Florida Hunting Seasons: Zones, Bag Limits, and Licenses

Florida hunting seasons run from early August through late April, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) setting dates, bag limits, and permit rules each year by species and by geographic zone. A resident annual hunting license costs $17 and a non-resident annual license costs $151.50, and most hunters need one or more species permits on top of that base license.¹ When your season opens depends almost entirely on which of the four zones you’re hunting.

The Four Zones Set Your Calendar

The FWC splits Florida into four hunting zones because the deer rut hits the subtropical south months before it reaches the temperate Panhandle. Your zone decides your opener.

Zone A: the southernmost portion of the state, from the Everglades up to roughly State Road 70. Seasons open earliest.
Zone B: a defined area in the central-western peninsula, generally south of State Road 50, bounded by Interstate 75 to the west and State Road 60 to the south.
Zone C: the largest zone, covering most of the central and northern peninsula.
Zone D: the Panhandle, from the Alabama line eastward. Seasons open and close latest.

Each zone is further divided into Deer Management Units (DMUs) that carry their own antler restrictions. The FWC publishes boundary maps that show exactly where each zone and DMU begins and ends.²

Deer Season Dates

Deer seasons are staggered by weapon, starting with archery and ending with general gun. The 2025–2026 dates below are the most recent published season; the FWC usually releases the next year’s dates by midsummer, so confirm 2026–2027 before you head out.

Zone A

Archery: Aug. 2–31
Crossbow: Aug. 2 – Sept. 5
Muzzleloading gun: Sept. 6–19
General gun: Sept. 20 – Oct. 19 and Nov. 22 – Jan. 4

Zone B

Crossbow: Oct. 18 – Nov. 21
Muzzleloading gun: Nov. 22 – Dec. 5

Zone C

Crossbow: Sept. 13 – Oct. 17

Zone D

Archery: Oct. 25 – Nov. 26
Crossbow: Oct. 25 – Nov. 26 and Dec. 1–5
Muzzleloading gun: Dec. 6–12 and Feb. 23 – March 1
General gun: Nov. 27–30 and Dec. 13 – Feb. 22

Zones B and C also have archery-only dates not listed above. The full season schedule across all zones and methods is on the FWC season dates page.³

Spring Turkey

Spring turkey runs on its own calendar, split by State Road 70 rather than by the four deer zones. For 2026, the season south of State Road 70 runs March 7 through April 12, and the season north of State Road 70 runs March 21 through April 26.⁴ Only bearded turkeys and gobblers are legal. Fall turkey seasons exist in some zones with dates published alongside the deer schedule.

Small Game and Waterfowl

Wild hogs on private land have no bag limit and no closed season when taken with the landowner’s permission. Duck seasons follow federal Atlantic and Mississippi flyway frameworks, with Florida setting its specific dates each year inside those frameworks.⁵

Bag Limits

Deer

The daily bag limit for antlered deer is two, with a possession limit of four.³ Antler rules depend on the DMU. In most DMUs across all four zones, you cannot take an antlered deer unless at least one antler has three or more points or a main beam of at least 10 inches. A few DMUs in Zones A, C, and D use a lower threshold of two or more points on at least one antler.⁶ Hunters under 16 are exempt from antler restrictions for one deer per season. Check the DMU where you’re hunting before you squeeze the trigger, because the wrong harvest draws a citation.

Turkey

The daily bag is two turkeys. The season limit is two for all fall seasons combined and two for all spring seasons combined.³ Only bearded birds or gobblers count.

Small Game

Gray squirrels and quail each carry a daily bag limit of 12.⁷ Possession limits for small game generally run at twice the daily bag.

