# Goose and Duck hunting Neat Atlanta and Southern Georgia



## GotWoody21 (May 5, 2021)

Good morning Everyone.

I'm a recent transplant to Atlanta Georgia from Upstate NY where I enjoyed Goose and Duck hunting in lakes and big public ponds.

If anyone can give me any insight where I could continue goose and duck hunting here in georgia I would greatly appreciate it!

To note, I would be either in my Kayak or Canoe for it!


----------



## jdgator (May 5, 2021)

Here is a link to some basic information to get you started: 

https://georgiawildlife.com/hunting/waterfowl

Good luck out there!


----------



## GotWoody21 (May 5, 2021)

jdgator said:


> Here is a link to some basic information to get you started:
> 
> https://georgiawildlife.com/hunting/waterfowl
> 
> Good luck out there!



Thank you!

Yeah Ive glanced at the website, was wondering if there were more specific places (WMA etc) that are good, or are there onset avoid.


----------



## Mexican Squealer (May 5, 2021)

Unfortunately you are likely in for some major disappointment...


----------



## Gator89 (May 5, 2021)

GotWoody21 said:


> Good morning Everyone.
> 
> I'm a recent transplant to Atlanta Georgia from Upstate NY where I enjoyed Goose and Duck hunting in lakes and big public ponds.
> 
> ...



Got any friends or family in Arkansas?


----------



## across the river (May 5, 2021)

GotWoody21 said:


> Thank you!
> 
> Yeah Ive glanced at the website, was wondering if there were more specific places (WMA etc) that are good, or are there onset avoid.




Being as honest as I can be about it, Georgia is pretty terrible for duck hunting in general.  It’s tough on private a lot of the time, and even tougher on public.  Most of what gets killed here by most people are wood ducks.  Find a WMA, put in some boot work, and try to find a creek, beaver pond, flooded bottom after a big rain, etc..... holding a few wood ducks you can hunt.  As far as lakes go, the big ones, and even a most of the smaller ones gets pounded and there typically isn’t much there to hunt anyway. You will see more hunters than ducks most of the time.    Can you kill birds on public land in Georgia?   Yes, but it is a ton of work for very little reward.   A large number of people that live in Georgia that duck hunt go out of state to hunt and rarely hunt Georgia, if that tells you anything.


----------



## GotWoody21 (May 5, 2021)

across the river said:


> Being as honest as I can be about it, Georgia is pretty terrible for duck hunting in general.  It’s tough on private a lot of the time, and even tougher on public.  Most of what gets killed here by most people are wood ducks.  Find a WMA, put in some boot work, and try to find a creek, beaver pond, flooded bottom after a big rain, etc..... holding a few wood ducks you can hunt.  As far as lakes go, the big ones, and even a most of the smaller ones gets pounded and there typically isn’t much there to hunt anyway. You will see more hunters than ducks most of the time.    Can you kill birds on public land in Georgia?   Yes, but it is a ton of work for very little reward.   A large number of people that live in Georgia that duck hunt go out of state to hunt and rarely hunt Georgia, if that tells you anything.




Gotcha, I assumed it would be rough from what I read, but thank you for the heads up!
Yeah I am hoping to put in some leg work and hike a WMA to find a spot.


----------



## GotWoody21 (May 5, 2021)

Gator89 said:


> Got any friends or family in Arkansas?



Unfortunately I do not!!


----------



## natureman (May 5, 2021)

Lake Lanier.  https://georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/wrd/pdf/regulations/2020 Waterfowl Regs.pdf


----------



## Jason C (May 6, 2021)

Good luck, havent been on a good duck hunt in Georgia for years now.


----------



## GotWoody21 (May 6, 2021)

Jason C said:


> Good luck, havent been on a good duck hunt in Georgia for years now.



Oh boy, well all I can do is try!


----------



## GotWoody21 (May 6, 2021)

natureman said:


> Lake Lanier.  https://georgiawildlife.com/sites/default/files/wrd/pdf/regulations/2020 Waterfowl Regs.pdf



Thank you for the information!


----------



## across the river (May 6, 2021)

GotWoody21 said:


> Oh boy, well all I can do is try!



