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The Official Website of the Department of Fish and Game (DFG)

 
Outdoor Recreation

Antlerless Deer Permit Information

White-tailed DoeThis page will include information about the Antlerless Deer Permit process.

An antlerless deer permit is required to harvest antlerless deer during any season in all Wildlife Management Zones (WMZ) PDF icon. (Note: WMZ boundaries are marked by roads.) July 16 is the deadline to apply for your antlerless deer permit. Be sure to apply when you buy your license from your home computer, at a DFW office, or at a license vendor.

2012--THE NEW ANTLERLESS DEER PERMIT ISSUANCE PROCESS

This year, with the start of the new electronic licensing system, MassWildlife has changed the issuance process for Antlerless Deer Permits.

  • MassWildlife will NO LONGER conduct a permit drawing, and hunters' chances of winning will no longer involve hunting/sporting license numbers.
  • MassWildlife will NO LONGER mail notification and/or remittance postcards to customers. Please review the following information, and please be prepared to convey this information to your customers.

Antlerless Deer Permit Application Period
(December 1, 2011 - July 16, 2012)

As in the past, all hunters who are interested in obtaining an Antlerless Deer Permit must apply when they initially purchase their licenses or at any time prior to the application deadline of July 16, 2012. There will be no exceptions!

Instant Award Period
(August 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012)

Beginning August 1, 2012 (and continuing through the end of the calendar year) antlerless deer permit applicants MUST RETURN to the MassFishHunt website either via the Internet, authorized license agent location, or MassWildlife Office to try to win antlerless deer permits in the zones for which they previously applied. Upon returning to the MassFishHunt site, you or the license agent will select the zone for which you previously applied, and the system will instantly notify you if you won an antlerless deer permit. If the permit is won, the hunter can pay the $5.00 permit fee immediately and print the permit, or leave the winning permit in the shopping cart where it will remain until payment is made or until the permit expires. All permits expire on December 31st of the year issued.

The Instant Award system will still be based on a percent chance of winning, but permit issuance will be completely random rather than based on the last digit of a hunting/sporting license number. Winning percentages will be determined by the number of permits available for each Wildlife Management Zone (WMZ) divided by the number of applicants for each zone. Hunters will have the same odds of winning a permit in their selected zones whether they return on August 1st or December 31st. This will NOT be a first-come/first-served system. Only hunters who applied during the Application Period will be able to try for an antlerless deer permit, and there will only be ONE attempt per hunter during the Instant Award Phase.

Over the Counter Surplus Permit Period
(October 2012)

Surplus antlerless deer permits will still be available in October for any zone in which MassWildlife has more permits available than hunters that apply. These surplus antlerless deer permits will continue to be issued on a first-come/first-served basis. Surplus antlerless deer permits will be available over the counter through the Internet, authorized license agent locations, and MassWildlife Offices. Additional information regarding over the counter permit sales will be posted on this web page as it becomes available.