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Georgia · 2026
Georgia Hunter Education Courses and Hunting Classes
Dates, hosts and venues for classes across Georgia, checked October 13, 2026.
Photo: Wesley Fryer (CC BY 2.0)
Georgia classes in numbers
13 Georgia classes are still to come and 0 finished ones have posted winners, 13 altogether. WRD and National Deer Association lead the host count.
Start with Jasper County, Charlton County and Newton County if you live close. The regional spread is Region 4 (Fitzgerald) (4), Region 6 (Brunswick) (3), Region 2 (Gainesville) (3), Region 3 (Thomson) (2) and Region 1 (Armuchee) (1). Next up is Charlton County 4H Office- Hunter Education Course on Oct 12–13, 2026.
Dates for Georgia classes
Search by chapter, club, town or county with the box above.
| Day | Event | Run by | Place | Hours and cost | Entry or tickets | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 12–13, 2026 | Charlton County 4H Office- Hunter Education Course · hunter education | WRD | Charlton County 4H Office, Folkston, Charlton Co. | starts 5:00 PM; 13 of 25 seats taken | Register | Source |
| Oct 23–25, 2026 | Georgia Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) 15th Annual Weekend Workshop · Becoming an Outdoors-Woman | WRD | Clybel WMA, Mansfield, Newton Co. | full, waitlist open | Source | |
| Oct 24, 2026 | American Legion Post 305- Hunter Ed Course · hunter education | WRD | America Legion Post 305, Fairmount, Gordon Co. | starts 8:00 AM; 6 of 50 seats taken | Register | Source |
| Oct 24, 2026 | Hunter Education (Johnson County) · hunter education | WRD | Light House Outreach Center, Kite, Johnson Co. | starts 8:00 AM; 8 of 30 seats taken | Register | Source |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Echols County Extension/4H Office (Hunter Education Course) · hunter education | WRD | Echols County Extension/4H Office, Statenville, Echols Co. | starts 9:00 AM; 14 of 20 seats taken | Register | Source |
| Nov 7, 2026 | Oglethorpe 4H Building- Hunter Education Course · hunter education | WRD | Oglethorpe 4H Building, Crawford, Oglethorpe Co. | starts 8:00 AM; 26 of 75 seats taken | Register | Source |
| Nov 14, 2026 | Georgia Deer Management in an Agricultural Landscape · deer management seminar | National Deer Association | Gaskins Forest Education Center, Alapaha, Berrien Co. | 11 am-3 pm; Free (registration requested) | Register | Source |
| Nov 23, 2026 | Candler County Extension- Hunter Ed Course · hunter education | WRD | Candler County Extension, Matter, Candler Co. | starts 8:00 AM; 0 of 30 seats taken | Register | Source |
| Feb 24–25, 2027 | East Jackson Middle School- Hunter Education Course · hunter education | WRD | East Jackson Middle School, Commerce, Jackson Co. | starts 4:00 PM; 0 of 40 seats taken | Register | Source |
| Feb 27, 2027 | Hunter Education (Jeff Davis) · hunter education | WRD | Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Hazlehurst, Jeff Davis Co. | starts 8:00 AM; 0 of 40 seats taken | Register | Source |
| Mar 20, 2027 | Hunter Education (SSEC) · hunter education | WRD | Shooting Sports Education Center, Statesboro, Bulloch Co. | starts 8:30 AM; 0 of 25 seats taken | Register | Source |
| Mar 20, 2027 | S.H.A.R.P. Turkey · S.H.A.R.P. skills day | WRD | Clybel WMA, Mansfield, Jasper Co. | starts 9:00 AM; 0 of 24 seats taken; $30.00 | Register | Source |
| May 29, 2027 | S.H.A.R.P. Trapping · S.H.A.R.P. skills day | WRD | Clybel WMA, Mansfield, Jasper Co. | starts 9:00 AM; 0 of 24 seats taken; $30.00 | Register | Source |
Every row links to the page its date came from: the Go Outdoors Georgia event listings, the DU Georgia feed, the NWTF event finder, RMEF, the American Field calendar and club pages. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
Georgia hunter education: the rules
The classroom course is free; the online routes and exemptions are listed here too.
