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2026-27 · Green zone
Gordon County Hunting
Built from the 2026-27 Georgia regulations and Game Check: zone rules for Gordon County, public land, harvest history, sunrise times and businesses that serve hunters.
Photo: StephenGA (CC0 1.0)
Gordon County belongs to WRD Game Management Region 1 and spans 356 square miles around Calhoun. Its 2024 Census estimate is 60,765 residents (+5.6% since 2020). 5 public areas have ground in the county; 2 are WMAs. Calhoun has roughly 12,026 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 Gordon County
Gordon County: doe days, bears, gators and bait
Gordon 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
Gordon 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
Gordon County is in the Northern bear zone: archery Sept. 12-Oct. 9, primitive weapons Oct. 10-16, firearms Oct. 17-Jan. 10. No dogs.
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.
Gordon County: dates for every game animal
From the September archery opener through the last rabbit days, 26 segments apply to Gordon 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 | |
| Black bear | Archery | Northern bear zone | Sep 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Primitive weapons & youth-only firearms | Northern bear zone | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 16, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Firearms | Northern bear 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.
Gordon County: WMAs plus other public acres
Gordon County has 5 listed public areas; the map pins them along with 5 close by over the county line. Lighter pins mark McEntire Road VPA and Coosawattee WMA, which sit outside Gordon County.
| Area | Type | Acres | Quota hunts | Game listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John's Mountain WMA | WMA | 23,710 (all) | — | deer, bear, turkey… |
| Carter's Lake WMA | WMA | 3,300 (all) | Yes | deer, bear, turkey… |
| Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests | Federal | 869,017 (all) | — | bear, deer, turkey… |
| Conasauga Ranger District (Chattahoochee National Forest) | Federal | 188,617 (all) | — | bear, deer, turkey… |
| Carters Lake | Corps lake | — | — | — |
Also near the county: McEntire Road VPA (9 miles), Coosawattee WMA (10 miles), Pleasant Valley VPA (13 miles), Arrowhead WMA (16 miles), Conasauga River WMA (23 miles).
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.
Gordon County deer: Game Check reports by season
Hunters reported 2,894 deer from Gordon County through Game Check in 2025-26: 1,468 bucks and 1,426 does. WRD’s compliance-adjusted estimate is 3,876, or 8.09 deer per square mile (1st by density). That is 94% above the 2016-17 report of 1,491; the best season in the series was 2024-25 at 3,076. With firearms season still ahead, 2026-27 reports reached 294 by Oct. 12.
| Season | Game Check total | Antlered | Antlerless | Adjusted estimate | Deer/sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 (to Oct. 12) | 294 | 108 | 186 | 398 | 0.82 |
| 2025-26 | 2,894 | 1,468 | 1,426 | 3,876 | 8.09 |
| 2024-25 | 3,076 | 1,682 | 1,394 | 3,760 | 8.59 |
| 2023-24 | 2,535 | 1,374 | 1,161 | 3,072 | 7.08 |
| 2022-23 | 2,288 | 1,320 | 968 | 3,256 | 6.39 |
| 2021-22 | 1,961 | 1,149 | 812 | 2,853 | 5.48 |
| 2020-21 | 2,009 | 1,087 | 922 | 2,694 | 5.61 |
| 2019-20 | 2,023 | 1,035 | 988 | 2,540 | 5.65 |
| 2018-19 | 1,645 | 899 | 746 | 2,546 | 4.60 |
| 2017-18 | 1,617 | 963 | 654 | 2,463 | 4.52 |
| 2016-17 | 1,491 | 825 | 666 | 2,218 | 4.17 |
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: Gordon County harvest figures
Gordon County produced 207 reported toms in 2026; its best spring since 2016 was 2020 with 239. The limit is one gobbler a day and two a season; only gobblers may be taken.
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gobblers | 188 | 172 | 181 | 192 | 177 | 207 |
Bears in Gordon County
13 bears were legally taken in Gordon County from 2022 to 2025, 4 of them in 2025.
| Season | Legal bears | Male | Female | Road-kill | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2025 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Turkey: WRD Turkey Harvest service (Game Check, not adjusted). Bears: WRD north Georgia harvest summaries (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025). Checked October 13, 2026.
After the shot in Gordon County: who to call
Distances are straight-line miles from the middle of Gordon 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.
Gordon 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 Gordon 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.
Gordon County base towns and next-door counties
Population figures come from the Census 2024 estimates; unincorporated places have none.
- Calhouncounty seat · 19,592 residents · 12,026 public acres within a 10-mile radius
- Plainville357 residents · 12,524 public acres within a 10-mile radius
- Ranger7,595 public acres within a 10-mile radius
- Resaca1,137 residents · 31,080 public acres within a 10-mile radius
Adjacent Georgia counties: 8.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Burn bans and permits in Gordon County
- Permit season: Year-round.
- Georgia EPD Summer Burn Ban counties (May 1 to Sep 30): Gordon County is on this list.
- Burn bans come from: (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.
- Campfires while hunting: 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.
Gordon County: where to shoot
Gordon County holds 1 listed range; none of them is on the WRD list.
Lines for handgun, rifle and smallbore
Chestnut Mountain Shooting Range in Whitfield County is the nearest WRD range, about 12 miles. Open it
Upcoming in Gordon County
| When, name | Type | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 31-Nov 1, 2026 · Project Appleseed Pistol Clinic at Thompson Range | Class | Sign up |
Ranges from the WRD range list and directory listings, checked October 13, 2026.
Gordon County, dinners, courses and trials
NWTF banquet account for 1 upcoming event here.
Upcoming
| Date | Event | Where | Sign up | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 2027 | Appalachian Longbeards · NWTF banquet | Calhoun, Gordon Co. | Buy tickets | Source |
Gordon County FAQ
When can I shoot a doe in Gordon County?
Gordon 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 Gordon County?
Our list puts Sheriff's Meat Processing, Atchley Farms Meat Processing and R.B. Farms and Big Game Processing closest.
How many gobblers can I take in Gordon County?
One a day and two a season, statewide.
What was the best recent deer season in Gordon County?
2024-25, with 3,076 deer reported through Game Check.
How much public land does Gordon County have?
5 listed areas touch it, John's Mountain WMA and Carter's Lake WMA among them.
Can I use dogs for bears in Gordon County?
No, except the Chattahoochee and Chestatee WMA dog-bear quota hunt.
Does the Outdoors GA app work without signal in Gordon County?
Yes, Game Check in the app works without cell service.
Do I need permission to hunt over bait in Gordon County?
Yes, written permission from the landowner.
Can I bring a deer from another state into Gordon County?
Only boned meat, hides without heads, clean antlers and skulls, and finished taxidermy.
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 Gordon 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: Tamparitus (CC BY-SA 4.0); Russ (CC BY 2.0); Tamparitus (CC BY-SA 4.0); Tamparitus (CC BY-SA 4.0); StephenGA (CC0 1.0); Tamparitus (CC BY-SA 4.0); Thomson200 (CC0 1.0); Thomson200 (CC0 1.0); US Forest Service – Southern Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Forest Service Photography (Public Domain Mark 1.0).