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Ranger district, northeast Georgia
Conasauga Ranger District (Chattahoochee National Forest) A Hunter's Guide
188,617 acres of ranger district in Murray, Fannin, Gilmer, Chattooga and 4 more counties, with 2026-27 dates, harvest numbers, licenses and a map.
Photo: Thomson200 (CC0 1.0)
Conasauga Ranger District season dates, 2026-27
14 lines in this season's WRD listing apply to Conasauga Ranger District: bear, deer (east of I-75), deer (west of I-75), turkey, small game and waterfowl.
| Game | Type | Dates | Marks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear | Archery | Sept. 12-Oct. 9, Jan. 2-10 | — | |
| Bear | Primitive | Oct. 10-16 | — | |
| Bear | Firearms | Oct. 17-Jan. 1 | — | |
| Deer (East of I-75) | Archery | Buck Only: Sept. 12-Oct. 9, Jan. 2-10 | — | |
| Deer (East of I-75) | Primitive | Buck Only: Oct. 10-16 | — | |
| Deer (East of I-75) | Firearms | Buck Only: Oct. 17-Jan. 1 | — | |
| Deer (West of I-75) | Archery | Sept. 12-Oct. 9, Jan. 2-10 | — | |
| Deer (West of I-75) | Primitive | Oct. 10-16 | — | |
| Deer (West of I-75) | Firearms | Buck Only (except during county either-sex days): Oct. 17-Jan. 1 | — | |
| Turkey | — | Apr. 3-May 15 | — | Bag Limit: 1 gobbler |
| Small game | — | State Seasons | — | |
| Small game | Quail (West of i-75) | Jan. 1-31 | — | |
| Waterfowl | — | State Seasons | — | |
| Dog training | — | Aug. 1-Sept. 7, Jan. 2-March 31, 2027 | — |
Dates and symbols from the 2026-27 Georgia regulations listing, wording as printed by the source. Checked October 13, 2026.
Conasauga Ranger District by the numbers
Think of Conasauga Ranger District (Chattahoochee National Forest) as a ranger district of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests spread over Murray, Fannin, Gilmer, Chattooga and 4 more counties. WRD handles it out of the Gainesville office (Game Management Region 2). It is run by the USDA Forest Service. Its 188,617 acres put it 3rd by size among 4 ranger districts on our list. The nearest covered town is Cherry Log, around 9 miles off in a straight line. Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests is the parent area.
Conasauga Ranger District, county by county
| County | Seat of county | People | Either-sex colour | Bear zone | Alligator | Deer checked, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murray County | Chatsworth | 41,316 | Orange | Northern | — | 1,558 |
| Fannin County | Blue Ridge | 25,854 | Cyan | Northern | — | 1,740 |
| Gilmer County | Ellijay | 33,327 | Orange | Northern | — | 1,417 |
| Chattooga County | Summerville | 25,306 | Green | Northern | — | 1,517 |
| Walker County | LaFayette | 69,340 | Green | Northern | — | 2,098 |
| Whitfield County | Dalton | 105,070 | Orange | Northern | — | 1,425 |
| Gordon County | Calhoun | 60,765 | Green | Northern | — | 2,894 |
| Floyd County | Rome | 101,390 | Green | Northern | — | 2,953 |
From the source page (USFS EDW Lands Area Statistics (USDA Forest Service ownership in the district, sum of gis_acres)); 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 Conasauga Ranger District
Harvest for Conasauga Ranger District is not broken out by WRD. County figures are the nearest substitute.
| County | Deer (reported) | Deer (estimate) | Spring gobblers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray | 1,558 | 2,071 | 136 |
| Fannin | 1,740 | 2,128 | 175 |
| Gilmer | 1,417 | 1,731 | 151 |
| Chattooga | 1,517 | 2,027 | 171 |
| Walker | 2,098 | 2,803 | 213 |
| Whitfield | 1,425 | 1,890 | 102 |
| Gordon | 2,894 | 3,876 | 207 |
| Floyd | 2,953 | 3,952 | 372 |
North Georgia bears near Conasauga Ranger District
| County | 2022 bears | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murray | 64 | 46 | 69 | 49 |
| Fannin | 19 | 14 | 29 | 26 |
| Gilmer | 47 | 31 | 76 | 27 |
| Chattooga | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Walker | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Whitfield | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Gordon | 4 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Floyd | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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.
