When Is Deer Season in Alabama? 2025–2026 Hunting Guide

The majority of Alabamians who like hunting follow the dates like a weather report. The white-tailed Alabama deer season schedule is in print now, and the hunters require one source to get the facts. This guideline shows all the start, end, and legal hours of the deer hunting season Alabama. There will be easy access to the usual questions and constant guidance concerning equipment, reconnoitering, and zone regulations.

When Is Deer Season in Alabama?

During its spring meeting, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) adopted the dates for the deer season of 2025-2026. The range of seasons is state-wide and covers 15 October 2025 to 10 February 2026. The crossbow and archery commence on 15 October. It is followed by a youth weekend with the rifles from 8 November to 11 November. Users of muzzleloaders and air rifles hit the field between 12 November and 16 November.

Stage one (primarily, planned rifle, shotgun, and center-fire pistol) is from 22 November 2025 until 10 February 2026. Although the area delimits a few bag limits, all hunters operate within the same general platform, from the middle of October to the middle of February, providing Alabama with one of the most productive deer seasons in the South.

When Does Hunting Season Start in Alabama?

The opening of the deer season Alabama with the weapon types is different. ADCNR delayed the dates such that bowhunters have an early opening, musket riflers have a special season, and rifle hunters can wait a bit longer until the rut. The table below displays the first legal morning of every approach.

When does bow season start in Alabama?

Bow season will begin on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, in all of the management areas. The month of April to archers has nearly four weeks of woods in blessed peace before the first rifle will ring out. Hunters are able to use a compound or recurve, longbow, or legal crossbow installation. ADCNR needs a functioning, broad-head-tipped arrow and must be at least a 35-pound draw weight on vertical bows. Crossbows should make at least 100 pounds.

During opening day, archers are allowed to take either-sex deer, but some have some number restrictions on deserving after the initial month. Bow season is one of the most favored seasons for marking of bachelor groups around food plots and mast-bearing hardwoods with most veterans. Being cheap and lightweight, a head net can be used to keep the bugs at bay even on warm afternoons.

When does gun season start in Alabama?

In case you are asking, when is gun season for deer in Alabama, you should have it know that Rifle, shotgun, and center-fire pistol season, commonly referred to as the general gun season, opens at dawn on Saturday, 22 November 2025. The later commencement allows the rut time to mature in the northern half of the state and coincides with the Thanksgiving travels in most families. Any shoulder-fired center-fire rifle that discharges an expanding bullet may be used by hunters.

Shotguns are required to fire a single projectile, whereas handguns are required to attain minimum levels of energy that are provided by ADCNR. At Zone A, bucks are hard to hunt during the first ten days, which provides optimum daylight movement. Be sure to wear no less than 144 square inches of gun season daylight fluorescent orange at or above the waist line, except in a treestand greater than 12 feet high. Keep your harvest book current, as wardens inspect that one regularly as soon as rifles begin to crack in the hollows.

When does muzzleloader season start in Alabama?

Season Muzzleloader and pre-charged pneumatic air rifle starts on Wednesday, 12 November 2025, and ends on Sunday, 16 November 2025. The five-day slot bonus is for the hunters who prefer the slower single-shot firearm pace. Rifles in bird hunting should be at least.40 caliber muzzle-loading. The inline ignition systems and scopes are also legal, but both rifles should have muzzle loading.

An extra muzzleloader license will be required to supplement the all-game state license. The period is commonly used by many hunters to fill an antlerless tag before gun pressure develops. Due to the low position of smoke in cool mornings, remember the wind when selecting a stand, and always have more primers in a waterproof case.

When Is the Last Day of Deer Season in Alabama?

The closing date throughout the state is Monday, 10 February 2026. Any hunting procedure should also cease at sunset on the same day, and any harvest should be reported using the Game Check program before midnight. At that time, there are no feral hog seasons and predator seasons left.

The end date coincides with the rut peak in the southern counties, and therefore, many hunters harvest mature bucks in the last week. It is noteworthy that to avoid fines or seizure of property, tree stands and ground blinds must be taken off of public land before the closure.

