Hunting Seasons for Florida
2009 - 2010
Hunting Seasons Dates 2009 - 2010
NORTHWEST HUNTING ZONE
| Bay |
Calhoun |
Escambia |
Franklin |
| Gadsden |
Gulf |
Holmes |
Jackson |
| Jefferson (south of US 27, west of SR 59, and north of US 98) |
Liberty |
Leon (except the portion north of US 27 and east of SR 155) |
Okaloosa |
| Santa Rosa |
Walton |
Washington |
Wakulla (except the portion south of US 98 and east of the St. Marks River) |
These dates apply to private land. For specific season dates on Wildlife Management Areas, obtain individual WMA brochures published annually for each area.
| Season |
Northwest Hunting Zone Dates |
Archery |
October 17 to November 15, 2009 |
|
Deer-dog training |
October 31 to November 19, 2009 |
|
Crossbow |
November 30 - December 6, 2009 |
|
Muzzleloading gun |
November 20-22, 2009; and February 18-28, 2010 |
|
General gun |
November 26-29, 2009; and December 12-2009 - February 17, 2010 |
|
Antlerless deer |
December 19-25, 2009 |
|
Fall turkey* |
November 26-29, 2009; and December 12, 2009 - January 17, 2010 |
|
Quail and gray squirrel |
November 14, 2009 - March 7, 2010 |
|
Bobcat and otter |
December 1, 2009 - March 1, 2010 |
|
Spring turkey** |
March 20 - April 25, 2010 |
|
Wild hogs, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, skunks, nutrias, beavers and coyotes may be taken year-round.
*Except for Holmes County, where there is no fall harvest of turkeys allowed.
**Spring Turkey Season is limited to March 20 - April 4, 2010 in Holmes County.
Hunting Seasons
| Archery season |
|
Season Dates |
October 17 to November 15, 2009 |
|
License & permit requirements |
Hunting license, archery permit and turkey permit (if hunting turkeys) |
|
Legal to take |
Deer of either sex (except spotted fawns); gobblers or bearded turkeys (except in Holmes County); wild hogs; gray squirrels; quail; rabbits; raccoons; opossums; coyotes, nutrias; skunks and beavers. |
|
Shooting hours |
One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. |
|
Daily bag and possession limits |
Deer-daily limit two, possession limit four. |
|
Hunting methods |
Only bows may be used. Bows must have a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds. Hand-held releases are allowed. For hunting deer, turkeys or hogs, broadheads, must have at least two sharpened edges with minimum width of 7/8 inch. |
|
Prohibitions |
- Hunting turkeys in Holmes County.
- Using dogs to take deer and turkeys.
- Using crossbows (unless you possess a Disabled Person Crossbow Permit).
- Using arrows with explosive components or drug-injecting devices.
- Taking wildlife with a firearm.
- Using unleashed dogs (except bird dogs).
- Hunting with bows equipped with sights or aiming devices with electronic computational capabilities or light projection (laser) features.
|
|
Crossbow season
(not applicable on WMAs) |
|
Season Dates |
November 30 - December 6, 2009 |
|
License & permit requirements |
Hunting license, crossbow permit and turkey permit (if hunting turkeys) |
|
Legal to take |
Deer having one or more antler at least five inches in length visible above the hairline; gobblers or bearded turkeys (except in Holmes County); wild hogs; gray squirrels; quail; rabbits; raccoons; opossums; coyotes; nutrias; skunks and beavers. |
|
Shooting hours |
One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. |
|
Daily bag and possession limits |
Antlered deer-daily limit two, possession limit four. |
|
Hunting methods |
Only crossbows and bows may be used. Crossbows and bows must have a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds. Hand-held releases on bows are allowed. For hunting deer, turkeys or hogs, broadheads, must have at least two sharpened edges with minimum width of 7/8 inch. |
|
Prohibitions |
- Hunting turkeys in Holmes County.
- Using dogs to take deer and turkeys.
- Using arrows with explosive components or drug-injecting devices.
- Taking wildlife with a firearm.
