Blankets Creek will be closed to the public for four separate days in 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 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 few years, leading to scarce food sources 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 November 19th, December 17th, January 7th, and January 28th. The November and December dates will be split into a morning session and an afternoon session. The two January dates will be 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. The morning session on November 19th will be reserved for youth (15 and under) and disabled huntersonly (both will be allowed one chaperone and a maximum of one piece of archery equipment). Those interested in the lottery may register for the limited spots per session by visiting www.playcherokee.org. Registration periods for the sessions are listed below:
- November 19th: October 30th - November 12th Drawing: November 13th
- December 17th: October 30th - December 10th Drawing: December 11th
- January 7th: October 30th - December 21st Drawing: December 22nd
- January 28th: October 30th - January 21st Drawing: January 22nd
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 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 an email sent out with more specific details to come regarding safety, boundaries, rules for the hunt, and more.
In addition to the four 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 from sunrise to 11:00am when the Blankets Creek trails are closed due to inclement weather or undesirable trail conditions. 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. Those interested may register at www.playcherokee.org. Registration periods for the permits are listed below:
- December Permits – October 30th – November 28th Drawing: November 29th
- January Permits – October 30th – December 21st Drawing: 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. If you are drawn for a 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 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.
