Skip to content
Georgia · 2026-27 season year

Georgia Small Game Season 2026-27

Quail: November 14, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Rabbit: November 14, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Every date below was read from Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division’s own published page, linked beside it, on September 19, 2026.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 19, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.
No open season
Pheasant
no season
November 14, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Quail
published
October 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Grouse
published
November 14, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Rabbit
published
August 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027
Squirrel
published
Statewide
Zone structure
as the agency draws it
Five seasons, one state

Georgia small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division dates bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, rabbit and squirrel separately, so each species is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Pheasant

no season

Georgia has no open pheasant season for 2026-27. The Wildlife Resources Division's small game seasons table lists no pheasant season. Georgia's small game rows are grouse, quail, rabbit and squirrel. Source: Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division.

Quail

published

Quail runs November 14, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Georgia quail, as published by Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideNovember 14, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game and Trapping Seasons, 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations, Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, accessed 2026-09-19.

Georgia's bobwhite season opens the second Saturday in November, the same day as rabbit, and runs through the end of February. The digest notes that seasons on WMAs, PFAs, state parks and federal lands may differ from the statewide dates.

Grouse

published

Grouse runs October 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Georgia grouse, as published by Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideOctober 15, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game and Trapping Seasons, 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations, Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, accessed 2026-09-19.

Ruffed grouse, found in the north Georgia mountains, opens on the fixed date of Oct 15 and runs through the end of February.

Rabbit

published

Rabbit runs November 14, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Georgia rabbit, as published by Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideNovember 14, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game and Trapping Seasons, 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations, Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, accessed 2026-09-19.

Rabbit opens the second Saturday in November with quail and runs through the end of February.

Squirrel

published

Squirrel runs August 15, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Georgia squirrel, as published by Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
StatewideAugust 15, 2026February 28, 2027

Dates read from Small Game and Trapping Seasons, 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations, Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division, accessed 2026-09-19.

Gray and fox squirrel open Aug 15, the earliest small game opener in Georgia, and run through the end of February.

Squirrel Statewide Aug. 15 - Feb. 28
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division, read September 19, 2026. Read it at the source
A pair of northern bobwhite quail standing together in a carpet of purple violets, the male with a bold white throat and eye stripe, the female buff faced
A bobwhite pair. Quail seasons run from late autumn into winter across the South and Midwest; several western states date scaled, Gambel's and California quail on the same row. Photo: Steve Maslowski, USFWS. “Colinus virginianus USFWS”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, Public domain
Rules

Georgia small game hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by is set by Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Georgia regulations

Bag and possession limits, legal methods, shooting hours, license and stamp requirements, and youth or special season rules for Georgia are set by Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division: current regulations
Close view of an eastern cottontail rabbit in green grass, ears up, dark round eye and white chin catching the light
An eastern cottontail. Rabbit is usually the last small game season to close, running into February in most of the East and Midwest. Photo: Grayson Smith, USFWS. “Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (48935527872)”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Public domain

Small game season dates in other Southeast states

Every state’s pheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel dates are on the national small game season page.

A ruffed grouse standing on snow with its feathers puffed against the cold, crest raised, in front of bare frosted branches
A ruffed grouse in northern Minnesota snow. Grouse seasons open in September or October in the northern forest states and several run through the winter. Photo: Courtney Celley, USFWS. “Ruffed grouse (53480965635)”, USFWS Midwest Region, Public domain
Georgia deer seasonArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer dates for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.Georgia turkey seasonSpring and fall wild turkey windows for 2026-27, read from the same agency.Georgia duck seasonDuck and goose season dates by zone and flyway, read from the same agency.Georgia fall foliagePeak color and the first grouse and squirrel weeks overlap. Plan the same trip.

Georgia small game season questions

A fox squirrel with a grey back and rust orange belly crouched on a lichen covered branch against bare winter trees and blue sky
A fox squirrel in bare winter woods in Ohio. Squirrel is the earliest small game opener in many states, from mid August or September, and runs to January or February. “Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger vulpinus) (13255025953)” by Andrew C, CC BY 2.0

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 19, 2026. Every season window is republished from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division page linked beside it, read on September 19, 2026; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Bag and possession limits, legal methods, shooting hours and licence rules are set by Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national small game season guide.