Over half of all extant turtle species are listed as threatened by extinction. In addition to being highly sought-after for consumption, medicinal purposes and the pet trade, their habitats are also regularly subjected to fragmentation, degradation, and destruction. Mitigation of these threats often require multi-faceted solutions. This study aimed to supplement a depleted population of gopher tortoises on the 1,894-ha Yuchi Wildlife Management Area in Burke County, Georgia by releasing head-started juveniles reared in captivity. Evaluation of post-release survival of tortoise’s head-started for 2.5 and 3.5 years was used to assess survival benefits of longer-term head-starting. Morphometrics and a suite of physiological metrics (e.g., plasma and fecal corticosterone, heterophil:lymphocyte ratios, lactate) were evaluated as potential predictors of post-release movement and survival. Although head-starting can be a beneficial recovery tool, it is recognized that habitat management remains key to successful augmentation efforts yet continues to present challenges to population recovery efforts. Therefore, through semi-structured interviews, several state and federal agency managers’ current perceptions and operational restrictions related to the habitat management needs for gopher tortoises were evaluated. Collectively, this research should provide a greater understanding of head-starting as a recovery tool for gopher tortoises and to better understand the limitations and challenges to implementing the on-the-ground habitat management necessary for population persistence.