Every year, fall brings many hunting seasons with it. Across the country, deer and duck hunters enjoy bacon-wrapped duck breast and venison tenderloin at the dinner table.
But in Florida, hunters are not just bringing deer and ducks home. We’re one of only nine states with an alligator hunting season and probably one of the only states with a year-round open season on invasive iguanas and pythons — yes, pythons.
Here’s which animals you can hunt in Florida, what kind of guns you can use and what to know about Florida’s most popular fall hunting seasons.
What wild game can you hunt in Florida?
In Florida you can hunt deer, wild turkey, wild hog, ducks, geese, dove, quail, coyotes, burmese pythons, alligators and a range of small game like squirrels and raccoons.
If an animal you'd like to hunt isn't listed above, the FWC has a full list of all of the animals you can hunt in Florida.
How much does a Florida hunting license cost?
Recreational hunting licenses and permits in Florida range from $17 to almost $500, depending on your residency status, what you’d like to hunt and how long you’d like your permit to be in effect.
You can see how much a hunting license would be for your desired purpose on the FWC’s website.
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What guns can you use to hunt in Florida?
"Rifles, shotguns, pistols, air guns, longbows, compound bows, recurve bows, crossbows and birds of prey (falcons, hawks and great horned owls) may be used. Hand-held releases may be used," According to the FWC.
"Arrows or bolts used to take deer or wild turkeys must be equipped with broadheads having a minimum width of 7/8 inch."
Here's a list of the methods and hunting equipment that are not allowed in Florida, from the FWC's website:
- Centerfire semi-automatic rifles having magazine capacities of more than five rounds.
- Nonexpanding full metal case (military ball) ammunition for taking deer.
- Firearms using rimfire cartridges for taking deer.
- Fully automatic firearms.
- Air guns that are not pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air guns when taking deer or wild turkey.
- PCP air guns firing single bullets that are less than .30-caliber when taking deer and less than .20-caliber when taking wild turkey.
- Explosive or drug-injecting arrows.
- Taking or attempting to take with live decoys, recorded game calls or sounds, set guns, artificial lights, nets, traps, snares, drugs or poisons.
- Shooting from vehicles, powerboats or sailboats moving under power. Motors must be shut off or sails furled, and progress must cease from such motor or sail before taking game.
- Herding or driving game with vehicles, boats or aircraft.
- Hunting wild turkeys with dogs.
- Taking wild turkeys while they are on the roost.
- Taking wild turkeys when the hunter is within 100 yards of a game-feeding station when feed is present.
- Taking spotted fawn deer or swimming deer.
- Using dogs without collars that identify the owners name and address.
- Using dogs on private lands without written landowner permission. See information aboutstatewide deer dog registration.
- Using dogs not under physical restraint to pursue deer, fox, coyote and wild hog without a collar allowing remote tracking (GPS or telemetry) and behavior correction.
- Using dogs to take deer or during deer-dogtraining season on Wildlife Management Aaeas without a no-cost WMA deer-dog permit.
- Placing, exposing or distributing soporific, anesthetic, tranquilizer, hypnotic or similar drugs or chemicals; preparation by baits; or by other means where game birds or game animals may be affected.
- Shooting or attempting to shoot or harass any bird, fish or other animal from aircraft, except as specifically authorized by a federal or state issued license or permit.
What is the best time to hunt deer?
Deer hunting season takes place in different months for different regions of Florida and the state is split into four hunting zones, but most of Florida's seasons for hunting deer begin or pick up around October. And the best time for hunting deer is usually in the drier, cooler weather of November.
There are also different dates within each season for hunting with different weapons.
How many deer can you harvest in Florida?
According to the FWC, The annual statewide limit is five deer per hunter. Only two of those deer can be antlerless, which is any deer, except a spotted fawn, without antlers or whose antlers are less than five inches long.
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Where can I hunt ducks in Florida?
According to the FWC, waterfowl hunting in Florida is permitted on private property with landowner permission and on any water body that has public access.
