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McGraw Ford WMA Hunting
Everything we could verify about McGraw Ford WMA: acreage, rules, dates, harvest and the ground nearby.
Photo: jeffgunn (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to McGraw Ford WMA
Parking, trailheads and gates near McGraw Ford WMA
- Parking areaParking · 2.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.9 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.3 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.5 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
McGraw Ford WMA in brief
Sitting in Cherokee County, McGraw Ford WMA is a wildlife management area run by WRD. Region 1 staff in Armuchee cover it for WRD. It is run by the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division. By area (2,067 acres) it comes 84th of the 121 WMAs. Roughly 10 miles separates it from Canton, the closest town page on this site.
County context for McGraw Ford WMA
| County | County seat | Population | Either-sex zone | Bear | Alligator | Game Check deer 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee County | Canton | 293,513 | Green | Northern | — | 2,506 |
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.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around McGraw Ford WMA
The 2026-27 McGraw Ford WMA hunt calendar
Game with dates here this year: deer & bear, turkey, dove, coyote, small game and waterfowl (8 lines in all). 2 hunts are quota only, with 30 hunter slots between them; apply on Go Outdoors Georgia.
| Game | Hunt | Dates | Symbols | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer & bear | Archery | Sept. 12-Jan. 1 | — | |
| Turkey | — | Apr. 3-9 | Quota 10 | |
| Turkey | — | Apr. 10 -May 15 | — | |
| Dove | — | Sept.5, 12 | Quota 20 | |
| Dove | — | Sept. 19, 26, Oct. 3, 10-11, Nov. 21-29, Dec. 19-Jan. 31 | — | |
| Coyote | — | May 16-31 | — | |
| Small game | — | Aug. 15-Sept. 4, Sept. 6-11, Sept. 13-Feb. 28 | — | |
| Waterfowl | — | — | — | Wednesday, Saturdays during State Season. Legal hours end at noon. |
Dates and symbols from the 2026-27 Georgia regulations listing, wording as printed by the source. Checked October 13, 2026.
McGraw Ford WMA: rules before the first hunt
Area rules first, then licenses, orange and bait.
Getting in at McGraw Ford WMA
Visitors 16+ carry either a Georgia hunting or fishing license or the Lands Pass. Big game and turkey hunters complete the online sign-in first, available a day early. Apply early for the quota dates. Archery equipment only.
- No ATVs are allowed on the property
- No ATVs
License costs for McGraw Ford WMA
Residents can skip the separate licenses with a Sportsman's License. Deer, bear and turkey hunters of any age carry the free Harvest Record.
Statewide rules at McGraw Ford WMA
Georgia accepts blaze pink as well as orange: 500 square inches, worn above the waist, in gun and muzzleloader deer and bear hunts. Baiting is banned for any game or feral hog on state and federal land, WMAs and national forests included. Game Check reporting is due within 24 hours of harvest.
McGraw Ford WMA: quota deadlines
Apply online by the deadline; points accumulate for every year you are not selected.
Finding McGraw Ford WMA
From Ballground: From jct. of Bus. HWY 5 and HWY 372 travel 2.1 miles east to Sign-In on right across from intersection with Conns Creek Rd.
What hunters report from McGraw Ford WMA
The 2025-26 Game Check total for McGraw Ford WMA was 38 (16 antlered, 22 antlerless). High mark: 42 (2024-25). Low mark: 27 (2017-18). So far in 2026-27, 13 deer have been checked (season in progress). Spring 2026 brought 3 reported gobblers; the table sums to 53. Only reported animals appear here; WRD adjusts for non-reporting at county level, not per area.
McGraw Ford WMA deer table
| Season | Bucks checked | Does checked | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 (in progress) | 4 | 9 | 13 |
| 2025-26 | 16 | 22 | 38 |
| 2024-25 | 23 | 19 | 42 |
| 2023-24 | 22 | 19 | 41 |
| 2022-23 | 14 | 18 | 32 |
| 2021-22 | 19 | 9 | 28 |
| 2020-21 | 16 | 23 | 39 |
| 2019-20 | 18 | 23 | 41 |
| 2018-19 | 16 | 13 | 29 |
| 2017-18 | 13 | 14 | 27 |
| 2016-17 | 14 | 18 | 32 |
Turkeys reported from McGraw Ford WMA
| Season | Reported gobblers |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | 3 |
| Spring 2025 | 3 |
| Spring 2024 | 2 |
| Spring 2023 | 1 |
| Spring 2022 | 1 |
| Spring 2021 | 4 |
| Spring 2020 | 10 |
| Spring 2019 | 8 |
| Spring 2018 | 11 |
| Spring 2017 | 6 |
| Spring 2016 | 4 |
Bear harvest in the McGraw Ford WMA counties
| County | Bears 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee | 8 | 5 | 9 | 10 |
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.
Game at McGraw Ford WMA, with limits
The listing and the manager name whitetails, black bears, gobblers, doves, ducks and geese, coyotes and squirrels and rabbits for McGraw Ford WMA.
Ducks and geese
Species from the area record; bag limits from the WRD bag limit table. Checked October 13, 2026.
About the land at McGraw Ford WMA
From the agency page, word for word.
