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WMA · Region 5
Hunting Silver Lake WMA
A hunter's summary of Silver Lake WMA in Decatur County: listing dates, harvest, rules and local services.
Photo: Photographer: Brian Hughes, U.S. Geological Survey (Public domain)
Silver Lake WMA: every dated hunt
Across 16 rows, the 2026-27 listing sets dates for deer, turkey, dove, quail, coyote and small game. Quota draws cover 4 lines and 202 slots in total. Watch for 1 bonus deer line and 3 youth lines.
| Species | Weapon or type | 2026-27 dates | Tags | Area notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer | Archery | Buck Only: Sept. 12-27 | — | |
| Deer | Archery | Sept. 28-Oct. 9, Jan. 16-31 | — | |
| Deer | Primitive | Oct. 10-18 | — | |
| Deer | Firearms | Oct. 29-31 | — | |
| Deer | Firearms | Dec. 10-12 | Quota 160 Bonus deer | |
| Deer | Firearms | Buck Only: Nov. 14-20, 22-27, Dec. 26-Jan. 15 | — | |
| Deer | Firearms | Dec. 19-25 | Youth | |
| Turkey | — | Apr. 3-7, 22-26 | Quota 35 | |
| Turkey | — | Apr. 15-19 | Youth | |
| Turkey | — | May 4-15 | — | |
| Dove | — | Sept. 5, 12, 19-Oct. 11, Nov. 21-29, Dec. 19-Jan. 31 | — | |
| Quail | — | Nov. 21, 28, Dec. 5, Jan. 16, 23, 30 | Quota 2 Youth Sign-in | Daily bag limit: 3/person. Quail hunting on designated dates only. Quota hunts are restricted to 3 per party. Hunting party must check in harvest at kiosk or online. Complete 1 check-in (survey) per party. |
| Quail | — | Nov. 21, 28, Dec. 5, Jan. 16, 23, 30 | Quota 5 Sign-in | Daily bag limit: 3/person. Quail hunting on designated dates only. Quota hunts are restricted to 3 per party. Hunting party must check in harvest at kiosk or online. Complete 1 check-in (survey) per party. |
| Quail | — | Dec. 1, 15 | Sign-in | Daily bag limit: 3/person. Quail hunting on designated dates only. Quota hunts are restricted to 3 per party. Hunting party must check in harvest at kiosk or online. Complete 1 check-in (survey) per party. |
| Coyote | — | No May 16-31 coyote & hog season. | — | |
| Small game | — | State Seasons | — | No fox squirrel, bobcat, or fox hunting. |
Dates and symbols from the 2026-27 Georgia regulations listing, wording as printed by the source. Checked October 13, 2026.
Silver Lake WMA: the essentials
Decatur County holds Silver Lake WMA, a wildlife management area run by WRD. For WRD purposes it belongs to Region 5, the Albany region. It is run by the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division. The 9,200-acre figure makes it 35th largest of 121 WMAs. Base town: Faceville, about 6 miles away to the northwest.
Where Silver Lake WMA sits by county
| County | Seat | 2024 residents | Deer colour zone | Bear zone | Gator zone | Deer reported 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur County | Bainbridge | 29,391 | Magenta | None | Zone 2 | 1,494 |
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.
Silver Lake WMA: reported deer and gobblers
Last full season (2025-26) the reported count stood at 84, with 40 bucks. Reported totals peaked at 87 in 2021-22 and bottomed at 73 in 2023-24. Partial count for the current season: 4. Game Check lists 5 gobblers for spring 2025 (66 since records began here). These are deer and turkeys hunters reported through Game Check, not WRD estimates, and bonus deer checked at the station are not included.
Season-by-season deer, Silver Lake WMA
| Season | Males | Females | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 (in progress) | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 2025-26 | 40 | 44 | 84 |
| 2024-25 | 42 | 42 | 84 |
| 2023-24 | 41 | 32 | 73 |
| 2022-23 | 46 | 31 | 77 |
| 2021-22 | 44 | 43 | 87 |
| 2020-21 | 47 | 39 | 86 |
| 2019-20 | 52 | 26 | 78 |
| 2018-19 | 56 | 29 | 85 |
| 2017-18 | 50 | 33 | 83 |
| 2016-17 | 44 | 42 | 86 |
Gobblers by spring, Silver Lake WMA
| Spring | Gobblers |
|---|---|
| Spring 2025 | 5 |
| Spring 2024 | 1 |
| Spring 2023 | 3 |
| Spring 2022 | 3 |
| Spring 2021 | 9 |
| Spring 2020 | 8 |
| Spring 2019 | 4 |
| Spring 2018 | 11 |
| Spring 2017 | 15 |
| 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 Silver Lake WMA is like
The manager describes the place; related areas follow.
What WRD says about Silver Lake WMA
Silver Lake Wildlife Management Area is a 9,200-acre property located in southern Decatur County. This WMA offers hunting opportunities for deer, turkey, small game, quail and waterfowl. The property supports 30 groups of red-cockaded woodpeckers, a significant population of Bachman's sparrows, gopher tortoises, nesting bald eagles and many other high priority species. The property has a 350-acre lake and four smaller ponds with boat ramps and docks. Silver Lake PFA the agency website lies within the WMA.
Dove field forecast for Silver Lake WMA
| Property | Region | Acres planted | Crops | Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Lake WMA | 5 | 65 | proso millet | fair |
Text and lists from the source page, Georgia regulations, WRD GIS, WRD GIS; retrieved 2026-10-13, checked October 13, 2026.