Some public water bodies might be closed for specific reasons, like being in a park or in an area where firearms are prohibited.
Wildlife management areas, water management district lands and national wildlife refuges that allow duck hunting might have special permit requirements and restrictions on when and where you can hunt.
Where can you hunt ducks in Florida?What to know about waterfowl hunting season
Does Florida have a duck season?
Florida's migratory bird hunting season runs from September through early February, with duck season taking place from September 21 through January 26.
Can you shoot alligators in Florida? What states allow alligator hunting?
Hunting gators, with appropriate licensing and tags, is legal in nine of the country’s southeastern states. Florida is one of them.
Here are the states where you’re allowed to hunt gators:
- Florida
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Texas
Can you hunt gators year-round in Florida? Is it open season on alligators in Florida?
You can’t hunt alligators year-round. Florida has an alligator hunting season.Florida’s gator hunting season began on August 15 and ends on November 8.
The season is broken up into four harvest periods and includes . Depending on which harvest period you draw, you’ll be assigned to hunt for one of the first four weeks.
Each person that's selected to win a gator hunting permit is allowed two gators during their allotted harvest time. If you don’t harvest both of your gators during your assigned harvest week, you can hunt duringthe seven-week open season, which starts on September 12 and ends on November 1.
The application periods for the first harvest periods have ended, but you can apply for leftover permits for the last seven weeks of the season, until all permits are claimed or until the last day of the season (whichever comes first). Permits usually go on sale in May or June and sell out within a matter of days. This year,permits went on sale in May.
Can you shoot alligators in your yard in Florida?
It is illegal to kill, injure or possess an alligator without a permit in the state of Florida.
Everything to know about gator hunting:Can you hunt alligators year-round in Florida?
What device can you use to kill alligators?
Here are the legal methods of take for alligators in the state of Florida as listed by the FWC:
- Fishing rods using a weighted treble hook
- Fishing rods using artificial lures
- Baited wooden pegs (must be less than two inches long) using a fishing rod or hand-held line
- Hand-line snatch hooks
- Hand-held catch poles or similar devices
- Bang sticks (the only firearm you’re allowed to use for alligator hunting)
- Bows
- Crossbows
- Pre-charged pneumatic airbows
- Gigs
- Harpoons
- Spears
- Spearguns
'Chicken of the trees.'Do I need a license to shoot iguanas in Florida?
Are you allowed to hunt iguanas in Florida?
Iguana are one of the very few animals in Florida that don’t have a designated hunting season. They’re actually invasive to the state and are found in large numbers in south Florida, where they’re arguably almost as common as a pigeon in New York City, and sometimes fall out of trees in the winter.
Basically, iguanas are a nuisance and Floridians are encouraged to humanely kill them anytime and almost anywhere in south Florida.
"Like all nonnative reptile species, green iguanas are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty law and can behumanely killedon private property with landowner permission," according to the FWC.
"This species can be captured andhumanely killedyear-round and without a permit or hunting license on32 public landsin south Florida."
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How much is a license to hunt pythons in Florida?
Like green iguanas, pythons are invasive and you don't need a license or permit to hunt them in Florida.
"Burmese pythons have few predators, with the exception of humans, and while the chances of eradicating the snakes from South Florida is low, controlling their numbers and preventing spread is crucial," Fort Myers News-Press reported in February. "That's why Florida Fish and Wildlife has programs in place to get the public involved."
The FWC actually has a Python Action Team that hires contractors to kill the invasive snakes.
"Hunters, anglers and outdoor recreationists with experience removing pythons or other large constrictors from the wild are encouraged to apply, with preference given to Florida residents and military veterans," the News-Press reported. "To gain experience, FWC recommends participating in theFlorida Python Challengeor hunting on FWC-managed lands."
Yes, you read that correctly, the FWC has an annual 10-day python challenge, where python hunters compete for cash. According to the News-Press, more than 200 Burmese Pythons were removed in the 2023 python challenge.
