DMU Floyd, Georgia

Floyd County lies in Georgia's Ridge and Valley physiographic province in the state's northwest corner. Elevations range from roughly 600 feet on the valley floors near Rome to over 1,700 feet atop Johns Mountain. The landscape is defined by long parallel sandstone and shale ridges cloaked in mixed pine-hardwood forest separated by broad limestone valleys supporting cattle pasture and row crops. The Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers converge at Rome to form the Coosa River, creating bottomland hardwood corridors and creek drainages throughout the county. Forested ridgelines provide thermal bedding cover while valley cropland and hardwood bottoms concentrate deer movement.

Moderate to high. Floyd County ranked among Georgia's top-producing deer counties in 2024-2025 with approximately 4,300 deer harvested, one of the highest totals statewide. The two large WMAs attract hunters from the Rome metro area and surrounding counties. Berry College WMA sees steady weekend pressure along accessible road corridors; Johns Mountain's rugged ridge terrain disperses hunters effectively and holds pockets of low-contact hunting. Private lease hunting is active throughout the county's agricultural valleys.

Georgia statewide bag limits apply: 12 deer total per season, maximum 10 antlerless and 2 antlered bucks. One antlered buck must meet quality buck criteria (minimum 4 points one inch or longer on one side, or 15-inch outside antler spread); the second may be any legal antlered deer. New for 2025-2026: antlerless-only firearms weekend October 4-5. Archery opens September 13; youth and primitive weapons season October 11-17; general firearms season October 18-January 11. Floyd County falls under the standard statewide Green region zone with no southwest-county season extension.

Deer: archery September 13-January 11; primitive weapons October 11-17 (youth and mobility-impaired first two days); general firearms October 18-January 11; antlerless-only firearms weekend October 4-5. Spring turkey: youth and mobility-impaired March 21-22, 2026; private land statewide opens March 28; public land (WMAs, National Forest) opens April 4; all seasons close May 15; bag limit 3 gobblers per season, 1 per day. Feral hogs: no closed season or bag limit on private land; WMA hog and coyote season typically May 16-31. Black bear hunting available on Johns Mountain and Berry College WMAs during designated bear seasons. Small game (squirrel, rabbit, dove) and waterfowl seasons also active. No night hunting on WMAs.

Floyd County delivers one of northwest Georgia's strongest combinations of public-land acreage and proven deer production. Berry College WMA's 15,609 acres and Johns Mountain WMA's roughly 23,000 acres on National Forest land together give hunters access to hardwood hollows, oak-ridge flats, and agricultural edge habitat within a single county. The Etowah and Oostanaula River bottoms funnel mature bucks between ridge bedding areas and valley food sources, contributing to the county's top-tier harvest numbers. Johns Mountain's rugged terrain — climbing more than 1,000 feet above the Rome valley floor — rewards hunters willing to put in elevation work with lower pressure and quality buck encounters. The liberal statewide antlerless limit (up to 10 per season) makes Floyd County an ideal destination for hunters looking to fill the freezer alongside the pursuit of trophy-class bucks.