Hunting land in Northeast Florida
Whether a piece of land can be hunted comes down to Florida law, the county’s zoning and the deed. Here is how each one reads around Jacksonville and St. Johns County, plus the public land within about 90 minutes.
By Krista Fracke — Broker Associate, Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years in Northeast Florida · 500+ closings · client reviews
Hunting land you own
I’m Krista Fracke, and whether a parcel can be hunted is worth settling before the offer. Florida exempts one kind of land from the hunting license: your homestead, the home you live in and claim homestead on, in your county of residence, and the same for a spouse’s or minor child’s homestead. Exempt hunters need no deer or turkey permit either, though a waterfowl hunter still needs the federal duck stamp. Wild hogs on private land can be hunted or trapped year-round with the owner’s permission and no license.
A hunting tract you own that is not your homestead needs a license like any other land, as does land you lease or hunt with permission. Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975 must pass a hunter safety course before buying a license to hunt with a gun, bow or crossbow; FWC’s mentoring deferral lets a newcomer hunt first in the presence of a licensed hunter 21 or older.
Why a subdivision lot is not hunting land
Florida sets no minimum acreage for hunting. The limit comes from its discharge law. Recreational shooting, target practice included, is a misdemeanor in a mainly residential area with one or more homes per acre unless the shot poses no reasonably foreseeable risk to life or property. The law carves out no exception for hunting, and on a subdivision lot that test is hard to meet. Firing recklessly outdoors on a home site or on land zoned only for residential use is a misdemeanor too, as is shooting over a paved road or an occupied building. FWC adds that no one may hunt from a public road’s right-of-way.
FWC sets no fixed distance from a house, so the practical answer is rural land: acreage zoned for agriculture, with room between you, the roads and the neighbors. A bow does not change the property line. Shooting across someone else’s land without permission while taking game is a felony, whether the shot is from a gun or a bow.
Where the rural land is: zoning by county
- St. Johns County. The comprehensive plan’s Rural/Silviculture land allows one home per 40 acres, and Agricultural-Intensive one per 20. The Open Rural zoning district takes a 1-acre minimum lot, and the county’s use table lists hunting camps and game preserves among its agricultural uses. An outdoor shooting range is a separate special use that needs at least 10 acres.
- Jacksonville (Duval). The Agriculture land-use category allows no more than one home per 2.5 acres.
- Putnam County. The AG district takes a 1-acre minimum lot, 150 feet wide.
- Clay and Nassau Counties. Both have agricultural and open rural districts; their minimums are being rewritten or vary by land-use category, so confirm the parcel with the county’s zoning office.
Planned communities set their own rules on top of zoning, so read the recorded declaration before assuming anything on a large lot inside one.
Zone C seasons, 2026-27
All of Northeast Florida is in FWC’s Zone C. These are the Zone C dates outside wildlife management areas; each WMA sets its own. Antlerless deer are legal only on set days in each deer management unit, so check FWC’s table for the unit before taking a doe.
| Archery | Sept 19 – Oct 18 |
|---|---|
| Crossbow | Sept 19 – Oct 23 |
| Muzzleloading gun | Oct 24 – Nov 6 |
| General gun | Nov 7 – Jan 24 |
| Youth deer weekend | Oct 31 – Nov 1 |
| Spring turkey (north of SR 70) | Mar 20 – Apr 25 |
St. Johns, Duval, Nassau, Clay and Baker counties sit in deer management unit C6: a legal buck has at least one antler with three or more points of an inch or more, or a main beam of 10 inches or more, and hunters 15 and under may take one buck a year that falls short of that, as long as it has at least one antler 5 inches or longer. On private land, deer may be hunted near a feeding station that has held feed for at least six months, but no turkey may be taken within 100 yards of one while feed is out. Hunter orange is not required on private land.
Posting and permission
Florida’s no-trespassing paint is orange, not purple. The international orange marks carry “No Trespassing” stenciled in letters at least 2 inches high and 1 inch wide, with the bottom of each mark 3 to 5 feet off the ground, no more than 500 feet apart on agricultural land. Painted marks must be paired with signs at every place people normally enter, and signs must carry the owner’s or lessee’s name. Signs alone also work, no more than 500 feet apart and at each corner. Cultivated land and land fenced at least 3 feet high count as notice, and a fenced parcel of 5 acres or less with a house on it needs no posting. Trespassing on posted land while armed is a felony. Hunting with dogs on someone else’s land needs the owner’s written permission.