What Are the Legal Shooting Hours for Deer Hunting Season in Alabama?

All weapon types and zones continue to have the same number of shooting hours. The hunters need to observe a good sunset-sunrise table, and keep note of the half-hour allowances on either side. The following list gives you the rule in a concise form, one you can copy to your notebook.

• From 30 minutes before official sunrise until 30 minutes after official sunset on the same day.
• No spotlighting, jack-lighting, or use of artificial light during legal hours.
• Night vision and thermal optics remain illegal for deer during open season.
• ADCNR counts any shot fired after the closing minute as a violation.
• The rule applies to both private and public land without exception.

Alabama Deer Season Hunting Zones & Regulations

In Alabama, the state is subdivided into five major zones in order to give managers an opportunity to adjust bag limits and antler regulations in accordance with the requirements of the local herd. Even though the general calendar remains the same, there are specific daily and seasonal boundaries that are imposed by each zone.

• Zone A (north-central counties): Three antlered regularly, one of which must have at least four points on one side, no more than US antlerless days, except 25-29 December.
• Zone B (north west corner): Same as in Zone A, but harvesting of antelopes is restricted to Fridays through Sundays, in December and January.
• Zone C (Black Belt area): There are no antler restrictions, two does per day; special buck creel of one per day.
• Zone D (southeast coastal plain): Two deer in one day with one buck; rut at the end of January, and, therefore, no doe after 20 January.
• Zone E (southwest swamps): Bucks must have a minimum 14 inches inside spread; must be done on legal 15 October-1 January only.

Tips for a Successful Deer Hunting in Alabama

Rules and dates are important, but it is usually the little things that you bring into the field that make the difference. Below is a list of the pointers that can increase your chances, whether you are hunting on a public land in Bankhead or a private lease in Wilcox County.

• Set up trail cameras: Two weeks prior to the season, a unit must place trail cameras in places that are used by game to determine the behavior without a human odor.
  
  

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• Play the wind: Each stand is to be chosen on the basis of a positive air movement being detected with the aid of a lightened milkweed tuft or smoke bottle.
• Midafternoon on the rut: At the end of November, once the pressure in the fields gets high, at 10 am - 2 pm, the bucks can be found cruising at the field edges.
• Keep mobile - Use a lightweight climber or saddle platform in order to move fast in case of a change in the position of an acorn drop.
• Note all sightings - the Outdoor Alabama app is made to enable people to note down the deer spotted, even those that are sailed past, and analyze the trends before the next visit.

FAQs

What are the dates for deer season in Alabama?

The 2025-2026 Alabama season will begin 15 October 2025 and terminate for all methods 10 February 2026. Members of the youth rifles will occur 8-11 November; muzzleloader will occur 12-16 November, and rifles, shotguns, and pistols will occur 22 November 2025. There are no changes in opening and closing days per zone, and different limits on harvest.

Can I shoot a deer on my property in Alabama without a hunting license?

Generally, Alabama requires a deer hunting license even on your land. Small children of resident owners and their minor children are exempt, so long as they hunt only that property. They are obliged to state season dates, bag quotas, and Game Check. No one ought to take a deer without a legal license granted by a non-resident landowner.

How many deer can you shoot a year in Alabama?

You are allowed three antlered bucks per hunting year, with at least one buck having 4 points on one side in the zones A and B, and the antlerless limits are different per state, date, and area, though most of them have two does per day open season. Check local zone schedules for certain totals.

Conclusion

The Alabama 2025-2026 deer season provides four months of additional deer hunting. The opening of the bow is on 15 October 2025, the gun on 22 November 2025, and the closing of the statewide bell on 10 February 2026. Adhere to legal shooting hours, comply with zone bag limits, and maintain Game Check current.

Track with trail cameras, hunt the wind, be mobile, and make those dates venison and memories. Post tips, questions, or success stories of the Alabama deer season in the comments. The experience of others can be used to plan a more successful deer hunting season in Alabama by other readers.