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WMA, northeast Georgia
Broad River WMA A Hunter's Guide
440 acres of wma in Madison County, with 2026-27 dates, harvest numbers, licenses and a map.
Photo: kingair42 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Broad River WMA
Broad River WMA season dates, 2026-27
3 lines in this season's WRD listing apply to Broad River WMA: deer & bear, turkey and coyote.
| Game | Type | Dates | Marks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer & bear | Archery | Sept. 12-Nov. 28 | — | |
| Turkey | — | Apr. 3-May 15 | — | |
| Coyote | — | May 16-31. Feral hogs may also be taken. No dogs allowed. | — |
Dates and symbols from the 2026-27 Georgia regulations listing, wording as printed by the source. Checked October 13, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Broad River WMA
Broad River WMA by the numbers
Think of Broad River WMA as a wildlife management area run by WRD spread over Madison County. WRD handles it out of the Gainesville office (Game Management Region 2). It is run by the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division. Its 440 acres put it 114th by size among 121 WMAs on our list. The nearest covered town is Danielsville, around 6 miles off in a straight line.
Broad River WMA, county by county
| County | Seat of county | People | Either-sex colour | Bear zone | Alligator | Deer checked, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County | Danielsville | 32,771 | Green | Northern | — | 2,078 |
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 Broad River WMA
In 2025-26 the reported take on Broad River WMA reached 12. The best season on the chart is 2017-18 at 33; the lowest, 5 in 2024-25. Early 2026-27 figure, still climbing: 2. The spring 2026 turkey count for Broad River WMA was 1, out of 11 across the years shown. Treat them as a floor. They are Game Check entries, not adjusted totals.
Deer counts, Broad River WMA
| Season | Antlered | Antlerless | All deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 (in progress) | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2025-26 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| 2024-25 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 2023-24 | 6 | 6 | 12 |
| 2022-23 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| 2021-22 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| 2020-21 | 13 | 5 | 18 |
| 2019-20 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| 2018-19 | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| 2017-18 | 18 | 15 | 33 |
| 2016-17 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
Spring gobblers at Broad River WMA
| Year | Gobblers |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | 1 |
| Spring 2025 | 4 |
| Spring 2024 | 1 |
| Spring 2022 | 1 |
| Spring 2021 | 2 |
| Spring 2020 | 1 |
| Spring 2018 | 1 |
North Georgia bears near Broad River WMA
| County | 2022 bears | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Deer from WRD deer harvest reports, turkeys from WRD turkey harvest layer, bears from the WRD north Georgia bear summary; as of 2026-10-13. Checked October 13, 2026.
Broad River WMA described
Nothing here is our wording: it is the manager's own description.
Agency description
Broad River Wildlife Management Area is located in Madison County. This 440-acre property offers hunting opportunities for deer, bear, turkey and small game (no furbearer season).
Text and lists from the source page, Georgia regulations, WRD GIS, WRD GIS; retrieved 2026-10-13, checked October 13, 2026.
Broad River WMA licenses and access
Ground rules, then the paperwork.
Broad River 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.
Broad River 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 Broad River 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.
Driving to Broad River WMA
From Danielsville: Go north on U.S. 29 for 2 miles, turn right on HWY 281, go 4 miles, cross Broad River, go 0.3 mile, area is on right.
Game at Broad River WMA, with limits
Species with a season or a mention here: whitetails, black bears, gobblers and coyotes.
Coyote
Listing starts with May 16-31. Feral hogs may also be taken. No dogs allowed.
Species from the area record; bag limits from the WRD bag limit table. Checked October 13, 2026.
Broad River WMA on the map, with its neighbours
Broad River WMA sits at the orange pin, with 6 public neighbours inside 30 miles. Their published acreage adds up to 23,701.
| Public ground | Type | Acres | Distance | Which way | Deer 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hart County WMA | WMA | 1,000 | 18 mi | northeast | 40 |
| Tugaloo State Park | State park | 393 | 22 mi | north | 1 |
| Richard B. Russell State Park | State park | 2,508 | 22 mi | east | — |
| Hartwell Lake | Corps lake | — | 23 mi | northeast | 99 |
| Elbert County WMA | WMA | 2,500 | 24 mi | east | 32 |
| Lake Russell WMA | WMA | 17,300 | 28 mi | northwest | 11 |
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.
Broad River WMA: nearest ranges
Victoria Bryant Archery Range in Franklin County is the nearest range on the WRD list, 8 miles out. Nearby private ranges are shown too.
Facilities: 7 Bow Butt Target Lanes, 3-D Trail
Lines for trap, skeet, sporting clays, 5-stand, rifle, handgun and archery
Lines for archery
From the WRD range list and the GA DNR range layer, checked October 13, 2026.
Broad River WMA: nearest towns and businesses
Closest towns first; businesses by county and distance.
| Town | County | Distance | Population | Public ground (10 mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danielsville | Madison | 6 mi | 868 | 436 |
| Carnesville | Franklin | 14 mi | 771 | — |
| Elberton | Elbert | 16 mi | 4,760 | 3,461 |
| Hartwell | Hart | 16 mi | 4,701 | 1,005 |
Read the county pages: Madison County.
Shops and processors by Broad River WMA
WRD and ranger offices near Broad River 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.
Hunting hours near Broad River 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 Broad River 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.
Broad River WMA, asked and answered
Where do I sign in to hunt Broad River WMA?
For bear, deer and turkey, yes, online, starting a day ahead.
Can I walk onto Broad River 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 Broad River WMA in April?
Gobblers: Apr. 3-May 15. Public-land limit: one gobbler per area.
When is the first deer hunt at Broad River WMA?
Deer begin with Sept. 12-Nov. 28 (archery). More lines sit in the season table.
Is hunting at Broad River WMA first come?
The listing carries no quota symbol.
What can be hunted at Broad River WMA?
4 groups: whitetails, black bears, gobblers and coyotes.
How did Broad River WMA do in 2025-26?
Reported deer, 2025-26: 12.
Is there a campground on Broad River WMA?
No; stay in a nearby town.
Which areas are close to Broad River WMA?
The closest on our list are Hart County WMA (18 miles), Tugaloo State Park (22 miles) and Richard B. Russell State Park (22 miles).
Is Broad River WMA in bear country?
It lies in the Northern bear zone. Bear hunting is listed.
Does game from Broad River WMA go through Game Check?
Yes: deer, bear, turkey and alligator are reported on Game Check inside 24 hours.
What is the orange rule at Broad River WMA?
Yes, 500 square inches of orange or pink during gun and muzzleloader big game dates.
Broad River WMA: confirm before you go
Before the drive to Broad River WMA, confirm the listing dates, your licenses and any posted closures.
Sources for this page: WRD: broad river wma · Georgia regulations: wma regulations a c · WRD GIS · WRD GIS · WRD GIS; regulations from the 2026-27 Georgia hunting regulations. Checked October 13, 2026.
Other photos on this page: irio.jyske (CC BY 2.0); BotheredByBees (CC BY 2.0).