Georgia Hunting Season Information 2023-2024

Hunting Regulations

General Rules

Here are several key rules. The rules we’ve mentioned are the most typically violated. Read on for common mistakes.

• Hunting from a moving automobile or roadway is prohibited. (Vehicles include cars, trucks, planes, and boats).

• Any hunting clothing must have 500 square inches of orange above the waist. Most hunters use a helmet and vest. During rifle season, you must wear orange.

• Without the landowner’s permission, hunting is unlawful. This includes power wires and railroad right-of-ways.

• Dogs can’t hunt deer without a license. This permission has a restricted scope and area. Only specified counties and dates may request this. Even if you didn’t own the dogs who pursued the deer, you might have committed a crime.

• Deer baiting is illegal. The use of bait to entice deer is prohibited. Feed for deer might be anything from grain to maize to wheat to salt to apples. Although you may keep deer food out, you won’t be able to hunt there for 10 days thereafter until you remove all bait.

• When shooting deer, elk, or wild hogs, you may use whatever kind of bow you choose, including a crossbow, longbow, recurve bow, or compound bow.

• Broadhead-style arrows are required for shooting deer, bears, or feral hogs.

• Draw weight, let-off, arrow length, and sights are all unrestricted.

• During the season for primitive weapons, archery supplies, air bows,.30-cal. Or bigger air rifles, muzzleloaders, or muzzleloading shotguns are all permitted.

• When using primitive weapons, scopes are acceptable.

• For shooting deer and bears, modern rifles and pistols must be centerfire.

• Expanding bullets, caliber 22 or higher For rifles, there are no limitations on magazine capacity.

• For shooting deer and bears, shotguns must be at least 20 gauge and loaded with slugs or buckshot.

• For shooting deer and bears, muzzleloaders are required.

• 30-cal. or bigger, or 20-gauge or bigger muzzleloading shotguns. Scoping is lawful.

• For deer and bear hunting during seasons for primitive weapons and guns, air rifles of at least.30 caliber or air bows using unlit compressed gas or air are permitted.

• Turkey hunting is permitted with shotguns that use No. 2 or smaller shots, any muzzleloader, and air rifles that are at least.30 caliber, and air bows that use unlit pressurized gas or air. For shooting turkeys, shotguns do not need to be plugged in.

• Rifles and handguns must be muzzleloading, rimfire, or.22 calibers or smaller for small game and furbearers. Centerfire weapons.17 caliber and bigger may be utilized for fox and bobcat hunting. For rifles, there are no limitations on magazine capacity.

• Shotshells of a length of 3.5 inches or less are required for shotguns used for small game and furbearers, and they must be loaded with No. 2 or smaller shots.

• Waterfowl hunters must use 10-gauge or smaller shotguns loaded with nontoxic shots no larger than size “F” that has received government approval. Hunting for ducks is prohibited while using lead shots.

• Hunting is prohibited in Willeo Creek or the Bull Sluice section of Morgan Falls Lake in Fulton County.

• Hunting is prohibited in all counties and portions of counties that are not expressly permitted by law or regulation.

• Unless expressly stated otherwise, state parks, wildlife management areas, public fishing areas, and other state or federal property are not included in the list of counties that are available for hunting.

• Georgiawildlife.com has details on protected species.

• Hunters and anyone accompanying them must wear at least 500 square inches of daylight bright orange above the waist during the seasons for shooting deer, bears, and feral hogs with handguns or other primitive weapons (including head covering).

• On Wildlife Management Areas, Veterans’ Hunting Programs, and federal properties, hunters must wear hunter orange during hunts with primitive weapons and guns for deer, bear, and special opportunity coyote and feral hogs.

• When archery deer hunts are conducted in a Wildlife Management Area or during statewide primitive weapon or firearms seasons, hunter orange is unnecessary (unless otherwise indicated).

• On small game hunts conducted concurrently with firearms deer or bear hunts in Wildlife Management Areas and under the Veterans’ Hunting Program, hunter orange is needed (per General Wildlife Management Area Regulations).

• The only exceptions to this rule are alligators, raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, and feral pigs, which may be killed at night. Legal hunting hours are from 30 minutes before dawn to 30 minutes after sunset.

• Raccoon, opossum, fox, or bobcat hunters must carry lights on their bodies, attach them to their hats or helmets, or incorporate them into their belt systems. These lights are not voltage-restricted.

• Hunting migrating birds is permitted from 30 minutes before dawn till sundown (per Migratory Bird Seasons). On the Go Outdoors GA App, you can get the hours of sunrise and sunset.

Violation & Fines

The Wildlife Violator Compact includes Georgia as a member state (WVC).

This means that hunters from other WVC states who are visiting Georgia may enjoy the same protections as Georgians should they be found in violation of any law.

Any hunting rights in other member states may be revoked due to a conviction in Georgia.

Costs associated with going to court and paying a fine may add up quickly. If you go deer hunting outside of the allowed hours, for instance, you may face a fine of at least $500 and a year in prison.

Before hitting the field, be sure you’ve read and fully grasped all applicable rules and regulations.