Texas is one of the most permissive hunting states in the country, and the animals you can hunt in Texas fall into six legal categories: game animals, feral hogs, nongame animals, exotic species, furbearers, and game birds. Each category has its own rules. Some species have tight seasons and bag limits. Others can be taken any day of the year with no cap at all. Knowing which category your quarry falls into is the first step, because a rule that applies to white-tailed deer often has nothing to do with a coyote or an axis deer.
The Seven Native Game Animals
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) officially classifies seven species as game animals: white-tailed deer, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, collared peccary (javelina), gray or cat squirrel, and red or fox squirrel.1Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Game Animals All of them require a valid hunting license, and each has its own season structure.
White-tailed deer are the state’s dominant game animal. For 2025–2026, the archery-only season runs September 27 through October 31, the general season opens November 1, and it closes January 4 in the North Zone and January 18 in the South Zone, followed by a special late season in each zone.2Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. White-tailed Deer Bag limits, antler restrictions, and doe harvest rules vary by county, so the Outdoor Annual is where you confirm what applies to the specific ground you’re hunting.
Pronghorn and desert bighorn sheep are permit-only. A hunting license alone is not enough. Pronghorn permits are issued for specific management units in West Texas, and bighorn sheep permits are limited to a handful of Trans-Pecos counties.1Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Game Animals
Javelina rules swing dramatically by region. Northern counties with an open season run October 1 through late February. Southern counties allow javelina hunting year-round. Many counties have no javelina season at all. The statewide bag limit is two per license year.3Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Javelina
Feral Hogs
Feral hogs sit in a category of their own. Since September 2019, any resident or non-resident can hunt feral hogs on private land with the landowner’s consent and no hunting license.4Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. New Texas Laws Affecting Feral Hog Hunting, License Validation No closed season, no bag limit, no weapon restrictions on private property. The state actively encourages removal because of the damage hogs cause to crops and habitat.
The no-license rule ends at the fence line. On public hunting lands, you still need a valid license, and the standard hunter education requirement still applies.4Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. New Texas Laws Affecting Feral Hog Hunting, License Validation
Nongame Animals
The nongame list is long, and it surprises people. On private property, nongame animals have no closed season, no bag limit, and no possession limit. A hunting license is still required, but beyond that they can be taken at any time by any lawful method. The list includes armadillos, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, prairie dogs, porcupines, ground squirrels, flying squirrels, rabbits, hares, frogs, and freshwater turtles.5Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Nongame, Exotic, Endangered, Threatened and Protected Species
A couple of details catch new hunters off guard. Rabbits and hares are nongame in Texas, not game animals, so they can be taken year-round. Mountain lions get the same treatment: no season, no bag limit. If you plan to hunt nongame animals at night on private property, TPWD asks as a courtesy that you contact your local game warden ahead of time.5Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Nongame, Exotic, Endangered, Threatened and Protected Species
Exotic Species
Texas has more free-ranging exotic wildlife than any other state. TPWD defines an exotic animal as any species not native to Texas. Common exotics on the hunting menu include axis deer, blackbuck antelope, nilgai antelope, aoudad (Barbary) sheep, sika deer, fallow deer, red deer, and elk.5Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Nongame, Exotic, Endangered, Threatened and Protected Species
On private land there are no state-mandated seasons, bag limits, possession limits, or restrictions on methods for exotics. A hunting license is required. Beyond that, exotics can be hunted year-round with almost nothing standing between you and the animal except landowner permission and price.5Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Nongame, Exotic, Endangered, Threatened and Protected Species Many Texas ranches are built around exotic hunts for exactly this reason.
Furbearing Animals
Eleven species are classified as furbearers in Texas: badger, beaver, fox, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, raccoon, otter, skunk, and ring-tailed cat. There is no closed season for recreational harvest, and a standard hunting license is enough as long as you don’t sell or trade the animals or their pelts.6Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Fur-bearing Animal Regulations – General Regulations
Selling pelts or carcasses moves you into a different license class: you need a trapper’s license. Landowners removing furbearers that are actively damaging crops, livestock, or property don’t need a license at all, but those animals cannot be kept, sold, or put to any other use afterward.6Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Fur-bearing Animal Regulations – General Regulations
Game Birds
Texas game birds split into two regulatory groups, and the split matters. Migratory birds are co-managed with the federal government, so they carry federal requirements on top of state rules. Upland birds are managed entirely by the state.
Migratory Game Birds
Migratory game birds in Texas include ducks, geese, coots, rails, gallinules, snipe, woodcock, doves, and sandhill cranes. Hunting any of them requires a Texas Migratory Game Bird Endorsement on top of your hunting license.7Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Endorsements You must also register with the federal Harvest Information Program (HIP), which asks you to identify yourself as a migratory bird hunter and provide your name, address, and date of birth when buying your license.8U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Migratory Bird Harvest Surveys – What We Do
Waterfowl hunters 16 and older need one more item: a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly called the duck stamp.9U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act Federal law also bans lead shot for waterfowl, coots, and other species sharing their aggregate bag limits; approved nontoxic shot includes steel, bismuth-tin, and tungsten alloys.10eCFR. 50 CFR 20.21 – What Hunting Methods Are Illegal? Shooting hours run from half an hour before sunrise to sunset. Not after sunset, as with other game.11Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Definitions
Upland Game Birds
Upland game birds include wild turkey, bobwhite quail, scaled quail, Gambel’s quail, pheasant, and chachalaca. These require an Upland Game Bird Endorsement.7Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Endorsements Federal HIP registration and the duck stamp don’t apply. Seasons and bag limits vary by species and region.