Conasauga Ranger District described
Nothing here is our wording: it is the manager's own description.
Agency description
Address: 3941 Highway 76, Chatsworth, GA 30705; phone 706-695-6736. USFS: the district covers the western third of the Chattahoochee National Forest, from the ridges and valleys west of I-75 to the Cohutta Mountains northeast of Chatsworth. Other requirements apply, see Dog Training. On all National Forest lands, discharging a firearm or any implement capable of causing injury or property damage is prohibited within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site, or occupied area; across or on a Forest Service road; across any water body; or into or within a cave.
Transportation of any loaded weapon in a motor vehicle is prohibited. Coyotes may be taken during hunts using legal firearms or archery equipment for the specified game species; electronic calls are allowed; night hunting is prohibited. Placing, leaving, or depositing food, bait, or refuse in any manner likely to attract or concentrate wildlife — whether for hunting or viewing — is prohibited, as is failing to properly store food or refuse to prevent wildlife access.
Hunting bears with dogs is prohibited on the Chattahoochee National Forest lands outside of designated WMAs.
Linked ground around Conasauga Ranger District
| Area | Type | Counties | Acres | Deer 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests | National forest | Rabun, Fannin, Union | 869,017 | 1,531 |
| Blue Ridge Ranger District (Chattahoochee National Forest) | Ranger district | Union, Lumpkin, Fannin | 302,238 | — |
| Chattooga River Ranger District (Chattahoochee National Forest) | Ranger district | Rabun, White, Habersham | 261,439 | — |
| Oconee Ranger District (Oconee National Forest) | Ranger district | Putnam, Jasper, Greene | 116,724 | 385 |
| John's Mountain WMA | WMA | Gordon, Walker, Floyd | 23,710 | 19 |
| Cohutta WMA | WMA | Murray, Fannin, Gilmer | 92,647 | 4 |
Text and lists from the source page, USFS EDW, USFS EDW, Georgia regulations; retrieved 2026-10-13, checked October 13, 2026.
Conasauga Ranger District licenses and access
Ground rules, then the paperwork.
Conasauga Ranger District ground rules
Hunting on national forest land outside WMAs follows Georgia statewide seasons and licensing plus the national forest listings in the Georgia regulations; WMAs on the forest have their own WMA seasons and sign-in rules. No bear hunting with dogs outside designated WMAs. No shooting within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area, or across a Forest Service road or body of water; no loaded weapons in vehicles; baiting prohibited.
- Hogs may be taken during daylight hours only
Conasauga Ranger District 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 Conasauga Ranger District
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.
Game at Conasauga Ranger District, with limits
Species with a season or a mention here: black bears, whitetails, gobblers, squirrels and rabbits, ducks and geese, feral hogs and coyotes.
White-tailed deer
Listing starts with archery, Buck Only: Sept. 12-Oct. 9, Jan. 2-10.
Feral hog
Coyote
Species from the area record; bag limits from the WRD bag limit table. Checked October 13, 2026.
Conasauga Ranger District on the map, with its neighbours
Conasauga Ranger District sits at the orange pin, with 11 public neighbours inside 30 miles. Their published acreage adds up to 175,061.
| Public ground | Type | Acres | Distance | Which way | Deer 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cohutta WMA | WMA | 92,647 | 7 mi | northwest | 4 |
| Rich Mountain WMA | WMA | 20,674 | 12 mi | southeast | 6 |
| Rich Mountain WMA: Cartecay Tract | WMA | 2,165 | 13 mi | south | 33 |
| Carter's Lake WMA | WMA | 3,300 | 16 mi | southwest | 44 |
| Carters Lake | Corps lake | — | 17 mi | southwest | — |
| Conasauga River WMA | WMA | 509 | 18 mi | west | 18 |
| Coosawattee WMA | WMA | 2,714 | 19 mi | southwest | 110 |
| McEntire Road VPA | VPA property | 95 | 20 mi | southwest | — |
| Blue Ridge WMA | WMA | 20,900 | 23 mi | southeast | 38 |
| Cochrans Creek WMA | WMA | 2,057 | 26 mi | southeast | 1 |
| Cooper's Creek WMA | WMA | 30,000 | 28 mi | east | 9 |
Points from WRD, USFS, USFWS, NPS, DoD and Recreation.gov layers (USFS EDW Ranger District boundary (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside), Georgia portion)). Distances are straight-line. Statewide public land map.
Ranges within reach of Conasauga Ranger District (Chattahoochee National Forest)
Closest public range: Sumac Shooting Range, roughly 13 miles from the middle of Conasauga Ranger District (Chattahoochee National Forest).
Facilities: 100-yard Range
From the WRD range list and the GA DNR range layer, checked October 13, 2026.
Conasauga Ranger District: nearest towns and businesses
Closest towns first; businesses by county and distance.
| Town | County | Distance | Population | Public ground (10 mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Log | Gilmer | 9 mi | — | 60,036 |
| Ellijay | Gilmer | 10 mi | 1,923 | 32,374 |
| East Ellijay | Gilmer | 11 mi | 1,625 | 23,724 |
| Epworth | Fannin | 12 mi | — | 29,826 |
Read the county pages: Murray County, Fannin County, Gilmer County, Chattooga County, Walker County, Whitfield County, Gordon County, Floyd County.
Shops and processors by Conasauga Ranger District
WRD and ranger offices near Conasauga Ranger District
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 Conasauga Ranger District
Picked around the hunting done here; prices change daily.
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Hunting hours near Conasauga Ranger District
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 Conasauga Ranger District 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.
Conasauga Ranger District, asked and answered
What paperwork does Conasauga Ranger District require?
Hunting on national forest land outside WMAs follows Georgia statewide seasons and licensing plus the national forest listings in the Georgia regulations; WMAs on the forest have their own WMA seasons and sign-in rules. No bear hunting with dogs outside designated WMAs. No shooting within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area, or across a Forest S
Which town makes a good base for Conasauga Ranger District?
Cherry Log is closest (9 miles); the ground is in Murray, Fannin, Gilmer, Chattooga and 4 more counties.
Can I turkey hunt Conasauga Ranger District in April?
Gobblers: Apr. 3-May 15. Public-land limit: one gobbler per area.
When is the first deer hunt at Conasauga Ranger District?
Deer begin with Buck Only: Sept. 12-Oct. 9, Jan. 2-10 (archery). More lines sit in the season table.
Is hunting at Conasauga Ranger District first come?
The listing carries no quota symbol.
What can be hunted at Conasauga Ranger District?
7 groups: black bears, whitetails, gobblers, squirrels and rabbits, ducks and geese, feral hogs and coyotes.
Which areas are close to Conasauga Ranger District?
The closest on our list are Cohutta WMA (7 miles), Rich Mountain WMA (12 miles) and Rich Mountain WMA: Cartecay Tract (13 miles).
Is Conasauga Ranger District in bear country?
It lies in the Northern bear zone. Bear hunting is listed.
Does game from Conasauga Ranger District go through Game Check?
Yes: deer, bear, turkey and alligator are reported on Game Check inside 24 hours.
What is the orange rule at Conasauga Ranger District?
Yes, 500 square inches of orange or pink during gun and muzzleloader big game dates.
What kind of place is Conasauga Ranger District?
The USDA Forest Service manages this ranger district of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests.
Are feeders legal on Conasauga Ranger District?
No bait of any kind on public land.
Conasauga Ranger District: confirm before you go
Before the drive to Conasauga Ranger District, confirm the listing dates, your licenses and any posted closures.
Sources for this page: USFS: conasauga ranger district · USFS EDW · USFS EDW · Georgia regulations: federal area regulations; regulations from the 2026-27 Georgia hunting regulations. Checked October 13, 2026.
Other photos on this page: DaPuglet (CC BY-SA 2.0); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region (Public domain).