Georgia Hunting Season 2023-2024 Schedule (Updated)

Georgia offers hunting seasons all year round. With diverse landscapes and abundant wildlife in this Peach State, it's the perfect place to hunt big and small game. To enjoy the traditional activities in Georgia, don't forget to familiarize yourself with the state's season dates, hunting rules and get the required licenses and permits.

Here we will list the detailed calendar and information for the hunting season in Georgia 2024, and help you prepare for your hunting trip in advance.

Georgia Dove Season

Zone: statewide

Dates: Sept. 2-Oct. 8, Nov. 18-26, Dec. 19-Jan. 31

Limits: 15 per day, 45 in possession

The shooting hour is 30 minutes from sunrise to sunset.

Georgia Deer Season

Archery Season: Sept. 9-Oct. 13
Extended Archery Season: Sept. 9-Jan. 31
Primitive Weapons & Youth-Only Firearms: Oct. 14-Oct. 20
Firearms Season: Oct. 21-Jan. 14
Extended Firearms: Oct. 21-Jan. 15

Bag limits:

• The limit is 12 per season.
• Only 2 antlered deer can be hunted, and the rest must be antlerless.
• The deer must have a minimum of four points on each antler, measuring one inch.
  or more, on one side of the antlers or a minimum of 15 inches.

Note that the Extended Archery Season only opens in the following counties: Bake, Barrow, Bibb, Chatham, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Columbia, Decatur, DeKalb, Douglas. Early, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Grady, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Miller. Mitchell, Muscogee, Paulding Richmond, Rockdale. Seminole, and Thomas.

And, the Extended Firearms season only opens in these counties: Baker, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Thomas, and Seminole.

Georgia Beer Season

Zone	Weapon	Date	Limits
Northern Zone	Archery	Sept. 9-Oct. 13	2 per season no more than 1 from the central or southern bear zones
	Primitive Weapons	Oct 14-Oct. 20
	Firearms	Oct. 21-Jan. 14
Central Zone	Firearms	Dec. 16
Southern Zone	Firearms	Sept. 21-23, Sept. 28-30, Oct. 5-7 Oct. 12-14

Georgia Turkey Season

Statewide Turkey season:

Private Land: Mar. 30–May 15, 2024

Public Land: April 6–May 15, 2024

Limits: 2 gobblers in total per season. One turkey daily.

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For Special Opportunity Youth/ Mobility Impaired:

Dates: Mar. 23-24, 2024

Limits: Only for youth 16 years of age or younger and mobility-impaired persons. This season does not apply to public lands unless otherwise specified.

Georgia Alligator Season

Zone & Quota Limited:

Dates: Aug. 18 (sunset)-Oct. 2 (sunrise)

Limits: 1 per quota permit

Georgia Small Games Hunting Season

Species	Zones	Dates	Limits
Crows	Statewide	Nov. 4-Feb. 29	No limit
Fox & Bobcat	Statewide	Dec. 1-Feb. 29	No limit
Grouse	Statewide	Oct. 15-Feb. 29	3 per day
Sora & Rails	Statewide	Oct. 8-28, Nov. 8-Dec. 26	King & Clapper： 15 per day, 45 in possession Sora & Virginia： 25 per day, 75 in possession
Opossum & Raccoon	Statewide	Private Land： no closed season Public Land： Aug. 15-Feb. 29	No limit
Quail	Statewide	Nov. 18-Feb. 29	12 per day
Rabbit	Statewide	Nov. 18-Feb. 29	12 per day
Snipe	Statewide	Nov. 15-Feb. 28	8 per day, 24 in possession
Squirrel	Statewide	Aug. 15-Feb. 29	12 per day
Woodcock	Statewide	Dec. 9-Jan. 22	3 per day, 9 in possession
Falconry	Statewide	Squirrel： Aug. 15-Mar. 15	12 per day
		Rabbit, Quail： Oct. 1-Mar. 15	12 per day. Grouse
		Grouse： Oct. 1-Mar. 15	3 per day

Georgia Duck Season

Ducks:

Nov. 18-26
Dec. 9 - Jan. 28

Bag Limits: 6 per day.

Teal:

Sept. 9-24

Bag Limits: 6 per day.

Mergansers:
Nov. 18-26
Dec. 9 - Jan. 28

Bag Limits: 5 per day.

Snow Geese:
Oct. 7-22
Nov. 18-26
Dec. 9 - Jan. 28

Bag Limits: 5 per day.

Georgia Hunting Licenses And Permits

To hunt in Georgia, you will need the required license and permits for hunting different prey. Here is the costs of each type of hunting license.

How to Buy a Hunting License?

There are 3 ways to buy a legal hunting license in Georgia. It is very easy:

1. You can visit the official website and purchase it online: gooutdoorsgeorgia.com.
2. Make a phone call at: 1-800-366-2661.
3. Buy from any agent over the counter. There are lots of them statewide.

Legal Weapon For Georgia Hunting Seasons

For Deer and Bear Hunting:

• Modern Rifles and Handguns: only centerfire rifles and handguns in .22-caliber or higher with expanding ammunition.
• Shotguns: should be at least 20-gauge and loaded with slugs or buckshot.
• Muzzleloaders: must be .30-caliber or larger, or muzzleloading shotguns must be 20 gauge or larger.
• Air Guns: any air rifle with a minimum caliber of .30 or air bow.

For Turkey Hunting:

Legal firearms include shotguns with small shot sizes, muzzleloading firearms, air rifles with a caliber of at least .30, or air bows powered by compressed gas or air. No need to plug shotgun.

For Small Game Hunting:

• Rifles and Handguns: Any firearm that is .22-caliber or smaller and rimfire, any muzzleloading weapon, or any air rifle or air gun of any caliber.

• Shotguns: Any shotgun that uses shot shells 3.5 inches or less in size with No. 2 shot or smaller.

• Shotguns (Waterfowl): Any shotgun that is 10-gauge or smaller and is loaded with nontoxic shot approved by the federal government, with a size of "F" or smaller.

Things You Should Know When Hunt In Georgia

1. A hunting license is not required if you hunt in your own land.
2. Hunters under age 16 are not required to take hunter education courses.
3. In addition to a hunting license, a big game license is also required if you want to hunt big games like deer, bear, or turkey.
4. Hunters are required to report alligator, bear, deer, and turkey harvests within 24 hours through Georgia Game Check.
5. Every hunter must wear daylight fluorescent orange above the waist( at least 500 square).
6. Don't go hunting if you are under the impact of drugs or alcohol.
7. Hunting deer with dogs is allowed in some counties but you need to get a permit.
8. No baiting when hunting any games, except for deer and feral hogs, they can be hunted with baiting on private lands.. Or, hunters will be subject to a fine of $5,000.

Conclusion

Georgia's hunting seasons provide rich and diverse possibilities for hunters. Whether you're attracted to the challenge of deer hunting, the lure of turkey calls, or the mystery of night hunting, the state has plenty of options.

Remember to stay informed about specific dates, weapons, and limits in each zone with our latest updates. We hope your Georgia hunting adventures will be filled with fun, skill, and respect for the natural world. Good luck with your hunt!

Here is a file that contains 2024 season dates in Georgia for all big games or small games: Dove Seasons Georgia 2024.