PRIVATE LANDS: No closed season; no limit. No hunting over bait, from a vehicle, or at night with a light over 6 volts except by special permit. A resident Hunting License is required to hunt feral hogs for all resident hunters 16 years old or older, except when hunting on land owned by them or their immediate family (blood or dependent relationship) residing in the same household. Non-residents must meet non-resident license requirements. Contact the Game Management office nearest you for more information.

NATIONAL FOREST & CORPS OF ENGINEERS LANDS (outside of WMAs): Hogs may be taken with archery equipment during archery deer season, with deer weapons during firearms deer season, with turkey weapons during turkey season and with small game weapons during small game season from Aug. 15-Feb. 28. Pursuing, catching or hunting hogs with dogs is prohibited during firearms deer season. No limit. No night hunting. No hunting over bait. Hunting license requirements must be met. Hunter orange is required during firearms and primitive weapons deer seasons.

STOCKING: Relocating feral hogs is illegal unless they have tested negative for brucellosis and pseudorabies within 30 days prior to being moved. Individuals who relocate hogs in violation of laws and regulations are subject to prosecution by the Dept. of Agriculture. It is illegal to stock hogs on public lands or on private lands without permission of the landowner.

WARNING: Feral hogs can carry diseases that are transmissible to people. To avoid possible exposure, wear plastic gloves when field dressing feral hogs; wash hands with soap and hot water immediately afterwards; avoid direct contact with blood and reproductive organs; cook thoroughly. Properly dispose of all waste.

PROCESSING: Any facility that processes hogs for a fee must be licensed as a red meat establishment by the Dept. of Agriculture. Deer processors can obtain a Custom Feral Hog Exempt license from the GA Dept. of Agriculture, Meat Inspection Section for $10. Contact the Meat Inspection Section at (404) 656-3673 for more information. This licensing requirement does not apply to anyone processing a feral hog for their own use.

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Restriction: Killing of females with cub(s) or a cub under 75 pounds is prohibited. Northern Zone: In Banks, Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Dawson, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Gordon, Habersham, Hall, Lumpkin, Murray, Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, White, Whitfield counties

Archery: Sept.13-Oct.10.
Primitive Weapons: Oct. 11-17.
Firearms: Oct. 18-Dec. 7.

No dogs or bait allowed. Bears must be reported to personnel of the Wildlife Resources Division - Gainesville Office (770) 535-5700 or Armuchee Office (706) 295-6041 within 24 hours of harvest. After hours, call 1- 800-241-4113. At a minimum, the hide and skull must be taken to the Gainesville or Armuchee office within 3 business days of harvest for tagging. Bears may also be checked at any WMA check station in the counties listed above that are open for a managed deer/bear/hog hunt between 8AM - 8PM during the bear season.

Southern Zone: In Brantley, Charlton, Clinch, Echols and Ware Counties.
Firearms: Sept. 25-27; Oct. 2-4; Oct. 9-11.
Dog hunting allowed; No baiting. Bears must be checked and tagged at the Dixon Memorial WMA Check Station, or the GA Forestry Commission Offices in Fargo, Folkston or Homerville between 12 noon and 9PM on days of hunts.
Statewide Season Limit: One (1)

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Alligator Season

Sept.6-Oct. 5 for quota permit holders only. Season limit of 1 per quota permit holder. Legal alligators must be 48 inches or longer from end of snout to tip of tail. Areas open for the harvest of alligators are limited to 8 zones with zone specific quotas as follows:
Zone 1 (Q=40): Calhoun, Chattahoochee, Clay, Early, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Stewart, Terrell, and Webster counties Zone 2 (Q=85): Baker, Decatur, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, and Seminole counties Zone 3 (Q=40): Crawford, Crisp, Dooly, Dougherty, Houston, Lee, Macon, Peach, Schley, Sumter, Taylor, and Worth counties Zone 4 (Q=60): Berrien, Brooks, Colquitt, Cook, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Thomas, Tift, and Turner counties Zone 5 (Q=45): Ben Hill, Bibb, Bleckley, Coffee, Dodge, Jeff Davis, Laurens, Montgomery, Pulaski, Telfair, Treutlen, Twiggs, Wheeler, Wilcox and Wilkinson counties Zone 6 (Q=80): Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Echols, Pierce, and Ware counties Zone 7 (Q=90): Appling, Glynn, Long, McIntosh, Tattnall, Toombs, and Wayne counties Zone 8 (Q=110): Bryan, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Chatham, Effingham, Emanuel, Evans, Glascock, Jefferson,Jenkins, Johnson, Liberty, Richmond, Screven, and Washington counties
On WMAs in the open zones, alligators may be taken during open small game dates that coincide with the open season for alligator (unless otherwise specified) by valid permit holders only. WMA license required. No alligator hunting on National Wildlife Refuges. For detailed information see the special Alligator Hunting Season brochure available on the internet at WRD offices. Interested hunters must apply online for Alligator Quota hunts at gohuntgeorgia.com.

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Bird Hunting

Turkey: Mar. 21-May 15, 2009 statewide.
Season Limit: 3 Gobblers.

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Small Game Hunting

BOBCAT & FOX: Dec. 1-Feb. 28.
No limit. Dog hunting allowed. Bobcats and foxes may be hunted with small game firearms by hunters using manual calls.

GROUSE: Oct. 15-Feb. 28; Daily limit: 3.

OPOSSUM: Oct. 15-Feb. 28; No limit.

QUAIL: Nov. 15-Feb. 28; Daily limit: 12.

RABBIT: Nov. 15-Feb. 28; Daily limit: 12.

SQUIRREL: Aug. 15-Feb. 28; Daily limit: 12.

COYOTES, ARMADILLOS, GROUNDHOGS, BEAVERS, STARLINGS, PIGEONS AND ENGLISH SPARROWS: No closed season. No
limit. Electronic calls may be used for hunting coyotes (legal on WMAs only between Aug. 15 and Nov. 30).

RACCOON: Northern Zone (Area north of and including Carroll, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Barrow, Jackson, Madison and Elbert counties): Oct. 15-Feb. 28; Daily limit 1.
Southern Zone (Area south of Carroll, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Barrow, Jackson, Madison and Elbert counties): Oct. 15-Feb. 28;
Daily limit 3.

TRAPPING: Dec. Dec. 1-Feb. 28 for mink, otter, fox, opossum, muskrat, skunk, bobcat, and weasel. Raccoons may be trapped only in the Southern Raccoon Zone. There is no closed season for trapping beavers and coyotes.

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MIGRATORY BIRD HUNTING

CROWS:
Nov. 1-Feb. 28; No Limit; Electronic calls may be used. Crows may be taken outside of these dates only when causing agricultural damage.

MARSH HENS:
Sept. 15-Oct 20 and Nov 11-Dec. 14; Daily limit: 15.

MOURNING DOVE:
Sept. 6-21; Oct. 11-19; Nov. 27-Jan. 10; Daily Limit: 12. Eurasian
collared doves may be taken at any time; No limit.

LEGAL HOURS: Dove - 12 noon until sunset on opening day of September season, and 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset for the remainder of the season. Other Migratory Birds - 1/2 hour before sunrise to sunset.

BANDED BIRDS: Hunters harvesting any banded migratory bird are advised to call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bird Banding Laboratory at 1-800-327-BAND.

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