Georgia Deer Season 2026-27: Dates and Either-Sex Days

Deer season dates

Archery equipment may be used for the whole season, including during the primitive weapons and firearms seasons.

Either-sex days by color zone

Georgia splits its counties into six color zones that set when does may be taken with firearms. Archery and primitive weapons days are either-sex wherever those seasons are open, except the first two weeks of archery in the Magenta Zone. The county lists below are read from the official either-sex map, which applies to private land. Part of southern Forsyth County is limited to archery, shotguns and muzzleloaders.

On private land, deer of either sex may be taken with archery equipment at any time during the season, whatever the zone.

The Green and Magenta zone tables list Oct. 3 and 4 as antlerless-only firearms days but do not say who may hunt them. Ask the Wildlife Resources Division before hunting those days.

Bag limit: 12 deer

• Up to 12 deer a season statewide: no more than 10 antlerless and no more than 2 antlered.
• One of the two antlered deer must have at least 4 points, 1 inch or longer, on one side, or an outside spread of at least 15 inches.
• In Hancock, Harris, Meriwether, Montgomery, Randolph, Talbot and Troup counties, every antlered buck must have at least 4 points on one side or a 15-inch spread.
• In Dooly and Macon counties, antlered bucks must have an outside spread of at least 15 inches.

Archery-only and extended archery counties

• Archery only: Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton north of GA Highway 92. Firearms deer hunting is also closed on the part of Glynn County within Jekyll Island.
• Shotguns and muzzleloaders only: Forsyth County south of GA Highway 20.
• Extended archery, Sept. 12, 2026 to Jan. 31, 2027: 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.
• In Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole and Thomas counties, the first two weeks of archery season are bucks only.

Primitive weapons week

The primitive weapons season runs Oct. 10, 2026 to Oct. 16, 2026, the week before firearms opens. Hunters may not carry a centerfire or rimfire firearm while hunting, unless they are a lawful weapons carrier. Scopes are legal, as are air rifles of .30 caliber or larger and air bows. Youth under 16 may hunt with any legal deer firearm during this week.

Legal firearms

Centerfire firearms of .22 caliber or larger with expanding bullets, plus any weapon legal in the archery and primitive weapons seasons.

Fluorescent orange or pink

During the primitive weapons and firearms seasons, archery hunters must wear at least 500 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange or blaze pink, except in archery-only counties and archery-only WMAs.

Game Check

Every deer must be reported through Georgia Game Check within 24 hours: on the Outdoors GA app, at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com or by calling 1-800-366-2661. All deer hunters must carry a harvest record for the current season, and the head may not be removed until the deer is processed, left for processing or storage, or submitted for CWD testing.

New for 2026-27

• Proper disposal of deer carcasses and parts is now required statewide for anyone transporting or disposing of them.
• Hunters in Atkinson, Berrien, Lanier and Lowndes counties are asked to have deer tested for chronic wasting disease. Testing elsewhere is optional.

In the 2025-26 firearms season, about 200,000 hunters took around 250,000 deer, according to the Wildlife Resources Division.

Licenses

Deer hunters need a hunting license, a big game license and a current deer harvest record, sold online, by phone or at license agents.

Frequently asked questions

When does deer season open in Georgia?

Archery opens Sept. 12, 2026, primitive weapons Oct. 10, 2026 and firearms Oct. 17, 2026. For most hunters the season ends Jan. 10, 2027.

How many deer can you kill in Georgia?

Twelve a season: up to 10 antlerless and no more than 2 antlered. One of the two bucks must have at least 4 points, 1 inch or longer, on one side, or an outside spread of at least 15 inches.

What are either-sex days in Georgia?

Days when does may be taken with firearms. They depend on the color zone of your county: in the Green and Magenta zones every firearms day is either-sex, while the Yellow, Cyan and Orange zones are bucks only except on set days. With archery equipment, either sex may be taken on private land at any time.

Which Georgia counties are in each either-sex zone?

Yellow: Towns and Rabun. Cyan: Fannin and Union. Orange: Whitfield, Murray, Gilmer, Pickens, Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Habersham and Stephens. Magenta: Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Early, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole and Thomas. Gray (archery only): Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton north of GA Highway 92. Every other county is Green.

How long do I have to report a deer in Georgia?

24 hours, through Georgia Game Check on the Outdoors GA app, GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com or 1-800-366-2661.

What licenses do I need to hunt deer in Georgia?

A hunting license, a big game license and a current deer harvest record.

Which Georgia counties are archery only?

Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton north of GA Highway 92. Firearms deer hunting is also not allowed on the part of Glynn County within Jekyll Island.

Deer season in other states

Texas · Pennsylvania · Michigan · Wisconsin · Ohio · New York · Missouri · Minnesota · Indiana · Virginia · North Carolina · Kentucky · Tennessee · Alabama. Compare every state on the deer season dates by state page.

Duck seasons are on the Georgia duck season page, and turkey seasons on the Georgia turkey season page.

Always check your county's zone on the Georgia either-sex map and the WMA rules before hunting.