- Using unleashed dogs (except bird dogs).
|
|
| Deer-dog training |
|
Season Dates |
October 31 - November 19, 2009. |
|
License & permit requirements |
Anyone possessing a license with hunting privileges may train or toughen free-running deer dogs. |
|
Prohibitions |
Taking any wildlife with firearms, crossbows or bows while training deer dogs is prohibited. |
|
| Muzzleloading gun season |
|
Season Dates |
November 20-22, 2009 and February 18-28, 2010. |
|
License & permit requirements |
Hunting license, muzzleloading gun permit and turkey permit (if hunting turkeys) |
|
Legal to take |
Deer having one or more antler at least five inches in length visible above the hairline; gobblers or bearded turkeys (except in Holmes County and between February 18-28, 2010); wild hogs; gray squirrels; quail; rabbits; raccoons; opossums; coyotes; nutrias; skunks and beavers. |
|
Shooting hours |
One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. |
|
Daily bag and possession limits |
Antlered deer-daily limit two, possession limit four. |
|
Hunting methods |
Only muzzleloading guns, crossbows and bows may be used. For hunting deer, muzzleloading guns firing single bullets must be at least .40-caliber, and muzzleloading guns firing two or more balls must be 20-gauge or larger. Crossbows and bows must have a minimum draw weight of 35 pounds. Hand-held releases on bows are allowed. For hunting deer, turkeys or hogs, broadheads, must have at least two sharpened edges with minimum width of 7/8 inch. |
|
Prohibitions |
- Hunting turkeys in Holmes County.
- Hunting turkeys between February 18-28, 2010.
- Using dogs to take deer and turkeys.
- Using firearms other than legal muzzleloading guns.
- Using unleased dogs (except bird dogs).
- Using muzzleloading firearms that can be loaded from the breech.
- Muzzleloaders using an electrical ignition system.
- Using arrows with explosive components or drug-injecting divices.
|
|
| General gun season |
|
Season Dates |
November 26-29, 2009 and December 12, 2009 - February 17, 2010. |
|
License & permit requirements |
Hunting license |
|
Legal to take |
Deer having one or more antler at least five inches in length visible above the hairline; wild hogs; rabbits; raccoons; opossums; coyotes; nutrias; skunks and beavers. |
|
Shooting hours |
One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. |
|
Daily bag and possession limits |
Antlered deer-daily limit two, possession limit four. |
|
Hunting methods |
All legal rifles, shotguns, muzzleloading guns, crossbows, bows and handguns may be used. |
|
Prohibitions |
- Using centerfire, semi-automatic rifles having magazine capacities of more than five rounds.
- Fully automatic or silencer-equipped firearms.
- Nonexpanding, full metal case (military ball) ammunition for taking deer.
- Firearms using rimfire cartridges for taking deer.
|
|
Antlerless deer season
(not applicable on WMAs) |
|
Season Dates |
December 19-25, 2009 |
|
License & permit requirements |
Hunting license |
|
Legal to take |
Deer of either sex (except spotted fawns). |
|
Shooting hours |
One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. |
|
Daily bag and possession limits |
One antlered and one antlerless deer or two antlered deer. Regardless of season, sex of deer or number of permits, harvesting more than two deer per day is prohibited. |
|
Hunting methods |
All legal rifles, shotguns, muzzleloading guns, crossbows, bows and handguns may be used. |
|
Prohibitions |
- Using centerfire, semi-automatic rifles having magazine capacities of more than five rounds.
- Fully automatic or silencer-equipped firearms.
- Nonexpanding, full metal case (military ball) ammunition for taking deer.
- Firearms using rimfire cartridges for taking deer.
|
|
Fall turkey season
(not applicable on WMAs) |
|
Season Dates |
November 26-29, 2009 and
December 12, 2009 - January 17, 2010 |
|
License & permit requirements |
Hunting license and turkey permit |
|
Legal to take |
Bearded turkeys or gobblers. There is no fall turkey season in Holmes County. |
|
Shooting hours |
One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. |
|
Daily bag and possession limits |
Daily limit one, season and possession limit two. Season limit includes turkeys taken during all archery, crossbow, muzzleloading gun and fall turkey seasons combined. |
|
Hunting methods |
All legal rifles, shotguns, muzzleloading guns, crossbows, bows and handguns may be used. |
|
Prohibitions |
- Hunting turkeys in Holmes County.
- Hunting turkeys with dogs.
- Shooting turkeys while they are on the roost.
- Taking turkeys over baited areas.
- Taking turkeys when hunter is within 100 yeards of a game-feeding station when feed is present..
