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2026-27 WRD guide
Georgia Bear Zones
Three bear zones, 51 counties and three very different seasons: the north Georgia mountains, the Ocmulgee bottoms around Oaky Woods, and the Okefenokee country of southeast Georgia.
Photo: Nicholas A. Tonelli (CC0 1.0)
Only counties named in a bear zone have a bear season; the rest of Georgia is closed. The Northern zone gets the long season, with archery, primitive weapons and firearms segments into January. The Central zone, four counties around the Ocmulgee River south of Macon, has one firearms day. The Southern zone hunts four three-day weekends in September and October, with dogs allowed in most of it. Across all three, the limit is two bears a season, no more than one from the Central or Southern zone, and no sow with cubs or bear under 75 pounds.
Georgia bear zones, dates and check rules
Each card lists the zone’s season rows, where a bear is checked and every county in it.
Northern zone
Check and tag: hide and skull to a Game Management office (except Fitzgerald) or approved cooperator within 3 business days (or WMA check station 8 a.m.-8 p.m.).
Counties: Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Cobb, Dade, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Fulton, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Hart, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, Walton, White, Whitfield
Central zone
Check and tag: Oaky Woods WMA check station noon-9 p.m. hunt day.
Bear seasons and zones, 2026 bear zone map, bear tagging, checked October 13, 2026.
National forest bear dates and the dog-bear quota hunt
Chattahoochee National Forest land outside WMAs has its own bear segments, and dogs are allowed only on the Chattahoochee and Chestatee WMA quota hunt.
| Season | Where | Dates | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog-bear quota hunt | Chattahoochee and Chestatee WMAs | Oct 3 to Oct 11 | |
| Archery | Chattahoochee National Forest (outside WMAs) | Sep 12 to Oct 9 | |
| Archery, late segment | Chattahoochee National Forest (outside WMAs) | Jan 2 to Jan 10 | |
| Primitive weapons | Chattahoochee National Forest (outside WMAs) | Oct 10 to Oct 16 | |
| Firearms | Chattahoochee National Forest (outside WMAs) | Oct 17 to Jan 1 |
Prohibited in Northern Zone except Chattahoochee and Chestatee WMA dog-bear quota hunt; prohibited in Central Zone; allowed in Southern Zone except Lanier and Lowndes (still hunting only). Prohibited on Chattahoochee NF outside designated WMAs.
5 bears per party; no more than 2 per hunter; bears count toward the individual's statewide limit. Applications: Aug. 1-15.
Bear regulations, dog-bear quota hunt, checked October 13, 2026.
Bear harvest by zone and county
490 bears in 2025: 326 Northern, 7 Central, 157 Southern.
| Year | Northern | Central | Southern | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 326 | 7 | 157 | 490 |
| 2024 | 499 | 5 | 95 | 599 |
| 2023 | 306 | 3 | 175 | 484 |
| 2022 | 435 | 14 | 173 | 622 |
| 2021 | 363 | 6 | 136 | 505 |
| 2020 | 346 | 5 | 222 | 573 |
| 2019 | 372 | 1 | 148 | 521 |
| 2018 | 521 | 2 | 124 | 647 |
North Georgia legal bear harvest by county
| County | Zone | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumpkin | Northern | 49 | 50 | 32 | 44 |
| Murray | Northern | 49 | 69 | 46 | 64 |
| White | Northern | 38 | 59 | 36 | 72 |
| Dawson | Northern | 31 | 28 | 29 | 27 |
| Gilmer | Northern | 27 | 76 | 31 | 47 |
| Fannin | Northern | 26 | 29 | 14 | 19 |
| Rabun | Northern | 21 | 42 | 29 | 33 |
| Habersham | Northern | 19 | 25 | 14 | 38 |
| Union | Northern | 15 | 31 | 33 | 30 |
| Pickens | Northern | 14 | 21 | 4 | 8 |
| Cherokee | Northern | 10 | 9 | 5 | 8 |
| Towns | Northern | 5 | 24 | 15 | 4 |
| Walker | Northern | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| Bartow | Northern | 4 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| Gordon | Northern | 4 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Stephens | Northern | 4 | 8 | 3 | 6 |
| Dade | Northern | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Floyd | Northern | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Forsyth | Northern | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Franklin | Northern | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Hall | Northern | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Banks | Northern | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Chattooga | Northern | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jackson | Northern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Whitfield | Northern | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Bear harvest 1979-2025, north Georgia summaries, checked October 13, 2026. WRD publishes county figures for north Georgia only.
