Georgia · Deer · 2026–27 Edition
Georgia Deer Season 2026–27: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons by method
| Method | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Archery · Either-Sex | Green (residual area — county list not printed in source; defined by WRD color map) | Sep 12 – Oct 9 |
| Firearms · Antlerless Only | Green | Oct 3 – Oct 4 |
| Primitive Weapons · Either-Sex (incl. Youth-Only Firearms) | Green | Oct 10 – Oct 16 |
| Firearms · Either-Sex | Green | Oct 17 – Jan 10 |
| Archery · Either-Sex | Yellow (Rabun, Towns) | Sep 12 – Oct 9 |
| Primitive Weapons · Either-Sex (incl. Youth-Only Firearms) | Yellow (Rabun, Towns) | Oct 10 – Oct 16 |
| Firearms · Antlered Bucks Only | Yellow (Rabun, Towns) | Oct 17 – Nov 27 |
| Firearms · Either-Sex | Yellow (Rabun, Towns) | Nov 28 – Nov 29 |
| Firearms · Antlered Bucks Only | Yellow (Rabun, Towns) | Nov 30 – Dec 31 |
| Firearms · Either-Sex (New Year's Day) | Yellow (Rabun, Towns) | Jan 1 – Jan 1 |
| Firearms · Antlered Bucks Only | Yellow (Rabun, Towns) | Jan 2 – Jan 10 |
| Archery · Either-Sex | Cyan (Fannin, Union) | Sep 12 – Oct 9 |
| Primitive Weapons · Either-Sex (incl. Youth-Only Firearms) | Cyan (Fannin, Union) | Oct 10 – Oct 16 |
| Firearms · Antlered Bucks Only | Cyan (Fannin, Union) | Oct 17 – Nov 5 |
| Firearms · Either-Sex | Cyan (Fannin, Union) | Nov 6 – Nov 12 |
| Firearms · Antlered Bucks Only | Cyan (Fannin, Union) | Nov 13 – Dec 31 |
| Firearms · Either-Sex (New Year's Day) | Cyan (Fannin, Union) | Jan 1 – Jan 1 |
| Firearms · Antlered Bucks Only | Cyan (Fannin, Union) | Jan 2 – Jan 10 |
| Archery · Either-Sex | Orange (Dawson, Gilmer, Habersham, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Stephens, Whitfield, White) | Sep 12 – Oct 9 |
| Primitive Weapons · Either-Sex (incl. Youth-Only Firearms) | Orange | Oct 10 – Oct 16 |
| Firearms · Antlered Bucks Only | Orange | Oct 17 – Nov 5 |
| Firearms · Either-Sex | Orange | Nov 6 – Nov 12 |
| Firearms · Antlered Bucks Only | Orange | Nov 13 – Nov 19 |
| Firearms · Either-Sex | Orange | Nov 20 – Nov 26 |
| Firearms · Antlered Bucks Only | Orange | Nov 27 – Dec 27 |
| Firearms · Either-Sex | Orange | Dec 28 – Jan 10 |
| Archery · Antlered Bucks Only | Magenta (Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Thomas) | Sep 12 – Sep 27 |
| Archery · Either-Sex | Magenta | Sep 28 – Oct 9 |
| Firearms · Antlerless Only | Magenta | Oct 3 – Oct 4 |
| Primitive Weapons · Either-Sex (incl. Youth-Only Firearms) | Magenta | Oct 10 – Oct 16 |
| Firearms · Either-Sex | Magenta | Oct 17 – Jan 15 |
| Archery (late) · Either-Sex | Magenta | Jan 16 – Jan 31 |
| Archery Only — Either-Sex | Gray (Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton — archery-only counties) | Sep 12 – Jan 31 |
| Extended Archery Season · Either-Sex | Baker, Barrow, Bibb, Calhoun, Chatham, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Columbia, Decatur, DeKalb, Douglas, Early, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Grady, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Miller, Mitchell, Muscogee, Paulding, Richmond, Rockdale, Seminole, Thomas | Sep 12 – Jan 31 |
| Extended Firearms Season | Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Thomas, Seminole | Oct 17 – Jan 15 |
02 — Bag limits
| Statewide season limit | 12 deer per season. No more than 10 may be antlerless and no more than 2 may be antlered. One of the 2 antlered must have ≥4 points (≥1 inch) on one side or a ≥15-inch outside spread. |
|---|---|
| Antler-restriction counties | Hancock, Harris, Meriwether, Montgomery, Randolph, Talbot, Troup: antlered bucks only if ≥4 points (≥1 inch) on either side or ≥15-inch outside spread. Dooly and Macon: antlered bucks must have ≥15-inch outside spread. |
| Firearms restrictions | No firearms deer hunting in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton (north of GA Hwy 92), and Jekyll Island (Glynn). South Forsyth (below GA Hwy 20): shotguns and muzzleloaders only. |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 12, 2026) 06:45 — 20:12
Rule: Legal hours for hunting are 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset — Georgia states this once for hunting generally; its night-hunting exceptions are alligator, raccoon, opossum, fox, coyote, bobcat and feral hog, not deer. Hunting deer at night is separately prohibited by O.C.G.A. 27-3-48. Migratory birds run to sunset instead, a different rule.. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Georgia sun times for any other date.
