This post was originally published on this site.
As Georgia’s 2025–26 deer season gears up to open, hunters can expect plenty of great hunting opportunities across the fall and winter months. Archery season opens this Saturday, September 13, followed by a youth-and-primitive-weapons window October 11–17, leading into the main firearms season from October 18 through January 11 — extended to January 15 in select southwest counties.
New this year is an October 4-5 antlerless only firearms deer season for most counties in the state.
Statewide bag limits remain generous at 12 deer per hunter (no more than 10 antlerless and 2 antlered, with at least one quality buck required), while several counties benefit from extended archery access through January 31.
Always remember to consult with the latest official Georgia Hunting Regulations before heading afield. Those can be found at Georgia’s Wildlife Resources Division homepage.
| Season | Dates |
|---|---|
| Archery* | Sept. 13 – Oct. 10, 2025 |
| Extended Archery (only for 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, and Thomas counties) |
Day following the close of county firearms season – Jan. 31 |
| Primitive Weapons & Youth Only Firearms | Oct. 11 – Oct. 17, 2025 |
| Statewide Firearms** | Oct. 18, 2025 – Jan. 11, 2026 |
| Extended Firearms Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Thomas, and Seminole counties. |
Oct. 18, 2025 – Jan. 15, 2026 |
The bag limit for Georgia deer is 12 per season, Statewide. No more than 10 may be antlerless and no more than two may be antlered. One of the antlered deer must have at least 4 points, one inch or longer, on one side of the antlers OR a minimum of 15 inches outside antler spread.
* Buck only for the first two weeks in Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Thomas, and Seminole counties.
**Firearms deer hunting is not allowed in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton (north of GA Hwy. 92), and the portion of Glynn County lying within Jekyll Island. In the portion of Forsyth County south of Ga Hwy. 20, only archery, shotguns, and muzzleloaders may be used (no other firearms allowed).
2025-2026 Georgia Either-Sex Days (Doe Days)
Two years ago, the Georgia DNR implemented significant changes to Georgia’s doe days, expanding the opportunity to take does across much of the state. And there were no significant changes for 2025-2026.
Of the counties that allow firearms deer hunting, all but 13 now allow doe harvest every day of the firearms deer season.
Here’s a breakdown of the counties that still have limited doe days:
November 29-30, 2025 and January 1, 2026
Towns and Rabun counties
November 7-13, 2025 and January 1, 2026
Fannin and Union counties
November 7-13; November 21-27; and December 29, 2025 – January 11, 2026
Dawson, Gilmer, Habersham, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Stephens, White, and Whitfield.
Buck Only Dates for Southwest Georgia
Beginning in 2023, archery deer hunters can only harvest antlered bucks for the first two weeks of the season (Sept. 13-26) in Baker, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Thomas, and Seminole Counties. That’s due to the area’s late rut, which results in fawns being dropped later in the summer. The buck-only dates reduce the chance of hunters killing does that are still weaning their fawns.
“Because of late breeding there were also some concerns that some fawns may not be fully weaned at the start of archery season,” said Georgia Deer Biologist, Charlie Killmaster. “So we proposed making the first couples of weeks buck only to address this issue.”
New Deer Carcass Disposal Rule
Transporting and discarding deer carcass parts on the landscape could spread CWD to new areas of Georgia. Proper deer carcass disposal is now required across Georgia for anyone transporting or disposing of carcasses or parts, including hunters and taxidermists. Proper disposal methods for carcasses or unused parts include:
- Leave them on the property where the deer was killed
- Use a commercial deer processor; they are required to properly dispose of unused carcass parts
- Permitted solid waste landfill (as you would for household garbage)
- Deep burial, incineration, or any other approved method in the Dead Animal Disposal Act (O.C.G.A. § 4-5-1 to 4-5-11)
For more on deer hunting, including finding a game processor, viewing regulations, and maps (either sex day or the rut map), visit GeorgiaWildlife.com/deer-info.
Final Thoughts
What are your thoughts on this year’s Georgia deer season dates? We’d love to hear your opinion over in our Georgia Deer Hunting (family friendly) Facebook group.