Public land inside the Georgia bear zones
Areas whose listing names bear are marked; others sit in a bear zone but may not open bear hunting.
Northern zone public land
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests (bear listed) · Blue Ridge Ranger District (bear listed) · Chattooga River Ranger District (bear listed) · Conasauga Ranger District (bear listed) · Cohutta WMA (bear listed) · Cooper's Creek WMA (bear listed) · Paulding Forest WMA (bear listed) · Chestatee WMA (bear listed) · Dawson Forest WMA (bear listed) · Chattahoochee WMA (bear listed) · John's Mountain WMA (bear listed) · Crockford-Pigeon Mountain WMA (bear listed) · Blue Ridge WMA (bear listed) · Rich Mountain WMA (bear listed) · Swallow Creek WMA (bear listed) · Lake Russell WMA (bear listed) · Warwoman WMA (bear listed) · Berry College WMA (bear listed) · Allatoona WMA (bear listed) · Treat Mountain WMA (bear listed) · Hard Labor Creek State Park · Sheffield WMA (bear listed) · Tallapoosa River WMA (bear listed) · Dukes Creek – Smithgall Woods State Park (bear listed)
Central zone public land
Ocmulgee WMA · Oaky Woods WMA · Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge · Flat Creek PFA · Echeconnee Creek WMA · Perry Dove Field
Southern zone public land
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge · Dixon Memorial WMA (bear listed) · Little Satilla WMA · Ceylon WMA · Grand Bay WMA · Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge · Lola Tract VPA (bear listed) · Dupont Tract VPA (bear listed) · Cumberland Island National Seashore
Areas by bear zone from the WRD county zone layer and area listings, retrieved 2026-10-13. Highlighted pins list bear among their species.
Georgia bear zone questions
What are the bear zones in Georgia?
Northern (39 counties), Central (Bibb, Bleckley, Houston and Twiggs) and Southern (Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Echols, Lanier, Lowndes and Ware).
When is bear season in north Georgia?
Archery Sep 12 to Oct 9; Primitive weapons & youth-only firearms Oct 10 to Oct 16; Firearms Oct 17 to Jan 10.
When is the Central Zone bear hunt?
Dec 19. If fewer than 6 female bears are harvested Dec. 19, a second hunt day will be opened in January (announced after Dec. 21 at georgiawildlife.com). No dogs; no bear hunting on WMAs. Tag at Oaky Woods WMA check station noon-9 p.m. on hunt day.
When is bear season in south Georgia?
Southern zone firearms weekends: Sep 17 to Sep 19; Sep 24 to Sep 26; Oct 1 to Oct 3; Oct 8 to Oct 10.
How many bears can I kill in Georgia?
2 per season; no more than one from the Central or Southern zones. Unlawful to kill a female with cub(s) or any bear under 75 lb.
Can I hunt bears with dogs in Georgia?
Prohibited in Northern Zone except Chattahoochee and Chestatee WMA dog-bear quota hunt; prohibited in Central Zone; allowed in Southern Zone except Lanier and Lowndes (still hunting only). Prohibited on Chattahoochee NF outside designated WMAs.
Is Walton County in the Northern bear zone?
The guide text lists it; the 2026 WRD zone map does not shade it. Confirm with the Game Management office before hunting bears there.
Which county has the most bears taken?
Lumpkin, with 49 legal bears in 2025, tied with Murray.
Planning a Georgia bear hunt
The black bear guide has the full season table, legal weapons and penalties; county pages show each county’s zone and public land.