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Effingham County · Wildlife refuge
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge Hunting Guide
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, 30,715 acres in Effingham and Chatham counties: whitetails, gobblers, ducks and geese and doves, this season's dates, Game Check harvest, rules and the ground nearby.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CC BY 2.0)
Sizing up Savannah NWR
Kind of ground: national wildlife refuge with a hunt program. Where: Effingham and Chatham counties. The Fitzgerald regional office (Region 4) is the WRD contact. It is run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. With 30,715 acres, it sits at 3rd of 9 refuges by acreage. Rincon is the closest town with a guide here, about 6 miles away; the area lies east of it.
Savannah NWR, county by county
| County | Courthouse town | Population 2024 | Doe-day zone | Bear zone | Alligator zone | Deer 2025-26 (reported) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effingham County | Springfield | 73,148 | Green | None | Zone 8 | 1,095 |
| Chatham County | Savannah | 307,336 | Green | None | Zone 8 | 241 |
From the source page (FWS National Realty FWSInterest_Simplified (fee-owned GIS acres, whole refuge)); 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 Savannah NWR
The state guide gives Savannah NWR no season rows; the federal manager's text follows.
Rules from the manager page, USFWS, FWS realty layer. Checked October 13, 2026.
How many deer come off Savannah NWR
Bucks 7, does 2: that is the 2025-26 reported harvest on Savannah NWR. Range across the chart: 5 up to 24 deer. This season's running total stands at 2 (incomplete). 34 gobblers have been checked from Savannah NWR in the springs listed, 2 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 Savannah NWR
| Year | Antlered | Antlerless | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 (in progress) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2025-26 | 7 | 2 | 9 |
| 2024-25 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 2023-24 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| 2022-23 | 8 | 6 | 14 |
| 2021-22 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| 2020-21 | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| 2019-20 | 10 | 8 | 18 |
| 2018-19 | 10 | 11 | 21 |
| 2017-18 | 10 | 14 | 24 |
| 2016-17 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Savannah NWR spring turkey counts
| Season | Gobblers checked |
|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | 2 |
| Spring 2025 | 2 |
| Spring 2023 | 4 |
| Spring 2022 | 2 |
| Spring 2021 | 3 |
| Spring 2020 | 6 |
| Spring 2019 | 6 |
| Spring 2018 | 2 |
| Spring 2017 | 5 |
| Spring 2016 | 2 |
Deer from WRD deer harvest reports, turkeys from WRD turkey harvest layer; as of 2026-10-13. Checked October 13, 2026.
What Savannah NWR requires
What applies here, card by card.
How Savannah NWR works
Hunters 16 and older must buy the $25 Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex Annual Hunt Permit on Recreation.gov. Georgia hunt units are reachable only by boat. Alligator hunting requires a state-issued alligator harvest permit.
Licenses for Savannah NWR
The free Harvest Record is mandatory for deer, bear, turkey and alligator, whatever license you hold.
Rules that follow you onto Savannah NWR
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.
Savannah NWR up close
Quoted from the managing agency, then the lists that tie this page to others.
Notes from the Fish and Wildlife Service
Straddles Georgia and South Carolina along the Savannah River; USFWS says it "encompasses over 30,000 acres" of tidal freshwater marsh and bottomland hardwood forest. Raccoon and opossum may be hunted only on Georgia hunt units; beaver and armadillo may be taken incidentally on Georgia units. Non-quota, youth-only hunts on the Solomon Tract (Georgia side). A winter feral hog hunt is held. Season dates align with state private-land seasons unless the refuge table of hunts says otherwise.
Text and lists from the source page, USFWS, FWS realty layer, Georgia regulations; retrieved 2026-10-13, checked October 13, 2026.
Savannah NWR species and bags
Hunters come to Savannah NWR for whitetails, gobblers, ducks and geese, doves, squirrels and rabbits, feral hogs, coyotes and alligators.
