Deer Season Dates 2026-27: Official Dates for the Top 10 Deer States
Deer season 2026-27 opens with archery: Kentucky leads on September 5, with Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina following on the 12th.
Last updated: October 6, 2026 · Originally published September 16, 2026
Deer season 2026-27 in the big whitetail states opens with archery: Kentucky leads on September 5, followed by Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina on September 12. Most firearms (gun) seasons open between mid-October and late November — Georgia October 17, Missouri November 14, Michigan November 15, Wisconsin November 21, Pennsylvania November 28. Every date below comes straight from the state wildlife agency, verified August 18, 2026.
Ten states, four seasons each, forty-odd dates that decide when you take vacation. I pulled every one of them from the state agency’s own page rather than an aggregator, because a wrong opener costs you a week of leave and a wrong closer costs you a citation.
Last verified: August 18, 2026. All dates are from official state agency season pages or regulation guides (linked under each state). Agencies can adjust dates through rulemaking, so always confirm on the agency page before you buy tags or book travel. I re-verify this page each season.
The 10 Biggest Deer States at a Glance
| State | Archery | Firearms (general) | Muzzleloader | Youth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Texas Parks and Wildlife, 2026–27 season dates |
Oct 3 – Nov 6 | North: Nov 7 – Jan 3 · South: Nov 7 – Jan 17 | Jan 4 – 17 (90 counties) | Oct 30 – Nov 1; Jan 4 – 17 |
| Wisconsin Wisconsin DNR, hunting season dates |
Sep 12 – Jan 3 (metro to Jan 31) | Nov 21 – 29 | Nov 30 – Dec 9 | Oct 10 – 11 |
| Michigan Michigan DNR, deer regulations |
Oct 1 – Nov 14; Dec 1 – Jan 1 | Nov 15 – 30 | Dec 4 – 6 (UP; LP “December firearm” same dates) | Liberty Hunt Sep 12 – 13 — not youth-only: hunters 16 and under and hunters with qualifying disabilities |
| Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Game Commission, seasons and bag limits |
Oct 3 – Nov 20; Dec 26 – Jan 24 | Nov 28 – Dec 13 | Antlerless Oct 17 – 25; flintlock Dec 26 – Jan 24 | Special firearms Oct 22 – 25 |
| Ohio Ohio DNR, 2026–27 seasons approved |
Sep 26 – Feb 7 | Nov 30 – Dec 6; bonus Dec 19 – 20 | Jan 2 – 5 | Nov 21 – 22 |
| Missouri Missouri Dept. of Conservation, deer |
Sep 15 – Nov 13; Nov 25 – Jan 15 | Nov 14 – 24 (November portion) | Alt. methods Dec 26 – Jan 5 | Oct 24 – 25; Nov 27 – 29 |
| Georgia Georgia guide (mirror) Georgia DNR publishes no season dates on its own site — this is the state guide on its licensed publisher |
Archery-only Sep 12 – Oct 9 (extended to Jan 31 in 29 metro/SW counties) | Oct 17 – Jan 10 in the Yellow, Green, Cyan and Orange zones · Magenta zone runs to Jan 15 · the Gray zone has no firearms season at all — it is archery-only | Primitive weapons Oct 10 – 16, every zone except archery-only Gray | No statewide youth firearms season. During the statewide primitive weapons season, hunters under 16 may use any legal deer firearm |
| North Carolina NC Wildlife Resources Commission, 2026–27 season dates |
Opens Sep 12 (close varies by zone) | By zone: Oct 17 / Nov 14 / Nov 21 / Nov 28 – all run to Jan 1 | Blackpowder: 2-week window before gun, by zone | None. The Commission’s 2026–27 season dates list no youth deer season — youth seasons are itemised where they exist, and the only one shown is for turkey |
| Tennessee TWRA, deer |
Sep 26 – Oct 30; Nov 2 – 6 (velvet hunt Aug 28 – 30) | Nov 21 – Jan 3 | Nov 7 – 20 | Oct 31 – Nov 1; Jan 9 – 10 |
| Kentucky Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, deer |
Sep 5 – Jan 18 (crossbow Sep 19 – Jan 18) | Nov 14 – 29 | Oct 17 – 18; Dec 12 – 20 | Oct 10 – 18; free weekend Dec 26 – 27 |
All 2026 dates unless a January–February date, which falls in 2027. Zone and county exceptions matter in every state. Details below.
