How long is the bowhunting season in your state? Is there a trad only season?

[Ausable]

Here in California the state is divided into many different zones - some of which start in July, yeah, can you believe that, mid summer and 85+ degrees. Most of the zones are Sept for archery, usually they last around a month. You can then hunt with a bow during gun season which follows archery season. They do offer a few archery only draws, not sure how many tags they have available. All in all the deer hunting regulations out here seems way to confusing and none of the bow seasons (or very few) are timed up with the rut.

[Featherbuster]

Here in Misissippi, you can start Oct 1 and goes thru Jan 31.  This includes the gun and "primitive" weapon seasons also.

[MI_Bowhunter]

MI's bowseason basically runs from Oct 1 through Jan 1.

We are allowed to hunt during the firearm season, Nov 15 through Nov 30 as long as we follow the rules for hunters orange, etc.

We do have some special seasond for kids etc. but I don't know the dates for those.

[Matty]

Colorado is the end of August till the end of September roughly the 25th-25th for elk and mulies, . Muzzle loader is during out 3rd week into archery (we share...how nice) then the gunners take over for the following 2 months..

[crittergitter]

Kansas runs from Oct.- Dec. for archery and the muzzleloader season is in September and scopes are not allowed on them unless they are used during the regular rifle season which is basically the first 10 days of December, of which bowhunting is allowed but you have to wear the orange.

[jeff / sc]

Lower part of SC it's mid Aug - Jan 1 with any and all weapons...with no limit on bucks.  Mid part of the state varies by county and is to complicated to keep up with, might even be a limit on bucks, but with no tagging requirement and no limit in the county next to you...duh.
Not hard to figure out why SC is not noted for big bucks.

[fyrfyter43]

Here in NJ, it depends on which zone(s) you hunt. In the 2 zones I normally hunt, Fall Bow ran from Sept. 8 - Oct. 26 this year. The Permit Bow season ran from Oct. 27 - Dec. 24, and Dec. 26 - 31. And Winter Bow will run from Jan. 1 - Feb. 16.

So, basically, I can bowhunt every day from Sept. 8 - Feb. 16, excluding Sundays and Christmas.

[Thaihunter]

Buckshot, you forgot second season in PA, starting Dec. 26 for two weeks.

[Lone archer]

Jamie,

Don't forget westchester and suffolk county that run from OCt. 1 till dec.31. Bow only except for suffolk.

[buckeye_hunter]

In Ohio, you can hunt with bow and arrow from Sept 29th to Feb 3rd.  

There is a youth shotgun hunting weekend, general shotgun week, a second weekend of general shotgun and 4 days of muzzleloader hunting.  You can, however, use your bow to harvest a deer even while the guns are blazin' as long as you wear hunter orange (nearly worked out for me with a couple does).

The same license and tags apply for everything except the extra anterless tag you can buy after purchasing an either sex tag for early season.

-Charlie

[myshootinstinks]

Looks like some of you enjoy a 3 to nearly 5 month season.........I'm envious.

[Kevin Bahr]

In Illinois the archery deer season starts on Oct. 1 and runs til usually the second thursday in January.  Around the 12 to 15th or so.  It is closed during the shotgun seasons, 3 day weekend before thanksgiving and then two weeks later a 4 day weekend.  After that is a 3 day weekend muzzleloader season but we bowhunt during that, as long as we wear orange.  Our archery turkey season is the same as deer season.

[varmint]

One other thing to add about the lowcountry of SC deer season.No shooting does until Sept 15.

Makes sense huh??No limit on bucks,4 personal doe tags..........unless you hunt a lease or WMA,then you don't use your tags.My club has 45 doe tags for 1800 acres.

Really looking forward to at least a 5 buck limit in the next few years,at least that's what's hopefully going to happen.Maybe prevent the numbers guys from killing so many small,young bucks and be a little more choosey......

[VTer]

In VT, we have 3 weeks in October and 1 week in Dec that we share with the ML guys. We can use our bows in the 2 week Nov rifle season but we have to use a rifle tag, no does! I think we have the shortest season to go along with our lowest percentage success rate. Good thing the leaves are pretty. Gives me something to look at while I'm waiting for a deer to show up.

[Tree Shark]

Here in Alabama mid Oct.-Jan. 31 You can hunt during all gun seasons except on wma's You must wear hunters orange during gun season, two deer a day of which only one can be an antlered buck.

[JAG]

In Alabama, used to be Archery only form Oct.15, till the opening of Gun season in mid Nov.  Then they let ML in the first two weeks of Nov.  Now they've let X-guns in from the start.  As Tree Shark stated we can hunt until Jan. 31.  Once you get 14' up in a stand, you can remove the Hunter Orange, but you have to wear it to and from the stand.  This year they went to a three buck limit, with one having to be 3pt on one side or better.  All the does you want, at two deer per day.  ALWAYS check the State Hunting Regs., for Yourself!

[BTH]

You can bow hunt deer from July until late October if you hunt through the general seasons. If you want to bowhunt only, not during general season, you have about two months of archery only split between the general zones. If you're lucky you can draw some special tags and extend that a little. Two bucks only. No does except in two special draw hunts. Ridiculus in my opinion since my hunting area is over run with does. Special draw only for Elk and resident only as well. Hogs are year around fun. Especially with private land access. Definatly a confusing state to hunt in. A confusing state to live in too! If our families weren't here we'd move.

[Jeff Cooper]

For the last three years, it has been 365 days, but next year they are lengthening it to 366!  We can hunt something all year long, if the animals are not hibernating. It can get a little chilly through the dead of winter though! I truely live in a bowhunter's paradise.