Texas Hunting Season Dates
Recorded hunting windows for Texas, including historical and unverified entries.
Recorded dates, not hunting permission
Status assessment: 2026-10-14 UTC (static build snapshot). Static activity badges and day counts use this build assessment, not a live check. Interactive finder results show their own UTC assessment day.
1 of 10 recorded windows have date-review evidence. Other rows remain unverified. Historical records are retained and are not a current-season promise.
Check your current agency regulations, GMU or zone, hunt code, license and access restrictions before hunting. An agency link or successful publication fetch does not verify a row. Reviewed base dates do not cover every license-specific exception.
Date evidence: Official date source. Review dates apply only to the stated row scope, not an entire state or current license eligibility.
Texas Hunting Season Calendar
Find all hunting season dates for Texas including deer, elk, turkey, and waterfowl. Filter by species and hunting method.
Coming Up in Texas
Seasons opening in the next 60 days
Nov 7, 2026 - Jan 3, 2027
Opens in 24 days
Recorded Season Windows
All Texas hunting seasons organized by species
Deer 5 seasons
| Method | Dates | Zone | Status | Notes | Add to Calendar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | Oct 4 - Nov 7, 2025 Unverified date record; agency review required | Zone not recorded; check your license | Historical record | Archery only (South Texas begins later) | |
| Rifle/Firearm | Nov 7, 2026 - Jan 3, 2027 Date window reviewed 2026-10-09; verify license-specific exceptions Official date source | Travis east of I-35 private non-MLDP adult ordinary both-branched antlered white-tailed centerfire rifle | Opens in 24d | Actual current TPWD Travis east of I-35 General Nov7–Jan3; only private non-MLDP adult ordinary white-tailed buck with both antlers branched, inside spread at least 13 inches, centerfire rifle subset, not individual permission. East bag four deer/no more than two bucks/two antlerless; one such buck per county. Species rule explicitly allows unbranched bucks of any width without using branched-buck limit; excluded here, not universal 13-inch rule. Not west-side five-deer rules/no special antler restriction, no other county/statewide coverage. Archery/youth/muzzleloader/MLDP/antlerless/unbranched/special-late/public/other-method hunts excluded; no Jan4–17 bridge. Actual Means and Methods: no rimfire for whitetail/no fully automatic, no magazine-capacity restriction for game animals; not air-gun caliber/energy rule assigned rifles. Current license/tag/digital-exceptions/harvest-log/permission/eligibility/bag/reporting/transport/CWD/local/rifle/device/ammunition/closures/amendments need checks. Nine histories/license metadata retained/unverified. County/species HTML monitored; weapons/tagging/CWD/current-law updates manual; mutable pages/date hash not semantic rule confirmation. | |
| Rifle/Firearm | Nov 1, 2025 - Jan 5, 2026 Unverified date record; agency review required | North Texas | Historical record | General season | |
| Rifle/Firearm | Nov 1, 2025 - Jan 19, 2026 Unverified date record; agency review required | South Texas | Historical record | Extended season | |
| Muzzleloader | Jan 6-19, 2026 Unverified date record; agency review required | North Texas | Historical record | Special late season | |
Turkey 2 seasons
| Method | Dates | Zone | Status | Notes | Add to Calendar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any Legal Method | Mar 28 - May 10, 2026 Unverified date record; agency review required | Rio Grande | Historical record | Spring Rio Grande | |
| Any Legal Method | Apr 18 - May 17, 2026 Unverified date record; agency review required | Eastern | Historical record | Spring Eastern | |
Wild Pig 1 season
| Method | Dates | Zone | Status | Notes | Add to Calendar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any Legal Method | Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2025 Unverified date record; agency review required | Zone not recorded; check your license | Historical record | Year-round with valid license | |
Dove 1 season
| Method | Dates | Zone | Status | Notes | Add to Calendar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shotgun | Sep 1 - Oct 26, 2025 Unverified date record; agency review required | North Zone | Historical record | First dove season | |
Quail 1 season
| Method | Dates | Zone | Status | Notes | Add to Calendar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shotgun | Oct 25, 2025 - Feb 23, 2026 Unverified date record; agency review required | Zone not recorded; check your license | Historical record | Regular season | |
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Texas Hunting Regulations
License year, species, and agency information
- License Year
- Sep 1, 2025 - Aug 31, 2026
- Available Species
-
- Deer
- Dove
- Quail
- Turkey
- Wild Pig
- Hunting Methods
-
- Archery
- Rifle/Firearm
- Muzzleloader
- Any Legal Method
- Shotgun
- Wildlife Agency
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
This information is for reference only. Always verify regulations with your state wildlife agency before hunting or fishing.
Important Note for Texas
Only Travis east of I-35 private non-MLDP adult ordinary both-branched-antler white-tailed centerfire rifle Nov7–Jan3 reviewed. Inside spread≥13inches/one such buck per county; unbranched-any-width exception excluded here, not universal restriction. East four-deer/two-buck/two-antlerless bag, not west-side five-deer rules. No rimfire/full-auto; no game-animal magazine cap, not air-gun energy rule. No archery/youth/muzzleloader/MLDP/antlerless/unbranched/special-late/public/other-method or Jan4–17 bridge; current license/tag/log/permission/bag/CWD/local/device/amendment checks needed. Nine histories/license metadata unverified; not individual permission.
Hunting Method Legend
Texas Hunting FAQ
Common questions about hunting seasons in Texas
What are the hunting season dates for Texas?
Recorded Texas entries cover Deer, Dove, Quail, Turkey, Wild Pig. Dates include history and unverified records; the recorded license-year metadata is not current verification. Check row evidence and current agency regulations and your license.
When does deer season start in Texas?
Recorded windows, not one continuous season: 2025-10-04 to 2025-11-07; 2026-11-07 to 2027-01-03; 2025-11-01 to 2026-01-05; 2025-11-01 to 2026-01-19; 2026-01-06 to 2026-01-19. Historical and unverified records may be included. Check each row's evidence and your current GMU/hunt code and license before hunting.
Does Texas require a draw for hunting?
Draw requirements depend on species, GMU or zone, hunt code and license type. Recorded date windows do not establish eligibility. Check the current Texas agency rules and your actual license.
Which recorded windows include the assessment date 2026-10-14 UTC in Texas?
The next recorded window is Deer starting Nov 7, 2026. Check its row evidence and current regulations; the record may be unverified.
What should I know about hunting in Texas?
Only Travis east of I-35 private non-MLDP adult ordinary both-branched-antler white-tailed centerfire rifle Nov7–Jan3 reviewed. Inside spread≥13inches/one such buck per county; unbranched-any-width exception excluded here, not universal restriction. East four-deer/two-buck/two-antlerless bag, not west-side five-deer rules. No rimfire/full-auto; no game-animal magazine cap, not air-gun energy rule. No archery/youth/muzzleloader/MLDP/antlerless/unbranched/special-late/public/other-method or Jan4–17 bridge; current license/tag/log/permission/bag/CWD/local/device/amendment checks needed. Nine histories/license metadata unverified; not individual permission.
Other States
Compare hunting seasons across states
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