Florida Whitetail Hunting
- Hunting seasons for deer in Florida vary by zone and by type of weapon. The state is divided into four geographic zones from north to south. The archery season begins anywhere from July 31 to Oct. 31, depending on the zone. The general gun season begins from Sept. 18 to Dec. 11, depending upon the zone. Some zones have two general gun seasons. There are other dates for crossbow and muzzle loading seasons.
- During archery season, the daily bag limit is two antlered deer or one antlered deer and one antlerless deer or two antlerless deer. During antlerless deer season (Nov. 20--26 in zones A and C; Dec. 26 -- Jan. 1 in zones B and D), the daily bag limit is two antlered deer or one antlered deer and one antlerless deer. During all other seasons, the daily bag limit is two antlered deer, and antlerless deer may be taken by antlerless deer permit only.
- Whitetail deer are the only type in Florida so identification is not based on species but on sex and age. Hunting regulations state that an antlered deer is one that has at least one antler 5 or more inches in length visible above the hairline. For hunting purposes, an antlerless deer is one that does not have antlers or has antlers less than 5 inches in length. It is illegal to take spotted fawns.
- Beginning with the 2010-2011 hunting season, anyone hunting deer in Florida will need a $5 deer permit. Those with a Sportsman's License, Gold Sportsman's License, 64 or Older Sportsman's License, Military Gold Sportsman's License, Lifetime Hunting License or Lifetime Sportsman's License will not need to purchase the new permit, because it already is included in these licenses. The deer permit is not included with a hunting license, combination hunting/freshwater fishing license, combination hunting/freshwater/saltwater license or a five-year hunting license.
- Key deer are a subspecies of the whitetail found only in the Florida keys. It is the smallest of the whitetail, with bucks averaging 80 lbs and does 65 lbs. It is illegal to hunt Key deer. The National Key Deer Wildlife Refuge was set up to protect the species, which was down to less than 50 animals in the 1940s. They have made a comeback but now people illegally feed Key deer, which lessens their fear of humans.