Leases, timberland and easements
Hunting leases on timberland are another route. Rayonier sells exclusive hunting and recreation licenses to individuals and clubs across its Southern forests. If you buy land under a conservation easement, the recorded easement decides whether hunting is kept; Florida’s easement statute leaves it to each deed. And the agricultural “greenbelt” tax classification rests on commercial farming, timber or livestock; hunting is not one of the listed uses, so ask the property appraiser before counting on it for a hunting tract.
Public hunting land within about 90 minutes
Guana River WMA (St. Johns)
About 15 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Waterfowl; see the area brochure for other seasons.
Thomas Creek WMA (King's Road Unit) (Duval, 2,000+ acres)
About 26 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Quota hunts on set days: family, archery, muzzleloader, gun, small game and spring turkey.
Jennings Forest WMA (Clay, 24,000 acres)
About 31 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Seasonal hunts; see the area brochure.
Four Creeks WMA (Nassau, 13,000+ acres)
About 32 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Seasonal hunts; see the area brochure.
Matanzas WMA (St. Johns, 4,699 acres)
About 33 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Archery, muzzleloader, gun, hog and spring turkey on set dates.
Cary WMA (Nassau and Duval, 11,000+ acres)
About 34 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Quota permits on set days.
Camp Blanding WMA (Clay, 56,000+ acres)
About 40 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Quota hunts; iSportsman access permit required for every visitor; parts always closed for military use, sometimes all of it.
Belmore WMA (Clay, 8,700+ acres)
About 42 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Archery weekends, family hunts, gun and turkey.
Etoniah Creek WMA (Putnam, 7,000+ acres)
About 43 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Seasonal hunts; see the area brochure.
Ralph E. Simmons WMA (Nassau, 3,000+ acres)
About 50 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Fall deer, squirrel and small game; quota hunts on set days.
Osceola WMA (Baker and Columbia, 266,000+ acres)
About 61 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach. Archery, gun and spring turkey seasons.
Straight-line distances, approximate. A WMA usually needs a management area permit, and each sets its own dates in its FWC brochure.
This is the work I do every week. Looking at rural land? Tell me what you want to do on it, and I'll check the zoning and the deed on every parcel before you drive out.
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Broker Associate · Christie's International Real Estate First Coast · 20+ years · 500+ closings
Homes and land on 10 acres or more
St. Johns, Duval, Nassau and Clay counties, live from the MLS. Confirm zoning and any easement on each parcel.
Common questions
Can I hunt on my own property in Florida without a license?
Only on your homestead: the home you live in and claim homestead on, in your county of residence (or a spouse's or minor child's homestead). A separate hunting tract you own needs a license, as does leased land or a friend's land. Waterfowl hunters still need the federal duck stamp.
How many acres do you need to hunt in Florida?
Florida sets no minimum acreage for hunting. What rules out most neighborhoods is the discharge law: recreational shooting is a misdemeanor in a mainly residential area with one or more homes per acre unless the shot poses no reasonably foreseeable risk, and reckless discharge on a home site is a misdemeanor too. In practice that means rural acreage zoned for agriculture.
Can I hunt wild hogs on my land?
Yes. With the landowner's permission, wild hogs on private property can be hunted or trapped year-round, and FWC requires no hunting license for it.
What deer zone is Northeast Florida in?
Zone C. For 2026-27 outside wildlife management areas, archery runs September 19 to October 18 and general gun November 7 to January 24. St. Johns, Duval, Nassau, Clay and Baker counties fall in deer management unit C6, where a buck needs at least one antler with three points of an inch or more, or a main beam of 10 inches or more. Those are the Zone C dates outside WMAs; antlerless deer are legal only on set days.
Does Florida use purple paint for no trespassing?
No. Florida law uses orange paint: international orange marks with "No Trespassing" stenciled, 3 to 5 feet off the ground and no more than 500 feet apart on agricultural land, with signs at the places people normally enter. Signs alone also work at no more than 500 feet apart and at each corner, carrying the owner's or lessee's name.
Where can I hunt on public land near Ponte Vedra Beach?
Guana River WMA is about 15 miles away, and Thomas Creek, Jennings Forest, Four Creeks, Matanzas and Cary WMAs are within about 35 straight-line miles. Most require a management area permit, and several run quota hunts.
Go deeper
Rules and dates from Florida Statutes, FWC and the county codes as published in October 2026. Seasons change every year; confirm with FWC before you hunt.
Shopping for land?
Send me the counties you’re looking in and what you want the land for. I’ll pull the parcels whose zoning fits.