How I Checked the Table
Every date in the table above was read on 2 September 2026 on the wildlife agency’s own website, and each state row links to the exact page it was read on. Nine of the ten are the agency’s own server. Georgia is the exception, and I have labeled it. Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources publishes no season dates on georgiawildlife.com (the page there points readers to a flip-book of the printed guide), so the row cites the same guide on the licensed publisher that produces it for the state.
Now, three things this check corrected, all of which had been sitting in the table:
- Georgia firearms are not one statewide season. Oct 17 – Jan 10 holds in four of the six zones. The Magenta zone runs five days longer, to Jan 15, and the Gray zone (Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb and Fulton north of Georgia Highway 92) has no firearms deer season at all.
- Georgia has no statewide youth firearms season. What the guide gives youth is a weapon allowance inside the primitive weapons week, not a season of their own.
- North Carolina has no youth deer season. The Commission itemizes youth seasons where they exist (there is one for turkey) and lists none for deer.
Two more things the table cannot hold, and you should know before you hunt. Texas runs a Special Late season the table omits: North Zone Jan 4 – 17, South Zone Jan 18 – 31, 2027. And Michigan’s Liberty Hunt is not a youth hunt in the ordinary sense. It is open to hunters 16 and under and to hunters with qualifying disabilities.
Antlerless-only segments, CWD-area seasons and county antler restrictions are not in this table. Every one of the ten states has at least one. Open your state’s link before you buy a tag.
Texas (2026-27)
Texas archery season runs October 3 – November 6, 2026 in 252 of 254 counties. The general (rifle) season opens statewide November 7 and runs to January 3, 2027 in the North Zone and January 17, 2027 in the South Zone. A muzzleloader-only season follows January 4 – 17 in 90 counties, and youth-only weekends run October 30 – November 1 and January 4 – 17. Special late antlerless/spike seasons extend to January 17 (North) and January 31 (South). New for 2026: the Parks and Wildlife Commission expanded “doe days” to 16 days in 20 central-Texas counties and modernized the muzzleloader definition. Bag limits are set county by county — check your county in the Outdoor Annual. Source: TPWD 2026-2027 season dates (retrieved Aug 18, 2026). Licenses: tpwd.texas.gov.
Wisconsin (2026-27)
Wisconsin archery and crossbow season runs September 12, 2026 – January 3, 2027 statewide, extending to January 31 in metro sub-units and designated extended-season counties. The nine-day gun hunt (the state’s institution) runs November 21 – 29 (to December 9 in metro sub-units), followed by muzzleloader November 30 – December 9, a December 10 – 13 antlerless-only hunt, and the holiday antlerless hunt December 24 – January 1 in select Farmland Zone 2 counties. Youth gun weekend is October 10 – 11. WDNR notes dates remain “subject to change through rulemaking or a legislative process.” Source: WDNR season dates (retrieved Aug 18, 2026). Licenses: GoWild.
Michigan (2026-27)
Michigan’s regular firearm season keeps its famous dates: November 15 – 30 statewide. Archery runs October 1 – November 14 and December 1 – January 1. The Liberty Hunt (youth and hunters with disabilities) is September 12 – 13, the Independence Hunt October 15 – 18, and early antlerless firearm September 12 – 13 in the Lower Peninsula. Muzzleloader (Upper Peninsula) and the LP “December firearm” season are both December 4 – 6, with late antlerless firearm December 7 – January 1 in the LP. Notable 2026 changes: the extended late antlerless season and January archery were eliminated, the limited-firearms zone was eliminated statewide, and the muzzleloader/December firearm window was cut to three days. Bag: two antlered deer statewide (one in DMU 117). Source: Michigan DNR deer page and the official 2026 regs summary PDF (retrieved Aug 18, 2026). Licenses: mdnr-elicense.com.
Pennsylvania (2026-27)
Pennsylvania archery runs October 3 – November 20 statewide plus December 26 – January 24; in WMUs 2B, 5C, and 5D it opens early (September 19) and runs to November 27. The regular firearms season is November 28 – December 13, including its Sunday openers. October brings the antlerless muzzleloader season (October 17 – 25) and the special firearms season for juniors, seniors, mentored, disabled, and active-military hunters (October 22 – 25). Flintlock and extended antlerless firearms run December 26 – January 24 in designated WMUs. Bag: one antlered deer per license year, plus antlerless per license held. Source: PGC seasons & bag limits (retrieved Aug 18, 2026). Licenses: HuntFishPA.
Ohio (2026-27)
Ohio archery runs September 26, 2026 – February 7, 2027, one of the longest bow seasons anywhere. Gun week is November 30 – December 6 with a bonus gun weekend December 19 – 20; muzzleloader runs January 2 – 5; youth gun weekend is November 21 – 22. Big 2026 changes: the statewide limit is now one antlered deer regardless of method, county bag limits were adjusted (including a 2-deer/1-antlerless cap in Athens, Meigs, and Washington counties after a disease outbreak), the CWD surveillance area expanded, and disease-zone counties get early archery from September 12 plus an early October 10 – 12 gun weekend. Source: ODNR 2026-27 season approval (retrieved Aug 18, 2026). Licenses: HuntFishOH at ohiodnr.gov.
Missouri (2026-27)
Missouri archery runs September 15 – November 13 and November 25 – January 15. The firearms November portion is November 14 – 24, with early antlerless October 9 – 11, early youth October 24 – 25, late youth November 27 – 29, the antlerless portion December 5 – 13, and alternative methods December 26 – January 5. 2026 is a big rules year: the CWD Management Zone was removed (county-level regulations still apply in some counties), the antler-point restriction was eliminated statewide, nonresidents are limited to one antlered deer across archery and firearms combined, and CWD sampling is mandatory opening weekend of the November portion in designated counties. Source: MDC deer hunting (retrieved Aug 18, 2026). Licenses: MDC permits.
Georgia (2026-27)
Georgia’s archery-only period runs September 12 – October 9 (buck-only the first two weeks in nine southwest counties), then primitive weapons October 10 – 16. Hunters under 16 may use any legal deer firearm during that week, which is a weapon allowance rather than a youth season, and Georgia publishes no statewide youth firearms deer season. The firearms season runs October 17, 2026 – January 10, 2027 in the Yellow, Green, Cyan and Orange zones, five days longer in Magenta and not at all in archery-only Gray, with extended archery to January 31 in 29 metro and southwest counties and extended firearms to mid/late January in designated zones. Either-sex days vary by the regs’ color-coded zones, so check your county’s color before shooting a doe. Bag: 12 deer per season, up to 10 antlerless and 2 antlered, one of which must have at least 4 points on one side or a 15-inch spread. No firearms deer hunting in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, part of Fulton, or on Jekyll Island. Source: official 2026-2027 Georgia Hunting & Fishing Regulations (retrieved Aug 18, 2026). Licenses: GoOutdoorsGeorgia.
North Carolina (2026-27)
North Carolina archery opens September 12 in all four zones; after that, the blackpowder and gun openers stagger west across the state: Northeastern and Southeastern zones run blackpowder October 3 – 16 and gun October 17 – January 1; Central archery runs to October 30, blackpowder October 31 – November 13, gun November 14 – January 1; Northwestern gun opens November 21; Western archery runs clear to November 13 with gun November 28 – January 1. North Carolina publishes no statewide youth deer season. The Commission’s 2026–27 season dates itemize youth seasons where they exist (there is one for turkey, April 10 – 11, 2027) and list none for deer. Youth deer hunting in North Carolina runs through Commission-facilitated permit hunts instead, where an adult may supervise one youth on a big-game hunt. 2026 changes: antlerless gun season extended in nine western counties, and new CWD surveillance areas were announced May 1, 2026. Source: official 2026-27 digest, NC deer hunting seasons (effective Aug 1, 2026; retrieved Aug 19, 2026). Licenses: GoOutdoorsNorthCarolina.
