When Hunting Season Starts in Every State

Four states open a deer season today, September 26, 2026. Ohio's statewide archery season starts today and runs through February 7, 2027. Tennessee archery starts today. Arkansas archery starts today and runs through February 28, 2027. West Virginia archery and crossbow start today and run through December 31. New York's Northern Zone bowhunting season opens tomorrow, September 27, and runs through October 23.

If the main archery opener in your state has already passed, the date under that state is the next start still ahead: a muzzleloader split, a firearms opener, a youth day, or a zone that has not opened. The tag, the county, and the unit still decide which line is yours. A statewide sentence is the start. The regulation book is the rest.

Have the zero done before you travel. Confirm a Monday zero before October sits if the rifle has been in the safe since last winter. A 100-yard zero without a bench is the same job when the only rest is a tailgate. Glass for the sit is the Diamondback HD and Monarch M5 comparison. If you are still matching a carbine to the hunt, start with AR pistol, carbine, and rifle sizes and calibers. The rifle and the ammunition stay at a licensed dealer.

Public land often uses a different calendar than the statewide opener. Public-land hunting is where the property brochure, not the state headline, is the date. A first sit still wants a first-deer checklist: license, tag, knife, light, and a pack you have already carried. The Commander pack below is the same job as a hunting backpack you will actually wear.

What to have in the truck before that opener

The season date does not pack the truck. A deer call, a knife you have opened, gloves, a pack, and socks you have walked in are the pieces you can buy before the Saturday you circled. The rifle stays at a licensed dealer. So does the ammunition. Check the live price on each card. The box you open should match the name on the card.

The Primos Original CAN is a green deer bleat call, one size, for a close doe bleat when a deer is already in the timber. It is not a turkey call and it is not a grunt tube. Blow it the way you practiced, not the way the parking lot sounds. The Outdoor Edge Razor Pro L is a folding hunting knife. Open it at home, seat the blade, and know which hand you will use when the deer is down. A knife still in the package is not a knife on a dark trail.

Mechanix Original coyote gloves are the thin pair you can still feel a safety and a zipper through. They are not a January mitten. The ALPS OutdoorZ Commander is a frame pack for a meat haul or a long walk in, the same job covered on the backpack page. Load it once before the opener. A pack you have never worn will find the sore spot at the second mile.

Darn Tough Hunter boot socks are the heavyweight pair for a hunting boot you already own. Wet cotton is how a short sit turns into a cold sit. One spare pair in the pack is the pair you change into if the morning sock soaks through. None of these five items is a firearm or a box of ammunition.

When Alabama's next deer season starts

Zones D and E open archery on October 1, 2026. Zones A, B, and C open archery on October 15. Private-land gun opens November 7 in zones D and E, and November 21 in zones A, B, and C. If you hunt D or E, October 1 is the start still ahead. Read the zone on the Outdoor Alabama deer page and in administrative code 220-2-.01 before you treat a neighbor's Saturday as yours.

When Alaska's next hunting season starts

Alaska does not publish one statewide deer or elk opener. The season you still need is the game management unit, the species, and the method in the Alaska Department of Fish and Game regulations at adfg.alaska.gov. A unit that is already open for one species can still be closed for the animal on your license. Match the unit on the license to that book before you fly.

When Arizona's next deer or elk season starts

Arizona deer and elk dates are hunt numbers on a Commission order, not one state opener. The number printed on the tag is the day. Read that hunt number at azgfd.com before you leave. A date you heard for a different hunt number, or for a different year, is a different season.

When Arkansas's next deer season starts

Archery opens today, September 26, 2026, and runs through February 28, 2027, across the zones. Alternative firearms open October 17 where that method is legal. Youth modern gun is November 7 and 8. Modern gun opens November 14, and the closing day depends on the zone. If you have not sat yet, today is the opener. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission zone table is the end date.

