SOCIAL CIRCLE — It is finally that time of the year again for Georgia hunters. Firearms deer season opens Saturday, Oct. 22, and lasts through Jan. 1, 2012, in the Northern Zone and in the Southern Zone, through Jan. 15, 2012.
“Regulated hunting is the most cost effective and efficient means of managing the deer herd,” said John W. Bowers, assistant chief of Game Management for the Wildlife Resources Division. “In addition, sportsmen and women provide more than $30 million each year to fund wildlife conservation in the state through license fees and self-imposed excise taxes collected on the purchase of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment and fishing equipment.”
More than 1 million acres of public hunting land is available to hunters in Georgia, including more than 100 state-operated wildlife management areas. In addition to traditional hunters, many special hunts are offered, including ladies-only and adult/child hunts. Dates and locations for these hunts, as well as WMA maps, are available in the 2011-12 Georgia Hunting Seasons and Regulations guide at www.gohuntgeorgia.com/hunting/regulations.
During the 2010-2011 firearms deer season, 299,894 licensed hunters harvested more than 386,050 deer in Georgia.