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McDuffie County · Corps lake
J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) Hunting Guide
J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) in McDuffie, Wilkes, Lincoln and Warren counties: this season's dates, Game Check harvest, rules and the ground nearby.
Photo: Mark Bonica (CC BY 2.0)
Sizing up J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
Kind of ground: Army Corps of Engineers reservoir with hunting areas. Where: McDuffie, Wilkes, Lincoln and Warren counties. The Thomson regional office (Region 3) is the WRD contact. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District manages it. There is no official acre count for the hunting ground. Appling is the closest town with a guide here, about 9 miles away; the area lies northeast of it.
County facts for J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
| County | Courthouse town | Population 2024 | Doe-day zone | Bear zone | Alligator zone | Deer 2025-26 (reported) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDuffie County | Thomson | 21,764 | Green | None | Zone 9 | 1,508 |
| Wilkes County | Washington | 9,567 | Green | None | — | 2,775 |
| Lincoln County | Lincolnton | 8,049 | Green | None | — | 1,316 |
| Warren County | Warrenton | 5,148 | Green | None | Zone 9 | 2,034 |
From the source page (acreage not published); 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.
Who sets the dates on J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
There is no WRD season table for J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake): Georgia statewide dates apply in the Corps-designated hunting areas only.
Rules from the manager page, DNR Law Enforcement, Recreation.gov. Checked October 13, 2026.
Harvest numbers for J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
Bucks 150, does 177: that is the 2025-26 reported harvest on J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake). Range across the chart: 221 up to 342 deer. This season's running total stands at 23 (incomplete). 110 gobblers have been checked from J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) in the springs listed, 11 of them in 2026. Counts are raw Game Check reports from the area; WRD does not adjust them for non-reporting at this level.
Deer reported from J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 (in progress) | 9 | 14 | 23 |
| 2025-26 | 150 | 177 | 327 |
| 2024-25 | 104 | 131 | 235 |
| 2023-24 | 146 | 196 | 342 |
| 2022-23 | 133 | 157 | 290 |
| 2021-22 | 116 | 110 | 226 |
| 2020-21 | 124 | 152 | 276 |
| 2019-20 | 118 | 140 | 258 |
| 2018-19 | 112 | 109 | 221 |
| 2017-18 | 135 | 133 | 268 |
| 2016-17 | 93 | 137 | 230 |
J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) spring turkey counts
| Season | Gobblers checked |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | 11 |
| Spring 2025 | 4 |
| Spring 2024 | 10 |
| Spring 2023 | 12 |
| Spring 2022 | 11 |
| Spring 2021 | 12 |
| Spring 2020 | 19 |
| Spring 2019 | 10 |
| Spring 2018 | 8 |
| Spring 2017 | 6 |
| Spring 2016 | 7 |
Deer from WRD deer harvest reports, turkeys from WRD turkey harvest layer; as of 2026-10-13. Checked October 13, 2026.
What J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) requires
What applies here, card by card.
How J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) works
Hunting opportunities vary by area; see the project hunting page and the USACE hunting map application. Clarks Hill WMA East and West are Corps land managed by Georgia DNR WRD under WMA rules.
Licenses for J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
The free Harvest Record is mandatory for deer, bear, turkey and alligator, whatever license you hold.
Rules that follow you onto J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
Firearms and primitive weapons dates mean orange or pink on top, at least 500 square inches. Bait is legal on private land with permission, never on WMAs, VPAs, national forests or other public land. Within 24 hours, report big game and turkeys on Game Check.
J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) up close
Quoted from the managing agency, then the lists that tie this page to others.
Notes from the state regulations guide
Project office (800) 533-3478. The lake straddles Georgia and South Carolina. The combined 2026-27 regulation listing for Hartwell, Russell and Thurmond carries quota and youth hunt symbols without saying which lake they apply to.
Areas tied to J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
| Area | Category | Counties | Acres | Game Check deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarks Hill WMA – East | WMA | McDuffie, Wilkes, Lincoln | 10,224 | 159 |
| Clarks Hill WMA – West | WMA | McDuffie, Wilkes, Warren | 3,067 | 159 |
Text and lists from the source page, DNR Law Enforcement, Recreation.gov; retrieved 2026-10-13, checked October 13, 2026.