Silver Lake WMA: rules before the first hunt
Prices are the WRD figures for this license year.
Silver Lake WMA access
A Lands Pass or a Georgia hunting or fishing license is the ticket in for anyone over 15. Deer, turkey and bear trips start with the Go Outdoors Georgia sign-in. Quota lines are by application only. Bonus deer are checked on site the same day.
Silver Lake WMA: licenses and passes
Deer, bear or turkey means a Harvest Record (no charge) on top of the license; the Sportsman's License covers the rest for residents.
Before the shot at Silver Lake WMA
During primitive weapons and firearms deer or bear dates, hunters show 500 square inches of orange or pink. No bait on public ground: hunting game or hogs over bait is illegal on state and federal land. Record the kill first, then report it through Game Check inside 24 hours.
Getting drawn for Silver Lake WMA
Quota permits are drawn on Go Outdoors Georgia; a hunter not drawn earns a priority point for that category.
Route to Silver Lake WMA
From Bainbridge: Take HWY 253 south 2.7 miles, go left on Ten Mile Still Rd., travel 6 miles, turn right on Silver Lake Rd., travel 2.9 miles, turn left onto WMA access road. Check station is 0.8 miles on the right.
Silver Lake WMA species and bags
Game on the list: whitetails, gobblers, doves, bobwhites and squirrels and rabbits.
White-tailed deer
The guide lists Buck Only: Sept. 12-27 first (archery).
Mourning dove
The guide lists Sept. 5, 12, 19-Oct. 11, Nov. 21-29, Dec. 19-Jan. 31 first.
Bobwhite quail
The guide lists Nov. 21, 28, Dec. 5, Jan. 16, 23, 30 first.
Small game
The guide lists Nov. 21, 28, Dec. 5, Jan. 16, 23, 30 first.
Species from the area record; bag limits from the WRD bag limit table. Checked October 13, 2026.
Silver Lake WMA plotted with nearby areas
Silver Lake WMA sits at the orange pin, with 4 public neighbours inside 30 miles. Combined, about 15,475 acres are on record.
| Area | Type | Acres | Distance | Direction | Deer 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Featherfield WMA | WMA | 875 | 10 mi | west | 9 |
| Lake Seminole | Corps lake | — | 11 mi | southwest | 39 |
| Lake Seminole WMA | WMA | 8,300 | 15 mi | northwest | 67 |
| Mayhaw WMA | WMA | 6,300 | 28 mi | north | 239 |
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.
Silver Lake WMA: nearest ranges
The WRD range closest to Silver Lake WMA is Mayhaw Shooting Range (25 miles).
Facilities: 100-yard Range
From the WRD range list and the GA DNR range layer, checked October 13, 2026.
Silver Lake WMA: nearest towns and businesses
Town guides first, then businesses in the same and neighbouring counties.
| Town | County | Miles | Population | Public land nearby |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faceville | Decatur | 6 mi | — | 12,989 |
| Bainbridge | Decatur | 11 mi | 14,586 | 4,290 |
| Donalsonville | Seminole | 18 mi | 2,864 | 1,393 |
| Boykin | Miller | 20 mi | — | 2,624 |
County pages for this ground: Decatur County.
Services close to Silver Lake WMA
Nearest offices to Silver Lake 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.
Bring this to Silver Lake WMA
Four picks matched to this ground and its seasons.
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Silver Lake WMA: daily hunting hours
Hunting opens 30 minutes before sunup statewide. Most game runs to 30 minutes after sundown, while migratory birds close at sunset.
Worked out for Silver Lake 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.
Silver Lake WMA: what hunters ask
What was last season's deer harvest at Silver Lake WMA?
Game Check: 40 bucks and 44 does in 2025-26.
Which alligator zone covers Silver Lake WMA?
Gator zone 2; one alligator per permit.
Where else can I go near Silver Lake WMA?
Within reach are Featherfield WMA (10 miles), Lake Seminole (11 miles) and Lake Seminole WMA (15 miles), nearest first.
When is orange required on Silver Lake WMA?
Pink counts: 500 square inches of either colour above the waist in firearms and primitive weapons hunts.
Is Game Check required for Silver Lake WMA?
Report through Game Check within a day; bonus deer go to the area check station instead.
Can I hunt over bait on Silver Lake WMA?
No. State and federal land prohibit bait.
Which agency is in charge of Silver Lake WMA?
A wildlife management area run by WRD; the manager is the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division.
Is Silver Lake WMA big enough for a full day?
Roughly 9,200 acres.
Which town makes a good base for Silver Lake WMA?
Decatur County; Faceville is the nearest town we cover, 6 miles away.
What do adults need to enter Silver Lake WMA?
The old WMA license was dropped in 2017. Now a Georgia hunting or fishing license, or the Lands Pass, covers entry at 16+.
Do I have to sign in at Silver Lake WMA?
Yes for bear, deer and turkey: sign in online on Go Outdoors Georgia, available from the day before.
When do deer hunts start on Silver Lake WMA?
First deer line: Buck Only: Sept. 12-27 (archery). Every other line is in the season table above.
Silver Lake WMA, the last word
Double-check Silver Lake WMA with its manager: open areas, gates, sign-in and any drawn hunts.
Sources for this page: WRD: silver lake wma · Georgia regulations: wma regulations q s · 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: NPS Photo (Public domain); colmmcsky (CC BY-SA 2.0).