The Ultimate Guide to Georgia State Park Quota Deer Hunts [2022-2023]

Last Updated on July 13, 2022 by Brian Grossman

As of June 1, the application period is open for nine Georgia state park quota deer hunts. These hunts are administered separately from the traditional WMA quota deer hunts, with their own drawing and preference points. As you’ll see below, these state park hunts are harder to draw than most WMA hunts, but the reward for your patience is a much higher chance of filling your deer tags. The success rate on some of these hunts is over 100%!

In this article, we’ll cover which state parks are offering deer hunts for the 2022-2023 Georgia deer season, how many preference points you’ll likely need to draw each hunt, as well as the success rate of hunters who participated in them (based on 2021-2022 data). That should be more than enough information to help you make your final decision on which Georgia state park quota deer hunt you should apply for this year.

RELATED: GEORGIA’S 2022-2023 DEER SEASON DATES

When deciding how many preference points to wager, keep in mind that things could be different this year based on the number of people who apply, and the demand for certain hunts. Just because you could draw the Chattahoochee Bend State Park hunt with four points last year doesn’t mean that will be the case this year. If you have points to wager, you can always use them. Any points in excess of what you needed to draw the hunt will be credited back to your account.

2022-2023 Georgia State Park
Quota Deer Hunt Options

Easiest State Park Hunts to Draw

Unfortunately, if you don’t have at least two preference points for the state park quota deer hunts, you aren’t likely to draw a hunt this season. Some of these hunts take over five years of points accumulation just for a shot at getting drawn. There are several in that middle range where three to four points will either guarantee a draw or at least put you in contention. If you’ve only got two points for this year, though, here are the two hunts you still have a chance to draw based on last year’s demand:

1. Hard Labor Creek State Park
2. Mistletoe State Park

Hunts with the Best Odds of Success

If you’re looking to put venison in the freezer, you really can’t go wrong with any of these hunts. And that ‘s the whole purpose of these state parks to begin with — reduce the deer population on the park. The lowest success rate of any of these hunts is Fort Yargo State Park at 42%, and that’s pretty great odds for public land. Even the Tugaloo State Park archery hunt has a 50% success rate. Having said that, there were a few on the list that blew my mind with close to, or in some cases more than, a 100% success rate.

If your goal is meat in the freezer, and you have the preference points to draw, your best bets for success are:

1. Red Top Mountain State Park
2. Panola Mountain State Park
3. Hard Labor Creek State Park

How to Apply for Georgia State Park Quota Deer Hunts

You apply for these state park quota deer hunts exactly like you do the regular WMA quota hunts. Head over to the Georgia DNR website and set up an account if you already haven’t. Once you’re logged in, you’ll choose “Apply for a Quota Hunt” at the top of the page, then the apply button for State Park Quota Deer Hunts. At that point, you have to decide whether you are applying as an individual or with a group, then make your hunt selections. The Georgia DNR has a series of blog posts that walk you through the process step by step that I have linked below. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the Comments section below, and I will try to answer them best I can.

• Quota Hunts: How to Apply as an Individual
• Quota Hunts: How to Apply as a Group
• Quota Hunts: How to Join a Party

Quota Deer Hunt Deadline

The deadline for applying for Georgia’s state park quota deer hunts is September 1.

Summary

Georgia’s state park quota deer hunts can be a great opportunity to enjoy a hunt with friends or get to hunt some land that you normally wouldn’t have hunting access to. And even though you won’t be sharing the woods with as many hunters as you would on a WMA hunt, you should still be sure to respect other hunter’s space and focus on the experience more than filling a tag. End the end, even if you go home empty handed, you’ll be left with some great memories to last a lifetime.