Special Deer

Special Deer Hunting Licenses

Special Deer licenses are essentially Antlerless/Doe Licenses. The first doe license was issued in 1923 and was called FEMALE DEER. There was also a female deer license in 1924. In 1925, the name was changed to SPECIAL DEER. The 1925 and 1926 look identical, but according to historical accounts of how many were sold, any license with a number under 6,000 is considered to be a 1925. Licenses with existing paperwork would be of great help in norrowing this number down. The next special deer license was in 1928 and came in two forms. The Orange license was issued to landowners and the blue was issued to a non-landowner.

Again in 1930, two licenses were issued. The black was the regular issue and the red was the landowner. In 1937, licenses were isssued but the seaons was cancelled. Many of the 1937’s still have the wax paper stuck to the front as they were never sold. The last two special deer seasons were in 1943 and 1946. In 1951, the state went to a county allocation system and was called antlerless license.

The 1925 and 1926 are tough finds. The 1928 Blue is very common as there was no buck season that year. If a hunter wanted meat, he was forced to purchase a special deer permit. The landowner licenses from 1928 and 1930 are harder to find than the regular issue.

I am always looking to add special deer licenses that have paperwork to my collection.