Hunting Seasons & Draw Deadlines by State

Plan your next season from the official source. Find state hunting and licensing resources, separate application deadlines from season dates, and keep track of the details that matter before you apply.

This nationwide planning hub covers all 50 states. Detailed species calendars and draw updates are being added as official information is verified. A state link below is a starting point, not confirmation that its next season or draw has been announced.

Find your state · Build your deadline checklist · Understand date status

Official hunting and licensing resources by state

Choose the state where you plan to hunt, including for nonresident applications. These links lead to agency hunting pages or their licensing services, drawn from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service state directory. Check the agency’s current regulations and the exact species, hunt code and area before applying.

Build a hunting application deadline checklist

For each hunt you are considering, keep one record with the fields below. This separates the date you must act from the dates you hope to be in the field.

  1. Identify the opportunity: state, species, hunt code, unit or zone, resident or nonresident category, youth eligibility and hunting method.
  2. Separate the years: record the application year, license year and actual hunt dates. A document spanning two years does not necessarily accept applications in both years.
  3. Record each action: license purchase, application opening, application closing, results, payment or acceptance, and any separate leftover or reissue process.
  4. Keep the exact closing time: copy the agency’s deadline and time zone. Set your own reminder before that deadline rather than assuming it closes at midnight where you live.
  5. Check requirements before paying: review hunter education, licenses, stamps, points, fees, refund terms and party-application rules on the official page.
  6. Save your source and receipt: keep the regulation link, document year, page or hunt code, and application confirmation. Return to the agency for corrections and emergency notices.

Proposed, tentative and final dates

Proposed
A date or rule is under consideration. A meeting agenda or draft is not approval.
Tentative
The agency presents a provisional schedule that may change.
Final
The agency has adopted or officially announced the specific date or rule. Check for later amendments and emergency orders.
Not announced
A future date has not been verified from an official source. Last year’s date is not a substitute.

Planning for 2027 and later seasons

Keep each announcement attached to its actual effective year. For example, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s approved draw-change summary describes changes beginning in 2028. That document should not be treated as a 2027 application calendar.

Leftover tags and returned permits

Use the agency’s current availability list and instructions for the exact permit. Record when you checked: a tag appearing on a list is not a reservation. Keep first-come sales, secondary drawings and returned-permit reissues separate in your checklist; they may have different eligibility and purchase steps.

Match the calendar to your species and location

Do not apply a deer season to elk, a general season to a special permit hunt, or one zone’s dates statewide. Review separate rules for big game, turkey, waterfowl, other migratory birds, upland birds, small game and other legally hunted species. A hunting season and a trapping season are different permissions. Federal refuges and other managed lands may have additional requirements.

New to hunting? Start with Kodiak’s hunting learning resources before choosing equipment or committing to a trip.

About this resource

Edited by Kodiak Outfitters. We use state wildlife agencies, official regulations, commission documents and federal wildlife sources, with proposed and confirmed information kept distinct. This page is a planning aid; the responsible agency’s current rules govern your hunt.

Directory and planning guidance reviewed: September 24, 2026. Detailed state/species calendars and personalized email alerts are not yet available.