Deer Tag and License in Texas: Costs, Season Dates, and Rules

A deer tag and license in Texas come as a single purchase: your hunting license already includes the deer tags you need, and the state does not sell tags separately. A Resident Hunting License costs $25, a Non-Resident General Hunting License costs $315, and both cover deer along with other legal game. Every license is valid from the date of purchase through August 31 of the following year, and new licenses go on sale August 15.1Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Licenses

License Options and Prices

Which license you buy depends on your residency, your age, and whether you also want fishing privileges.

  • Resident Hunting License: $25. Covers all legal game animals and birds, including deer.
  • Senior Resident Hunting License: $7. For Texas residents 65 and older.
  • Youth Hunting License: $7. For anyone under 17, resident or non-resident.
  • Non-Resident General Hunting License: $315.
  • Lifetime Resident Hunting License: $1,000, a one-time purchase that ends annual renewals.

Online and phone purchases carry a $5 administrative fee on top of the license price. Buying in person at a retailer avoids that fee.2Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Where to Get Licenses

Super Combo for Hunters Who Also Fish

The Resident Super Combo package costs $68 and bundles a hunting license, a fishing license, and five endorsements: archery, freshwater fishing, saltwater fishing (with red drum and spotted seatrout tags), upland game bird, and migratory game bird. Buying those pieces separately costs considerably more. The package does not include a Federal Duck Stamp, so waterfowl hunters still need to add that.3Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Super Combo and Combo License Packages

Endorsements You May Still Need

An Archery Endorsement is required to hunt deer during the archery-only season, and an Annual Public Hunting Permit is required for hunting on public land. Both are included in the Super Combo. If you buy the standalone $25 license and plan to bow hunt or hunt public land, you need to add them separately.1Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Licenses

Hunter Education

Every hunter born on or after September 2, 1971, must complete a Hunter Education Course before hunting in Texas. The rule applies to out-of-state hunters too.4Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunter Education

  • Under 9: Cannot take the course. Must be accompanied by a licensed hunter at least 17 who has completed hunter education or was born before September 2, 1971. “Accompanied” means within normal voice control.
  • Ages 9 through 16: Must complete hunter education or be accompanied by a qualifying adult under the same rules.
  • 17 and older: Must complete hunter education. The only alternative is a one-time Hunter Education Deferral for $10, which lets you hunt while accompanied for up to one year while you finish the course.

The course itself costs $15, paid directly to the instructor. TPWD runs classroom and hybrid formats, and third-party providers offer online-only courses for hunters 17 and older at varying prices.5Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunter Education

Where to Buy

You have three options:

  • Online at txfgsales.com, which accepts Visa, Discover, and MasterCard. Most licenses are available for immediate use.
  • In person at roughly 1,800 retail locations statewide, including sporting goods stores, gun shops, bait and tackle shops, grocery stores, and department stores.
  • By phone at (800) 895-4248, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Expect to provide a driver’s license number, Social Security Number, or your existing TPWD customer number when buying.6Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Purchase Requirements for Licenses, Endorsements and Tags

Deer Tags and Bag Limits

Your deer tags are printed on your hunting license. Statewide limits are:7Legal Information Institute. 31 Texas Admin Code 65.42 – Deer

  • White-tailed deer: five per year, with no more than three bucks.
  • Mule deer: two per year, with no more than one buck.

County rules often tighten these limits, particularly through antler restrictions that set minimum spread or point requirements for legal bucks. Check the TPWD Outdoor Annual for the county where you plan to hunt before you go.

Tagging and Transport After a Kill

The moment you harvest a deer, fill out and attach the correct tag from your license before you do anything else, including field dressing or moving the carcass. The tag stays on the deer until it reaches its final destination.8Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. After Harvesting a Deer or Pronghorn If you hold a digital license, you execute digital tags through the Texas Hunt & Fish app instead of a paper tag.9Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Digital Licenses and Tagging

Certain counties also require mandatory harvest reporting for white-tailed deer within 24 hours of the kill, done through the same app or its online version. The list changes, so verify the current counties in the Outdoor Annual.10Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Tagging Deer

Proof of Sex

While transporting a deer, proof of sex must stay attached to the carcass until it reaches its final destination and has been at least quartered. For a buck, keep the head with antlers attached, or the tail along with the unskinned skull cap and antlers. For an antlerless deer, keep the head attached, or retain the udder or vulva along with the tail.11Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Proof of Sex When you drop a deer at a commercial processor, tagging and proof-of-sex requirements end once the facility logs your information in its record book; the tag itself stays with the facility while any part of the deer remains there. In a private cold storage setup, those requirements continue until the deer has been quartered.12Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Cold Storage, Processing and Taxidermy

2025–2026 Season Dates

Deer seasons vary by species, zone, and weapon type. The key windows:13Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. 2025-2026 Hunting Season Dates

  • White-tailed deer archery: September 27 – October 31, 2025 (252 of 254 counties).
  • White-tailed general season, North Zone: November 1, 2025 – January 4, 2026.
  • White-tailed general season, South Zone: November 1, 2025 – January 18, 2026.
  • White-tailed special late season, North Zone: January 5–18, 2026.
  • White-tailed special late season, South Zone: January 19 – February 1, 2026.
  • Mule deer archery, Panhandle: September 27 – November 21, 2025.
  • Mule deer archery, Trans-Pecos: September 27 – November 27, 2025.
  • Mule deer general, Panhandle: November 22 – December 7, 2025.
  • Mule deer general, Trans-Pecos: November 28 – December 14, 2025.

The white-tailed special late season is restricted to antlerless and spike bucks only.

CWD Carcass Disposal Rules

Whenever you transport a harvested deer away from the property where it was killed, unused carcass parts must go into a commercial trash service, be returned to the property of harvest, or be buried at least three feet underground with three feet of earthen cover. Quarters, backstraps, and trimmings can leave the property, but leftover bones, organs, and spinal tissue cannot be dumped elsewhere.14Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Statewide Carcass Disposal Restrictions

Texas designates specific Chronic Wasting Disease Containment Zones and Surveillance Zones, mostly in the Panhandle, Trans-Pecos, and parts of the Hill Country. Hunters in those zones face added restrictions on moving carcass parts: boned venison, cleaned skull plates with antlers, and caped hides without the skull are generally allowed to leave, but whole heads and spinal columns are not. Zones and rules shift as new CWD detections occur, so check the current TPWD CWD page before hunting in West Texas or the Hill Country.

Penalties for Violations

Hunting without a valid license, failing to tag a deer, or exceeding bag limits all carry real consequences. TPWD classifies most fish and wildlife violations as misdemeanors:15Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Laws, Penalties and Restitution

  • Class C misdemeanor: $25 to $500 fine.
  • Class B misdemeanor: $200 to $2,000 fine.
  • Class A misdemeanor: $500 to $4,000 fine.

Killing a deer without landowner consent is a state jail felony carrying fines from $1,500 to $10,000 and up to two years in jail. Texas also imposes civil restitution for illegally taken deer, calculated based on sex and, for trophy bucks, antler score. Restitution is owed on top of any fine or jail time and goes to wildlife conservation.