Firearms Deer Hunting Season Opens Oct. 18

Fall has officially arrived in Georgia, bringing with it shorter days, cooler temperatures and the start of the firearms deer hunting season.

Beginning on Saturday, Oct. 18 and continuing until Jan. 1, 2015 in the Northern Zone and Jan. 15, 2015 in the Southern Zone, hunters will have the chance to hit the woods with their firearms in pursuit of white-tailed deer.

John W. Bowers, chief of game management for the Wildlife Resources Division, says that regulated hunting is the most “economical and efficient method of managing deer populations.”

“In addition,” Bowers said, “deer hunting also provides an economic benefit to the state, with hunters spending millions of dollars every year traveling to hunting locations, purchasing equipment from local retailers, and visiting lodging and dining establishments.”

During the 2013-2014 firearms deer season, nearly 300,000 hunters harvested over 365,000 deer in the state. The use of regulated deer hunting ensures that Georgia’s deer population continues to be healthy and strong.

Georgia hunters have access to more than one million acres of public hunting land across the state, including over 100 state-operated wildlife management areas. In addition to traditional hunts, a number of special hunts are offered, including ladies-only and adult/child hunts. Dates and locations for these hunts, as well as WMA maps, can be found in the 2014-2015 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations Guide at www.gohuntgeorgia.com/hunting/regulations.

Hunters are allowed a harvest of up to 10 antlerless deer and no more than two antlered deer (with one of the two antlered deer having a minimum of four points, one inch or longer, on one side of the antlers).

To pursue deer in Georgia, all hunters must have a valid hunting license, a big game license and a current deer harvest record. If hunting on a WMA, a WMA license is required. Licenses can be purchased online at www.gohuntgeorgia.com/licenses-permits-passes, by phone at 1-800-366-2661 or at a license agent (list of agents available online).

All deer hunters must wear at least 500 square inches of fluorescent orange above the waist to legally hunt during firearms season except on archery-only areas.

Georgia’s new deer rut map can be found at www.georgiawildlife.com/rut-map . For more information on deer hunting seasons, regulations, licenses and WMA maps, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/hunting .