Deer Season 2026: Gun Season Dates in Six States, From Minnesota's Nov. 7 Opener to Pennsylvania's Nov. 28

Minnesota’s firearms deer season opens Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the earliest start among the six states below. Two later openers follow: Wisconsin’s gun opener on Saturday, Nov. 21 (Wisconsin DNR) and Pennsylvania’s regular firearms opener on Saturday, Nov. 28 (Pennsylvania Game Commission).

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 28, so Minnesota is 10 days out, Wisconsin 24 and Pennsylvania 31. Every date below comes from the state agency’s own 2026 listing, linked in the sources. The printable at the end puts them on one page in date order.

Gun deer season 2026 dates by state

State	Season	Dates	Opens in
Minnesota	Firearms, 100 series zones and 604, 679, 684	Sat., Nov. 7 to Sun., Nov. 22	10 days
Minnesota	Firearms, 200 series zones and 338, 341, 605, 642-649, 655, 661, 666, 671, 685	Sat., Nov. 7 to Sun., Nov. 15	10 days
Minnesota	Firearms, metro zone 601	Sat., Nov. 7 to Sun., Nov. 29	10 days
Indiana	Firearms	Sat., Nov. 14 to Sun., Nov. 29	17 days
Ohio	Youth deer gun	Sat., Nov. 21 to Sun., Nov. 22	24 days
Minnesota	Late southeast firearms, zones 338, 341, 605, 642-649	Sat., Nov. 21 to Sun., Nov. 29	24 days
Wisconsin	Gun	Sat., Nov. 21 to Sun., Nov. 29	24 days
Wisconsin	Gun, Metro Subunits only	Sat., Nov. 21 to Wed., Dec. 9	24 days
Pennsylvania	Regular firearms, antlered and antlerless, statewide	Sat., Nov. 28 to Sun., Dec. 13	31 days
Ohio	Deer gun	Mon., Nov. 30 to Sun., Dec. 6	33 days
Iowa	Shotgun season 1	Sat., Dec. 5 to Wed., Dec. 9	38 days
Iowa	Shotgun season 2	Sat., Dec. 12 to Sun., Dec. 20	45 days
Ohio	Deer gun, second part	Sat., Dec. 19 to Sun., Dec. 20	52 days

“Opens in” counts the days from Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026 to the first day of each season. Sources: Minnesota DNR, Indiana DNR, Wisconsin DNR, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Iowa DNR, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) 2026-27 season dates PDF.

When does Pennsylvania deer season start in 2026?

The Pennsylvania Game Commission lists regular firearms deer season, antlered and antlerless, statewide for Nov. 28 to Dec. 13, 2026. Its approval notice, dated April 11, 2026, says all 2026-27 seasons include the Sundays that fall within their dates, so Sunday, Nov. 29, Sunday, Dec. 6 and Sunday, Dec. 13 are open days.

Other Pennsylvania dates on the same page:

• Special antlerless firearms season: Oct. 22-25, for Junior and Senior License Holders, Mentored Permit holders and Disabled Person Permit holders.
• Extended antlerless firearms season: Dec. 26 to Jan. 24, 2027 in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 2B, 5C and 5D, and Dec. 26 to Jan. 18, 2027 in WMUs 4A, 4C, 4D and 5A.
• Archery: Oct. 3 to Nov. 20, and Dec. 26 to Jan. 24, 2027.

When is Wisconsin gun deer season 2026?

The Wisconsin DNR lists the 2026 gun season as Nov. 21-29, from a Saturday to the Sunday eight days later. In Metro Subunits only, gun hunting runs Nov. 21 to Dec. 9. The muzzleloader season is Nov. 30 to Dec. 9. The youth and disabled hunter gun dates, Oct. 10-11, have passed.

What are Minnesota’s firearms season dates?

All Minnesota firearms zones listed by the Minnesota DNR open on Saturday, Nov. 7, but they close on different days. The 100 series zones and zones 604, 679 and 684 end Sunday, Nov. 22. The 200 series zones and zones 338, 341, 605, 642-649, 655, 661, 666, 671 and 685 end Sunday, Nov. 15. The metro zone 601 runs to Sunday, Nov. 29.

Zones 338, 341, 605 and 642-649 also have a late southeast firearms season, Nov. 21-29. The muzzleloader season is Nov. 28 to Dec. 13, and archery runs Sept. 19 to Dec. 31. The youth season, Oct. 15-18, has passed.

When is Ohio deer gun season 2026?

ODNR’s 2026-27 season dates list the youth deer gun season for Nov. 21-22, 2026. The deer gun season runs Monday, Nov. 30 to Sunday, Dec. 6, with a second part on Saturday, Dec. 19 and Sunday, Dec. 20. Muzzleloader is Jan. 2-5, 2027, and archery runs Sept. 26, 2026 to Feb. 7, 2027.

Indiana and Iowa deer season dates

The Indiana DNR lists the firearms season as Nov. 14-29, 2026, and the muzzleloader season as Dec. 5-20. Its youth weekend, Sept. 26-27, is over.

The Iowa DNR lists Shotgun 1 for Dec. 5-9 and Shotgun 2 for Dec. 12-20, 2026-27. Late muzzleloader runs Dec. 21 to Jan. 10, 2027, and the Nonresident Holiday season runs Dec. 24 to Jan. 2, 2027. The early muzzleloader season, Oct. 17-25, has passed. Iowa’s page gives shooting hours as “Half-hour before sunrise to half-hour after sunset.”

Why are Michigan and New York missing?

Michigan and New York are not in the table because the dates could not be confirmed on the agencies’ pages. The Michigan DNR page was blocked to our automated check, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) had not posted 2026 regular season dates on its seasons page. Check those two agencies directly before you plan a trip.

Plan around the clock change

Clocks fall back on Sunday, Nov. 1, which lands inside Minnesota’s opening stretch, so check the sunset times after daylight saving time ends before you plan your hours. For the rest of the month, the Thanksgiving 2026 planner has a countdown.

Mark your season on the November 2026 printable calendar and the December 2026 printable calendar, or print the one-page list below. The November 2026 calendar story has the month’s other dates. Season dates can change, so read your state agency’s current rules before you hunt.