2021-2022 Quick Guide To Georgia Hunting Season Dates

The fall hunting seasons are just around the corner. Here is your quick reference to the 2021-2022 Georgia hunting season dates.

Georgia’s archery season for deer opens Sept. 11, and the statewide gun season opens Oct. 16. As always, when deer hunting in Georgia, make sure to double-check the regulations before you decide to pull the trigger on an antlerless deer and put some meat in the freezer. During gun seasons, there are certain dates that are buck-only for much of the state, and then there are either-sex days, also known as “doe days.”

The only part of the state when every day of gun season is a doe day is the section of counties in the dark pink color in the map below, and in the handful of suburban counties that are shown as dark blue on the map. Every other section of the state has at least some buck-only days, ranging from just two buck-only days on opening weekend in southeast Georgia (light blue on the map), to the northeast Georgia mountain counties that have only three doe days all of gun season—every other day is buck-only.

This year’s deer season will close statewide on Sunday, Jan. 9. The only exception is the suburban archery-only counties that are open to bowhunting until Jan. 31. The map below shows the days when hunters can shoot antlerless deer with a firearm. Antlerless deer may be taken statewide with archery equipment from Sept. 11 to Jan. 9.

The complete 2021-22 Georgia Hunting Season Dates and Bag Limits booklet will soon be available at license vendors and online. Be sure to consult the official regs before heading afield. Hunters are responsible for knowing and abiding by seasons and limits or be subject to charges and fines.

For discussion, registered users can comment below or at forum.gon.com.

Georgia 2021-2022 Deer Season Dates
Archery: Sept. 11 – Jan. 9
Firearms: Oct. 16 – Jan. 9
Youth Firearms Week: Oct. 9-15
Primitive Weapons: Oct. 9 – Jan. 9
Extended Archery: Sept. 11 – Jan. 31 (Suburban counties: ONLY for Barrow, Bibb, Chatham, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Columbia, Decatur, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Muscogee, Paulding, Rockdale and Seminole counties)

Doe-Day Map: Buck-Only and Either-Sex Days

Georgia 2021-22 Waterfowl Seasons
Early Teal: Sept. 11-26
Canada Geese:  Sept. 4-26; Oct. 9-24; Nov. 20-28; Dec. 12 – Jan. 31
Duck:   Nov. 20-28; Dec. 12 – Jan. 31
Youth/Military Waterfowl: Nov. 13-14
Duck Species Daily Bag Limits: 1 Black or Mottled Duck, 2 Canvasback, 1 Fulvous Whistling Duck, 2 Mallards (only 1 mallard may be a hen), 1 Pintail, 2 Redheads, 1 Scaup, 3 Wood Ducks. Possession limit is three times the daily bag limit.

Bear Season Northern Zone
Archery Sept. 11 – Jan. 9
Primitive Weapons Oct. 9 – Jan. 9
Youth Firearms Week: Oct. 9-15
Firearms Oct. 16 – Jan. 9

Bear Central Zone
Firearms Dec. 18

Bear Southern Zone
Firearms Sept. 23-25; Sept. 30 – Oct. 2;
Oct. 7-9; Oct. 14-16

2022 Georgia Turkey Season
Statewide April 2 – May 15
2 gobblers per season; daily bag limit of 1
Kids, Mobility Impaired March 26-27: Only for youth 16 years of age or younger and mobility impaired persons. This season does not apply to public lands unless otherwise specified.

Alligator Season
Zone & Quota Limited Aug. 20 (sunset) – Oct. 4 (sunrise)

Dove Season Statewide
Sept. 4 – Oct. 10; Nov. 20- 28; Dec. 19 – Jan. 31
Opening day dove season now begins 30 minutes before sunrise rather than 12 noon.

Small Game & Other Georgia Hunting Seasons
Crow: Nov. 6 – Feb. 28
Fox & Bobcat: Dec. 1 – Feb. 28
Grouse: Oct. 15 – Feb. 28
Opossum: Oct. 15 – Feb. 28
Quail: Nov. 13 – Feb. 28
Rabbit: Nov. 13 – Feb. 28
Raccoon: Oct. 15 – Feb. 28
Sora & Rails: Oct. 5-24; Nov. 1 – Dec. 20
Snipe: Nov. 15 – Feb. 28
Squirrel: Aug. 15 – Feb. 28
Woodcock: Dec. 11- Jan. 24