Alabama Deer Season 2026-27: Dates, Zones & What to Know

Alabama's 2026-27 deer seasons are officially set: archery opens October 15, 2026 in Zones A, B, C and the CWD Management Zone (October 1 in Zones D and E), and gun season opens November 21, 2026 in Zones A, B, C and the CMZ (November 7 in D and E), running through February 10, 2027 in most of the state. The dates below come from the adopted 2026-2027 hunting seasons rule (Alabama Administrative Code Rule 220-2-.01, effective June 5, 2026) — note that as of early July the Outdoor Alabama website still displayed last season's page, so the rule text is the authoritative source until the site updates.

012026-27 season dates by zone

Alabama runs six deer zones — A, B, C, D, E, and the CWD Management Zone (CMZ, now all of Lauderdale, Colbert, and Franklin counties). Zone A covers most of the state.

Zones A, B, C and CMZ

On open-permit public land in Zones A and B, gun season runs bucks-only Nov. 21 – Dec. 11, either sex Dec. 12 – Jan. 3, then bucks-only again to Feb. 10. Zone C splits differently (either sex Nov. 21-29 and Dec. 12 – Jan. 1 on private land, buck-only between and after).

Zones D and E (portions of west-central and east Alabama)

If you hunt near a zone line — especially the detailed boundaries in DeKalb, Etowah, Jackson, and Marshall counties — pull up the official zone map before the opener.

02Bag limits and key rules

• Three bucks per hunter across all seasons, one per day. One of the three must have at least 4 antler points an inch or longer (Barbour County has its own 3-points-on-one-side rule).
• Unantlered: two per day (or one plus a buck) in Zones A, B, D, E, and CMZ during the applicable seasons; Zone C allows one unantlered plus one buck per day.
• Game Check is mandatory: every deer must be reported within 48 hours via the Outdoor AL app, outdooralabama.com, or 1-800-888-7690 — even license-exempt hunters need a harvest record.
• New for 2026-27: dog-deer hunting on Talladega National Forest land in Talladega County moves to a special permit system with GPS collar requirements.

03License basics

Residents 16-64 need an Alabama hunting license (the all-game license covers deer); non-residents need the all-game or trip license. Game Check reporting is free. Details: Outdoor Alabama hunting licenses.

04Check the official source

• Deer season — Outdoor Alabama (watch for the 2026-27 page update)
• Adopted rule: Alabama Administrative Code Rule 220-2-.01, "2026-2027 Hunting Seasons"

Accessed July 1, 2026. Zone boundaries and either-sex segments carry exceptions — verify your county and land type before hunting.

05Plan the season

Alabama's rut is famously late and staggered — some counties peak in January, which is exactly why the season runs to February 10:

• Alabama Rut Prediction 2026 — county-level rut timing
• Alabama Solunar Calendar — daily feeding windows
• Best Time to Hunt Today in Alabama — today's hourly outlook
• Trail Pro Intel's free Hunt Forecast rolls weather, wind, and solunar peaks into one score — handy for picking which January weekend deserves a vacation day.