DMU Charlton, Georgia
Unit info
- Game species
- White-tailed Deer, Wild Turkey
- Group
- Green Zone
- Area
- N/A
- Public land
- N/A
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Reported harvest
- 1,113
Draw odds for White-tailed Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Season & harvest data is published for White-tailed Deer so far. Wild Turkey also occur here — that data can be added as the community contributes.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedCharlton County sits in Georgia's far southeast corner, straddling the eastern rim of the Okefenokee Swamp along Trail Ridge. The county falls squarely in the Green Zone — the liberal-antlerless management region covering most of coastal and lower coastal plain Georgia — where either-sex deer hunting is open for the full season with no county-specific antlerless day restrictions. Flatwoods pine, blackwater swamp edges, and agricultural fields along the St. Marys River corridor hold solid whitetail populations. Public hunting access is limited but includes units of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (roughly 3,800 acres in three upland units) and private-land leases on timber tracts. A new state WMA of approximately 4,000 acres on Trail Ridge adjacent to the refuge is slated to open in 2027, which will substantially expand public opportunity. Hunting pressure is moderate-to-low given the county's rural character and limited public-land footprint; private timber company land dominates the landscape.
Lower Coastal Plain flatwoods — longleaf and slash pine savanna, pocosin bays, blackwater creek bottoms, and the eastern edge of the Okefenokee Swamp along Trail Ridge. Elevation is nearly flat (50–100 ft). Soils are sandy and poorly drained. Agricultural clearings and planted pine stands on private timber tracts break up the swamp/forest matrix.
Low to moderate. The county is sparsely populated and lacks significant walk-in public acreage today. The existing Okefenokee NWR units receive some pressure during firearms season but are not crowded. Swampy terrain and limited road networks naturally distribute hunters. Pressure will increase once the new Trail Ridge WMA opens.
Green Zone — either-sex (antlerless) deer may be taken throughout the entire deer season with no county-level either-sex day restrictions. Statewide bag limit: 12 deer per season, max 10 antlerless, max 2 antlered (one antlered deer must have 4+ points ≥1 inch on one side OR ≥15-inch outside spread). An antlerless-only firearms opportunity (Oct 4–5) was added statewide in 2024–25. Charlton County doe harvest is unrestricted by additional county quotas.
Archery season opens mid-September (2025–26 opener: Sept 13) through mid-October statewide either-sex. Youth/Primitive Weapons window ~Oct 11–17 (muzzleloading rifles .30-cal+, muzzleloading shotguns 20-ga+, qualifying air bows/air rifles). Main firearms season opens ~Oct 18 and runs through ~Jan 11 (extended to ~Jan 15 in select SW counties; Charlton is SE so standard close applies). Wild turkey spring season typically opens in April statewide; fall turkey archery coincides with deer archery window in most coastal counties. Feral hog hunting is year-round with no bag limit on private land.
Hunting the edge habitat where Trail Ridge longleaf pine meets Okefenokee Swamp drainage creates a rare and distinctive Southeast Georgia experience. Deer using the swamp-to-upland transition corridors are often large-bodied with quality genetics from low hunting pressure on timber-company tracts. The incoming Trail Ridge WMA (~2027) will be a landmark addition to public hunting in the Okefenokee corridor. Proximity to Folkston (the self-styled Canoe Capital of Georgia) means quality outdoor infrastructure. Turkey and hog hunting add season-long variety.
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about DMU Charlton— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about DMU Charlton.
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Boundaries: GADNR Wildlife Resources Division official deer zones. Community info last updated 16d ago.