Georgia’s Primitive Weapons Deer Hunting Season Opens October 12
Hunters looking to pursue deer with firearms that harken back to a different time will have their chance, Oct. 12-18, during the week-long primitive weapons deer hunting season. During last year’s primitive weapons season, more than 45,000 hunters took home more than 10,500 deer representing about three percent of Georgia’s total deer harvest.
“The primitive weapons deer season provides hunters an opportunity to hunt with traditional or inline black powder firearms, or to continue hunting with archery gear,” said John W. Bowers, chief of the Game Management Section. “It is a chance to ‘get in the woods’ with a different type of firearm prior to the opening of the more traditional modern firearms deer season.”
Being young is a bonus during primitive weapons season! Youth under 16 years of age may hunt deer with any legal deer firearm Oct. 12-18, including during any wildlife management area primitive weapons hunt.
More than one million acres of public hunting land is available to hunters in Georgia, including more than 100 state-operated wildlife management areas. Many of these areas offer special hunts throughout the season, including primitive weapons hunts. Dates and locations for these hunts are available in the 2013-2014 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations guide. An online copy of the Regulations guidebook and WMA maps can be found at www.gohuntgeorgia.com/hunting/regulations .
During primitive weapons season, hunters may use archery equipment, muzzleloading shotguns (20 gauge or larger) and muzzleloading firearms (.44 caliber or larger) to pursue whitetails.
Hunters are allowed a season bag limit of 10 antlerless deer and two antlered deer (one of the two antlered deer must have a minimum of four points, one inch or longer, on one side of the antlers). Special regulations apply to archery-only counties and extended archery season areas. Counties in the Metro Atlanta area (Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, and Rockdale counties) offer either-sex archery deer hunting Sept. 14-Jan. 31. Hunters may harvest deer of either-sex during the primitive weapons season.
All hunters, including archers, must wear at least 500 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange above the waist during primitive weapons season. Scopes and other optical sighting devices are legal for muzzleloading firearms and archery equipment.
To pursue deer in Georgia, hunters must have a valid hunting license, 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).
For more information on deer hunting seasons and regulations, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com/hunting/regulations .
