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Lincoln County, Georgia
Richard B. Russell Lake Hunting Notes
2026-27 dates for whitetails, gobblers and squirrels and rabbits, quota lines, reported harvest, access rules and the nearest towns.
Photo: Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CC BY 2.0)
Where Richard B. Russell Lake sits and who runs it
Richard B. Russell Lake is an Army Corps of Engineers reservoir with hunting areas in Lincoln County. It falls in Game Management Region 3, served by the Thomson office. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District manages it. No hunting acreage is published for it. Look northwest of Lincolnton (the nearest town we cover), about 12 miles out.
County context for Richard B. Russell Lake
| County | Seat | People (2024) | Private-land deer zone | Bear zone | Gator zone | Deer checked 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County | Lincolnton | 8,049 | Green | None | — | 1,316 |
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.
Richard B. Russell Lake: dates and permits
The Corps uses Georgia's statewide dates at Richard B. Russell Lake, limited to its designated hunting areas.
Rules from the manager page, DNR Law Enforcement, Recreation.gov. Checked October 13, 2026.
Richard B. Russell Lake harvest from Game Check
Game Check logged 121 deer from Richard B. Russell Lake in 2025-26: 55 antlered, 66 antlerless. Since 2016-17, totals have run from 53 to 121. The 2026-27 season is under way: 8 deer reported so far. Turkey hunters reported 12 gobblers from Richard B. Russell Lake in spring 2026, and 103 across the springs shown. Unadjusted Game Check reports, the finest level WRD publishes.
Deer by season at Richard B. Russell Lake
| Year | Bucks | Does | Deer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 (in progress) | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| 2025-26 | 55 | 66 | 121 |
| 2024-25 | 40 | 37 | 77 |
| 2023-24 | 54 | 60 | 114 |
| 2022-23 | 32 | 32 | 64 |
| 2021-22 | 26 | 32 | 58 |
| 2020-21 | 45 | 48 | 93 |
| 2019-20 | 45 | 47 | 92 |
| 2018-19 | 25 | 29 | 54 |
| 2017-18 | 20 | 33 | 53 |
| 2016-17 | 20 | 33 | 53 |
Richard B. Russell Lake turkey table
| Spring | Turkeys |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | 12 |
| Spring 2025 | 3 |
| Spring 2024 | 7 |
| Spring 2023 | 4 |
| Spring 2022 | 13 |
| Spring 2021 | 13 |
| Spring 2020 | 18 |
| Spring 2019 | 11 |
| Spring 2018 | 12 |
| Spring 2017 | 7 |
| Spring 2016 | 3 |
Deer from WRD deer harvest reports, turkeys from WRD turkey harvest layer; as of 2026-10-13. Checked October 13, 2026.
Hunting Richard B. Russell Lake legally
The first card is specific to this ground; the rest are statewide rules that matter here.
Rules on Richard B. Russell Lake
Georgia DNR Law Enforcement: deer, turkey and small game hunting on public land; a rim of public land at least 300 feet from the shoreline is open to hunting. Corps boundaries are marked with orange/redwood paint.
Paperwork for Richard B. Russell Lake
A Sportsman's License bundles hunting, big game and fishing for residents; the Harvest Record is free but still required for deer, bear and turkey.
Richard B. Russell Lake: orange, pink and baiting
Wear 500 sq in of fluorescent orange or blaze pink above the waist whenever deer or bear firearms or primitive weapons hunts are on. The private-land baiting allowance stops at the boundary; public land is bait-free. Log the animal on your Harvest Record, then report it to Game Check within a day.
Inside Richard B. Russell Lake
Agency description, field lists and related areas.
Description from the state regulations guide
Project office (800) 944-7207. The lake straddles Georgia and South Carolina. Richard B. Russell State Park on the Georgia shore has its own quota deer hunt.
Text and lists from the source page, DNR Law Enforcement, Recreation.gov; retrieved 2026-10-13, checked October 13, 2026.
Game at Richard B. Russell Lake, with limits
Listed game for Richard B. Russell Lake: whitetails, gobblers and squirrels and rabbits.
White-tailed deer
Wild turkey
Small game
Species from the area record; bag limits from the WRD bag limit table. Checked October 13, 2026.
