In continuation of efforts to address an overpopulation of white-tailed deer in the south portion of Forsyth County, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners approved an urban deer management program during their Aug. 12, 2025, work session.

The fall archery hunt program, installed in 2024, was deemed necessary to minimize resulting damage to the natural habitat and landscaping as well as impacts to deer herd health and an increase in deer/vehicle collisions.

The program is a joint venture between Forsyth County and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Urban Deer Management Program. The program will include two archery hunts to be held between dawn and dusk on Oct. 4-5 (Forsyth County youth residents only) and Nov. 1-2 (open to all Forsyth County residents). The hunts will take place on approximately 287 acres of land, the site of the County’s Shakerag Water Reclamation facility (545 Kemp Road).

“After receiving a number of complaints from residents in the south Forsyth area about deer destroying their landscaping and deer-related vehicle accidents, we reached out the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to discuss options that have been successful not only in Georgia but also across the United States,” said Assistant County Manager Tony Tarnacki.

“We were able to implement the urban deer management program with two weekends of archery hunts last fall with success. The program showed that it not only can have an impact on curbing over-population to the deer population in the area, but it also gives a unique opportunity to engage residents, especially the youth, in outdoor recreation and the positive experiences that come from it.”

The first hunt on Oct. 4-5 is intended to allow youth participation and will allow 16 Forsyth County residents between 10 and 17 years old, to sign up for participation when accompanied by an adult. The second hunt on Nov. 1-2 will allow an additional 16 Forsyth County residents ages 18 and up to sign up for participation.

Applications for both hunts will open at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 18, and will be available for 48 hours by clicking here. Hunters will be selected at random for each hunt and there will be a charge of $20 per hunter (if selected in the lottery). Participants will be notified that they were selected approximately one week after registration. Please note, a free CivicRec account is required to register for this activity.

In addition to ensuring hunters have the proper license, modern archery equipment and tree stand/blind, all hunters will be required to attend a pre-hunt safety meeting. In addition, hunters may only hunt in their assigned hunting location on the property and will be transported to and from their location by Forsyth County staff. Hunters will use Department of Natural Resources urban deer management tags and may only harvest two deer per hunt, one must be an antlerless deer (doe).

For a complete list of rules and regulations click here. To learn more about the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ urban deer management program, view the presentation to the Board of Commissioners on May 21, 2024, during their Work Session, by clicking here.