13, 2026. Call ahead.
Gear picked for Chickasawhatchee WMA
Picked around the hunting done here; prices change daily.
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Hunting hours near Chickasawhatchee WMA
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 Chickasawhatchee WMA 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.
Chickasawhatchee WMA, asked and answered
What kind of place is Chickasawhatchee WMA?
The Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division manages this wildlife management area run by WRD.
Are feeders legal on Chickasawhatchee WMA?
No bait of any kind on public land.
Which town makes a good base for Chickasawhatchee WMA?
Leary is closest (6 miles); the ground is in Dougherty, Calhoun and Baker counties.
Is Chickasawhatchee WMA big enough for a full day?
19,700 acres, per Georgia 2026-27 Hunting Regulations (eRegulations) area listing.
Where do I sign in to hunt Chickasawhatchee WMA?
For bear, deer and turkey, yes, online, starting a day ahead.
Can I walk onto Chickasawhatchee WMA without a license?
Anyone 16 or older needs a Georgia hunting or fishing license, or a Lands Pass ($30.00 resident, $60.00 nonresident).
Can I turkey hunt Chickasawhatchee WMA in April?
Gobblers: Apr. 3-9, 10-16, 17-23. Public-land limit: one gobbler per area.
When is the first deer hunt at Chickasawhatchee WMA?
Deer begin with Buck Only: Sept. 12-27 (archery). More lines sit in the season table.
How do quota hunts work at Chickasawhatchee WMA?
Yes, 6 of them, by application.
What can be hunted at Chickasawhatchee WMA?
8 groups: whitetails, gobblers, bobwhites, doves, coyotes, squirrels and rabbits, ducks and geese and feral hogs.
How did Chickasawhatchee WMA do in 2025-26?
Reported deer, 2025-26: 168.
Is there a campground on Chickasawhatchee WMA?
Yes, in the designated camping areas.
Chickasawhatchee WMA: confirm before you go
Before the drive to Chickasawhatchee WMA, confirm the listing dates, your licenses and any posted closures.
Sources for this page: WRD: chickasawhatchee wma · Georgia regulations: wma regulations a c · WRD GIS · WRD GIS · WRD: dove · WRD GIS; regulations from the 2026-27 Georgia hunting regulations. Checked October 13, 2026.
Other photos on this page: docoverachiever (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region (Public domain).