In Texas, it is illegal to kill any animal listed as endangered or threatened under federal or state law, almost every native bird species, all bats outside of occupied buildings, and any game or fur-bearing animal taken outside its season, without the required license, or without landowner consent. A short list of nongame animals like coyotes, feral hogs, and armadillos can be killed year-round with far fewer restrictions, but even those come with conditions. The question of what animals are illegal to kill in Texas rarely has a one-word answer for a given species; it depends on where you are, what time of year it is, what license you hold, and whether the animal was threatening you or your property.
Endangered and Threatened Species
The strictest protections cover species listed as endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act or Texas state law. Federally listed animals like the whooping crane, Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, and ocelot cannot be killed anywhere in the United States. Under the ESA, “taking” a protected animal is not limited to killing. It also includes harassing, harming, trapping, or significantly disrupting the animal’s habitat.1Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Federal and State Listed Species in Texas
Texas maintains its own list on top of the federal one, and it can include species that don’t appear on the federal list at all. The black bear and the alligator snapping turtle are state-listed as threatened, so killing either one in Texas is illegal regardless of the circumstances.1Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Federal and State Listed Species in Texas The Texas horned lizard — the “horny toad” — is another state-listed threatened species that catches people off guard. Picking one up is technically legal, but killing or selling one is not.2Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum)
Federal penalties for knowingly killing an endangered species reach up to $50,000 per violation and a year in prison.3U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Endangered Species Act Section 11 – Penalties and Enforcement Killing a black bear in Texas can bring up to $10,000 in criminal fines, additional civil restitution, jail time, and the loss of all hunting privileges.4Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Bear Safety for Hunters in Texas
Migratory and Native Birds
The federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it illegal to kill, capture, sell, or transport most native bird species without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.5U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 The MBTA reaches far beyond the birds most people picture as “migratory.” Songbirds, hawks, owls, herons, and hummingbirds are all covered. The act applies only to species native to the United States, so non-native birds like house sparrows and European starlings sit outside its protection.
The protection extends to the birds’ nests. Destroying a nest that contains eggs or dependent chicks is a violation, and collecting even an abandoned nest requires a federal permit. Inactive nests with no eggs or birds present can generally be removed, but if the removal results in a bird’s death or the destruction of eggs, the full penalties apply. Bald and golden eagle nests fall under a separate federal law and are protected year-round, whether occupied or not.6U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Bird Nests
Doves, ducks, quail, and turkey are legal to hunt in Texas during their designated seasons with the proper licenses and stamps. Outside those seasons, they carry the same protected status as any other native bird.
Bats
Every bat species in Texas is protected by state law. You cannot hunt, kill, sell, purchase, or possess a bat, dead or alive, without authorization. There is one practical exception: a bat found inside or on a building occupied by people may be removed or killed.7State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 63.101 – Protection of Bats That exception matters in a state where Mexican free-tailed bats routinely roost in attics and under bridges. Killing a bat outdoors, in a cave, or anywhere other than an occupied structure is a Class C misdemeanor.8State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 63.104 – Penalties
The bat rules illustrate a broader principle that trips people up: the absence of a hunting season does not mean an animal is fair game. It usually means the opposite. The species is protected as nongame wildlife and cannot be taken at all without specific authorization.
