Georgia Bans Placing Wildlife Food on Management Areas

Georgia draws the line by land ownership, not by the act of feeding. On private land you may put out corn, feed, or bait for deer and other wildlife, and hunters may even hunt over that bait with the landowner's written permission under O.C.G.A. 27-3-9. On public land the rule flips: DNR Rule 391-4-2-.60(1) states it is unlawful to place bait or any wildlife food on a Wildlife Management Area. The Wildlife Resources Division and its game wardens enforce this, and the ban also underpins Georgia's chronic-wasting-disease controls, since concentrating deer at feed sites spreads disease.

Placing bait or wildlife food on a Wildlife Management Area is a misdemeanor under O.C.G.A. Title 27, enforced by DNR Law Enforcement game wardens, and can bring fines and suspension of hunting privileges.