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Deer Seasons & Bag Limits

Father and daughter in hunter orange vests smiling together after a successful deer hunt in Florida, kneeling beside a harvested deer in a wooded area.
A proud moment shared between a father and daughter during a successful Florida deer hunt—highlighting safe, ethical, and family-friendly hunting traditions.

Hunting Zones and Deer Management Units (DMUs)

Color-coded map of Florida showing hunting zones A, B, C, and D, along with their corresponding Deer Management Units (DMUs), used for wildlife and hunting regulations.
Florida hunting zone and Deer Management Unit (DMU) map—used to guide hunters on season dates and regulations across Zones A, B, C, and D.

Antler Point Regulations

Map of Florida showing antler point regulations by Deer Management Unit (DMU), indicating zones with 2-point and 3-point antler minimums for legal deer harvest.
Florida Antler Point Regulation map by DMU—shows which regions require either 2 or 3 antler points (1 inch or longer) on a side, or a 10-inch main beam for legal harvest.

Deer Seasons & Bag Limits

Seasons, dates and bag limits do not apply to wildlife management areas.

Antlered Deer – Antler regulations vary by deer management unit (DMU).

Zone A

  • Archery season: Aug. 2–31
  • Crossbow season: Aug. 2–Sept. 5
  • Muzzleloading gun season: Sept. 6–19
  • Youth deer hunt weekend: Sept. 13–14 1
  • General gun season: Sept. 20–Oct. 19, Nov. 22–Jan. 4

Zone B

  • Archery season: Oct. 18–Nov. 16
  • Crossbow season: Oct. 18–Nov. 21
  • Muzzleloading gun season: Nov. 22–Dec. 5
  • Youth deer hunt weekend: Nov. 29–30 1
  • General gun season: Dec. 6–Feb. 22

Zone C

  • Archery season: Sept. 13–Oct. 12
  • Crossbow season: Sept. 13–Oct. 17
  • Muzzleloading gun season: Oct. 18–31
  • Youth deer hunt weekend: Oct. 25–26 1
  • General gun season: Nov. 1–Jan. 18

Zone D

  • Archery season: Oct. 25–Nov. 26
  • Crossbow season: Oct. 25–Nov. 26, Dec. 1–5
  • General gun season: Nov. 27–30, Dec. 13–Feb. 22
  • Youth deer hunt weekend: Dec. 6–7 1
  • Muzzleloading gun season: Dec. 6–12, Feb. 23–March 1

Antlerless Deer – Deer (except spotted fawn) without antlers or antlers less than 5 inches

Zone A

  • Archery season: DMU A2: Aug. 2–10, DMU A3: Aug. 2–17
  • Crossbow season: DMU A2: Aug. 2–10, DMU A3: Aug. 2–17
  • Youth deer hunt weekend: DMU A2 and DMU A3: Sept. 13–14 1
  • General gun season: DMU A2: Nov. 22–23, DMU A3: Nov. 22–25

Zone B

  • Archery season: Oct. 18–Nov. 16
  • Crossbow season: Oct. 18–Nov. 21
  • Muzzleloading gun season: Nov. 22–Dec. 5
  • Youth deer hunt weekend: Nov. 29–30 1
  • General gun season: Dec. 27–Jan. 4

Zone C

  • Archery season: Sept. 13–Oct. 12
  • Crossbow season: Sept. 13–Oct. 17
  • Muzzleloading gun season: Oct. 18–31
  • Youth deer hunt weekend: Oct. 25–26 1
  • General gun season:
    • DMU C1: Nov. 22–30
    • DMU C2: Nov. 22–30
    • DMU C3: Nov. 22–30
    • DMU C4: Nov. 22–30
    • DMU C5: Nov. 1–30
    • DMU C6: Nov. 22–30

Zone D

  • Archery season: Oct. 25–Nov. 26
  • Crossbow season: Oct. 25–Nov. 26, Dec. 1–5
  • General gun season: Nov. 27–30, Dec. 13–Feb. 22
  • Youth deer hunt weekend: Dec. 6–7 1
  • Muzzleloading gun season: Dec. 6–12, Feb. 23–March 1

Daily bag limit: 2 deer

Possession limit: 4 deer

Annual bag limit: 5 deer of which only 2 can be antlerless. However, in DMU D2, 3 of the 5 deer may be antlerless.

Deer taken on private lands under the Antlerless Deer Permit Program (antlerless deer only), Private Lands Deer Management Permit Program and Deer Depredation Permit Program and on licensed game farms and hunting preserves are excluded from bag (daily and annual) and possession limits. Any deer testing positive for CWD also is excluded from all bag limits.

Deer-dog training season

Zone A: Aug. 16–Sept. 4

Zone B: Nov. 1–20

Zone C: Sept. 27–Oct. 16

Zone D: Oct. 25–Nov. 13

Archery season — Only bows may be used.

Crossbow season — Only crossbows, bows and airbows may be used.

Muzzleloading gun season — Only muzzleloaders, crossbows, bows and airbows may be used. Only muzzleloading guns designed to have projectiles (bullets) loaded through the muzzle and fired by wheel lock, flintlock, percussion cap or centerfire primer (including 209 primers) may be used. Muzzleloading guns designed to allow accelerant (gun powder) to be loaded at the breech may be used during muzzleloading gun seasons.

General gun season — Centerfire rifles, shotguns, centerfire pistols, muzzleloaders, pre-charged pneumatic air guns, crossbows and bows may be used.

1 Youth deer hunt weekend – Youth 15-years-old and younger can harvest any deer except spotted fawn, but youth must be supervised by an adult, 18 years or older. Youth may use any legal method of take (including dogs) for deer, with a limit of 1 deer for the weekend that counts towards the youth’s annual statewide bag limit. This weekend does not apply to wildlife management areas.

Harvest reporting is required for all deer and turkey hunters. See Deer and wild turkey harvest reporting requirements.

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