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Washington · 2026-27 season year

Washington Deer Season 2026-27

Early Archery General Deer Seasons: September 1, 2026 to September 25, 2026. Modern Firearm General Deer Seasons: September 15, 2026 to November 22, 2026. Every date below was read from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s own published page, linked beside it, on September 2, 2026.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 2, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.
September 1, 2026 to September 25, 2026
Early Archery General Deer Seasons
published
September 15, 2026 to November 22, 2026
Modern Firearm General Deer Seasons
published
September 15, 2026 to December 15, 2026
Muzzleloader General Deer Seasons
published
7 zone rows
Zone structure
as the agency draws it
The four questions in one

Washington deer seasons, 2026-27

“When does deer season open” is four questions wearing one coat. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife dates black-tailed, mule and white-tailed deer seasons separately by weapon, so each one is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Early Archery General Deer Seasons

published

Early Archery General Deer Seasons has closed for the season year; the last segment ended September 20, 2026.

Washington early archery general deer seasons, as published by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Black-tailed deer, most western GMUsSeptember 1, 2026September 25, 2026
Black-tailed deer, GMUs 506, 510, 513, 516, 520, 524, 530, 550, 556, 560 and 572September 1, 2026September 20, 2026
White-tailed deer, most eastern GMUsSeptember 1, 2026September 25, 2026
White-tailed deer, GMUs 154, 162, 163, 178 and 181September 1, 2026September 22, 2026
Mule deer, most eastern GMUsSeptember 1, 2026September 25, 2026
Mule deer, GMUs 154, 162, 163, 178, 181, 251, 328, 335, 336, 340, 346, 352, 356, 360, 364 and 368September 1, 2026September 20, 2026

Dates read from Deer General Seasons, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

Washington dates its seasons by deer species as well as by game management unit, because black-tailed deer west of the Cascades, mule deer in the dry east and white-tailed deer in the northeast are managed separately. The rows above are the early archery windows; the separately dated late archery windows are under other seasons.

Modern Firearm General Deer Seasons

published

Modern Firearm General Deer Seasons is OPEN now in the General season, black-tailed deer, through November 1, 2026, with 4 zone segments open.

Washington modern firearm general deer seasons, as published by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
High Buck Hunts, designated wilderness areas and Lake Chelan Recreation AreaSeptember 15, 2026September 25, 2026WDFW points hunters to U.S. Forest Service maps for these areas
General season, black-tailed deerOctober 17, 2026November 1, 2026
General season, white-tailed deer, GMUs 101 through 124October 17, 2026October 30, 2026
General season, white-tailed deer, GMUs 127 through 284 plus 373, 379 and 381October 17, 2026October 27, 2026
General season, mule deerOctober 17, 2026October 27, 2026
Late general season, black-tailed deerNovember 19, 2026November 22, 2026
Late general season, white-tailed deer, GMUs 105 through 124November 7, 2026November 19, 2026

Dates read from Deer General Seasons, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

The mid October opener is common across the state; what changes by species and unit group is when the season closes and whether a late general season follows. The high buck hunts in the wilderness areas open a month earlier than anything else.

Muzzleloader General Deer Seasons

published

Muzzleloader General Deer Seasons opens in 32 days, on November 20, 2026 (Late muzzleloader, white-tailed deer, GMUs 172 and 181).

Washington muzzleloader general deer seasons, as published by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
High Buck Hunts, designated wilderness areas and Lake Chelan Recreation AreaSeptember 15, 2026September 25, 2026Runs alongside the modern firearm high buck hunt
Early muzzleloader, all three deer speciesSeptember 26, 2026October 4, 2026Same nine days in every listed GMU group
Late muzzleloader, black-tailed deerNovember 25, 2026December 15, 2026
Late muzzleloader, white-tailed deer, GMUs 113, 130 through 142, 379 and 381November 25, 2026December 8, 2026
Late muzzleloader, white-tailed deer, GMUs 172 and 181November 20, 2026December 8, 2026
Late muzzleloader, mule deer, GMUs 379 and 381November 25, 2026December 8, 2026
Late muzzleloader, mule deer, GMU 382November 20, 2026November 30, 2026WDFW notes this unit is mainly private property

Dates read from Deer General Seasons, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

The early muzzleloader window is the one date that holds across every unit group Washington lists; the late windows split by species and unit.

Youth General Seasons

published

Youth General Seasons opens in 5 days, on October 24, 2026 (White-tailed deer, GMU 124).

