Blanket Creek Wildlife Management Event

Blankets Creek will be closed to the public for one day in November, one day in December, and two days in January. Cherokee Recreation and Parks, which acts as the official land manager for the Blankets Creek property, will host a wildlife management event at Blanket’s Creek Park for the third year in a row. Cherokee County leases the property from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

The land in the Blankets Creek area has seen a large increase in the deer population over the last couple of years, leading to malnourished animals and a safety issue for trail users. In an effort to control the deer population in that area, which is estimated to be hundreds on the 330-acre property, Cherokee Recreation and Parks will hold six deer management events on December 17, January 7 and January 28. November and December dates will be split into a morning session and an afternoon session. January dates will morning sessions only. The morning sessions will be from first light to 11:30am and the afternoon sessions will be from 2:30pm to last light. The event is for Cherokee County residents only. Each lottery date will have a  maximum of 20 hunters per session. 

Registration periods for the sessions are listed below:

Hunters may register for more than one session but will only be selected through the lottery for a maximum of one session. There will be a $5 non-refundable registration fee and all funds raised will be designated for Blankets Creek Park. Both the USACE and Georgia DNR Rangers will be on site to assist with the event. If selected for a session, there will be more specific details to come.

Monthly Lottery Permits for Blankets Creek

In addition to the three designated wildlife management event dates, Cherokee Recreation and Parks will also be holding two different permit lotteries for December and January. If selected, this will give archers access to hunt the property when the Blankets Creek trails are closed due to rain or freeze thaws. We will draw 30 people to have permits for the month of December and another 30 people to have permits for the month of January.

Online registration will begin Friday, October 30th at 5 p.m. and will close on Thursday, December 21st at 11:59pm for December permits. Lottery drawing for December permits will be held on December 22nd. Hunters may register for both months but will only be selected through the lottery for a maximum of one month. There will be a $25 non-refundable registration fee for the permit lottery and all funds raised will be designated for Blankets Creek Park.

You must be a Cherokee County resident to be selected. Please note that if you are drawn for a December or January permit, you will not be eligible for the lottery drawing for the three designated dates, which are December 17th, January 7th and January 28th. If you hold a January permit, you will not be allowed to hunt on those two dates, as well. If selected in the December or January permit drawings, there will be more specific details to come before you can go out and attempt a harvest in the park.

Contact: Nick Holt, nrholt@cherokeega.com, 770-501-8002