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GEORGIA, (WALB) - There are some major changes coming for Georgia hunters and anglers.

The new laws for outdoor enthusiasts can be found in the updated 2025–2026 Hunting and Fishing Regulations Guidebook. The guidebook is now available both online and in print.

The Hunting and Fishing Regulations Guidebook contains need-to-know information for hunters and anglers, including season openings, harvest regulations, fishing limits, and species identification.

For a digital copy of the 2025-2026 regulations click here.

New Hunting Regulations

• Youth are defined as being a person under 16 years of age.
• Early antlerless- allows hunting 2 days early in October for antlerless deer with firearms for select counties
• Deer carcass disposal- inedible parts of a harvested deer must be disposed of on site. Carcass moved off site must follow department of agriculture laws
• Blaze pink- authorizes the use of wearing at least 500 square inches of florescent pink or orange during Georgia’s hunting seasons

Two additional days for antlerless firearm hunting have been added for October 4th and 5th, 2025. This change supports venison donation efforts and helps manage deer-related crop damage. Harvesting is limited to antlerless deer in specific counties using a firearm. See the image below for county restrictions related to this new regulation. Areas marked in green are eligible to participate in the early season.

New preventative regulations for deer carcass disposal take effect in 2025. To help prevent the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), unused or inedible parts of a deer must be disposed of on the property where the animal was harvested. Read more on CWD here.

Exceptions to this rule allow,

• Using a commercial deer processor to dispose of the carcass,
• Using a permitted solid waste landfill
• Disposing of the carcass in deep burial
• Incineration
• Using any method approved method as outlined in the dead animal disposal act

New Regulations for Anglers

Anglers also face new regulations in 2025, including updates for catfish and new bass limits in certain counties and public fishing areas.

Under the new rules, catfish of any species — including those classified as game fish — may now be harvested using a bow. Bowfishing for catfish is allowed at any time, day or night, with the use of a light. However, the use of a bow for harvesting any other fish species remains restricted to daytime hours.

In South Georgia, new daily limits have been established for bass at the Paradise Public Fishing Area. Anglers are now limited to five largemouth bass per person, per day, with only one of those allowed to exceed 24 inches in length. The daily limit for hybrid striped bass is also set at five fish per person.

Refer to the hunting and fishing regulations guidebook whenever possible.

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