Richard B. Russell Lake on the map, with its neighbours
Map of Richard B. Russell Lake (orange) and the public ground within 30 miles. That is 28,619 acres of listed ground.
| Area | Category | Acreage | Straight line | Direction | Game Check deer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Broad River WMA | WMA | 1,500 | 5 mi | northwest | 23 |
| Fishing Creek WMA | WMA | 2,900 | 6 mi | south | 18 |
| Soap Creek WMA | WMA | 1,000 | 10 mi | southeast | 12 |
| Elbert County WMA | WMA | 2,500 | 13 mi | northwest | 32 |
| Richard B. Russell State Park | State park | 2,508 | 18 mi | northwest | — |
| Clarks Hill WMA – East | WMA | 10,224 | 22 mi | south | 159 |
| Mistletoe State Park | State park | 1,920 | 24 mi | southeast | — |
| Germany Creek WMA | WMA | 1,200 | 24 mi | south | 21 |
| Clarks Hill WMA – West | WMA | 3,067 | 26 mi | south | 159 |
| Keg Creek WMA | WMA | 800 | 27 mi | southeast | 9 |
| Hart County WMA | WMA | 1,000 | 29 mi | northwest | 40 |
| J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) | Corps lake | — | 30 mi | southeast | 327 |
Points from WRD, USFS, USFWS, NPS, DoD and Recreation.gov layers (Recreation.gov rec area 455 point). Distances are straight-line. Statewide public land map.
Richard B. Russell Lake: nearest ranges
Bobby Brown Archery Range in Elbert County is the nearest range on the WRD list, 2 miles out. Closer private options sit beside it.
Facilities: Static Archery Range with 4 Targets, 20 3-D Target Trail
Lines for trap, skeet, sporting clays, 5-stand, rifle, handgun and archery
From the WRD range list and the GA DNR range layer, checked October 13, 2026.
Richard B. Russell Lake: nearest towns and businesses
Closest towns first; businesses by county and distance.
| Town | County | Miles off | People | Public acres (10 mi) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincolnton | Lincoln | 12 mi | 1,431 | 5,554 |
| Washington | Wilkes | 17 mi | 3,623 | 799 |
| Elberton | Elbert | 20 mi | 4,760 | 3,461 |
| Appling | Columbia | 30 mi | — | 3,795 |
Counties covered: Lincoln County.
Help near Richard B. Russell Lake
Richard B. Russell Lake contacts
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.
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Hunter orange vest
Firearms season needs 500 square inches of orange or pink above the waist.
A week of shooting light for Richard B. Russell Lake
WRD’s rule: half an hour before sunrise until half an hour after sunset, with migratory birds ending right at sunset.
Worked out for Richard B. Russell 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.
Richard B. Russell Lake, asked and answered
Is it legal to bait hogs on Richard B. Russell Lake?
Not here: the baiting allowance covers private land only.
What kind of place is Richard B. Russell Lake?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District is the manager; the ground is an Army Corps of Engineers reservoir with hunting areas.
What does Richard B. Russell Lake measure in acres?
The manager gives no acreage for the hunt area.
Which town makes a good base for Richard B. Russell Lake?
In Lincoln County, about 12 miles from Lincolnton.
Can anyone hunt Richard B. Russell Lake?
Georgia DNR Law Enforcement: deer, turkey and small game hunting on public land; a rim of public land at least 300 feet from the shoreline is open to hunting. Corps boundaries are marked with orange/redwood paint.
What game is listed for Richard B. Russell Lake?
The area lists whitetails, gobblers and squirrels and rabbits.
Are there drawn hunts on Richard B. Russell Lake?
No application is needed; the area has no quota lines.
How many deer get reported from Richard B. Russell Lake?
Hunters reported 121 deer in 2025-26 (55 bucks).
What areas neighbour Richard B. Russell Lake?
Try Lower Broad River WMA (5 miles), Fishing Creek WMA (6 miles) and Soap Creek WMA (10 miles); each has its own page.
How much orange does Richard B. Russell Lake require?
500 square inches of orange or blaze pink above the waist during primitive weapons and firearms deer and bear hunts.
What reporting applies at Richard B. Russell Lake?
Log it on the Harvest Record before moving it, then report it to Game Check the same day or next.
Richard B. Russell Lake: confirm before you go
Public land rules change more often than the printed guide. Recheck Richard B. Russell Lake with the manager before you go.
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.
Other photos on this page: PierreSelim (CC BY 3.0); Peter Sheik (CC BY 2.0).