2022-2023 Florida Deer Season Dates & Rules

Last Updated on June 1, 2022 by Brian Grossman

If your making plans for Florida’s 2022-2023 deer season, you’ve come to the right place! Here are the season dates for archery, muzzleloader and gun, as well as the general rules and regulations you need to know for the upcoming season.

While we make every attempt to ensure our information is correct, always check the official season dates and regulations provided by the Florida Wildlife Commission before heading afield.

Florida Deer Hunting Zones

Florida Deer Season Dates

Bag Limits

Daily bag limit is two deer, possession limit is four deer, and the annual bag limit is five deer, only two of which can be antlerless.

• During archery and crossbow seasons when antleress deer can be take, either deer may be antlered or antlerless

• During muzzleloader and general gun seasons when antlerless deer can be taken, only one of the two daily bag limit may be antleress.

• During all other seasons, only antlered deer may be taken. Antlerless deer can only be taken by antlerless deer permit/tag.

Legal Hunting Weapons

Archery Season: Any longbow, recurve or compound bow may be used. Arrows must be equipped with broadheads having at least two sharpened edges with a minimum 7/8-inch cutting diameter.

Crossbow Season: Any legal archery equipment mentioned above or any crossbow may be used. Bolts must be equipped with broadheads having at least two sharpened edges with a minimum 7/8-inch cutting diameter.

Muzzleloader Gun Season: Any muzzleloading gun firing a single bullet at least .30-caliber or larger. Muzzleloaders firing two or more balls must be at least 20-gauge or larger. Archery equipment and crossbows can also be used during the muzzleloader gun season.

Gun Season: Centerfire rifles, shotguns, centerfire pistols, muzzleloaders, pre-charged pneumatic air guns, crossbows and bows may be used. There are no caliber restrictions. Semi-automatic centerfire rifles cannot have a magazine capacity exceeding five rounds. Full metal jacket rounds are not legal for deer hunting.

Florida Rut Map

Florida has the most widely variable white-tailed deer ruts of any state. With peak breeding dates ranging from late July to early March, there are only a few months when deer aren’t rutting somewhere in Florida! That’s why the various deer zones have such a wide variety of deer season dates to coincide with the various rut peaks across the state. The map below, provided by the Florida Wildlife Commission, highlights mean conception dates of white-tailed deer across the state to help you better plan your deer hunting activities this fall.