Blankets Creek will be closed to the public for four separate days in October, November, December, and 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 sixth year in a row. Cherokee County leases the property from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
In an effort to manage the deer population in that area, Cherokee Recreation and Parks will hold six different deer management events over four days: Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, and Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027.
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, and Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, events will be split into a morning session and an afternoon session. The Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, and Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027, dates will be morning sessions only. The morning sessions will be from first light to 11:00 a.m. and the afternoon sessions will be from 2:30 p.m. to last light. The event is for Cherokee County residents only.
The morning session on Sunday, October 4 will be reserved for youth (15 and under) and disabled hunters only (both will be allowed one chaperone and a maximum of one piece of archery equipment).
Registration periods for the sessions are listed below:
Sunday, October 4: September 4th – September 27th Drawing: September 28th
November 15th: September 4th – November 8th Drawing: November 9th
December 6th: September 4th – November 29th Drawing: November 30th
January 10th: September 4th – January 3rd Drawing: January 4th
Hunters will be selected through a lottery process with a maximum of 20 hunters per session. Hunters may register for more than one session but may only be selected through the lottery for one session. There will be a $10 non-refundable registration fee and all funds raised will be designated for Blankets Creek Park. Both the USACE and Georgia DNR Rangers will potentially be on site to assist with the event. If selected for a session, there will be an email sent out with more specific details to come regarding safety, boundaries, rules for the hunt, and more.
In addition to the five designated wildlife management event dates, Cherokee Recreation and Parks will also be holding three different permit lotteries for November, December, and January. If selected, this will give archers access to hunt the property from sunrise to 11:00am when the Blankets Creek trails are closed due to inclement weather or undesirable trail conditions. We will draw 25 different people for each month to have permits for November, December, and January. Those interested may register at
Registration periods for the permits are listed below:
November Permits: September 4th – October 26th Drawing: October 27th
December Permits: September 4th – November 16th Drawing: November 17th
January Permits: September 4th – December 14th Drawing: December 15th
Hunters may register for all 3 months but may only be selected through the lottery for a maximum of one month. There will be a $30 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. If you are drawn for a November, December, or January permit, you will not be allowed to hunt on any of the designated event dates, regardless of weather or trail conditions. If selected in the November, December, or January permit drawings, there will be an email sent out with more specific details to come regarding safety, boundaries, rules for the hunt, and more.
If selected for one of the designated events or selected for a permit, your selection or permit will be non-transferable to another individual. All state hunting laws must be followed, hunters must have a valid hunting license, hunters must wear 500 square inches of orange, and only archery equipment can be used. State season limits apply.
Cherokee Recreation and Parks will be adding Yellow Creek Road Conservation Area and Trails to the Wildlife Management Event Program for the 2026-2027 season. Cherokee Recreation and Parks will hold two separate designated deer management events in November and December at this location: November 8th and December 13th. Both dates will hold morning sessions from first light to 11:00am. The event is for Cherokee County residents only.
Registration periods for the sessions are listed below:
November 8th: September 4th- November 1st Drawing: November 2nd
December 13th: September 4th – December 6th Drawing: December 7th
Hunters will be selected through a lottery process with a maximum of 20 hunters per session. Hunters may register for more than one session but may only be selected through the lottery for one session. There will be a $10 non-refundable registration fee. Georgia DNR Rangers will potentially be on site to assist with the event. If selected for a session, there will be an email sent out with more specific details to come regarding safety, boundaries, rules for the hunt, and more.
In addition to the two designated wildlife management event dates, Cherokee Recreation and Parks will also be holding three different permit lotteries for November, December, and January. If selected, this will give archers access to hunt the property every day of the week during legal hunting hours EXCEPT for Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be closed for trail maintenance and hunters will not be allowed on property. (This is subject to change if staff need to access the property but will give advance notice.) We will draw 15 people for each month to have permits for November, December, and January. Those interested may register at
Registration periods for the permits are listed below:
November Permits: September 4th – October 26th Drawing: October 27th
December Permits: September 4th – November 16th Drawing: November 17th
January Permits: September 4th – December 14th Drawing: December 15th
Hunters may register for all 3 months but may only be selected through the lottery for a maximum of one month. There will be a $30 non-refundable registration fee for the permit lottery. In addition, if you are selected for a permit at this location, you will be required to pay an additional $170 before you can receive your permit. You must be a Cherokee County resident to be selected. If you are drawn for a November, December, or January permit, you will not be allowed to hunt on any of the designated event dates, regardless of weather or trail conditions. If selected in the November, December, or January permit drawings, there will be an email sent out with more specific details to come regarding safety, boundaries, rules for the hunt, and more.
If selected for one of the designated events or selected for a permit, your selection or permit will be non-transferable to another individual. All state hunting laws must be followed, hunters must have a valid hunting license, hunters must wear 500 square inches of orange, and only archery equipment can be used. State season limits apply.
Contact: Nick Holt, nrholt@cherokeecountyga.gov, 770-924-7768