Ducks and Other Waterfowl

The daily duck limit is six, with species-specific sub-limits for mallards, pintails, canvasbacks, and others. Possession is three times the daily bag. Coots carry a daily limit of 15 and mergansers a daily limit of five.⁵

License and Permit Costs

A Florida resident annual hunting license is $17. Non-residents pay $151.50 for the full year or $45 for a 10-day license.¹ Several resident combinations are available:

Hunting and freshwater fishing combo: $32.50
Hunting, freshwater, and saltwater combo: $48
Gold Sportsman’s License: $100 (bundles hunting, fishing, and all major permits)
Military Gold Sportsman’s: $20
Silver Sportsman’s 64+: $13.50

The base license alone does not cover specific game or public land access. Most hunters add one or more permits:

Deer permit: $5 annual or $25 for five years (residents only)
Turkey permit: $10 annual for residents, $125 for non-residents
Wildlife Management Area (WMA) permit: $26.50 annual or $126.50 for five years (residents only), required on state-managed public lands
Waterfowl permit: $5 annual or $25 for five years (residents only)
Migratory bird permit: no cost, valid Sept. 1 through March 31, required for ducks, geese, doves, snipe, and other migratory species

Waterfowl hunters stack the most paperwork. Alongside the base license, you need the no-cost migratory bird permit, the $5 Florida waterfowl permit, and a $25 federal duck stamp.¹⁸ You also have to register with the federal Harvest Information Program (HIP) before hunting any migratory birds, including doves and woodcock. HIP registration is free and happens when you buy your migratory bird permit on GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.⁹

Who Can Skip the License

Florida residents under 16 and residents 65 or older don’t need a hunting license. Residents hunting on their own homestead in their county of residence are also exempt, and active-duty military on leave of 30 days or fewer can hunt without one.¹⁰ The exemption is from the license only. Bag limits, season dates, and harvest reporting still apply.¹¹

Hunter Safety Course

If you were born on or after June 1, 1975, you must complete a state-approved hunter safety course before you can get a Florida hunting license that allows firearms, bows, or crossbows.¹² Hunters born before that date are exempt. Florida accepts hunter education certifications from other states, so a course completed elsewhere counts. New hunters 16 or older who haven’t finished the course yet can get an apprentice license and hunt under the direct supervision of a licensed adult while they complete the requirement.

Reporting Your Harvest

Every deer and wild turkey taken in Florida has to be logged and reported, including by hunters who are exempt from licensing. The process has two steps: log the harvest before you move the animal from where you found it, then report it within 24 hours.¹¹

The FWC Fish|Hunt Florida app handles both steps on the spot. You can also use a paper harvest log in the field and then report online at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com or by calling 888-486-8356. The report isn’t complete until you get a confirmation number. If you’re dropping the animal with a processor or taxidermist, or taking it out of state, you have to report before that happens even if the 24 hours haven’t run.¹¹

Penalties

Hunting without a valid license is a Level One noncriminal infraction. The civil penalty is $50 plus the cost of the license you should have had. A repeat within 36 months jumps the penalty to $250 plus the license cost.¹³

Violating bag limits, possession limits, or restricted methods of take is a Level Two violation. A first offense with no prior Level Two conviction in the past three years is a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to $500 in fines. Repeat offenders face first-degree misdemeanor charges. The FWC can also suspend or revoke hunting privileges, which carries longer than any fine for anyone who plans to keep hunting in Florida.¹³

1
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Recreational Hunting Licenses and Permits
2
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Hunting Zone Maps and Boundaries
3
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 2025-2026 Florida Resident Game and Furbearer Hunting Season Dates and Bag Limits
4
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 2026 Spring Turkey Hunt Guide
5
Federal Register. Migratory Bird Hunting Final 2025-26 Frameworks for Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations
6
Florida Administrative Code. 68A-13.004 Hunting Regulations for Non-Migratory Game
7
eRegulations. Florida Hunting – Other Wildlife Seasons
8
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Buy a Duck Stamp or Electronic Duck Stamp (E-Stamp)
9
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Harvest Information Program (HIP) Registration Statistics
10
Florida Senate. Florida Code 379.354 – Recreational Licenses to Hunt, Fish, and Trap
11
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. FWC Deer and Wild Turkey Harvest Reporting
12
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 379.3581 – Hunter Safety Course Requirements Penalty
13
The Florida Senate. Florida Code 379.401 – Penalties and Violations Civil Penalties for Noncriminal Infractions Criminal Penalties Suspension and Forfeiture of Licenses and Permits