Georgia Deer Harvest by the Numbers: How We Stack Up Against Our Southern Neighbors
If you’ve ever wondered how many deer Georgia hunters kill or how our state’s deer harvest compares to others around us, then this article is for you!
This article focuses on the following nine southeastern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Sorry Texas!
For each state, we dig deep into each state’s data to share things like number of hunters, total deer harvest, buck harvest by age class, deer harvest by weapon type and more.
A Note About the Data
Before you start emailing or messaging me about how the data is wrong or that I’m full of crap, let me explain where this data comes from.
Each year the National Deer Association sends out a survey to all the state wildlife agencies collecting data from their previous deer season. They then compile this data into their annual Deer Report, which is a great (and free) resource for deer nerds like myself.
Download your own copy of NDA’s 2025 Deer Report.
The data provided in the tables and graphs below come directly from that report, and is based on each state’s 2023-2024 deer season.
Whether or not you believe the data provided by your state’s wildlife agency is up to you, but that’s where the numbers come from.
For those of you who wonder how they get this data when you aren’t required to physically check the deer in, it’s from sources such as post-season phone surveys, deer processor checks, WMA harvest data, DMAP data, among others.
When I worked for the Georgia DNR, I had specific counties for which I had to visit deer processors to collect data from the deer they had in their coolers – sex of the deer, age, and some antler measurements on bucks.
The hunters who shot those deer never knew the data was being collected. But that’s how they get some of the figures like the age class of bucks harvested.
Now, having said all that, let’s dive into the data.
Total Deer Harvest
The South’s long deer seasons and generous bag limits result in lots of deer being harvested annually! For the nine southern states covered in this article, Alabama leads the pack for total harvest at just over 300,000 deer. That’s a lot of venison!
Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana finish out the top four, each with a harvest exceeding 200,000.
South Carolina, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee all killed over 150,000 deer for the 2023-2024 season, and Florida rounds out the list at just under 100,000 deer.
Deer Harvest by State (2023-2024)
| State | Antlered Buck Harvest | Antlerless Harvest | Total Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 147,880 | 158,212 | 306,092 |
| Arkansas | 92,429 | 99,964 | 192,393 |
| Florida | 60,622 | 31,828 | 92,450 |
| Georgia | 125,129 | 163,742 | 288,871 |
| Louisiana | 136,973 | 125,427 | 262,400 |
| Mississippi | 120,991 | 153,284 | 274,275 |
| North Carolina | 101,394 | 88,409 | 189,803 |
| South Carolina | 94,000 | 104,000 | 198,000 |
| Tennessee | 84,382 | 68,356 | 152,738 |
% Deer Harvest by Weapon Type
Southern states tend to have long, generous firearms deer seasons, so the vast majority of deer killed in the south are done so with a rifle. Bows and crossbows (which are not separated out in this data) comprise anywhere from 8 to 23 percent of the harvest, and muzzleloaders range from 1 to 17 percent.
% Deer Harvest by Weapon Type (2023-2024)
| State | Bow/Crossbow | Muzzleloader | Rifle/Shotgun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 10 | 1 | 87 |
| Arkansas | 16 | 7 | 77 |
| Florida | 23 | 8 | 70 |
| Georgia | 15 | 3 | 82 |
| Louisiana | 9 | 12 | 80 |
| Mississippi | 20 | 13 | 67 |
| North Carolina | 13 | 8 | 79 |
| South Carolina | 8 | 2 | 91 |
| Tennessee | 13 | 17 | 70 |
Age of the Buck Harvest
% Antlered Buck Harvest by Age Class
This data never ceases to amaze me. When it comes to harvesting fewer yearling bucks and more 3.5+ year olds, the South is king! Much of that is due to long-standing antler restrictions in many southern states.
A quick look at the data shows that for most states in our report, less than 15% of the antlered bucks harvested each year are 1.5 years old, and in several cases over 60% of the antlered buck harvest is 3.5 years old or older.
Mississippi posts some incredible numbers, with 82% of their buck harvest being at least 3.5 years old!
If you’re wondering why Alabama and South Carolina are blank, it’s because their state wildlife agencies didn’t provide this type of data for the report.
% of Antlered Buck Harvest by Age Class
| State | 1.5 Years Old | 2.5 Years Old | 3.5+ Years Old |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Arkansas | 12 | 25 | 63 |
| Florida | 9 | 50 | 41 |
| Georgia | 21 | 36 | 43 |
| Louisiana | 11 | 12 | 77 |
| Mississippi | 9 | 9 | 82 |
| North Carolina | 31 | 43 | 26 |
| South Carolina | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| Tennessee | 21 | 50 | 28 |
Private Land vs Public Land Deer Harvest
And we’ll finish out our deer data with a look at the percentage of deer harvested on private vs public land for each state. This data is actually from the NDA’s 2022 Deer Report, so the numbers may have fluctuated some, but it’s likely these are still very representative of each states public vs private land deer harvest.
Aside from Florida, where 24% of their deer harvest is on public land, the results were pretty consistent. Most southern states harvest around 95% of their deer on private land vs 5% on public.
Not real surprising.
I’m betting if you looked at private vs public acreage for each state, you would probably see similar results.
% of Harvest on Private vs Public Land
| State | % Private | % Public | %Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 95 | 5 | 0 |
| Arkansas | 94 | 6 | 0 |
| Florida | 75 | 24 | 1 |
| Georgia | 97 | 3 | 0 |
| Louisiana | 89 | 11 | 0 |
| Mississippi | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| North Carolina | 97 | 3 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 94 | 4 | 2 |
| Tennessee | 92 | 8 | 0 |
Final Thoughts
I hope you guys enjoyed this type of information for our southern states! If you have questions about the data, or would like to see other data covered in future articles, don’t hesitate to reach out through our contact page or by emailing me directly.
If you do enjoy this type of content, be sure to subscribe to our email list using the form at the top of our homepage, so you can keep up with all our great content.
