The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) gave the green light to a slate of rule changes at its February 2025 meeting, setting the stage for the 2025-26 hunting season and reshaping access to FWC-managed lands.
Announced on Wednesday, the updates—crafted with input from staff, partners, and over 14,000 public comments collected since October 2, 2024—include new wildlife management areas (WMAs), expanded hunting opportunities, and tighter restrictions on nonresident turkey hunters.
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Among the headline moves, FWC is carving out three new WMAs: Deep Creek in St. Johns County, Dinner Island Ranch – Caracara Unit in Hendry County, and Rice Creek in Putnam County. These additions aim to bolster conservation while opening fresh terrain for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts across the state.
Hunters will find new chances to bag game under the revised rules. The FWC is rolling out new hunts, extending seasons, or ditching quotas on 25 WMAs statewide. From swampy bottoms to pine flatwoods, these tweaks promise broader access—though specifics on which areas and seasons are still trickling out. It’s a win for Florida’s sportsmen, who’ve long pressed for more flexibility on public lands.
Out-of-staters chasing wild turkey gobblers face a tighter leash. Five WMAs—Big Cypress, Herky Huffman/Bull Creek, Jumper Creek, Three Lakes, and J.W. Corbett—will bar nonresidents from hunting during the first nine days of the zonal spring turkey season, reserving that prime stretch for locals. Nonresidents will also need an annual hunting license instead of the cheaper 10-day option and face a 10% cap on spring turkey quota permits. The FWC says it’s about balancing demand, but nonresident hunters might call it a squeeze.
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The quota hunt system’s getting a facelift, too. Starting in 2025, hunters can bank a preference point during Phase I applications—a perk for planning ahead. But there’s a catch: return a permit, and you’re stuck with your pre-application point tally, not a bonus. Drop a Phase I permit, and you’re barred from reapplying for that hunt in Phase IV reissues. And if you sit idle for five years, your preference points vanish—up from the old two-year forfeiture rule. It’s a mix of carrot and stick aimed at streamlining the process.
The FWC touted the changes as a response to months of feedback, with summaries posted online last fall sparking a flood of over 14,000 responses. From hunters to landowners, the stakeholder chorus helped shape a package that FWC brass says balances conservation with recreation. The new WMAs, in particular, spotlight Florida’s push to preserve wild spaces while keeping them open for public use.
As the 2025-26 season looms, these rules signal a shift in how Florida manages its 5.9 million acres of public hunting grounds. Whether it’s a new WMA tract or a longer season, the FWC’s betting on a leaner, more local-friendly framework—one that’s sure to stir debate among the camo-clad and beyond as opening day nears.
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