During the Georgia Muzzleloader Hunting Season, a legal to use muzzleloader is a 44-caliber or larger rifle, and shotguns muzzleloaders 20 gauge or larger. Scopes are legal.
Unlawful activities during the Georgia Muzzleloader Hunting Season:
Hunting without landowners’ permission, including power line, gas line, railroad and other rights-of-way. Written permission must be obtained if land is so posted.
Hunting while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Holding, possessing, releasing, or importing wildlife without a permit from the DNR.
Concealing the taking or possession of wildlife (or parts) which the person in possession reasonably should have known was obtained illegally.
Killing or crippling game without reasonable efforts to retrieve.
Hunt, shoot, kill, or wound any farmed deer (e.g. elk, red deer, fallow deer, sika deer, or axis deer) or exotic wild animal (e.g. farmed deer, mouflon sheep, Barbary sheep [aoudad], antelope, etc.) held under a wild animal license for enjoyment, gain, amusement, or sport.
Hunting or shooting from or across a public road.
Hunting from a vehicle, plane, or boat under power.
Selling or purchasing any game species or parts thereof, except antlers, hides, and tails of legally taken deer, tails of legally taken squirrels, and legally taken alligator products.
Use of a computer or any other device to remotely discharge a firearm for the purpose of hunting.
Use of drugs, poisons, chemicals, smoke, gas, explosives, or electronically-amplified sounds to hunt any game species.
Use of any pitfall, deadfall, snare, catch, trap, net, live decoy, or baited hook to take game species.
Use of electronic communications equipment to aid in the pursuit of game.
Disturbing wildlife dens, holes, or homes, or driving wildlife, except venomous snakes, from their dens, holes, or homes.
Discharging a firearm within 50 yards of a public road.
Blinding wildlife with lights.
No more than 10 may be antlerless and no more than 2 may be antlered. One of the 2 antlered deer must have at least 4 points, one inch or longer, on one side of the antlers.
Firearms deer hunting is not allowed in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton (north of GA Hwy. 92), and that portion of Glynn county lying within Jekyll Island. In the portion of Forsyth county south of GA Hwy. 20, only shotguns and muzzleloaders may be used (no other firearms allowed). In Hancock, Harris, Meriwether, Montgomery, Randolph, Talbot and Troup counties, only antlered bucks with at least 4 points on either side are legal. In Dooly and Macon counties, antlered bucks must have a minimum 15-inch outside spread.