You can kill ducks in Georgia, and you can do it on public land.  It just isn’t as easy being that this is not a fly way state and is harder than it once was when there were less people messing with them.  You get very few birds migrating through comparatively speaking and a lot that pass over don’t stop.  You aren’t going to just go sit on a like or pond and decoy or call in birds that just happen to be migrating through.  There just aren’t enough of them.  Scout one evening, if you find birds, go back and hunt them the next morning.  If you don’t find birds, go deer hunting.  There are birds to be killed, but you will do a lot of leg work and spend a lot of time scouting to see and kill what will likely be way less than what you are accustomed to. It is what it is.


----------



## GotWoody21 (May 7, 2021)

across the river said:


> You can kill ducks in Georgia, and you can do it on public land.  It just isn’t as easy being that this is not a fly way state and is harder than it once was when there were less people messing with them.  You get very few birds migrating through comparatively speaking and a lot that pass over don’t stop.  You aren’t going to just go sit on a like or pond and decoy or call in birds that just happen to be migrating through.  There just aren’t enough of them.  Scout one evening, if you find birds, go back and hunt them the next morning.  If you don’t find birds, go deer hunting.  There are birds to be killed, but you will do a lot of leg work and spend a lot of time scouting to see and kill what will likely be way less than what you are accustomed to. It is what it is.




I hear you. Up in NY what I mostly hunted was wood ducks in the back slews of lakes and ponds as the teal were long gone by the time the season started and we only really got mallards when it got colder and they started to migrate from Canada.

The migrating geese were fun though. Hunted them on farms as said farmers hated them and loved having us there in our ground blinds!


----------



## Hooked On Quack (May 7, 2021)

I've killed 21 species of ducks here in Middle Ga, in  3-5 seasons.  Lots of divers.


----------



## king killer delete (May 7, 2021)

With what you are use to . You will not find you like duck hunting in Georgia. It’s hard and not many ducks .


----------



## jdgator (May 8, 2021)

There’s actually plenty of resident geese in Georgia. You’ll have fine sport if you enjoy getting after them. The farmers find them to be a pest too.


----------



## GotWoody21 (May 10, 2021)

jdgator said:


> There’s actually plenty of resident geese in Georgia. You’ll have fine sport if you enjoy getting after them. The farmers find them to be a pest too.



Do you know of any such "angry farmers" that I could provide a chemical free and relatively carbon neutral pest removal service?!?


----------



## chase870 (May 10, 2021)

Hunt in other places than Ga. if you can dealing with the retarded duck commanders in this state will just make you mad


----------



## jdgator (May 11, 2021)

GotWoody21 said:


> Do you know of any such "angry farmers" that I could provide a chemical free and relatively carbon neutral pest removal service?!?



There really is no secret handshake. First you find the peanut fields holding geese then you knock on the door. Ask if you can hunt it the next morning. You'll get a yes more then you'll get a no.


----------



## GTMODawg (May 25, 2021)

jdgator said:


> There really is no secret handshake. First you find the peanut fields holding geese then you knock on the door. Ask if you can hunt it the next morning. You'll get a yes more then you'll get a no.




Sooooo....any suggestions on general areas of the state where this is possible?  I have a sizeable filed set that I am thinking seriously about trading to a buddy in Lubbock Texas for a couple of hunts a season until I get too old and fat to make the trip....but if it is really possible to do what you suggest I may wait a season or two LOL.   I ain't skeered to travel....

One would think that if indeed peanut farmers were wont to allow folks to shoot geese on their place those in South Carolina and Alabama may be equally open to the idea as their brethren in Georgia.  That opens up a bunch of possibilities LOL.

Peanut farmers in West Texas and New Mexico are definitely open to the idea of shooting cranes and snows off their places....apparently both do some serious damage to peanuts somehow.  All I know is generally speaking they are about as likely to say yes as no....

 I generally have had pretty good success asking for permission to hunt....I had  some areas around Lubbock I could hunt and nearly the entirety of the panhandle of Texas is either leased or optioned to lease for geese....but I managed to get a yes from time to time.  Same is true of New Mexico.....but for different reasons....they thought I had lost my mind asking LOL.  No one hunts geese in eastern New Mexico yet the area can be pretty good given the lack of pressure.....


