You can legally hunt free-range whitetails 10 months out of the year.
The summer sun beams hot — evaporating the sweat from your brow before it even has a chance to drip and fall in your glass of sweet tea. Velvet bucks push out bone at record rates, and some of their headgear is looking pretty darn good. Hunters are planting food plots, prepping stands, and glassing big bean fields. The pre-season is shifting out of second gear, soon to hit third by late July, with overdrive landing around the middle of August. Despite all that, three deer hunters are in vastly different places, and phases, of their deer season.
Deer hunter A, a northerner from Iowa, sits in his lawn chair with two feet in a blow-up swimming pool, a cold can in one hand, and the Command app from Stealth Cam and Muddy in the other. He’s checking photos and salivating over bucks he’s planning to hunt in October.
Deer hunters B, a southern chap in the Florida Peninsula, is gearing up for a hunt. He too checks the Command app and sees a mature buck trailing an estrus doe past one of his brand-new Revolver Pro 3.0 360-degree cell cams. He slips on his Muddy boots, grabs his compound, and hits the woods.
Deer hunter C, a traveler from the mid-South, is on his way to Peru, and then New Zealand, where he’ll hunt rutting whitetails. Hoping to check off two more continents that whitetails live on, he’s pursued them in places others don’t even know they exist. He’s living the deer hunter’s dream.
While each of the three deer hunters are doing their thing, these are but a few examples of what deer hunters could be doing in summer. So, to answer the overarching question, yes, you can hunt whitetails all summer long. Here’s how.
Editor’s Note: The following are generalized timelines and do not constitute official opening dates. Furthermore, hunting season dates are subject to change. Read the current respective state wildlife agency or department of natural resources (DNR) hunting season dates and requirements for accurate, up-to-date information.
Summer is a great time to hunt deer.
When Is Summer, Technically?
Some might wonder, when is summer? Seasonally speaking, the start and end dates of summer are viewed several different ways. As for the earth’s tilt (astronomical summer), it starts with the summer solstice (usually June 20-22) and ends on the autumn equinox (usually September 21-24). Regarding meteorological summer, which is defined by weather cycles, summer starts June 1 and ends August 31. Culturally, some view the start date as Memorial day, which is in late May, and end date as Labor Day, which is the first Monday in September.
No matter how you look at it, summer spans at least from June through August, and most see it well into September. Given that, read on for the whitetail and other deer hunting opportunities in June, July, August, and September.
Deer Hunts in February or March You Should Schedule
Hunt rutting whitetails in June, eh? Yes Sir.
Deer Hunting in June
No deer hunting in June, you say? Wrong. Sure, I guess you’re technically right in saying no states permit the hunting of whitetails or mule deer. But those aren’t the only options, are they?
Nay. It’s the month of non-native deer hunting. It’s the 30 days void of killing most native game species in America. Thus, it’s the perfect time to shoot exotic (imported) animals.
For example, in Texas, axis deer (A.K.A.: chital) are non-native species. They can be hunted year-round. In most areas, June is the peak of the axis rut, which is a great hunt and works out well since you can’t hunt native deer.
In addition to Texas, axis deer are also open for hunting in Hawaii. More specifically, these animals are highly established on Maui and Lanai. Here, they can be hunted all year. In June, the bucks are typically hard-antlered, signaling the primary pre-rut to early rut timeframe. That said, they can breed year-round.
Those still wanting to hunt whitetails in June can technically do so, and I’m not talking about high-fence operations. Serious whitetail hunters can hunt completely free-ranging white-tailed deer in the wild. The catch? They’ll have to cross an ocean or two to do so.
In New Zealand, they can be hunted virtually year-round. According to most sources, the most effective time to hunt them spans late March to early June. So, enjoy hunting “late-rut” and “late-season” whitetails in early summer there.
In South America, whitetails roam freely in several countries. However, the only country with significant commercial hunting opportunities is Peru. There, outfitters offer guided hunts for South American whitetails. The season kicks off in June and runs into September. You can pursue whitetails along the coast or higher in the mountains.
Places Pressured Bucks Hide (And How HuntStand Helps Find Them)
Florida's rut kicks off first deep in the Peninsula around the middle of July, as show here by HuntStand's Whitetail Rut Map.
Deer Hunting in July
July continues to be a good timeframe to hunt exotics, whitetails in New Zealand (Australia), or whitetails in Peru (South America). Domestically, while most deer hunters are thinking about bratwursts, fireworks, and velvet trail cam pics, a few are geared up and ready to hunt deer. It only happens in two states, though — California and Florida.
In California, certain coastal and central zone (e.g.: Zone A and Zone B) archery seasons open as early as July. More specifically, while dates sometimes fluctuate, Zone A is known to open in mid to late July, and Zone B commonly opens in late July.
Shifting to southern Florida, Zone A archery routinely opens either around the end of July (e.g.: July 31) or beginning of August. Either way, it’s always the earliest whitetail season in the U.S.
Natural Food Sources for Deer Every Hunter Should Know
Deer hunting in August looks different in Peru than it does in the States.
Deer Hunting in August
August sees plenty of deer hunting from California and Florida, as well as some outings in Peru. That said, much of the exotic hunting in Hawaii and Texas is tapering off as deer hunters prepare for seasons closer to home.
Arizona archery hunts for Coues whitetails and mule deer typically begin in late August. California seasons continue for some, and newly open for others, in August. While some deer seasons in Florida open in late July, others kick off in August. (Also, some years, the earliest begin the beginning of August.) In Idaho, some seasons routinely begin in late August around the end of the month. In South Carolina, for certain zones, private land archery seasons begin August 15. Additionally, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee (private land velvet archery), and Utah, also commonly offer August deer hunting opportunities.
Scouting and Installing Water Sources for Deer
Once September arrives, and summer wanes, numerous states open season throughout America.
Deer Hunting in September
Most people associate September as the initial kickoff of deer season. Summer is waning, velvet is fading, and cold fronts are on the horizon. Of course, a lot of archery (and a few rifle) seasons typically open in September, including Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, and South Dakota.
Next-Level Deer Hunting with HuntStand Ultimate
What do you want your summer deer season to look like?
Choose Your Summer Deer Hunting Adventure
For most deer hunters, hunting in summer is a novel idea, and killing whitetails throughout June, July, and August feels downright sinful. Rest assured, though, there are legal, ethical, and encouraged opportunities to do just that.
Yes, you can hunt whitetails all summer long. Deer hunting in June, July, and August is a thing — and you can do it this year. So, if you’re tired of spending the summer months waiting for fall, make some “off-season” memories you’re sure to remember for a lifetime. Put some venison in the freezer while your hunting buddies are still merely checking cams and glassing from afar.
