The wait is almost over for hunters as firearms deer hunting season begins Saturday, Oct. 19 and lasts through Jan. 1 in the Northern Zone and in the Southern Zone, through Jan. 15.

“Regulated hunting is the most cost-effective and efficient means of managing the deer herd,” John W. Bowers, chief of game management for the Wildlife Resources Division, said. “In addition, deer hunting provides an economic benefit in excess of $890 million to the state.”

During the 2012-2013 firearms deer season, more than 295,000 licensed deer hunters harvested more than 315,000 deer in Georgia. Georgia’s deer herd remains a stable and healthy herd with an estimated statewide population of about one million deer.

Beginning this season, the number of firearms either-sex days is reduced in most counties. Biological data indicating a declining statewide trend in the number of fawns that survive into the fall and a steady increase in doe harvest rates informed this science-based decision.

More than 1 million acres of public hunting land is available to hunters in Georgia, including more than 100 state-operated wildlife management areas. For more information, visit www.gohuntgeorgia.com/hunting/regulations.