----------



## dang (Jun 17, 2021)

If you’re new and unfamiliar with how the system works I’ll remind you to look into the quota hunt application process. Certain WMA’s in the state offer hunts to a selected number of hunters (quota). Start applying as soon as you have a license, if you don’t get drawn, you gain a preference point you can use to wager the following year to improve your odds of being selected. May not pay off immediately, but it’s free, so apply and down the line you will thank yourself when you have points built up. This isn’t specific to only waterfowl hunts either.


----------



## GotWoody21 (Jun 17, 2021)

dang said:


> If you’re new and unfamiliar with how the system works I’ll remind you to look into the quota hunt application process. Certain WMA’s in the state offer hunts to a selected number of hunters (quota). Start applying as soon as you have a license, if you don’t get drawn, you gain a preference point you can use to wager the following year to improve your odds of being selected. May not pay off immediately, but it’s free, so apply and down the line you will thank yourself when you have points built up. This isn’t specific to only waterfowl hunts either.





Thank you for that information!!

I looked around and saw the Rum Creek WMA doesn't appear to have the quota for waterfowl ( Goose and duck).

Do you know if that's correct?

Any information is appreciated!


----------



## mallardsx2 (Jun 17, 2021)

I used to hunt NY at several places on the eastern end of Lake Ontario every year for 4 days each trip there.

Prepare to be VERY dissapointed with waterfowl hunting in GA. lol


----------



## GotWoody21 (Jun 17, 2021)

mallardsx2 said:


> I used to hunt NY at several places on the eastern end of Lake Ontario every year for 4 days each trip there.
> 
> Prepare to be VERY dissapointed with waterfowl hunting in GA. lol



Yeah I have been hearing that, but I will still put in the effort to get out there and find some birds!


----------



## FloppinBob (Jun 17, 2021)

Gator89 said:


> Got any friends or family in Arkansas?



Arkansas ain't no better these days.  Too many people.  Every field is flooded up to a pit, and farmers are charging way too much for non producing fields.  If a field up there hasn't always had ducks, it won't ever get ducks.


----------



## dang (Jun 17, 2021)

GotWoody21 said:


> Thank you for that information!!
> 
> I looked around and saw the Rum Creek WMA doesn't appear to have the quota for waterfowl ( Goose and duck).
> 
> ...



Below is what I show listed in the wma regs for Rum Creek. You can find the specific WMA regs here (last years): 

http://www.eregulations.com/georgia/hunting/w-m-a-regulations-a-c/

If you aren’t sure you can always call the office for that region as well. 

Rum creek 
*Waterfowl*
Shooting hours end at noon for all areas.

MARSH Project Q3 CYouth s: Dec. 12, Jan. 16
Area west of Juliette Rd. is only open for 2 youth quota hunts.
East of Ebenezer Rd. (includes Lake Juliette)pen for all hunters. Federal Youth Waterfowl Days & Wed.-Sun., during state season. No motor in excess of 25 hp may be operated on Lake Juliette.
Youth Area: Between Juliette Rd. and Ebenezer Rd. only youth may hunt. Federal Youth Waterfowl Days & Wed.-Sun., during state season.


----------



## GotWoody21 (Jun 18, 2021)

jdgator said:


> Here is a link to some basic information to get you started:
> 
> https://georgiawildlife.com/hunting/waterfowl
> 
> Good luck out there!



Hey quick question about teal in Georgia.

Are they mostly green or blue?

 I'm looking into buying decoys and want to get the optimal ones!

Thank you.


----------



## FloppinBob (Jun 18, 2021)

Use hen mallards.  They are blue wings, but hen mallards work the best


----------



## GotWoody21 (Jun 18, 2021)

FloppinBob said:


> Use hen mallards.  They are blue wings, but hen mallards work the best



Thank you!!


----------



## GotWoody21 (Jul 18, 2021)

GotWoody21 said:


> Thank you!!


Thank you!
Hey if I can tag along and contribute please let me know!


----------

