Econfina Creek WMA: 2026-27 seasons, rules and map

FWC's 2026-27 brochure for Econfina Creek WMA sets 6 deer seasons (archery, general gun, general gun mobility-impaired, muzzleloading gun, family hunt and archery/muzzleloading gun); archery is on October 24-November 22. The area is 40,346 acres of public hunting land in Washington, Bay and Jackson counties, a wildlife management area in FWC's northwest region. Around it, FWC estimates 18,958 deer were taken in DMU D1 in the 2023-24 season.

Data updated October 2026. Seasons and rules: FWC's 2026-27 regulations summary for the area. Harvest: FWC's statewide deer harvest survey by DMU, 2023-24.

When are the 2026-27 seasons on Econfina Creek WMA?

Legal deer: Deer with at least 1 antler having 2 or more points (each point 1 inch or more in length) and having at least 1 antler 5 inches or more in length, antlerless deer (which includes does and bucks with antlers less than 5 inches in length, but not spotted fawn).

Source: FWC Econfina Creek regulations summary, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, read October 2026. The brochure and FWC's rules are the final word.

What quota permits does Econfina Creek WMA need?

• September Duck (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 15, no-cost, daily quota permits (no exemptions) are available first-come, first-served at the check station each day of the season. Archery (Cat Creek Area) - 30, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed) for each of 2 hunts. Archery (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 15, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions) for each of 2 hunts. General Gun (Still Hunt Area, first 13 days) - 50, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed). General Gun (Dog Hunt Area) - 120, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed). General Gun (Cat Creek Area) - 30, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed) for each of 3 hunts. General Gun (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 15, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions) for each of 3 hunts. Mobility-impaired General Gun (Mobility-impaired Area) - 20, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions) for each of 5 hunts. Muzzleloading Gun (Cat Creek Area) - 30, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed). Muzzleloading Gun (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 15, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions). Small Game (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 15, no-cost, daily quota permits (no exemptions) are available first-come, first-served at the check station each day of the season. Family Hunt (Cat Creek Area) - 20, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions). Youth Turkey (Still Hunt and Dog Hunt areas) - 10, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions). Youth Turkey (Cat Creek Area) - 3, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions). Youth Turkey (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 3, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions). Spring Turkey (Still Hunt and Dog Hunt areas, first 9 days) - 25, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed). Spring Turkey (Cat Creek Area) - 5, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed) for each of 3 hunts. Spring Turkey (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 5, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions) for each of 3 hunts.

What rules apply on Econfina Creek WMA?

Dogs

• The taking or pursuing of deer, wild hog, fox, or coyote with dogs (only as allowed during area seasons) is prohibited unless each dog is equipped and monitored with devices that allow remote tracking and behavior correction.
• Hunting with dogs, other than using bird dogs, rabbit dogs, squirrel dogs, or retrievers to hunt small game and non-protected birds, is prohibited in the Still Hunt, Cat Creek, and Mobility-impaired areas, except any dog may be used to hunt raccoon and opossum in the Still Hunt Area during raccoon season. Hunting with dogs, other than bird dogs and retrievers, is prohibited in the Fitzhugh Carter Area.
• No person shall allow any dog to pursue or molest any wildlife during any period in which the taking of wildlife by the use of dogs is prohibited.
• Dogs on leashes may be used for trailing wounded game, including bear.
• Dogs are allowed during periods or in areas closed to hunting with dogs, but must be kept under physical restraint at all times.

Hunters, harvest reporting and other area rules

• When the check station is staffed, hunters using the Fitzhugh Carter area must check in at the check station when entering and check out when leaving and check all harvested wildlife. The gates are open and the check station is staffed from 1 hour before sunrise until 1 hour after sunset.
• In addition to checking all game at the check station (Fitzhugh Carter Area only), hunters must log each harvested deer or turkey prior to moving it from the point of recovery and report any deer or turkey they harvest within 24 hours of recovery. See Florida Hunting Regulations handbook or MyFWC.com for deer and turkey harvest reporting instructions.
• Hunters must physically attach the provided bear harvest tag to their harvested bear prior to moving it from the point of recovery and report the bear they harvest within 24 hours of recovery. See the Florida Bear Hunting Guidebook or MyFWC.com for bear harvest reporting instructions.

Guns

• Hunting with a gun or archery equipment on or from rights-of-way of Thomas, Rattlesnake, Strickland, Porter Pond, Duma Jack/Deadening, Greenhead, Cat Creek and Enfinger roads, Hampshire Boulevard, S.R. 20 or C.R. 388 is prohibited.
• Taking wildlife with centerfire and rimfire rifles and pistols, muzzleloading guns, and shotgun slugs is prohibited in the portion of the area lying west of U.S. Hwy. 231 to Scott Road, north and/or east of Scott Road to County Line Road, and south of County line Road to U.S. Hwy. 231 (see brochure map for more details).
• Hunting at night with a gun is prohibited, except as allowed in this brochure during "Raccoon Season" (including dates during overlapping seasons).
• Taking wildlife at night with a gun equipped with a thermal or night-vision device is prohibited.

Access and vehicles

• Open to public access year round, except access to improved recreation areas from sunset to sunrise is only allowed for individuals participating in authorized hunting and/or fishing activities, actively launching/retrieving a boat or authorized to camp within the area.
• All persons entering or exiting the Fitzhugh Carter area may do so only at a designated entrance (see map).
• Vehicles may be operated only on named or numbered roads, except in the mobility-impaired area. During periods open to hunting in the mobility-impaired area, vehicles are not restricted to named or numbered roads, but only persons participating in the hunt are allowed vehicular access.
• Detailed maps of the roads in the dog hunt and mobility-impaired areas are available at www.nwfwater.com.
• Parked vehicles may not obstruct a road, gate or firelane.