04 — License
A Georgia hunting license and deer permit are required. Costs, age rules and where to buy are on our license page below.
Georgia hunting license cost & deer permits →
Where to hunt public land in Georgia — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Scouting a property before Georgia's opener usually means glassing terrain and running a trail camera through the summer and early fall.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does deer season start in Georgia?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is September 12, 2026 — Archery · Either-Sex, limited to Green (residual area — county list not printed in source; defined by WRD color map). Other weapons and zones start later — see the table above.
When does deer season end in Georgia?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 31, 2027. Individual methods and zones close on their own dates.
When does bow season start for deer in Georgia?
Archery · Either-Sex opens September 12, 2026 (Green (residual area — county list not printed in source; defined by WRD color map)). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
When does rifle season start for deer in Georgia?
Firearms · Antlerless Only opens October 3, 2026 (Green). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
How many deer can you shoot in Georgia?
2026–27 bag limits: Statewide season limit — 12 deer per season. No more than 10 may be antlerless and no more than 2 may be antlered. One of the 2 antlered must have ≥4 points (≥1 inch) on one side or a ≥15-inch outside spread. Antler-restriction counties — Hancock, Harris, Meriwether, Montgomery, Randolph, Talbot, Troup: antlered bucks only if ≥4 points (≥1 inch) on either side or ≥15-inch outside spread. Dooly and Macon: antlered bucks must have ≥15-inch outside spread. Firearms restrictions — No firearms deer hunting in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton (north of GA Hwy 92), and Jekyll Island (Glynn). South Forsyth (below GA Hwy 20): shotguns and muzzleloaders only. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting deer in Georgia?
On opening day (September 12, 2026) legal light runs 06:45 to 20:12. The rule is: Legal hours for hunting are 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset — Georgia states this once for hunting generally; its night-hunting exceptions are alligator, raccoon, opossum, fox, coyote, bobcat and feral hog, not deer. Hunting deer at night is separately prohibited by O.C.G.A. 27-3-48. Migratory birds run to sunset instead, a different rule. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Georgia sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt deer on my own land in Georgia without a license?
Georgia residents 16 and older don't need a license on land they or their immediate family own — tenants aren't covered. Deer and turkey still need a free Harvest Record, and waterfowl needs a free state license plus the federal Duck Stamp.
Verified · Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division · Last verified 2026-08-01
Publisher's note. Zones from the 2026–2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations (final, not preliminary). The 'Green' zone is the statewide residual area defined by WRD's color map; a county list is not printed in the source. The season-dates flyer labels the SW zone 'PINK' while the regulations book and map legend label it 'MAGENTA' (same counties, same dates) — MAGENTA used here. No standalone Youth deer season: the Oct 10–16 window is Primitive Weapons + Youth-Only Firearms. Firearms deer hunting is not allowed in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton (north of GA Hwy 92), and Jekyll Island portion of Glynn County; south Forsyth (below GA Hwy 20) is shotgun/muzzleloader only. Dog-deer seasons are permit-only and not included. ON THE SOURCE LINK: the publuu.com address is not a third-party mirror — it is the exact link Georgia WRD publishes on georgiawildlife.com/regulations as its official guide, confirmed there on Aug. 16, 2026. Georgia issues no downloadable 2026-27 PDF and no HTML season table; the flip-book is the only channel, and it renders as page images rather than text, so re-verifying these dates means reading the pages visually rather than fetching them. The dates below therefore still carry their original Aug. 1, 2026 verification date — a later re-check was attempted and could not be completed against the primary source.