Georgia
1,100,000
Est. Whitetail Population
266,000
No. Licenses Sold Annually
$40
A resident hunting license is $15, plus $25 for a big game license
Resident hunting license and deer permit
$325
A non-resident hunting license is $100, plus $225 for a big game license
Non-resident hunting license and deer permit
191 4/8"
Taken by Buck Ashe in Monroe County in 1962 and ranks 140th overall.
Record B&C Typical Stat
193
Total B&C Typical Entries
249 5/8"
Taken by Billy Padgett in 1998 in Telfair County and ranks 134th overall.
Record B&C Non-Typical Stat
60
Record B&C Non-Typical Entries
Check out the latest deer-hunting info for Georgia. Image by Jim Cumming
Season Dates (2025):
The statewide archery season opens Sept. 13 for most, but closing dates vary. An extended archery season runs until Jan. 31 for numerous counties. Primitive weapons season opens Oct. 11, with various closing dates. Firearms season runs Oct. 18 to Jan. 15. Check the GEORGIA DNR WEBSITE to confirm.
The Grade: B
Georgia is riding a long trend of improvement to its deer program. Better management practices coupled with selective hunter harvest have helped increase the buck age-class structure. In fact, according to harvest data, the buck quality has been steadily increasing since the 1990s. Back then, 1 1/2-year-old bucks were a large component of the overall harvest. The number has decreased greatly, and now there are many more bucks in the 2-½- and 3-½-year-old age ranges being tagged.
Georgia is known for its liberal bag limits. You can take 12 deer per season (statewide). No more than 10 can be antlerless, and no more than two may be antlered. One of the two antlered deer must have at least one antler with four or more points that are one inch or longer, or the buck ust have a 15-inch-or-greater outside antler spread.
According to Charlie Killmaster, state deer biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the good old days of deer hunting are now.
Records information courtesy of Boone & Crockett’s Big Game Records. Learn more at boone-crockett.org.
Antler Nation Knowledge:
The Peach State has bigger deer than its neighbors to the east and west. According to the Georgia DNR, trophy buck hunting has been stable for the past five to 10 years. Some of the best trophy-buck areas are in southwestern Georgia and along the Flint River Basin. This part of the state has good genetics and agricultural areas. The metro Atlanta area is also growing in popularity. This urban/suburban landscape with lower hunting pressure lets bucks get older. Some of the top counties for bucks larger than 125 inches include Colquitt, Dooly, Dougherty, Fulton, Macon, Worth, and 15 to 20 other counties sprinkled throughout the state.
Trying to find a public property to hunt? Use GDNR’S INTERACTIVE PUBLIC LANDS MAP, which shows its wildlife management areas, public fishing areas and more. According to Killmaster, the WMAs in the Piedmont area have the best average of deer numbers and quality bucks. Find a good spot here, pattern the deer, and fill that tag.
CWD has been detected in Georgia’s wild deer, so pay attention to special regulations.