Around J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake): more public land
Orange is J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake); the other pins are public land within 30 miles. Acres on file for the neighbours: 23,781.
| Nearby area | Kind | Size (ac) | Miles | Heading | Deer reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keg Creek WMA | WMA | 800 | 7 mi | west | 9 |
| Mistletoe State Park | State park | 1,920 | 10 mi | west | — |
| Germany Creek WMA | WMA | 1,200 | 16 mi | west | 21 |
| Soap Creek WMA | WMA | 1,000 | 19 mi | northwest | 12 |
| Clarks Hill WMA – East | WMA | 10,224 | 19 mi | west | 159 |
| Clarks Hill WMA – West | WMA | 3,067 | 20 mi | west | 159 |
| Fort Eisenhower (formerly Fort Gordon) | Army post | — | 21 mi | south | 189 |
| Phinizy Swamp WMA | WMA | 1,500 | 21 mi | southeast | 1 |
| McDuffie PFA | Public fishing area | 600 | 23 mi | southwest | — |
| Spirit Creek Forest WMA | WMA | 570 | 24 mi | southeast | 9 |
| Fishing Creek WMA | WMA | 2,900 | 26 mi | northwest | 18 |
| Richard B. Russell Lake | Corps lake | — | 30 mi | northwest | 121 |
Points from WRD, USFS, USFWS, NPS, DoD and Recreation.gov layers (Recreation.gov rec area 453 point (point lies outside Georgia)). Distances are straight-line. Statewide public land map.
Practice before hunting J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
No range sits on J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake); the nearest WRD-listed range is Clarks Hill Archery Range, about 19 miles away. The other cards are private ranges within 30 miles.
Facilities: 7 3D targets
Lines for handgun and rifle
Lines for rifle, handgun and archery
From the WRD range list and the GA DNR range layer, checked October 13, 2026.
J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake): nearest towns and businesses
Town guides first, then businesses in the same and neighbouring counties.
| Base town | County | Away | Residents | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appling | Columbia | 9 mi | — | 3,795 |
| Grovetown | Columbia | 15 mi | 17,843 | 41,970 |
| Lincolnton | Lincoln | 19 mi | 1,431 | 5,554 |
| Augusta | Richmond | 22 mi | 201,737 | 31,580 |
Hunting guides for its counties: McDuffie County, Wilkes County, Lincoln County, Warren County.
After the shot at J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
Offices for J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
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.
J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) hunting kit
Matched to the species on this page.
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Legal light at J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) this week
Georgia shooting time starts a half hour before sunrise. Big game and small game end a half hour after sunset; doves and ducks end at sunset.
Worked out for J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) 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.
Answers for J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) hunters
Is J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) good for deer?
The 2025-26 reported total was 327.
Are J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) hunts limited?
No; the listing has no quota hunts.
Where else can I go near J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)?
Within reach are Keg Creek WMA (7 miles), Mistletoe State Park (10 miles) and Germany Creek WMA (16 miles), nearest first.
Can I hunt alligators near J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)?
9; alligators are a quota hunt.
How do I report a deer or gobbler from J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)?
Record it on your Harvest Record, then report through Georgia Game Check within 24 hours (app, GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com or 1-800-366-2661).
Is blaze pink legal on J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)?
In deer and bear gun hunts, wear 500 sq in of orange or blaze pink.
Which agency is in charge of J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District runs it as an Army Corps of Engineers reservoir with hunting areas.
Is baiting allowed at J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)?
No. Baiting for game or feral hogs is illegal on state and federal land.
Where do hunters stay for J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)?
Start from Appling; the area is 9 miles off, in McDuffie, Wilkes, Lincoln and Warren counties.
How large is J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)?
The agency prints no acreage.
Which animals are hunted on J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)?
The record is silent on species.
Is a special permit required on J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)?
Hunting opportunities vary by area; see the project hunting page and the USACE hunting map application. Clarks Hill WMA East and West are Corps land managed by Georgia DNR WRD under WMA rules.
Closing notes on J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake)
The manager has the last word on J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake). Read its page and the WRD guide the week of your hunt.
Sources for this page: Georgia regulations: federal area regulations · DNR Law Enforcement: specialfederalregulations · Recreation.gov; regulations from the 2026-27 Georgia hunting regulations. Checked October 13, 2026.