Washington youth general seasons, as published by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
White-tailed deer, GMU 124October 24, 2026October 30, 2026
White-tailed deer, GMUs 127 through 142October 24, 2026October 27, 2026

Dates read from Deer General Seasons, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

Washington's youth general seasons sit inside the modern firearm table and cover only the northeastern white-tailed deer units.

For which days to sit, the Washington deer movement forecast rates the next 7 days Slow to Prime from the weather and first light.

Early archery deer overlaps modern firearm high buck hunt.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, read September 2, 2026. Read it at the source
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The rest of the calendar

Other Washington deer seasons the agency names

Beyond the four main windows, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife dates one further season for deer. They are reproduced here under the agency’s own names, because a hunter reading a calendar needs to know which window a tag actually covers.

Late Archery General Deer Seasons

published

Late Archery General Deer Seasons opens in 22 days, on November 10, 2026 (White-tailed deer, GMU 101).

Washington late archery general deer seasons, as published by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Black-tailed deer, GMUs 437, 448, 460, 466, 506, 510 through 524, 530, 560, 572, 601 through 618, 638, 642, 681 and 699November 25, 2026December 15, 2026
Black-tailed deer, GMUs 407, 410 through 424, 454, 505, 564, 624 through 672November 25, 2026December 31, 2026
White-tailed deer, GMU 101November 10, 2026December 15, 2026
White-tailed deer, GMUs 105 through 127 and 204 through 243November 25, 2026December 15, 2026
White-tailed deer, GMUs 145, 163, 178, 272, 278 and 373November 20, 2026December 8, 2026
Mule deer, GMUs 209, 215, 233, 243 and 250November 21, 2026November 30, 2026
Mule deer, GMUs 336, 342, 346, 352, 364, 388 and Deer Area 3682November 25, 2026December 8, 2026
Mule deer, GMUs 145, 163, 178, 272, 278, 373 and Deer Area 3372November 20, 2026December 8, 2026
Mule deer, GMU 382December 1, 2026December 8, 2026

Dates read from Deer General Seasons, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, accessed 2026-09-02.

The late archery windows are the longest deer seasons in the state, running to the end of December in parts of the Puget Sound and coastal units.

Zones

Washington deer zones

Washington does not have a deer season. It has 7 of them, and the boundaries between them were drawn by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife along highways, rivers and county fragments rather than anything you can see from a stand. In several states those boundaries are not even the same from one weapon season to the next.

This page publishes the agency’s zone names and links the agency’s own zone map, which is where a hunter’s zone is determined. A wrong zone answer is a wrong season date.

Heavy antlered mule deer buck standing shoulder deep in snowy sagebrush in Wyoming
A mule deer buck in Wyoming sagebrush. Western general seasons run by unit and draw. Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS. “Mule Deer Buck in Southwest Wyoming (23007137314)” — Tom Koerner / USFWS Mountain-Prairie — Public domain
Rules

Washington deer hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by is set by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Washington regulations

Harvest limits, antler restrictions, permitted arms, shooting hours, tagging and reporting, and license and permit requirements for Washington are set by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: current regulations
Two hunters in blaze orange and camouflage beside a wheelchair at the edge of bare winter woods, one helping the other with gear
Getting ready at the edge of the winter woods on a mobility assisted deer hunt. Many states date a season specifically for hunters with disabilities, and those windows are on the state pages. Photo: U.S. Marine Corps. “USMC-11410” — U.S. Marine Corps (official photo, marines.mil) — Public domain

Deer season dates in other states

Washington deer movement forecastThe next 7 days rated Slow to Prime for deer movement, from the forecast and first light.Washington deer rutThe biology beside the calendar: when deer actually breed here, from the agency conception studies. Dates are this page; the rut is that one.Washington turkey seasonSpring and fall wild turkey windows for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.Washington duck seasonDuck and goose season dates by zone and flyway, read from the same agency.Washington fall foliagePeak color and the archery weeks overlap. Plan the same trip.

Washington deer season questions

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Buck with antlers in velvet standing in tall summer grass in golden light
A buck still in velvet in late summer. The earliest archery openers land within weeks of antlers hardening. “White-tailed Deer Buck in Velvet (48804848567)” — USFWS Mountain Prairie — Public domain

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 2, 2026. Every season window is republished from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife page linked beside it, read on September 2, 2026; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Harvest limits, antler restrictions, permitted arms, shooting hours and license rules are set by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national deer season guide and the Washington rut timing page.