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FWC's finder lets you type a WMA name, pick a county, or filter by region. If you only know roughly where you're hunting, start with the county filter.
Rules & permits
Licenses, permits and how the draw works
Public land is free. The permit is the bottleneck. Here's what you have to buy, how Florida's quota system hands out permits, and how hard each one is to get.
What you need to buy in Florida
- License basics
- Florida hunting license (about $17 resident annual / $151.50 nonresident annual, $46.50 for 10 days) plus permits stacked on top: Management Area Permit for WMAs, Deer Permit, Archery/Muzzleloading/Crossbow permits by season, Turkey Permit, and a Migratory Bird Permit plus Federal Duck Stamp for waterfowl.
- Hunter education
- Hunter safety certification required for anyone born on or after June 1, 1975. Out-of-state cards are accepted, and a one-year deferral is available for supervised hunters.
- How permits are issued
- Limited Entry / Quota permit lottery run in phases through the GoOutdoorsFlorida licensing system. Each phase is a random draw weighted by preference points; unclaimed permits are released in a leftover phase and then first-come. Most WMAs also have open no-quota dates you can hunt with just a license and Management Area Permit.
- Public land available
- Around 6 million acres open to public hunting across 170+ Wildlife and Wildlife Environmental Areas, three national forests and several water management district tracts.
Official documents
Florida WMA brochure finder
Every Florida wildlife management area publishes a brochure with its own season dates, permit requirements and maps. FWC keeps them all in one searchable library — use it before every trip, because the rules change year to year and vary area to area.
Open the current-year brochure
The brochure is the legal rulebook for that area: season dates by weapon, quota vs. no-quota days, check station rules, dog restrictions, camping and vehicle access.
Download the area map before you go
Most brochures include a map with roads, gates, stands, walk-in-only zones and hunt-unit boundaries. Save the PDF — cell service on most WMAs is unreliable.
2026–2027 Florida hunting season
What's new this season
Florida's regulations change every year — new areas open, permits get added and area rules get rewritten. Here's what shifted for this season, in plain English, with links to the official FWC sources.
Permits & feesSeason-long
New statewide OHV Hunting Permit
A separate $100/year permit is now required to operate an off-highway vehicle on WMAs where OHV use is allowed.
The permit is in addition to your hunting license and Management Area Permit. It does not create OHV access where an area's brochure prohibits it — check the area map for designated OHV trails and seasonal closures.
Statewide ruleSeason-long
Crossbows and airbows allowed in archery and muzzleloading seasons
On WMAs, crossbows and airbows may now be used during Archery season and Muzzleloading Gun season statewide.
This aligns WMA rules with private-land rules. You still need the matching archery/crossbow or muzzleloading gun permit for the season you're hunting, and quota permit requirements are unchanged.
Statewide ruleSeason-long
Nighttime thermal and night-vision ban on WMAs
Thermal imaging and night-vision optics may no longer be used to take game at night on wildlife management areas.
The restriction applies to all WMAs, including during hog and predator opportunities where night hunting had previously been tolerated. Private-land rules are unaffected.
New areaFirst season
Creek Ranch WMA opens in Polk County
A newly added wildlife management area near Lake Wales, opening with limited-entry quota opportunities.
Expect a small initial permit pool and heavy first-choice demand in year one. Access, camping and weapon rules are set in the area's first-year brochure — read it before applying.
- Creek Ranch WMA
Area ruleVaries by area
Area-specific rule changes
Arbuckle, Babcock/Webb, Chassahowitzka and several other areas have revised seasons, quota structures or access rules.
Changes include shifted quota hunt dates, adjusted permit counts, revised dog-hunting provisions and new vehicle-access limits. Because these vary area to area, the brochure is the only authoritative source.
- Arbuckle WMA
- Babcock/Webb WMA
- Chassahowitzka WMA
Seasons & datesSpring–summer application window
Quota application phases unchanged
Phase I, Phase II and leftover phases run on the usual spring/summer schedule with preference points carrying over.
Apply in Phase I for the hunts you want most — that's where preference points do the work. Phase II and the leftover phases are first-come, first-served on whatever permits remain.
Confirm it at the source
Rule changes are finalized and published by FWC. Before you buy a permit or hunt, verify against these pages.