White-tailed deer
Wild turkey
Ducks and geese
Mourning dove
Small game
Feral hog
Coyote
Alligator
Species from the area record; bag limits from the WRD bag limit table. Checked October 13, 2026.
Pins around Savannah NWR
Savannah NWR sits at the orange pin, with 2 public neighbours inside 30 miles. Acres on file for the neighbours: 11,613.
| Nearby area | Kind | Size (ac) | Miles | Heading | Deer reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver Bridge WMA | WMA | 1,560 | 28 mi | northwest | 19 |
| Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge | Wildlife refuge | 10,053 | 29 mi | south | 1 |
Points from WRD, USFS, USFWS, NPS, DoD and Recreation.gov layers (FWS National Realty FWSInterest_Simplified (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside), Georgia portion)). Distances are straight-line. Statewide public land map.
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge: nearest ranges
About 34 miles separates Savannah National Wildlife Refuge from Richmond Hill Shooting Range, the nearest WRD range. The other cards are private ranges within 30 miles.
Facilities: 12 long range state-of-the-art electronic shooting stations, 14 long range steel shooting stations, 20 short range pistol shooting stations
Lines for rifle, handgun, smallbore and action pistol
Lines for archery and 3D archery
From the WRD range list and the GA DNR range layer, checked October 13, 2026.
Savannah NWR: nearest towns and businesses
Town guides first, then businesses in the same and neighbouring counties.
| Base town | County | Away | Residents | Public acres near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rincon | Effingham | 6 mi | 11,701 | 20,534 |
| Port Wentworth | Chatham | 8 mi | 14,865 | 30,518 |
| Springfield | Effingham | 12 mi | 3,223 | 1,056 |
| Savannah | Chatham | 19 mi | 148,808 | 11,315 |
Hunting guides for its counties: Effingham County, Chatham County.
After the shot at Savannah NWR
Offices for Savannah NWR
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.
Savannah NWR hunting kit
Matched to the species on this page.
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Legal light at Savannah NWR 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 Savannah NWR 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.
Common Savannah NWR questions
How many bucks came off Savannah NWR?
The 2025-26 reported total was 9.
Are Savannah NWR hunts limited?
No; the listing has no quota hunts.
Where else can I go near Savannah NWR?
Nearest: Oliver Bridge WMA (28 miles) and Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge (29 miles).
Can I hunt alligators near Savannah NWR?
8; alligators are a quota hunt. Its listing includes alligator.
How do I report a deer or gobbler from Savannah NWR?
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 Savannah NWR?
In deer and bear gun hunts, wear 500 sq in of orange or blaze pink.
Which agency is in charge of Savannah NWR?
National wildlife refuge with a hunt program, under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Is baiting allowed at Savannah NWR?
No. Baiting for game or feral hogs is illegal on state and federal land.
Where do hunters stay for Savannah NWR?
Start from Rincon; the area is 6 miles off, in Effingham and Chatham counties.
Is Savannah NWR big enough for a full day?
Roughly 30,715 acres.
What can be hunted at Savannah NWR?
Listed game: whitetails, gobblers, ducks and geese, doves, squirrels and rabbits, feral hogs, coyotes and alligators.
What paperwork does Savannah NWR require?
Hunters 16 and older must buy the $25 Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex Annual Hunt Permit on Recreation.gov. Georgia hunt units are reachable only by boat. Alligator hunting requires a state-issued alligator harvest permit.
Savannah NWR: confirm before you go
The manager has the last word on Savannah NWR. Read its page and the WRD guide the week of your hunt.
Sources for this page: USFWS: hunting · USFWS: savannah · FWS realty layer · Georgia regulations: federal area regulations · DNR Law Enforcement: specialfederalregulations; regulations from the 2026-27 Georgia hunting regulations. Checked October 13, 2026.
Other photos on this page: gailhampshire (CC BY 2.0); BotheredByBees (CC BY 2.0).