In the agency's own words
McGraw Ford Wildlife Management Area is located in Cherokee County on the Etowah River. The 2,070-acre property has hunting opportunities for deer, bear, turkey, small game, dove and waterfowl. The wildlife management focus is to provide archery deer and bear hunting during the fall, season long dove hunting on the 22 acres of managed dove fields, and spring turkey hunting. With access to about 5 miles of river frontage, the area provides unique fishing and paddling opportunities.
Dove fields on McGraw Ford WMA
| Property | Region | Acres planted | Crops | Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGraw Ford WMA | 1 | 22 | Sunflowers, Wheat, Corn | Good |
Text and lists from the source page, Georgia regulations, WRD GIS, WRD GIS; retrieved 2026-10-13, checked October 13, 2026.
McGraw Ford WMA plotted with nearby areas
McGraw Ford WMA sits at the orange pin, with 12 public neighbours inside 30 miles. Published acres across them: 87,830.
| Neighbour | Type | Acres | Miles off | Direction | Deer, last season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Forest WMA | WMA | 25,658 | 10 mi | northeast | 33 |
| Cochrans Creek WMA | WMA | 2,057 | 17 mi | north | 1 |
| Lake Sidney Lanier | Corps lake | — | 19 mi | southeast | 36 |
| Allatoona WMA | WMA | 7,589 | 22 mi | southwest | 197 |
| Rich Mountain WMA: Cartecay Tract | WMA | 2,165 | 23 mi | north | 33 |
| Red Top Mountain State Park | State park | 1,776 | 24 mi | southwest | — |
| Allatoona Lake | Corps lake | 2,777 | 26 mi | southwest | 83 |
| Blue Ridge WMA | WMA | 20,900 | 27 mi | north | 38 |
| Carter's Lake WMA | WMA | 3,300 | 27 mi | northwest | 44 |
| Rich Mountain WMA | WMA | 20,674 | 28 mi | north | 6 |
| Carters Lake | Corps lake | — | 29 mi | northwest | — |
| Pleasant Valley VPA | VPA property | 934 | 29 mi | west | 8 |
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.
McGraw Ford WMA: nearest towns and businesses
Closest towns first; businesses by county and distance.
| Town | County | Distance | People | Public acres, 10 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canton | Cherokee | 10 mi | 38,049 | 3,831 |
| Jasper | Pickens | 12 mi | 5,289 | 7,843 |
| Cumming | Forsyth | 14 mi | 10,175 | 719 |
| Dawsonville | Dawson | 14 mi | 4,875 | 23,561 |
County guides: Cherokee County.
Services close to McGraw Ford WMA
Agency offices by McGraw Ford 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.
McGraw Ford WMA: nearest ranges
For a public range, drive about 24 miles to Rich Mountain: Cartecay Tract Archery Range. Closer private options sit beside it.
Facilities: 3-D Targets (22)
Lines for trap, skeet, sporting clays, 5-stand, rifle, handgun, smallbore, muzzleloader, action pistol, archery, benchrest, silhouette, cowboy action and shotgun
Lines for muzzleloader, archery and 3D archery
From the WRD range list and the GA DNR range layer, checked October 13, 2026.
First and last light at McGraw Ford WMA
Deer, turkey and small game hunters get 30 minutes of light on each side of the day; dove and waterfowl hunters quit at sundown.
Worked out for McGraw Ford 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.
McGraw Ford WMA: what hunters ask
What areas neighbour McGraw Ford WMA?
Close by: Dawson Forest WMA (10 miles), Cochrans Creek WMA (17 miles) and Lake Sidney Lanier (19 miles), straight-line.
Are bears hunted near McGraw Ford WMA?
Bear zone: Northern. Check the listing for bear dates.
How fast must I report a kill on McGraw Ford WMA?
Within 24 hours, by app, online or by phone at 1-800-366-2661.
Can I wear pink instead of orange on McGraw Ford WMA?
Yes in gun and primitive weapons big game hunts: 500 sq in, orange or pink. Archery-only tracts are excluded.
Which agency is in charge of McGraw Ford WMA?
The Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division is the manager; the ground is a wildlife management area run by WRD.
Does the private-land bait rule apply on McGraw Ford WMA?
No, public land is closed to baiting.
Which town makes a good base for McGraw Ford WMA?
In Cherokee County, about 10 miles from Canton.
Is McGraw Ford WMA big enough for a full day?
Published acreage: 2,067.
What is the sign-in rule at McGraw Ford WMA?
Sign in through Go Outdoors Georgia before any deer, bear or turkey hunt.
Is a WMA license still needed for McGraw Ford WMA?
Hunters carry their hunting license; non-hunting visitors 16+ need a fishing license or the $30.00 Lands Pass.
What turkey dates does McGraw Ford WMA list?
The listing gives Apr. 3-9. The WMA bag is 1 gobbler per area per hunter.
What deer dates does McGraw Ford WMA list?
The listing opens with archery: Sept. 12-Jan. 1. Later hunts are listed above.
McGraw Ford WMA, the last word
Double-check McGraw Ford WMA with its manager: open areas, gates, sign-in and any drawn hunts.
Sources for this page: WRD: mcgraw ford wma · Georgia regulations: wma regulations i p · WRD GIS · WRD GIS · WRD: dove · WRD GIS; regulations from the 2026-27 Georgia hunting regulations. Checked October 13, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Frank.Vassen (CC BY 2.0); vanhookc (CC BY-SA 2.0).