DMU Harris, Georgia

Harris County sits in the southern Piedmont of west-central Georgia, covering roughly 464 square miles of rolling hills and ridges at 600–1,000 feet elevation. The Pine Mountain range bisects the county from east to west, creating the most rugged terrain in the region with steep ridges and rock outcrops at Dowdell Knob (1,056 ft). The Chattahoochee River forms the western border with Alabama, backing up into the 5,850-acre Lake Harding behind Bartletts Ferry Dam. Land cover is predominantly mixed pine-hardwood, with significant pine plantations, bottomland hardwood strips along creek drainages, old fields, and upland hardwood stands. Blanton Creek WMA typifies the county's terrain — steep, rocky ravines and ridges along the Chattahoochee transition into gentler Piedmont slopes east of Pine Mountain.

Moderate overall. Blanton Creek WMA draws consistent pressure from local and regional hunters given it is one of few public parcels in the county; quota hunts help manage crowding during peak periods. The broader county landscape is dominated by private hunting clubs and managed plantations operating under QDM principles, which inherently limits pressure and improves age structure. Harris County is not a high-traffic destination WMA county, keeping total pressure moderate compared to northwest Georgia mountain counties or metro-area WMAs.

Statewide bag limit is 12 deer total — no more than 10 antlerless and no more than 2 antlered bucks per season. Harris County falls in the Green zone with liberal either-sex days throughout most of the season. A Quality Buck restriction applies countywide: antlered bucks must have at least 4 points (one inch or longer) on one side OR a minimum 15-inch outside spread. Antlerless deer may be taken throughout the either-sex firearms season on private land, subject to the statewide 10-antlerless cap.

Deer — archery opens Sept. 13 through Oct. 10, 2025 (either-sex); primitive weapons season Oct. 11–17 (either-sex); special two-day antlerless-only firearms season Oct. 4–5, 2025; general firearms season Oct. 18, 2025 through Jan. 11, 2026 (either-sex); archery extended season Jan. 16–31, 2026 (either-sex). Turkey — spring private-land season opens March 28, 2026; public land (WMAs) opens April 4; all seasons close May 15; bag limit 1 gobbler per day, 3 per season. Feral hogs — no closed season and no bag limit on private land; legal during any open season on public land; dedicated WMA hog and coyote season typically runs May 16–31. Small game, dove, and waterfowl seasons also available at Blanton Creek WMA.

Harris County offers a classic west Georgia Piedmont hunt with genuine variety — the Pine Mountain ridge provides dramatic topographic relief unusual for the Piedmont, the Chattahoochee River corridor and Lake Harding support waterfowl and bottomland deer, and the county's plantation and timber-company culture has maintained large contiguous blocks of managed habitat. The Quality Buck antler restriction signals a county-wide commitment to age-structure management that translates into real trophy potential on well-managed private tracts. Blanton Creek WMA gives public-land hunters 4,800 acres of diverse river-bottom and upland habitat. Hunters willing to join a club or secure a private lease will find the blend of pine-hardwood uplands, creek bottoms, old fields, and agricultural edges that produces consistent mature buck and turkey encounters.