Florida — where you can actually hunt
Florida sells tags over the counter — there's no draw. So the question is where: which counties have public land you can walk onto and hunt. And “public land” isn't one thing — a national park or a refuge is closed or permit-only, so we count only what's truly open, and show the rest honestly. Pick your species below.
What “huntable” means here
National forest, BLM, and state game lands / WMAs are open to hunting (state wildlife-agency lands are managed forit); state forests generally are. National & state parks and military land are closed; wildlife refuges are permit-only — those are excluded from the number.
By huntable public land
Most huntable counties first
Ranked by open public land — state game lands / WMAs and national forest are the open categories that push a county up. The mix shows what kind; deer harvest (Florida FWC reported deer kill) shows where the animals are.
| County | Huntable | Land mix | Deer harvest | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | 71.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 71.6% | 485 | |
| Liberty | 62% | State Game Lands / WMA 60.7% · National Forest 1.3% | 1,017 | |
| Broward | 54% | State Game Lands / WMA 54% | 13 | |
| Okaloosa | 49.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 49.6% | 2,265 | |
| Collier | 48.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 48.5% | 943 | |
| Wakulla | 44.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 42.6% · National Forest 2% | 1,395 | |
| Baker | 42.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 42.6% | 690 | |
| Santa Rosa | 33% | State Game Lands / WMA 33% | 2,902 | |
| Charlotte | 29.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 29.9% | 816 | |
| Marion | 27.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 27.5% | 1,578 | |
| Sumter | 27.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 27.3% | 666 | |
| Columbia | 27.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 22.3% · National Forest 4.9% | 1,668 | |
| Leon | 27.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 26.1% · National Forest 1% | 1,405 | |
| Walton | 26.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 26.6% | 1,786 | |
| Clay | 24.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 24.1% | 803 | |
| Hernando | 21% | State Game Lands / WMA 21% | 782 | |
| Miami-Dade | 20.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 20.2% | — | |
| Indian River | 20% | State Game Lands / WMA 20% | 861 | |
| Lake | 17.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 17.8% | 1,817 | |
| Citrus | 16.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 16.6% | 748 | |
| Palm Beach | 16.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 16.1% | 148 | |
| Monroe | 15.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 15.5% | — | |
| Hendry | 15.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 15.3% | 408 | |
| Lafayette | 15.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 15.2% | 903 | |
| Osceola | 13.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 13.6% | 1,457 | |
| Putnam | 13.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 13.4% | 845 | |
| Jefferson | 13.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 13.1% | 1,614 | |
| Gulf | 12.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 12.8% | 865 | |
| Washington | 12.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 12.5% | 2,283 | |
| Highlands | 11.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 11.9% | 596 | |
| Levy | 11.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 11.8% | 2,134 | |
| Taylor | 11.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 11.7% | 1,374 | |
| Brevard | 11.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 11.4% | 546 | |
| Polk | 10.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 10.2% | 790 | |
| Volusia | 9.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 9.7% | 1,526 | |
| Pasco | 9.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 9.6% | 515 | |
| Martin | 9.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 9.4% | 600 | |
| Bay | 8.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.6% | 1,437 | |
| Orange | 7.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.8% | 518 | |
| Bradford | 6.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.2% | 798 | |
| Dixie | 4.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.8% | 974 | |
| Lee | 4.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.7% | 242 | |
| Alachua | 4.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.6% | 2,401 | |
| Seminole | 4.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.1% | 246 | |
| Nassau | 4.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.4% | 1,274 | |
| Holmes | 4.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.4% | 1,787 | |
| Escambia | 4.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.2% | 1,786 | |
| Hamilton | 4.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.9% | 1,468 | |
| Okeechobee | 3.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.8% | 346 | |
| Gadsden | 3.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.3% | 1,717 | |
| St. Johns | 3.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.1% | 303 | |
| Glades | 2.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.9% | 955 | |
| Jackson | 2.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.7% | 4,874 | |
| Union | 1.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.8% | 515 | |
| Madison | 1.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.7% | 2,308 | |
| Duval | 1.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.6% | 1,088 | |
| Sarasota | 1.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.5% | 132 | |
| Gilchrist | 1% | State Game Lands / WMA 1% | 1,164 | |
| Suwannee | 0.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.8% | 2,231 | |
| Hillsborough | 0.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 597 | |
| Calhoun | 0.3% | — | 1,953 | |
| Manatee | 0.2% | — | 538 | |
| Hardee | 0% | — | 1,309 | |
| Pinellas | 0% | — | 21 | |
| St. Lucie | 0% | — | 137 | |
| DeSoto | 0% | — | 533 | |
| Flagler | 0% | — | 637 |
huntablePct = state WMAs + national forest as a share of the county (Florida FWC GIS + PAD-US, EPSG:5070); deer = Florida FWC reported deer harvest by county. National & state parks, military land, and permit-only refuges are computed but shown as the “mix,” not counted huntable; confirm the specific tract with the state agency.