Florida has one of the largest wildlife management area systems in the country at nearly 6 million acres. Use the following resources to help you plan for 2019-2020 public hunting land opportunities.

• Check out the 2019-2020 wildlife management area (WMA) regulations brochures to discover hunting opportunities including quota/limited-entry hunts, special opportunity hunts, and public hunting areas where you can walk on to hunt. Before you head afield, review the regulations for the area you plan to hunt. Also, don't forget, WMA regulations brochures are available online only. We recommend you print, take a screen shot, or download the WMA regulations brochures and maps to a mobile device so you can access them without an Internet connection.
• Apply for quota/limited entry hunts. The phase 1 application period for many quota, special-opportunity and national wildlife refuge hunt permits begins at 10 a.m. on May 15 and runs through midnight on June 15. You can choose quota/limited entry hunts for deer and hogs as well as hunts for families, youth, people with disabilities, bowhunters and those hunting with muzzleloaders and modern firearms. Get more details about fall quota/limited entry hunts and apply at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com, county tax collectors’ offices or most retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies. 

Photo courtesy of Rogue Eye Photography

The phase I application period for the alligator harvest random drawing begins May 17 at 10 a.m. Eastern time and runs through May 27. More than 7,000 harvest permits will be available. If you’re 18 years old by Aug. 15, 2019, and have a valid credit or debit card, you can apply for an alligator harvest permit that allows the harvest of two alligators on a designated harvest unit or county. 

 Learn more about how the random drawing works and check out these tips to apply for alligator harvest permits. The updated Guide to Alligator Hunting in Florida is another valuable source of information about the application process and hunt structure, rules and regulations, methods of take, and tips on how to safely and responsibly hunt alligators. See these pages for more information:

• Application dates
• Alligator harvest units, map and quotas 
• Statewide alligator harvest unit descriptions
• 2019 Statewide Alligator Harvest Application Worksheet
• Apply online
• Statewide Alligator Harvest Program

Since 1988, Florida's statewide alligator harvest program has been nationally and internationally recognized as a model for the sustainable use of a renewable natural resource. Alligators are a conservation success story in Florida. The state’s alligator population is estimated at 1.3 million alligators of every size. Each year, alligator management units are established with appropriate harvest quotas to provide recreational opportunities for hunters from Florida and beyond.

Spring and summer wild hog hunting opportunities are available at wildlife management areas across the state. Most of the areas don’t require a quota permit for these hunts, but you will need a $26.50 management area permit. Before heading afield, don’t forget to review area-specific regulations.

During May and June, you may receive a phone call or email from Responsive Management, a survey research firm the FWC has contracted with to study Florida hunters’ participation in deer hunting. If you do, please consider participating in the study. Depending on which carrier you use, the call will display as coming from Responsive Management, area code 850, or unknown.

The FWC will use stakeholder input from the study to help us better understand hunters’ participation, harvest, and opinions. In addition, the data the FWC will receive via the new harvest reporting requirements will give us another source of deer harvest information. See our FAQs about hunting rule changes taking effect in 2019-2020, including new harvest reporting requirements.

2019-2020 season dates for ducks, geese, doves and other game migratory birds are available now. Please be aware that changes for the 2019-20 migratory bird hunting season include a decrease in the daily bag limit of mallards from four to two (no more than one of which may be female) and a decrease in the daily bag limit of northern pintails from two to one.

In addition, dates have shifted for Youth Waterfowl Hunting Days. Beginning in 2019-2020, this special opportunity will occur the Saturday before the start of the first phase of the regular waterfowl season (Nov. 16, 2019) and on the second Saturday after the second phase of the season closes (Feb. 8, 2020). This change is intended to provide higher quality and more diverse hunting opportunities for youth (15 years old and younger). For more information about statewide 2019-2020 rule changes.