| What the regulations say | |
|---|---|
| Course required for | Everyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1961 must complete a hunter education course before buying a season hunting license. Courses certified by any state wildlife agency or Canadian province are accepted. |
| Exempt hunters | Not required to buy an Apprentice or other short-term license; not required to hunt one's own land or land of a parent/guardian (same household); shooting-preserve pen-raised birds may be hunted with preserve-provided safety instruction. Lifetime license buyers must complete it before hunting unless exempt. |
| Youth | Hunters under 16 need no course but must be under direct supervision of a licensed adult in position to take immediate control of the firearm. Exception: hunters 12-15 who have completed hunter education may hunt unsupervised (special restrictions on WMAs and federal areas). |
| 16 through 25 | Must show a hunter education card when buying a season license and carry it while hunting. |
| Try before the course | Apprentice Hunting & Fishing License ($5 one day resident, $30 nonresident; extra days $1/$10 up to 11 days) lets someone without hunter education hunt; supervision is not stated as a condition in the guide. |
| Formats and cost | Free in-person classroom course; free online course for students under 16 (HUNTINGsmart); free NRA Foundation online course for all ages; paid online providers (Ilearntohunt, HUNTERcourse.com, Hunter-ed.com incl. Spanish, HUNTINGsmart, Hunter Ed Course, Recademics). Bowhunter education optional online. Graduates get a free 3-month pass to DNR shooting ranges. |
Georgia hunter education rules, checked October 13, 2026.
| Class type | Upcoming |
|---|---|
| Hunter education | 9 |
| S.H.A.R.P. skills day | 2 |
| Becoming an Outdoors-Woman | 1 |
| Deer management seminar | 1 |
| County | Hunter education classes |
|---|---|
| Charlton | 1 |
| Gordon | 1 |
| Johnson | 1 |
| Echols | 1 |
| Oglethorpe | 1 |
| Candler | 1 |
| Jackson | 1 |
| Jeff Davis | 1 |
| Bulloch | 1 |
The nearest Georgia classes
Sorted by distance after one location check in your browser.
Straight-line miles to the venue, the town, or the county center when that is all the host gave.
The Georgia class year, month by month
In Georgia the busiest months are September, August and October.
Finished dates are counted along with upcoming ones, 118 in all.
Georgia classes, grounds, halls and hosts
Click any county for its either-sex days, bear zone and public land around the venue.
| Place | Town | County page | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clybel WMA | Mansfield | Jasper | 2 |
| America Legion Post 305 | Fairmount | Gordon | 1 |
| Candler County Extension | Matter | Candler | 1 |
| Charlton County 4H Office | Folkston | Charlton | 1 |
| East Jackson Middle School | Commerce | Jackson | 1 |
| Echols County Extension/4H Office | Statenville | Echols | 1 |
| Gaskins Forest Education Center | Alapaha | Berrien | 1 |
| Light House Outreach Center | Kite | Johnson | 1 |
| Mt. Zion Baptist Church | Hazlehurst | Jeff Davis | 1 |
| Oglethorpe 4H Building | Crawford | Oglethorpe | 1 |
| Shooting Sports Education Center | Statesboro | Bulloch | 1 |
| Clybel WMA | Mansfield | Newton | 1 |
Gear to take to Georgia classes
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Hunter education manual
Read through the material before the classroom day at the 4-H office or church hall.
Blaze orange hat
The first purchase for a newly certified Georgia hunter heading to a WMA in October.
Send in a date for Georgia classes
Sportsman’s clubs, 4-H leaders and WRD staff all use this form. Every submission is checked against the page you link, then filed on the matching county and event-type pages.
Next stops beyond Georgia classes
Most of these dates sit right beside a season: hunter education before the October gun opener, chapter banquets in the late winter run-up to spring gobbler, Hunt and Learn days timed to dove, deer and rabbit openers.
Asked about Georgia classes
What about a license for Georgia classes?
Not to sit the class; the course is what qualifies a new hunter for a season license.
How does Georgia class registration work?
Registration happens on the host’s own site, linked from every row. Go Outdoors Georgia handles WRD listings, with a seat count on each.
How many Georgia classes does this page track?
All told 13.
When were these Georgia classes verified?
October 13, 2026. Finished classes without results come off.
Which clubs put on Georgia classes?
WRD and National Deer Association, from most to fewest dates.
When is the next Georgia class?
Charlton County 4H Office- Hunter Education Course, Oct 12–13, 2026, Charlton County 4H Office, Folkston, Charlton Co.
Which month has the most Georgia classes?
September, which holds 34 of them.
What counties see the most Georgia classes?
Jasper County (2), Charlton County (1), Newton County (1), Gordon County (1) and Johnson County (1). By WRD region: Region 4 (Fitzgerald) (4), Region 6 (Brunswick) (3), Region 2 (Gainesville) (3), Region 3 (Thomson) (2) and Region 1 (Armuchee) (1).
What were the most recent Georgia class results?
No results; nobody is ranked.