When California's next deer season starts

California does not have one statewide rifle opener. Many 2026–27 area archery hunts opened August 15, and a lot of those dates have already closed. The day you still need is the zone line in the 2026–27 mammal hunting regulations at wildlife.ca.gov. Read the zone on the tag. A coastal archery date is not an inland rifle date.

When Colorado's next elk and deer season starts

Archery deer and elk is still open through September 30, 2026. It opened September 2. The mountain muzzleloader season, September 12–20, has already closed. The next start on the 2026 big-game season structure is plains muzzleloader deer, October 10–18. First rifle elk is October 14–18. Second combined deer and elk rifle is October 24 through November 1. Third rifle is November 7–15. Fourth rifle is November 18–22. Plains rifle deer is October 24 through November 3. The license and the game management unit decide which of those lines you may hunt. Colorado Parks and Wildlife prints the unit on the tag.

When Connecticut's next deer season starts

Private-land bow has been open since September 15. The junior deer season is November 7–14. Private-land shotgun and rifle opens November 18 and runs through December 8. For a general hunter on private land, November 18 is the next start. Those dates are the private-land seasons in the 2026 Connecticut DEEP hunting guide. Read the land you will actually hunt.

When Delaware's next deer season starts

Archery and crossbow have been open statewide since September 1 and run through January 31, 2027. Youth and non-ambulatory hunters have September 26 and 27, which is today and tomorrow. The next start a general hunter still needs is the special antlerless season, statewide October 2–4, then October 23–25, October 30–31, and December 12–20. Muzzleloader is October 9–18 and January 25–31. General firearm is November 13–22 and January 16–24. Those dates are in the 2026–27 Delaware DNREC deer guide.

When Florida's next deer season starts

Zone A general gun has been open since September 19 and runs through October 18, then again November 21 through January 3. Zone B archery opens October 17 and runs through November 15. Zone B general gun is December 5 through February 21. Zone C archery has been open since September 19 through October 18. Zone C muzzleloader is October 24 through November 6, and Zone C general gun is November 7 through January 24. Zone D archery opens October 24 and runs through November 25. Zone D general gun is November 26–29 and December 12 through February 21. The next start that has not begun is Zone B archery on October 17. Wildlife management area dates are a different calendar in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission digest.

When Georgia's next deer season starts

Archery has been open since September 12 and runs through October 9. Primitive weapons open October 10 and run through October 16. Firearms open October 17 and run through January 10 in the statewide summary. Some counties have an antlerless-only firearms weekend October 3–4. Firearms are not legal in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton north of Georgia 92, or Jekyll Island. County either-sex windows differ from the statewide line. The next start most hunters still need is primitive weapons on October 10, then firearms on October 17. Use the 2026–27 Georgia DNR regulations, not an older digest that still shows last year's dates.

When Hawaii's next hunting season starts

Hawaii does not run a mainland-style statewide deer opener. The season is the island, the species, and the public hunting area in the Department of Land and Natural Resources rules at dlnr.hawaii.gov/recreation/hunting/. Read the island you will actually hunt. A date from another island is a different season.

When Idaho's next deer or elk season starts

Idaho's 2026 big-game seasons are unit tables, not one statewide opener. The day you still need is the unit and the weapon on the tag in the Idaho Fish and Game big-game rules at idfg.idaho.gov/rules/big-game. A general deer unit and a controlled elk unit on the same mountain can open on different mornings. Read the unit number before you pack.

When Illinois's next deer season starts

Archery opens October 1, 2026. It closes during the firearm seasons, November 20–22 and December 3–6, except Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Kane east of State Route 47, which run October 1 through January 17. Youth firearm is October 10–12. First firearm is November 20–22. Second firearm is December 3–6. Muzzleloader-only is December 11–13. October 1 is the next start. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources county notes still apply on top of those dates.

When Indiana's next deer season starts

Youth deer is today and tomorrow, September 26 and 27, 2026. The next general opener is archery, October 1, 2026, through January 3, 2027. Firearms run November 14–29. Muzzleloader runs December 5–20. Deer reduction zones in designated areas have been open since September 15. If you are not in the youth hunt, October 1 is the start still ahead. Those dates are on the Indiana DNR deer season page.

When Iowa's next deer season starts

Youth and disabled hunters have been open since September 19, and that window runs through October 4. Archery's early split opens October 1 and runs through December 4. Early muzzleloader is October 17–25. First shotgun is December 5–9. Second shotgun is December 12–20. October 1 is the next general start. The Iowa DNR season page is the split if your county prints a different late-season line.

When Kansas's next deer season starts

Archery has been open since September 14 and runs through December 31. Muzzleloader, also open since September 14, ends September 27. The next start still ahead is the pre-rut whitetail antlerless season, October 10–12. Regular firearm is December 2–13. If archery is already the season you are hunting, October 10 is the next opener that has not started. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks prints the unit restrictions on those antlerless days.

When Kentucky's next deer season starts

Archery has been open since September 5, 2026, and runs through January 18, 2027. Crossbow has been open since September 19. Youth-only gun is October 10–18. Muzzleloader is October 17–18, with a late split December 12–20. Modern gun is November 14–29. A general hunter's next start is muzzleloader on October 17. Youth is October 10. Those dates are on the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources deer page.

When Louisiana's next deer season starts

Areas 1, 2, and 4 open archery October 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027. Areas 5, 6, and 9 open bucks-only archery October 1–15, then either-sex October 16. Areas 3, 7, 8, and 10 have been open to archery since September 19. Area 3 youth and honorably discharged veterans run September 26 through October 2, which starts today. Still-hunt firearms in areas 3, 7, and 8 open October 17. If you hunt areas 1, 2, or 4, October 1 is the date still ahead. Use the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 2026–2027 deer hunting schedule for the area on the lease.

When Maine's next deer season starts

Expanded archery in designated areas has been open since September 12. Regular archery opens October 3 and runs through October 30, 2026. Youth is October 23–24. The resident-only day is October 31. Firearms run November 2–28. Statewide muzzleloader is November 30 through December 5. Regular archery on October 3 is the next start for most hunters. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife prints the expanded-archery towns separately from the regular season.

When Maryland's next deer season starts

Archery has been open since September 11 and runs through January 31, 2027, with the breaks printed in the guide. Firearms season runs November 28 through December 12, 2026. The muzzleloader window is in the same 2026–27 Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping. For a hunter whose archery season is already open, November 28 is the firearms start still ahead. Read the region. Western Maryland and the suburban counties do not share every either-sex day.

When Massachusetts's next deer season starts

Early deer in zones 13 and 14 has been open since September 21 and runs through October 1. Archery in zones 1–14 opens October 5 and runs through November 28. Shotgun is November 30 through December 12. Primitive firearms is December 14–31. October 5 is the archery start still ahead. The 2026 Massachusetts deer season summary is the zone if you hunt the islands or a shotgun-only town.

When Michigan's next deer season starts

The Liberty hunt and the early antlerless hunt, September 12–13, have already passed. Archery's early segment opens statewide October 1 and runs through November 14. Regular firearm is November 15–30. October 1 is the next start. The 2026 Michigan DNR deer regulations still split some antlerless opportunity by deer management unit after that statewide opener.

When Minnesota's next deer season starts

Archery has been open since September 19 and runs through December 31. Youth and early antlerless is October 15–18. Statewide firearms opens November 7. The 100-series deer areas run through November 22, and the 200-series run through November 15. Muzzleloader is November 28 through December 13. If you are not in the youth or early antlerless hunt, November 7 is the next start. Confirm the deer area on the Minnesota DNR deer page before you count the closing Saturday.

When Mississippi's next deer season starts

In the published 2026–27 tables, Hills, Delta, and North Central archery run October 1 through November 20. Southeast archery runs October 15 through November 20. Gun season opens November 21. Velvet archery, September 11–13, has already passed. October 1 is the next archery start where that Hills, Delta, and North Central table applies. Confirm the deer management unit on the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks deer page. A southeast county is the October 15 line, not October 1.

When Missouri's next deer season starts

Archery has been open since September 15. It runs through November 13, then again November 25 through January 15, 2027. Early antlerless in the open counties is October 9–11. Early youth is October 24–25. November firearms is November 14–24. Late youth is November 27–29. Late antlerless is December 5–13 in the counties that are open. Alternative methods are December 26 through January 5, 2027. If your county is open for early antlerless, October 9 is the next start. If it is not, November 14 is the November firearms opener. The Missouri Department of Conservation county list is the difference.

When Montana's next deer and elk season starts

Deer and elk archery has been open since September 5 and runs through October 18. Youth deer only is October 15–16. The general season opens October 24 and runs through November 29. Backcountry hunting districts 150, 280, and 316 differ: the general season there started September 15, and district 316 has no archery-only season. For most deer and elk hunters, October 24 is the next start. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks prints the district on the license.

When Nebraska's next deer season starts

The day that applies is the permit type on the Nebraska Game and Parks deer page at outdoornebraska.gov. Match the permit in your pocket to that 2026–27 table before you leave the driveway. A statewide sentence from a different year, or from a different permit, is not the opener on your tag.

When Nevada's next deer or elk season starts

Nevada's 2026 seasons are hunt-number specific under Commission Regulation 25-07. Many archery seasons ran in August and are closed. The day you need is the hunt number on the tag at ndow.org. One unit's rifle week is not the state opener. Read the number before you buy the tag's gas money.

When New Hampshire's next deer season starts

Archery has been open since September 15. It closes December 8 in wildlife management unit A and December 15 in units B through M. Muzzleloader opens October 31 and runs through November 10, 2026. Firearms opens November 11 and runs through December 6, except unit A, which closes November 29. October 31 is the next start. New Hampshire Fish and Game prints the unit on the license.

When New Jersey's next deer season starts

Fall bow has been open since September 12. A youth either-sex day is today, September 26, 2026, and another youth day is November 21. The six-day firearm season is a zone table in the 2026–27 New Jersey deer regulations, not one Saturday for the whole state. Read the zone on the license at dep.nj.gov before you pick a firearm morning. If you are not in today's youth hunt, the next date you need is the zone line in that PDF.

When New Mexico's next deer or elk season starts

The premium statewide any-legal-weapon season has been open since September 1, 2026, and runs through January 31, 2027, for that license. A widely printed next start in the 2026–27 rule is unit 2A youth any-legal, October 24–28, hunt DER-1-100. Many other draw hunts start October 24, October 31, or later, by game management unit. The hunt code on the tag is the date. October 24 is not the opener for every New Mexico hunt. The column is in NMAC 19.31.13.

When New York's next deer season starts

Northern Zone bowhunting opens September 27 and runs through October 23. Southern Zone bow opens October 1 and runs through November 20. Northern Zone regular season is October 24 through December 6. Southern Zone regular season is November 21 through December 13. Youth firearms is October 10–12. Northern Zone muzzleloader is October 17–23. Westchester is bow-only October 1 through December 31. Suffolk is bow-only October 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027. Early antlerless, September 12–20, has already passed in the listed units. If you hunt the Northern Zone, September 27 is the next start. The table is the New York DEC 2026 white-tailed deer season chart.

When North Carolina's next deer season starts

Archery has been open since September 12. Gun season opens October 17, 2026, and runs through January 1, 2027, in the Northeastern and Southeastern zones. Central gun opens November 14. The Northwestern chronic wasting disease area, Forsyth, Stokes, Surry, Wilkes, and Yadkin, also opens November 14. The rest of the Northwestern zone opens November 21. Western gun opens November 28. The special early chronic wasting disease weekend, August 22–23, has already passed. The soonest gun opener still ahead for many eastern counties is October 17. Read the zone on the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission page. A western county is not that October date.

When North Dakota's next deer season starts

Bow has been open statewide since September 4 at noon and runs through January 3. Deer gun in all units opens November 6 at noon and runs through November 22, a 16.5-day season. November 6 at noon is the next start for gun hunters. The noon start is in the 2026 deer proclamation at gf.nd.gov. A midnight plan puts you in the field early.

When Ohio's next deer season starts

Statewide archery opens today, September 26, 2026, and runs through February 7, 2027. Designated areas that opened September 12 are already in season. Youth gun is November 21–22. Gun is November 30 through December 6. Bonus gun is December 19–20. Muzzleloader is January 2–5, 2027. If you have not started a sit, today is the opener. Those dates are in the Ohio DNR 2026–27 hunting regulations.

When Oklahoma's next deer season starts

Archery opens October 1, 2026, and runs through January 15, 2027. Youth deer gun is October 16–18. Muzzleloader is October 24 through November 1. Deer gun is November 21 through December 6. Holiday antlerless is December 18–31. October 1 is the next start. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation season page is the county note if your unit adds a holiday restriction.

When Oregon's next deer and elk season starts

General archery deer and elk opened August 28 and is the season already underway. Western Oregon general any-legal-weapon deer opens October 2, 2026. Rocky Mountain bull elk first season in the listed units is October 28 through November 1. Elk dates are unit-specific in the 2026 Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations digest. If you hunt Western Oregon deer on a general tag, October 2 is the start still ahead. An eastern unit is a different line in the same book.

When Pennsylvania's next deer season starts

Wildlife management units 2B, 5C, and 5D have been open to archery since September 19 and run through November 27. Statewide archery opens October 3 and runs through November 20, then again December 26 through January 24, 2027. Antlerless special firearms, for restricted license holders, is October 22–25. Regular firearms is November 28 through December 13. If you are outside 2B, 5C, and 5D, October 3 is the archery start still ahead. The Pennsylvania Game Commission season page is the unit check.

When Rhode Island's next deer season starts

Zones 1 and 2 archery have been open since September 15 and run through January 31, 2027. The youth days in those zones, September 12–13, have passed. Zone 3, Patience and Prudence islands, opens archery October 19 and runs through January 31. Zone 3 youth is October 17–18. Muzzleloader in zones 1 and 2 runs November 7 through December 4. Shotgun in zones 1 and 2 runs December 5 through 31. Zone 4 is a list of specific days that starts November 2. If you hunt the islands, October 19 is the start still ahead. If you hunt zones 1 or 2 and archery is already open, muzzleloader on November 7 is the next start. The dates are in the Rhode Island DEM 2026–27 seasons bind-in.

When South Carolina's next deer season starts

Game Zone 1 has a youth private-land hunt today, Saturday, September 26, 2026. Zones 3 and 4 held that youth hunt August 8. Zone 2 held it September 12. Any-day antlerless tags begin October 1 in Game Zone 1. Zones 2, 3, and 4 already started any-day antlerless tags on September 15. Gun dates are the game zone in the 2026–27 regulations at dnr.sc.gov. If you hunt Zone 1 and you are not in today's youth hunt, October 1 is the next antlerless-tag start. Read the zone on the property before you assume a gun morning.

When South Dakota's next deer season starts

Black Hills firearm deer opens November 1, 2026, and runs through November 30. That is the soonest firearm start in the 2026 combined deer application. West River firearm opens November 14, 2026. East River firearm runs November 21 through December 6, 2026. Muzzleloader runs December 1, 2026, through January 1, 2027. Archery dates for the same application are on the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks deer page. Match the unit on the license to that page. November 1 is the firearm start in that application.

When Tennessee's next deer season starts

Archery opens today, September 26, and runs through October 30, 2026, then November 2–6. Young sportsman is October 31 through November 1, and again January 9–10, 2027. Muzzleloader and archery is November 7–20. Straight-wall cartridges, private land only, are November 14–20. Gun is November 21, 2026, through January 3, 2027. August velvet, August 28–30, has already passed on private land and on the select Unit 1 wildlife management areas that were open. Today is the opener. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency deer page is the unit if you hunt public land.

When Texas's next deer season starts

White-tailed deer archery opens October 3, 2026, and runs through November 6 in 252 of 254 counties. General season in the north is November 7, 2026, through January 3, 2027. General season in the south is November 7 through January 17. Youth-only early season is October 30 through November 1. Mule deer archery also opens October 3. October 3 is the next start. The two counties that differ, and the county bag limits, are on the Texas Parks and Wildlife 2026–27 season dates page.

When Utah's next elk and deer season starts

General-season buck deer archery, August 15 through September 11, is closed. Deer muzzleloader opened September 23 and runs through October 1, so that season is already underway. Any-bull elk archery through September 16 is closed. The next start is general-season elk any-legal-weapon on October 3. Any-bull early is October 3–9. Spike rifle is October 3–15. General-season deer early rifle is October 7–11. Any-legal deer rifle is October 17–25. If you are done with muzzleloader deer, October 3 is the elk rifle start, and October 7 is the early deer rifle start. The lines are in the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources 2026 big game field regulations.

When Vermont's next deer season starts

Expanded archery in designated zones has been open since September 15 and runs through September 30. Statewide archery opens October 1 and runs through December 15, 2026. October muzzleloader antlerless is October 29 through November 1. Youth and novice is November 7–8. Regular firearms is November 14–29. December muzzleloader is November 30 through December 13. October 1 is the next start. The 2026 Vermont deer season guide prints which towns are in the expanded archery zones.

When Virginia's next deer season starts

Early archery runs October 3 through November 13, 2026, statewide, with a firearms overlap in Chesapeake, in Suffolk east of the Dismal Swamp line, and in Virginia Beach. The firearms opener after that window is county-specific in the same Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources 2026–27 guide. October 3 is the early archery start still ahead. Read the county. One Saturday does not cover the whole state.

When Washington's next elk or deer season starts

Early archery general elk in many game management units ran September 12–24, 2026, and that window is closed. The next start is the unit line in the 2026 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife big-game pamphlet at wdfw.wa.gov. A modern-firearm date you heard for a different unit, or for a different state, is not your opener. Read the unit on the tag.

When West Virginia's next deer season starts

Deer archery and crossbow open today, September 26, and run through December 31, 2026. Youth, Class Q, and Class XS is October 17–18. An antlerless split in selected counties is October 22–25, with a later split November 23 through December 6 and the splits printed after that in the guide. Buck firearms is November 23 through December 6. Muzzleloader is December 14–20. Today is the opener. The West Virginia DNR 2026–27 hunting and trapping regulations name the counties in the antlerless split.

When Wisconsin's next deer season starts

Archery and crossbow have been open since September 12 and run through January 3, 2027, with an extension to January 31 in metro subunits and in the farmland counties the DNR lists. Youth and disabled gun is October 10–11. The disability gun hunt, October 3–11, is not statewide. The nine-day gun season is November 21–29. Muzzleloader is November 30 through December 9. The four-day antlerless hunt is December 10–13. For a general adult hunter whose archery season is already open, November 21 is the next start. Youth is October 10. The dates are on the Wisconsin DNR season page.

When Wyoming's next deer or elk season starts

Wyoming deer and elk seasons are hunt-area specific. The date you need is the area and the species on the license at wgfd.wyo.gov. A general deer area and an elk area on the same mountain can open weeks apart. Read the area number on the license before you treat a neighbor's opener as yours.

Circle the date under your state, then open the agency page for the zone, unit, or hunt code on your tag. A youth day, a disease-management county, a wildlife management area, and a drawn hunt can all move that morning. The rifle and the ammunition are a purchase at a licensed dealer. The five cards above are a call, a knife, gloves, a pack, and socks.