Georgia turkey hunting season starts Saturday, Department of Natural Resources says

WSBTV.com News Staff
·2 min read

Georgia’s turkey hunting season is set to start off with a bang on Saturday and the state is gearing up for everyone looking to gobble up the opportunities.

Beginning March 30, turkey hunting opens on private lands, while public turkey hunting opens on April 6.

According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, hunting season will continue through May 15.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

During previous hunting seasons, Georgia officials said state turkeys were not reproducing as fast as expected from 2021 to 2022, with the exception of the Coastal Plain Regions.

In areas like Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley and Piedmont, there were slight decreases as well.

“Looking back to 2022, statewide turkey reproduction averaged 1.5 poults per hen, which was on par with the average over the past decade, but lower than 2021′s 10-year record high,” explained Emily Rushton, Wildlife Resources Division wild turkey project coordinator. “While that will likely translate into fewer adult birds this spring compared to last year, the number of available gobblers will likely be comparable to the past few years.”

TRENDING STORIES:

During the hunting season, participants are limited to one turkey per day per hunter, with a season total of two. For Georgia Wildlife Management Areas and National Forest lands, the bag limit is one per area.

Anyeon hunting turkeys, including those younger than 16, landowners, honorary, lifetime and sportsman license holders is required to “maintain a free harvest record each season.” Before moving a harvested turkey, hunters have to enter the data and county on the harvest record.

Within 24 hours, they also have to complete the reporting process through Georgia Game Check.

“I often have hunters ask if there has been a change in poult production since the season dates and bag limits were adjusted in 2022. The short answer is that it is still too soon post-regulation change to know,” Rushton said. “Many factors, including weather, mast crop, and insect availability all affect poult production from year-to-year, so to provide a better, science-driven understanding of the turkey population’s trajectory, we will need quite a few years of data.”

Hunters under 16 do not need a license, but those 16 and older will need to get a hunting license and big game license unless they’re hunting on their own private land. This requirement includes those accompanying youth or others, according to DNR.

Potential hunters can get their licenses online, at a retail license vendor or by calling 1-800-366-2661.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS: