Deer Hunting Season 2017: When to Hunt and How to Prepare for It

Finally, deer hunting season is coming around, but are you prepared for it? Or do you even know when the deer hunting season is in your respective state? Well, we are here to provide you with a complete list of deer hunting season dates for the most popular locations for hunting. This way, you can stay informed and be well-ready for your next great hunting trip.

Deer hunting season varies per state and per region. As a hunter, you need to be responsible enough to know when deer hunting is allowed in the particular area you plan on going to, how many you are allowed to bag, and what time you are allowed to hunt in that specific area.

Moreover, if you are going to hunt in a different location, the same rules apply. Do your research and get your license from the local wildlife office so that you don’t run into any problem while hunting. With that, here are the deer hunting seasons in the most popular locations for hunting:

When is Deer Hunting Season in Texas?

Texas is a huge state and can offer hunters a variety of wildlife to hunt.

In the state of Texas, you can hunt alligators, pronghorn, and javelina aside from deer which is great if you want to diversify your game. As for the deer hunting season: You can start hunting white-tailed deer from September 30 to November 3 with bows or spears, and November 4 to January 21 with firearms. For mule deer, the general season goes from November 18 to December 10 if using firearms and September 30 to November 3 for bows.

The state also allows a special late season that goes from January 8 to February 4, and it promotes a youth hunt which goes from October 28-29 and January 8-21.

Moreover, if you purchase a public hunting license from the wildlife department, you can enjoy hunting in one million acres of land all-year round and hunt to your heart’s content.

When is Deer Hunting Season in Ontario?

If you can head on over to Ontario or if you are a native Canadian, you can find a lot of game like deer, elk, and black bears apart from the variety of small game. Ontario offers strict rules on deer hunting and the schedules depend on specific areas. You can find deer hunting season schedules for 2017-2018 here: Ontario Hunting Regulations

When is Deer Hunting Season in North Carolina?

North Carolina offers ecosystems with dense woods and woody landscape that can be beneficial to hunters. The state contains bigger game like black bears and deer. Aside from these big game, you can also try your luck at hunting armadillos, pheasants, quail, wild turkey and other smaller game.

Deer hunting season in North Carolina varies by region. In the Eastern region, you can start hunting from October 14 to January 1 when using guns; September 9 to 29 for archers. Central region deer hunting season begins at November 11 and ends on January 1 (for guns) and September 9 to October 27 for archers.

Northwestern season is from November 18 to January 1 (guns); September 9 to November 3 for archery, while Western season goes from November 20 to December 9 (again, for guns) and September 9 to October 1 and October 15 to November 19 (archery).

The state also offers a Youth Deer Hunting Day which was held on September 23 for this year.

When is Deer Hunting Season in Michigan?

Another great hunting location for hunters is the beautiful state of Michigan. You can hunt a lot of animals in this state including deer, elk, bear, turkey, wolf, and other big and small game. Of course, the dates of hunting season will vary by region but you can start hunting deer from November 15 to 30 with regular firearms.

If you are using bows, you can hunt from October 1 to November 14 as well as from December 1 to January 1. Muzzleloaders can be used from December 1 to 17 only, while the late antlerless hunting season goes from December 18 to January 1 (with firearms).

Again, the specific dates will vary per region or zone so make sure to double-check with the wildlife office. There are also special schedules like the Liberty Hunt (September 16 to 17) and Independence Hunt (October 19 to 22).

A good tip if you are hunting in this state is to use their Mi-HUNT, which is a mapping tool designed for hunters that can allow you to find hunting areas that are made public all throughout the state.

When is Deer Hunting Season in Minnesota?

Minnesota is known among hunters as one of the best locations for hunting. In this state, you can find deer, wolf, bobcat, and a wide variety of smaller animals to hunt. However, the state has banned moose hunting due to a drop in the animals’ population.

In this state, deer hunting season with firearms begins on October 19 and ends at November 26. For archers, you can hunt deer from September 16 to December 31. However, you still need to double check the dates because they will vary per area.

If you want to hunt in Minnesota, you can easily get your license online or from the DENR. The prices of hunting licenses may vary per season, the type of animal, and special standings.

When is Deer Hunting Season in Ohio?

If you are looking for deer, turkey, wild boar, and pheasants, the state of Colorado has a variety of great wildlife that can be up for grabs.

The deer hunting season in Ohio will depend on the weapon you are using. For firearms, the schedule runs on November 27 to December 3 and December 16 to 17. Archers can hunt from September 30 to February 4. Make sure to check the bag limits implemented in the area as well.

You can also easily check in bagged game online if you are hunting in Ohio. If you want to purchase a hunting license in this state, you can easily do so online as well. The same goes for registering for license lotteries.

When is Deer Hunting Season in Connecticut?

Connecticut is small, but you can still have fun hunting in this state.

The game often found in Connecticut are turkey, deer, and waterfowl. If you use bows, you can start hunting deer by September 15 and the season ends by January 31. For firearm users, deer hunting season in Connecticut goes from November 15 to December 5. As for muzzleloader users, hunting season is only from December 6 to the 30^th.

Unfortunately, the state doesn’t allow black bears to be hunted. On the upside, there is a wide variety and big population of waterfowl to be hunted.

When is Deer Hunting Season in Delaware?

The state of Delaware is one of the most bountiful places for deer. Yes, it is small but it is called the ‘Small Wonder’ state for a reason. In the previous hunting seasons, hunters have harvested almost 15,000 deer.

Want to join in on the deer hunting scene of Delaware? Here are the hunting season schedule for deer: Archers are allowed to hunt from September 1 to January 31 while shotguns are allowed from November 10-19 and January 13-20.

Handguns and muzzleloaders can be used at these dates, respectively: January 6 to 13 and October 6-14 plus January 22-27. Moreover, the state also allows a Youth and Disability Hunt to be held on November 4.

Before you hunt in the state, make sure to check the hunting times that are allowed.

When is Deer Hunting Season in Indiana?

Indiana is known for its farmland, but did you know that you can also hunt a variety of game here? The state has populations of small game like turkey, squirrels, grouse, and others. Trapping can also be done for foxes, coyotes, raccoons, and other fur-bearing animals.

For deer hunting season in Indiana specifically, the schedule runs from November 18 to December 3 if you are using firearms. For archers, the schedule is from October 1 to January 7. The state also allows a special antlerless season that goes from December 26 to January 7.

A pro of hunting in this state is that Indiana offers an application called CheckIN Game which can allow hunters to register their bagged game. There is also a special program being done in the state called Hunters Helping Farmers, which allows hunters to help farmers by getting rid of unwanted antlerless deer from the landowners’ properties.

The state also has a Reduction Hunt (used to be Urban Hunt) which goes from September 15 to January 31.

How to Prepare for Deer Hunting Season

Do you feel excited for the deer hunting season like we are? Speaking from experience, it pays to be prepared before going on a hunting trip. More so, the preparation is only the half of the fun, right? Here’s what you need to do to prepare for the upcoming deer hunting season.

Step 1: Do your research

Do you know when the deer hunting season begins and ends in the area you are targeting? If you still don’t and we haven’t mentioned the state above, you can look it up on the net or check up with the local wildlife department or office.

However, you still need to make sure with the local wildlife office to know the specific deer hunting season dates for that region or zone.

If you are a beginner hunter or a novice hunter, it is also a good idea to read up on deer, deer behavior and other factors that can help you kill one, especially the fatal spots where you need to shoot. We recommend reading up on tracking, stalking, and shooting among others.

Step 2: Prepare your gear

A good way to make sure you will have the deer hunting season of your life is to prepare your gear accordingly. If possible, spend the rest of the year off-season saving up for high quality gear and equipment that are both durable and functional.

Get your hunting backpack and vehicle ready, deck yourself out with equipment and weapons, and then prepare yourself physically and mentally for the trip. Part of preparation is also acquiring your hunting license and whatnot, as well as gathering up a few friends that you want to take on your trip.

Step 3: Make sure you are ready

We know you are excited for the upcoming deer hunting season, that is why we want you to be prepared. Here is an article on deer hunting tips to help you out. If you have friends or colleagues that are experienced in deer hunting as well, you can also ask for tips that you can use for your trip.

Conclusion

The deer hunting season has already started in some states, and is upcoming for other areas or regions. As a hunter, it is helpful to know the deer hunting season schedules so that you can have ample time preparing and so you can gauge your own schedule. A good tip is to steer clear from days that are sure to see a lot of hunters out in the field. However, you should not start out too late as the deer population may be already spooked from the number of hunters roaming around.

It also pays to be prepared to your utmost before going on a hunting trip. We hope you learned a lot from this article and hope that you hunt legally. If you liked this article, feel free to share it with your other hunting friends that may be interested.

If you have any questions or comments, do leave them in the comments below. Thanks for reading!