Camping

• Camping is allowed only at designated campsites (see map). A permit from the Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) is required and camping is subject to permit provisions. To make a camping reservation, please visit www.nwfwater.com. Camping is prohibited in the Fitzhugh Carter Area.
• Hikers using the Florida National Scenic Trail may camp at designated hike-in campsites along the trail without obtaining a camping permit.
• Camping is limited to 14 days within any consecutive 30-day period and prohibited where posted as “no camping.”

Bag limits

• A guest hunter must share the host’s bag limit for deer, turkey, bear, and quail, except when these bag limits are specified as per person. The host is responsible for violations that exceed the bag limit.
• Deer - No person shall exceed statewide bag limits. A. Area limits - See statewide limits below, except during the family hunt, when the bag limit for antlerless deer is 1 per quota permit and during the mobility-impaired general gun season, when only mobility-impaired certified hunters may take antlerless deer (2 per quota permit; daily limit 1). B. Statewide limits - Annual limit 5 deer (only 2 of which may be antlerless), daily limit 2, possession limit 4. C. As part of the statewide annual deer limit, youth less than 16 years of age may harvest 1 deer annually not meeting antler point requirements but having at least 1 antler 5 inches or more in length.
• Wild hog - No size or bag limit.

From FWC Econfina Creek regulations summary, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.

How many deer are taken around Econfina Creek WMA?

FWC does not estimate harvest for each WMA in its statewide survey; it does for each deer management unit. Econfina Creek WMA lies in DMU D1. FWC estimates 18,958 deer (12,789 bucks, 6,169 does) in DMU D1 in the 2023-24 season, 4,694 of them on public land.

Source: FWC 2023-24 Harvest Survey Results. FWC's per-area harvest figures are in its WMA harvest reports tool.

Which county is Econfina Creek WMA in?

Measured by FilledTag on FWC Wildlife Management Areas Florida (open data) and the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries.

How do you get to Econfina Creek WMA?

Highways through the area: FL 20. Nearest towns: Wausau (7 miles), Vernon (7 miles), Lynn Haven (7 miles) and Alford (8 miles). FWC's page for the area: Econfina Creek.

The closest other Florida WMAs with a page here: Econfina Creek WMA (Fitzhugh Carter Tract) (1.4 miles), Choctawhatchee River WMA (8.6 miles), Pine Log WMA (10 miles) and Juniper Creek WMA (10.6 miles).

Questions hunters ask

When is deer season on Econfina Creek WMA in 2026-27?

Archery Season: October 24-November 22 (except in the Cat Creek, Fitzhugh Carter, and Mobility-impaired areas) October 24-30, October 31-November 8 (Cat Creek and Fitzhugh Carter areas); General Gun Season: November 26-29, December 12-February 3 (Dog Hunt and Still Hunt areas only); General Gun Mobility-Impaired Season: November 27-29, January 15-17, 22-24, 29-31, February 3-5 (Mobility-Impaired Area only); Muzzleloading Gun Season: December 5-7 (except in the mobility-impaired area); Family Hunt: December 24-27 (Cat Creek Area); the rest are in the table above. From FWC's 2026-27 brochure for the area.

What deer are legal on Econfina Creek WMA?

Deer with at least 1 antler having 2 or more points (each point 1 inch or more in length) and having at least 1 antler 5 inches or more in length, antlerless deer (which includes does and bucks with antlers less than 5 inches in length, but not spotted fawn), by FWC's brochure. Antlerless deer only where and when a season says so.

Can you hunt deer with dogs on Econfina Creek WMA?

The taking or pursuing of deer, wild hog, fox, or coyote with dogs (only as allowed during area seasons) is prohibited unless each dog is equipped and monitored with devices that allow remote tracking and behavior correction.

Do you need a quota permit for Econfina Creek WMA?

September Duck (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 15, no-cost, daily quota permits (no exemptions) are available first-come, first-served at the check station each day of the season. Archery (Cat Creek Area) - 30, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed) for each of 2 hunts. Archery (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 15, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions) for each of 2 hunts. General Gun (Still Hunt Area, first 13 days) - 50, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed). General Gun (Dog Hunt Area) - 120, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed). General Gun (Cat Creek Area) - 30, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed) for each of 3 hunts. General Gun (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 15, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions) for each of 3 hunts. Mobility-impaired General Gun (Mobility-impaired Area) - 20, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions) for each of 5 hunts. Muzzleloading Gun (Cat Creek Area) - 30, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed). Muzzleloading Gun (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 15, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions). Small Game (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 15, no-cost, daily quota permits (no exemptions) are available first-come, first-served at the check station each day of the season. Family Hunt (Cat Creek Area) - 20, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions). Youth Turkey (Still Hunt and Dog Hunt areas) - 10, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions). Youth Turkey (Cat Creek Area) - 3, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions). Youth Turkey (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 3, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions). Spring Turkey (Still Hunt and Dog Hunt areas, first 9 days) - 25, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed). Spring Turkey (Cat Creek Area) - 5, no-cost, quota permits (exemptions allowed) for each of 3 hunts. Spring Turkey (Fitzhugh Carter Area) - 5, no-cost, quota permits (no exemptions) for each of 3 hunts.

What county is Econfina Creek WMA in?

Washington County (26,581 acres), Bay County (12,533 acres) and Jackson County (1,226 acres), measured on FWC's boundary.

You need a hunting license, a management area permit and any quota permit the area lists, plus deer and turkey permits as FWC requires. Statewide WMA basics. FilledTag is not part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; seasons and rules are copied from FWC's brochure, maps from FWC's WMA layer, each with its source above.

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