Licenses and Endorsements
Almost every kind of hunting in Texas requires a valid TPWD license. The exceptions are narrow: feral hogs on private land with landowner consent, coyotes attacking livestock, and nuisance furbearers damaging property.12Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Licenses Everyone else needs a license, regardless of age.
The main options:
- Resident Hunting License: $25. Covers any legal bird or animal with the applicable endorsements.12Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Licenses
- Non-Resident General Hunting License: $315. Required for non-residents pursuing deer, pronghorn, or bighorn sheep; no other non-resident license covers those species.12Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Licenses
- Youth Hunting License: $7. Anyone under 17, resident or non-resident. Exempt from state endorsement requirements except the Reptile and Amphibian Endorsement.12Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Licenses
- Special 5-Day Small Game/Exotic license: a cheaper non-resident option that excludes deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and alligator.12Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Licenses
All licenses are valid from purchase through August 31 and can be bought online, by phone, or at authorized retailers. The Migratory Game Bird Endorsement covers doves, waterfowl, and other migratory species; the Upland Game Bird Endorsement covers turkey, quail, pheasant, and chachalaca.7Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Endorsements TPWD calls them endorsements, not stamps, which trips people up.
Hunter Education
Anyone born on or after September 2, 1971, must complete a Hunter Education Course before hunting with firearms or archery equipment in Texas. This applies to out-of-state hunters as well, and you must carry proof of certification while hunting.13Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunter Education14Legal Information Institute. 31 Texas Admin Code 51.80 – Mandatory Hunter Education
If you haven’t taken the course yet, you can buy a one-time Hunter Education Deferral with your license, which lets you hunt only when accompanied by someone 17 or older who is properly licensed and has met the education requirement.14Legal Information Institute. 31 Texas Admin Code 51.80 – Mandatory Hunter Education Active duty military and honorably discharged veterans, current and former Texas National Guard or State Guard members, and certain peace officers are exempt entirely. Texas accepts hunter education certificates from any other state.13Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunter Education
Where You Can Actually Hunt
Most Texas land is privately owned, so most hunting happens by permission of an individual landowner. Hunting private property without consent is a serious offense: killing a deer or pronghorn without permission is a state jail felony, and entering fenced, posted, or agricultural land without permission violates the Penal Code. Purple paint on posts or trees is legal notice that a property is posted.15Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Laws, Penalties and Restitution
If you don’t have a private lease or invitation, TPWD’s Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit is the standard route. It costs $48 and opens access to more than 180 public hunting areas, including wildlife management areas, state parks, and roughly 120 dove and small game areas leased from private landowners. Species available on APH lands include white-tailed deer, feral hogs, dove, quail, turkey, waterfowl, rabbit, and squirrel.16Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Annual Public Hunting Permit and Walk-in Hunts A valid hunting license and any required endorsements still apply on top of the APH.
Some hunts are only available through TPWD’s Drawn Hunt lottery, which covers special permits for alligator, deer, exotics, javelina, and turkey.17Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Frequently Asked Questions – Drawn Hunts
Rules That Regularly Trip Hunters Up
Legal shooting hours for game animals and upland game birds run from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Migratory game birds stop at sunset. You don’t get the extra 30 minutes at the end of the day.11Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Definitions
Legal weapons include rifles, shotguns, handguns, muzzleloaders, longbows, recurved bows, compound bows, and crossbows. Crossbows are legal during both archery-only and general seasons on private property statewide.18Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting and Wildlife FAQ – Hunting Regulations Prohibited methods include using any aircraft, drones included, to hunt, locate, photograph, count, harass, or drive any animal without a TPWD permit; sinkboxes for waterfowl; hunting from a motor vehicle; and electronic calls for game animals.11Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Definitions
After harvesting a deer or pronghorn, fill out the correct tag on your license, cutting out the correct dates, before you field dress or move the animal. If you use a standard license tag on a white-tailed deer, you also complete the Hunting License Harvest Log. Collin, Dallas, Grayson, and Rockwall counties require every white-tailed deer taken with a standard license tag to be reported within 24 hours through the Texas Hunt & Fish app or online. About 20 additional counties require the same reporting for antlerless deer.19Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. After Harvesting a Deer or Pronghorn
Chronic Wasting Disease adds a further layer. Statewide carcass disposal requirements apply to all harvested white-tailed deer, mule deer, and exotic CWD-susceptible species, and the specific rules change as new detections happen.20Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Check TPWD’s CWD page for the current restrictions in your hunting area before the season starts, and check the Outdoor Annual for county-specific season dates and bag limits. Both are the definitive sources, and both change year to year.