New Hunting Regs: FWC Decisions on Antlerless Deer, Turkey, WMAs

New Rule Changes for Hunting and Managed Areas

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has approved rule changes related to the 2025-26 hunting season, including the additiona of three new wildlife management areas. Changes were approved at the commission’s February meeting.

The three WMAs announced are:

• Deep Creek in St. Johns County
• Dinner Island Ranch-Caracara Unit in Hendry County
• Rice Creek in Putnam County.

Other notable changes include:

• New hunting opportunities. Establish new hunts, expand current seasons or remove quotas at 25 WMAs.
• Non-resident turkey hunting rules. Prohibit non-residents from hunting wild turkey during the first nine days of the zonal spring turkey season at Big Cypress (on the non-quota units only), Herky Huffman/Bull Creek, Jumper Creek, Three Lakes and J.W. Corbett. Require that non-resident turkey hunters purchase a nonresident annual hunting license instead of a 10-day non-resident hunting license. Set a limit of 10 percent on the number of spring turkey quota permits issued to non-residents.
• Quota hunt program. Allow individuals to apply for a preference point during Phase I of the quota application process. Establish that when individuals return a quota permit, they will only receive the number of preference points they had prior to applying. Prohibit individuals who return a permit they obtained in Phase I from applying for a permit for that same hunt during Phase IV reissues. Establish that individuals will forfeit preference points after five years of inactivity instead of two.

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Virtual Meeting on Black Bear Hunting in Florida

The FWC is asking for public input about the potential for regulated black-bear hunting in Florida and has scheduled a virtual meeting at 6 p.m. on March 13 to discuss it. Find the link to the virtual meeting here. You can also email comments to BearComments@MyFWC.com Get more info here

New Rules Approved for Antlerless Deer Harvest

The FWC looks to expand antlerless deer hunting in the state with a rule change for the 2025-26 season. The change was announced after the commission's  February meeting. According to the agency, the rule change includes:

• "Increase the number of antlerless deer season dates on lands outside the wildlife management area system within the Deer Management Units in Zones B, C and D. In Zones B and C, hunters will be able to harvest antlerless deer during the archery, crossbow and muzzleloading gun seasons. Additional antlerless deer harvest opportunities include a 9-day period during the general gun season in DMUs B1, C1, C2, C3, C4 and C6 and during the first 30 days of the general gun season in DMU C5. In Zone D, antlerless deer will be allowed to be taken during the entirety of the deer season. The new rules also increase the bag limit for antlerless deer in DMU D2 to three as part of the statewide annual bag limit of five."

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