Florida
750,000
Est. Whitetail Population
480,000
No. Licenses Sold Annually
$22 and up
Hunting license is $17, and deer permit is $5. Additional licenses are required for Archery, Crossbow, and Muzzleloader seasons
Resident hunting license and deer permit
$51.50 and up
A 10-day NR hunting license is $46.50, and a deer permit is $5. Additional licenses are required for Archery, Crossbow, and Muzzleloader seasons
Non-resident hunting license and deer permit
None
Record B&C Typical Stat
None
Total B&C Typical Entries
201 3/8"
Taken by Clark Durrance in Wakulla County in 1941.
Record B&C Non-Typical Stat
2
Record B&C Non-Typical Entries
Check out the latest info for Florida. Image by Tony Campbell
Season Dates (2024):
Florida deer hunting is divided into four zones, and season dates vary for each. Check the FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION WEBSITE to confirm season dates. In general, Zone A opens first, with an Archery and Crossbow season that began Aug. 1. Zone C opens Sept. 14, Zone B opens Oct. 19, and Zone D opens Oct. 26. Most seasons run well into the winter, with a late Zone D muzzleloader season extending from Feb. 24 to March 2.
The Grade: C
Unless you are a Florida resident or live nearby, the Sunshine State is likely not the first state that comes to mind when thinking about deer hunting. Bucks run small, hot weather is frequently a hindrance, and the zones, seasons, and bag limits are complex.
Nonetheless, there are a lot of deer in Florida, ample amounts of public land, and licenses area reasonable. There are some unique opportunities, too, including the chance to bowhunt rutting whitetails in early August in some areas of southern Florida, and even the chance to hunt whitetails in northern Florida while spring turkey season is opening in southern Florida.
“Florida has one of the largest wildlife management area systems in the country at 6 million acres,” said Tammy Sapp, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. “FWC is the lead manager or landowner on over 1.46 million acres and works in partnership with other governmental or private landowners on another 4.54 million acres. Florida’s WMAs offer a wide range of hunting opportunities, including quota and limited-entry hunts, special opportunity hunts and public hunting areas where people can walk on to hunt.”
Antler Nation Knowledge:
There have only been two all-time trophies recorded in the Boone and Crockett record books, and both were taken more than a half-century ago. The No. 1 Florida buck was killed in 1941, and the No. 2 buck was bagged in 1959. Both came from the central part of the Panhandle, where the largest bucks generally call home. If a good deer is what you’re looking for, the best ones comes from counties in or nearest to this region.
“Deer with larger antlers can be found in most areas of the state,” Sapp said. “Counties that consistently produce bucks with higher antler scores are Jackson, Gadsden, Alachua, and Calhoun. Hunters can find information on buck scores based on the county in which they were harvested at FWC’s buck registry INTERACTIVE MAP.
As for the rut, it’s pretty wacky in Florida. Depending on the location, peak dates RANGE FROM JULY TO FEBRUARY. A long growing season and mild winters are partly to blame for this, as it allows fawning to occur almost year-round, and it can even shift a little from year to year.
