Early bow seasons offer chances at velvet whitetails. (Honeycutt Creative photos)
August 13, 2024
By Josh Honeycutt
The best time to deer hunt is the early season, and you can’t change my mind. My two biggest whitetails were killed in September, and several others of my top 10 were, too.
Take that 163-inch velvet 8-pointer, for example. Or that 168-inch mainframe 12-pointer with extra points. Both were September whitetails. Both were killed in Kentucky.
Of course, the earliest seasons in North America offer chances at velvet deer. Even those that don’t open early enough, can still provide great opportunities at big deer following summer- and early-fall-based bed-to-feed patterns.
Here are the states and associated seasons to know.
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Editor’s Note: Check your DNR/state agency’s website for accurate season dates.
August Deer Season Openers In August, most outdoorsy people are still thinking lake time and deer season prep. Most aren’t thinking about hunting whitetails (yet). But several states offer whitetail seasons in August, including Arizona, Florida, Idaho, South Carolina, Tennessee, etc.
Florida is the earliest whitetail season in the country. Here, in Zone A, bowhunters start hunting on August 3, 2024.
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Arizona offers August archery hunting, too. Of course, it’s the Coues whitetail deer, and not its bigger cousin. Still, it’s a whitetail, and hunters love hunting it. Those who plan to hunt the Archery Deer Summer OTC/Draw season should plan for August 25 to September 14.
Idaho is another destination that offers August hunting opportunities. This unique mountain setting might appear devoid of whitetails, but it’s quite the contrary. Although deer densities are lower, some big bucks live here.
South Carolina is another early opener. (But only in Zone 4 on private lands.) Generally, it starts around August 15, and runs through January 1, with archery only until September 1, when rifle season kicks in. The youth deer hunting day is August 10.
Most Tennessee deer seasons really begin in late September. However, an early season occurs in August, but only with archery equipment and on private lands alone. (The removal of Unit CWD removed the use of rifles and muzzleloaders during the August season.) The August velvet hunt, as some call it, is August 23-25.
Early-September Deer Season Openers: September 1-10 Once September rolls around, hunters begin perking up, especially in some states. This is when early archery seasons begin for many hunters. It’s also arguably the best time to see and shoot mature whitetails.
Arkansas offers some good deer hunting opportunities. Throughout much of the state, hunters get an archery crack at bucks from September 7-9. Then, the regular archery season reopens September 28.
Colorado offers some early to mid-September deer season openers. This is mostly for archery, but some draw-based muzzleloader seasons exist, too.
Delaware is known for its September 1 archery opener. It offers an excellent northeastern region opportunity at a velvet buck. Few states in this part of the country offer that.
Kansas offers a September 6, 2024, opener. That’s good for archery and muzzleloader hunting. Of course, it’s a very popular destination, and time of season, for big whitetails on bed-to-feed patterns. The Youth and Disability seasons start September 7.
The author shot this great velvet buck in Kentucky. (Honeycutt Creative photos) Kentucky is in that same boat. This season, it opens September 7, making it an excellent destination for chasing a velvet buck. The Bluegrass is well known for such an opportunity.
In Maine , the Expanded Archery season begins September 7. However, this is in designated areas only.
Maryland is another early opener. This season, it starts September 6. Like Delaware, it’s a great place to kill a big early season northeastern buck.
Montana is an earlier season, too, with a September 7, 2024, start date. Archery hunters enjoy a great opportunity to hunt velvet whitetails.
Arguable one of the best early seasons in the Midwest, Nebraska turns archery hunters loose on September 1, 2024. Deer hunters really enjoy the opportunity to chase deer this early, with few states rivaling that kickoff date.
New Mexico archery hunters can head afield September 1-24, and the general season is September 1 to January 31. Of course, The Land of Enchantment offers Coues whitetail and a pocket of (regular) whitetail hunting.
Another early September opener, North Carolina offers a chance at velvet. All five hunting zones open archery season on September 7, 2024.
North Dakota also has an early kickoff. Archery hunters begin on September 1, not unlike a few other states in the region.
Lastly, Wyoming opens the gates on September 1, 2024. It provides a prime opportunity for velvet whitetails.
Mid-September Deer Season Openers: September 11-20 By mid-September, velvet opportunities are waning, but some still exist. Antler growing conditions depending, a percentage of mature bucks should remain in velvet during this window.
Connecticut tends to see archery seasons open in mid-September. Specific dates vary based on zone, and whether it’s state or private land.
Georgia kicks off on September 14, 2024. Velvet opportunities are rare here, but some hunters might see a small viable window for hunting bucks with the fuzzy stuff hanging on.
Minnesota is another September archery season. It begins September 14, 2024. Don’t overlook this state, either. Analyzing the record books, it puts a lot of trophy whitetails on the map.
Taken on September 12, 2023, the author intercepted this deer along a bed-to-feed pattern. (Honeycutt Creative photo) Similarly, Missouri kicks off in mid-September, too. Archery hunters head afield on September 15, 2024.
New Hampshire offers another September 15 opening day, and runs through mid-December. Muzzleloader and gun hunters enjoy the November rut, but archers own the early season and pre-rut.
In New Jersey , depending on location, some archery hunters start September 14, 2024. But for the first couple weeks, bowhunters must take an antlerless deer before harvesting an antlered one. (This does not apply to youth hunters.) Once September 28, arrives, the first harvested animal can be either antlered or antlerless.
In Rhode Island , youth hunters can bowhunt September 7-8. However, the regular archery season starts September 15.
South Dakota has several different September start dates. For example, the non-resident archery private land season starts September 1. The apprentice and mentored season begins September 14.
The top big-buck state in the nation, Wisconsin is another mid-September starter. This season, opening day is September 14, 2024.
Late-September Deer Season Openers: September 21-30 By late-September, few velvet deer remain. That said, it’s still a perfectly good timeframe to intercept early season deer along bed-to-feed patterns.
New York allows some bowhunters to hunt in September. In the Northern Zone, archery tackle carriers begin hunting September 27. That’s several days earlier than other zones in the state.
Ohio begins September 30. This is a bit later than it usually kicks off.
Pennsylvania is another late-September opener. This year, it’s September 21, but only WMUs 2B, 5C, and 5D. The remainder of the state starts in October. Without question, these hunters have some of the strongest deer hunting heritage in the nation.
Finally, West Virginia opens in very late September. This season, the day is September 28, 2024.
Kill Your Early-Season Buck Regardless of the state that you hunt, or the applicable opening day, put your best foot forward and kill an early season buck. Pull together a good game plan and execute it well. Find where bucks are bedding, and the early season food sources they’re targeting, and connect the dots. Do that, and you just might shoot a big early season whitetail.
