Can You Hunt With an AR-15 in Georgia: Ammo, Magazines, Optics

You can hunt with an AR-15 in Georgia. For deer and bear, the rifle has to fire centerfire ammunition of at least .22 caliber loaded with expanding bullets, which covers the common .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO chamberings. For feral hogs and other non-game animals, there are essentially no firearm restrictions on private land. The rules that trip hunters up are not about the rifle itself but about ammunition type, suppressors, night optics, and where you are standing when you pull the trigger.

What You Can Hunt With an AR-15

Georgia law allows centerfire rifles of .22 caliber or larger for deer and bear.¹ A standard AR-15 in .223 or 5.56 fires a .224-diameter bullet from a centerfire cartridge, so it clears both the caliber floor and the centerfire requirement.

Feral hogs are a different category. Georgia classifies them as non-native invasive animals with no closed season and no bag limit on private land, and the statute places no firearm restrictions on taking non-game animals, non-game birds, or feral hogs.²¹ Any AR-15 configuration works for hogs, including a .22 LR conversion. The same open rules apply to coyotes, armadillos, groundhogs, and beaver, which can be taken year-round.³

Ammunition: Expanding Bullets Only

For deer and bear, every centerfire rifle and handgun bullet must be the expanding type.¹ That means soft-point, hollow-point, or polymer-tipped hunting ammunition. Full metal jacket is not legal for taking any game in Georgia. The cheap box of ball ammo from the range stays home on opening day.

Rimfire ammunition is limited to small game and cannot be used for deer or bear.¹ If your AR runs a .22 LR conversion kit, that setup doesn’t satisfy the centerfire requirement for big game, even though the rifle itself does.

Magazine Capacity

Georgia does not restrict magazine capacity for rifles when hunting deer, bear, small game, or feral hogs.⁴ A standard 30-round AR magazine is legal on private land and on a Wildlife Management Area during an open season. The only magazine cap in the statute applies to shotguns used for migratory game birds, which must be plugged to hold no more than three shells.¹

Suppressors

Georgia’s default rule is that using a suppressor while hunting is illegal. The statute carves out three exceptions. You can hunt with a suppressor on your own private property, on someone else’s private property with verifiable permission from the landowner, or on public lands in areas specifically designated by the Department of Natural Resources.¹ Using a suppressor outside those situations is a misdemeanor. A conviction for hunting big game at night with a suppressor triggers a three-year suspension of hunting privileges.

Any suppressor must also be registered under the federal National Firearms Act. Possessing an unregistered suppressor is a federal offense on its own. Keep the NFA paperwork accessible when you hunt with one.

Optics and Night Hunting

Scopes, red dots, and other standard optical sights are legal for all daytime hunting. Thermal and night vision optics are permitted for hog and coyote hunting on private land. They cannot be used for deer or bear.

Night hunting for feral hogs is allowed on private land. Hunters may use lights of any voltage, carried by hand or attached to a hat or belt, and hunting over bait is permitted on private property. Hunting from a vehicle is not.²

Public land is tighter. On Wildlife Management Areas, feral hogs can only be taken during open small or big game seasons using the weapons lawful for that season, and night hunting and baiting are prohibited. Most WMAs do hold a dedicated feral hog and coyote season from May 16–31, during which any firearm legal for big or small game may be used. On National Forest land outside WMAs, hogs can only be taken during established seasons for other game, with the weapons appropriate to whichever season is open, and night hunting and baiting are prohibited.²

Fluorescent Orange During Firearms Season

If you are carrying your AR-15 for deer or bear during a firearms or primitive weapons season, you must wear at least 500 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink as an outer garment above the waist. The requirement applies to anyone accompanying you as well. Orange or pink headwear counts toward the 500-square-inch total.⁵ WMA hunts designated as firearms or primitive weapons hunts carry the same requirement. Archery-only seasons do not. A standard blaze orange vest typically meets the threshold; adding an orange cap puts you comfortably over.

License, Permission, and Harvest Reporting

Georgia residents age 16 or older need a valid hunting license to hunt, unless they are on land they own or land owned by immediate family in the same household.⁶ A resident annual license is $15 for hunters 16–64.⁷ Licenses are sold through the Go Outdoors Georgia portal, and you must carry yours on your person while hunting.⁸ Hunters born on or after January 1, 1961, must complete a state-approved hunter education course before buying a season license.⁹

Hunting on someone else’s property without permission is illegal, and the fines are not small. A first offense carries a mandatory minimum fine of $975. A second offense within two years raises the minimum to $2,000 with a one-year license revocation, and a third within three years brings at least $3,000 in fines and a three-year revocation. If the land is posted or the landowner has notified law enforcement that written permission is required, you must carry that written permission while hunting.¹⁰

Every deer, bear, turkey, and alligator harvested in Georgia must be reported through the Georgia Game Check system within 24 hours.¹¹ You can report online at GoOutdoorsGeorgia.com, through the Outdoors GA app, or by calling 1-800-366-2661.¹² Feral hogs do not require Game Check reporting.

1
Justia. Georgia Code 27-3-4 – Legal Weapons for Hunting Wildlife Generally
2
Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Non-Native and Invasive Species
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Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Laws Related to Native Wildlife
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Georgia Department of Natural Resources. 2025-2026 Georgia Hunting and Fishing Regulations
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Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Proposed Amendment to Subject 391-4-2 Hunting Regulations
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Justia. Georgia Code 27-2-1 – Hunting, Trapping, or Fishing Without License
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Georgia Department of Natural Resources. License Prices
8
Georgia Hunting | eRegulations. Georgia Hunting – Hunting Licenses
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Fastcase. Georgia Code 27-2-5 – Required Hunter Education Courses
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Justia. Georgia Code 27-3-1 – Requirement of Permission to Hunt on Lands of Another
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Cornell Law Institute. Georgia Regulation 391-4-2-.03 – Harvest Recording and Reporting
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Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Georgia Game Check – Reporting Harvest of Deer, Turkeys, Alligators, and Bears