- Using centerfire, semi-automatic rifles having magazine capacities of more than five rounds and fully automatic or silencer-equipped firearms.
|
|
| Quail and gray squirrel season |
|
Season Dates |
November 14, 2009 - March 7, 2010. |
|
License & permit requirements |
Hunting license. |
|
Legal to take |
Quail, gray squirrels, wild hogs, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, coyotes, nutrias, skunks and beavers. |
|
Shooting hours |
One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. |
|
Daily bag and possession limits |
Quail and gray squirrel-daily bag limit 12, possession limit 24. |
|
Hunting methods |
All legal rifles, shotguns, muzzleloading guns, crossbows, bows and handguns may be used. |
|
Prohibitions |
- Using centerfire, semi-automatic rifles having magazine capacities of more than five rounds and fully automatic or silencer-equipped firearms.
|
|
| Spring turkey season |
|
Season Dates |
March 20-April 25, 2010 (except Holmes County where the season is March 20-April 4, 2010). |
|
License & permit requirements |
Hunting license and turkey permit. |
|
Legal to take |
Bearded turkeys or gobblers. |
|
Shooting hours |
One-half hour before sunrise to sunset. On WMAs, wildlife and environmental areas and public use areas, shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to 1:00 p.m. |
|
Daily bag and possession limits |
Daily limit one, season and possession limit two (except in Holmes County - season limit one). |
|
Hunting methods |
All legal rifles, shotguns, muzzleloading guns, crossbows, bows and handguns may be used. Decoys also may be used. |
|
Prohibitions |
- Hunting turkeys in Holmes County after April 5, 2009.
- Hunting turkeys with dogs.
- Shooting turkeys while they are on the roost.
- Taking turkeys over baited areas.
- Taking turkeys when a hunter is within 100 yards of a game-feeding station when feed is present.
- Using centerfire, semi-automatic rifles having magazine capacities of more than five rounds and fully automatic or silencer-equipped firearms.
|
|
| Furbearer hunting regulations |
Hunters taking furbearers with firearms or dogs for sporting purposes must possess hunting licenses or other licenses that include hunting privileges, unless exempt. These licenses do not authorize the sale of furbearing mammals or taking furbearing mammals with live traps or snares. Trapping licenses are required to sell furbearing animals or when using live traps or snares in taking them. |
Season Dates |
Open season: Raccoons, opossums, skunks, nutrias, beavers and coyotes can be live-trapped, taken with snares or hunted with dogs and firearms year-round.
Limited season: Bobcats and otters can be live-trapped or taken with firearms and snares from December 1, 2009 - March 1, 2010. Bobcats can be chased with dogs year-round. |
|
Possession |
Hides and skins of raccoons, opossums, coyotes, skunks, nutrias and beavers may be possessed in any number at any time. Bobcats and otter pelts may be possessed in any number between December 1, 2009 and March 1, 2010. Possessing more than one bobcat and otter pelt is prohibited from March 2 to November 30, 2010; unless they have been tagged with FWC seals. |
|
Methods of taking |
Furbearers may be taken with firearms, live traps or snares. Recorded game calls also may be used to take furbearers. Live traps and snares must be checked at least every 24 hours. Using or possessing steel or leg-hold traps where wildlife might be found is prohibited, unless authorized by permit from the FWC executive director. |
|
Raccoon and opossum |
Hunting at night with dogs for raccoons and opossums is permitted year-round. Only .22-caliber rimfire firearms (other than .22-magnums) or single-shot .410-gauge shotguns, using shot not larger than size 6 can be used. Firearms may not be loaded until immediately prior to shooting treed or bayed raccoons or opossums. Hunting raccoons or opossum by displaying or using lights from moving vehicles, vessels or animals is prohibited. |
|
Transporting live raccoons |
It is illegal to transport wild-trapped live raccoons within, into or from the state, except by FWC permit or authorization. |
|
Wildlife management areas |
Furbearers may not be taken on WMAs unless specifically authorized by area regulations. |
|
Closed season on fox |
Trapping or shooting foxes is prohibited. Foxes may not be killed but may be chased with dogs year-round. Foxes or untanned fox pelts may not be possessed, except by permit from the FWC executive director. A permit is not required when getting a road-killed fox mounted by a taxidermist. |
|
Prohibited |
Minks, Everglades minks, weasels and round-tailed muskrats cannot be taken or possessed. Everglades minks reside in Miami-Dade, Monroe, Collier and Hendry counties. |
|
| Falconry |
|
Season Dates |
Gray squirrels and quail may be taken statewide by permitted falconers October 1, 2009 - March 31, 2010.
Rabbits may be taken year-round. |
|
Possession |
Quail - daily bag limit 2
Quail - possession limit 4
Gray squirrel - daily bag limit 12
Gray squirrel - possession limit 24
Rabbit - daily bag limit 12
Rabbit - possession limit 24. |
|
For complete informaton regarding hunting rules and regulations in the State of Florida, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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