FWC approves new rules for hunting and managed areas

At its February meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved rule changes related to the 2026-27 hunting season, including specific regulations on Wildlife Management Areas and Wildlife Environmental Areas. The rule change proposals were based on requests from staff, cooperators and stakeholders, and summaries of all proposed rule amendments were provided to the public online beginning Aug. 28, 2025, resulting in over 18,000 responses.

The most notable rule changes include:

• Establishing the rules of four new areas: Catlett, Creek Ranch and Lochloosa Slough WMAs and St. Andrew's Flatwoods WEA comprising 1,563 acres in Clay County, 1,342 acres in Polk County, 5,247 acres in Alachua County and 115 acres in Bay County, respectively.
• Allowing hunting with crossbows and airbows during the hybrid Archery/Muzzleloading Gun Season on 24 WMAs in the FWC's Northwest and North Central regions.
• Establishing four new youth turkey hunts on WMAs in the Northeast, Northwest and Southwest regions.
• Establishing three new family hunts on WMAs in the Northwest and South regions

For more information about the rule making process visit MyFWC.com/about and click on "Rules and Regulations."