Game and Fur-Bearing Animals
White-tailed deer, mule deer, turkey, pronghorn antelope, javelina, and desert bighorn sheep are all legal to hunt in Texas, but only when every applicable rule is followed. The kill becomes illegal the moment any condition is broken. You need a valid hunting license and any required tags or endorsements, you must hunt during the designated open season, you must stay within bag limits, and you must use only approved methods.9Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Licenses
Fur-bearing animals — beaver, raccoon, fox, mink, opossum, otter, skunk, muskrat, nutria, badger, and ring-tailed cat — have their own parallel regulations and seasons. Taking a furbearer generally requires either a hunting license or a trapper’s license. Landowners can kill furbearers that are actively damaging crops, livestock, or personal property without any license, but the animal and its pelt cannot be kept or sold afterward.10Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Fur-bearing Animal Regulations
Alligators
Alligators came off the federal endangered species list in 1978 but remain protected under Texas law. Killing one requires a hunting license and the proper hide tags. In core counties, where most alligator hunting occurs, you must have a valid, unused hide tag in your possession before the hunt. In non-core counties, you tag the alligator with a Wildlife Resource Document immediately after harvest, then submit a tag report and a $21 fee to TPWD within 72 hours. A nuisance alligator on your property cannot be killed without a separate nuisance alligator control permit, which carries a $252 annual fee.11Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Alligators in Texas – Rules, Regulations and General Information
Animals With Few Restrictions
A limited group of nongame animals can be hunted year-round on private property with no bag limits: armadillos, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, porcupines, prairie dogs, rabbits, and ground squirrels. A hunting license is still required for all of them.12Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Nongame, Exotic, Endangered, Threatened and Protected Species
Feral hogs are the notable exception to the license rule. Since 2019, no hunting license is needed to hunt feral hogs on private property with landowner permission. On public land, a license is still required.9Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Licenses
Even within this “unprotected” category, specific rules apply to certain species. No license is required to kill coyotes that are attacking or about to attack livestock or domestic animals on private property, but no one in Texas can transport or sell a live coyote due to a statewide rabies quarantine.12Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Nongame, Exotic, Endangered, Threatened and Protected Species Armadillos can be killed, but it is illegal to possess a living armadillo for sale, except to zoos or research institutions.13State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 63.103 – Sale of Certain Live Animals A trapped mountain lion cannot be left alive in a trap or snare for more than 36 hours.
Local ordinances add another layer. Many Texas cities prohibit discharging firearms within city limits, which can make it illegal to shoot a coyote or feral hog in town no matter what state law allows.
Exceptions for Defense of Life and Property
Federal law provides a defense to civil and criminal penalties under the Endangered Species Act if you can show a good-faith belief that you were protecting yourself, a family member, or another person from bodily harm caused by an endangered or threatened animal.3U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Endangered Species Act Section 11 – Penalties and Enforcement “Good faith” is the operative phrase. The threat has to be genuine, not just an unexpected encounter.
At the state level, the nuisance furbearer exception lets landowners kill raccoons, skunks, beavers, and other furbearers that are damaging agricultural crops, livestock, or personal property, without a license and outside of normal seasons. The trade-off is that no part of the animal can be kept or sold.10Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Fur-bearing Animal Regulations These property-defense exceptions do not extend to endangered or threatened species. A raccoon raiding your henhouse can be shot; a black bear tearing into your beehives cannot.
Penalties for Illegal Killing
Texas classifies wildlife violations as Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanors or felonies, and the severity climbs with the species and the offense.
- Class C misdemeanor: $25 to $500 fine. Illegally killing a bat outside an occupied building sits at this level.14Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Laws, Penalties and Restitution
- Class B misdemeanor: $200 to $2,000 fine and up to six months in jail. Possessing a live armadillo for sale falls here.8State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 63.104 – Penalties
- Class A misdemeanor: $500 to $4,000 fine and up to one year in jail.14Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Laws, Penalties and Restitution
- State jail felony: Killing a white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn, or desert bighorn sheep without landowner consent is a state jail felony on the first offense, and a conviction automatically revokes your hunting and fishing licenses.15State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 61.022
- Parks and Wildlife Code felony: Violations involving state-listed endangered species under Chapter 63 are classified at this level.8State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 63.104 – Penalties
Repeat offenders face escalating charges. A second violation of the landowner-consent rules bumps the offense up one category, and a third or subsequent offense is automatically a Parks and Wildlife Code felony.15State of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code 61.022
Civil Restitution
Criminal fines are only part of the bill. TPWD also seeks civil restitution to compensate the state for the lost wildlife resource.16Legal Information Institute. 31 Texas Admin Code 69.19 – Restitution and Restoration For a white-tailed buck, the restitution amount is calculated with the Boone and Crockett scoring system, a formula based on antler measurements. The value climbs steeply with the score, and a trophy-class buck can push the civil penalty past $10,000 on top of criminal fines. Black bear restitution can also reach $10,000.4Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Bear Safety for Hunters in Texas
License Suspension and Multi-State Consequences
A wildlife conviction can trigger automatic suspension or revocation of your hunting and fishing licenses for up to five years.14Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hunting Laws, Penalties and Restitution The consequences follow you across state lines. Texas belongs to the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, under which member states recognize each other’s license suspensions.17Legal Information Institute. 31 Texas Admin Code 55.675 – Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact If Texas revokes your license, the other participating states can suspend your privileges too, effectively closing off legal hunting across much of the country.