Tennessee (2026-27)
Tennessee starts earliest of all with the private-land velvet archery hunt August 28 – 30, 2026. Regular archery runs September 26 – October 30 and November 2 – 6, muzzleloader/archery November 7 – 20, and the gun/muzzleloader/archery season November 21, 2026 – January 3, 2027. Young Sportsman weekends are October 31 – November 1 and January 9 – 10. Antlerless allowances differ sharply across Units 1–6. New for 2026: a Deer Bait Privilege License (not valid in CWD zones) and straight-walled cartridge rifles legal on private land during week two of muzzleloader season. Source: TWRA deer page (retrieved Aug 18, 2026). Licenses: GoOutdoorsTennessee.
Kentucky (2026-27)
Kentucky owns the earliest mainstream archery opener among the big states: September 5, 2026, running clear to January 18, 2027 (crossbow September 19 – January 18; youth/senior crossbow from September 5). Modern gun runs November 14 – 29 statewide, muzzleloader October 17 – 18 and December 12 – 20, with a CWD-zone antlerless season September 25 – 28. Youth-only gun runs October 10 – 18 (a nine-day window, not the two-day weekend some other states use) and the free youth weekend is December 26 – 27. Bag: one antlered deer statewide; the statewide permit covers four deer, with zone-by-zone antlerless rules. Source: KDFWR deer page (retrieved Aug 19, 2026). Licenses: KDFWR license portal.
How Many Deer Hunters Are There?
Per the National Deer Association’s 2026 Deer Report (published January 2026, covering the 2024 season), 42 reporting states counted more than eight million deer hunters, ranging from 5,274 in Rhode Island to 765,180 in Texas, with roughly 10 million Americans hunting deer nationally. Deer hunters as a share of all hunters fell from 78% to 65% in three years. Basically, more reason the dates above deserve a spot on your calendar. Source: NDA 2026 Deer Report (PDF) (retrieved Aug 18, 2026).
Keep Reading
- The 2027 Western big-game draw deadline calendar — whitetail dates don’t require a draw; Western elk and mule deer do.
- Food plots for deer: what to plant in mid-summer — the groundwork behind those November dates.
- KFI Monza in 6.5 Creedmoor — a deer-ready rifle I have covered in depth.
- Concealed carry reciprocity for traveling hunters — crossing state lines with firearms, done right.
- From the Brand Avalanche network: tagged out? The smoking times & temperatures master chart at Popular BBQ covers your venison next steps.
If an agency changes a date mid-season, the agency page wins.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does deer season open in 2026-27?
Archery opens first: Kentucky leads on September 5, with Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina following on September 12.
When do firearms deer seasons open in the biggest deer states?
Georgia is earliest at October 17, followed by Missouri on November 14, Michigan on November 15, Wisconsin on November 21, and Pennsylvania on November 28.
Where do these deer season dates come from?
Every date is pulled from the state wildlife agency’s own official season page or regulation guide, not an aggregator, and verified August 18, 2026. Agencies can adjust dates through rulemaking, so confirm on the agency page before booking travel or buying tags.
How many states and season types does this cover?
Ten of the biggest whitetail states, with four season types each: archery, general firearms, muzzleloader and youth.
Final Thoughts
Open your state’s link before you buy the tag, then buy the tag. The dates are the easy part. The zone map is where people get caught.
Download this data: every table on this page as a CSV. Free to reuse with attribution to Popular Outdoorsman (CC BY 4.0).
Reader Favorites
Field-to-table reference desk
From tag to table — official season dates for all 50 states, plus safe doneness temps for your harvest.
| Species | Archery | Firearm |
|---|---|---|
| Deer | Sep–Oct | Nov |
| Elk | Sep | Oct–Nov |
| Turkey | — | Apr–May |
All 50 state wildlife agencies, plus how seasons, tags and licenses work.
Find your state → Network| Doneness | Target |
|---|---|
| Rare | 125–130°F |
| Medium-rare | 130–135°F |
| Well-done | 160°F+ |
Safe pull temps for venison and steak, from Popular BBQ.
View full chart →
