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Recreational Use Permits

Recreational use permit is required, in addition to hunting license, when accessing those wildlife management areas enrolled in the Recreational Use Program. The permit enables the permit holder and one dependent child (under age 17) to hunt on a specific wildlife management area. Permit holders and their spouses or dependent children may also engage in recreational activities, except hunting, on the designated wildlife management area. These permits may be used as management area permits when hunting public lands not under the Recreational Use Program.

Recreational use permits are designed to provide more revenue to landowners in the WMA system. Money set aside by the FWC to compensate those landowners for hunting use on their lands was not sufficient enough to compete with private hunting leases. Rather than have WMAs drop out of the system, the FWC offers recreational use permits. Fees collected from these permits supplement the private landowners, keeping their lands open to public hunting.

Except for hunting, permit holders and their spouses or dependent children (under age 17) may participate in other activities on designated WMAs. Only permit holders and one dependent child (under age 17) may hunt. If spouses or more than one dependent child (under age 17) wish to hunt, they must purchase a recreational use permit. These permits also substitute for management area permits when hunting public lands not in the recreational use program.

Recreational use permits do not apply to other recreational use program areas. Once permits are issued, they can be renewed annually for two additional years, essentially making them a three-year permit. Permit renewals are mailed May 1. Permits not renewed by May 31 will be forfeited, and they will be made available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

The application process for these permits is automated through FWC’s Total Licensing System (TLS). Applications are no longer accepted by mail and there are no group applications. Permits are issued individually on a first-come,
first-served basis beginning 10 a.m. (EDT) July 11. Applications may be submitted at http://myfwc.com/hunting/rec_use_permits.htm, tax collectors’ offices or any license agent. Worksheets are available at http://myfwc.com/hunting/rec_use_permits.htm  under “Recreational Use Permits,” at an FWC regional office and tax collectors offices’ in counties surrounding specific WMA. Quota permits are not required on WMAs within the recreational use program since only recreational use permit holders may use the area.