White-tailed deer season opens 11/2,  and an excellent season with above-average antler quality is predicted.

NEW this season, 21 counties will have their first antlerless deer season. Mandatory reporting of antlerless deer harvest in these counties is required using the My Texas Hunt Harvest app or online. Your reporting helps us make better-informed decisions about future seasons, bag limits and other regulations. Also NEW, the hunting season for antlerless white-tailed deer in 20 northeast Texas counties has been expanded.

Refer to the Outdoor Annual for your deer hunting need-to-know, including specific county regulations, statewide bag limits and special antler restrictions. 

Mandatory Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) sampling and carcass movement restrictions apply to counties in CWD zones. If you harvest a deer in these zones, bring it to a check station within 48 hours to have a sample collected that we will then test for CWD. Let's keep working together to keep CWD at bay.

Quail numbers are up! South Texas Plains surveys show more than twice as many bobwhites as last year, suggesting an above average season. In the Rolling Plains, surveys revealed somewhat higher numbers than last year, but dense vegetation likely kept us from seeing as many bowhite broods as we suspect are there.

Find the forecast for your favorite location in our regional forecasts for both bobwhite and scaled quail.

You can hunt bobwhite, scaled and Gambel's quail. The bag limit is 15 per day for all 3 species combined. Total possession limit is 45 birds. You'll need an Upland Game Bird endorsement to hunt quail, along with your hunting license and proof of Hunter Education. 

Love quail? Support it when you sport it on your car, truck or trailer with a Conserve Texas Quail license plate. Proceeds go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.

If you're looking for a primo place to hunt, check out the over 1 million acres of Public Hunting Areas available with a $48 Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit.

Use the interactive legal game finder to find an area to hunt, a specific animal, like quail or deer, or search for public and leased hunting lands in a certain county or region.

“Practically everything that is huntable in Texas, you can hunt under our program,” says Kelly Edmiston, Program Specialist. We'll see you out there!

Your Texas Game Wardens compiled this list of the 5 most common hunting violations of 2018. You can avoid a citation by not finding yourself in the field with: 

1. No proof of Hunter Education: this is required of every hunter born after 9/1/71. If you've lost your card, print a new one.
2. No hunting license: you need a physical license to be able to log and tag your deer. Buy one today.
3. Incorrect or no hunting harvest log: learn how to log your harvest correctly.
4. Untagged deer: tag your harvest before you move it.
5. Improperly tagged deer: you cannot use a buck tag on a doe, and you cannot use someone else's tag. Read up on proper tagging methods to avoid a citation.

Watch our short video, Avoid These Common Deer Season Violations. 

At times it can be hard to tell exactly what you're firing at – in which case you should not take the shot. There are a number of birds that are protected by law, including some waterbirds, like whooping cranes, and some doves. 

Whooping cranes are endangered, and the only wild flock left in the world winters here. Whoopers are found primarily on the coast but have also been seen in other parts of Texas. They can be easily confused with sandhill cranes or even geese, so learn to tell the difference by watching our video, Be Sure Before You Shoot and by looking over our tips to I.D. whooping cranes.

If in doubt, do not take the shot. If you accidentally take a whooping crane (or any protected bird), immediately contact the county's Texas game warden and explain your mistake. 

In 2017, TPWD’s nonprofit funding partner Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) launched a program called Gear Up for Game Wardens. The program provides specialty equipment Texas Game Wardens need to maintain safety and ensure the highest level of service for the people of Texas. Hundreds of generous donors have contributed more than $1 million so far.

Sustaining the Gear Up for Game Wardens program ensures TPWF can manage the program and purchase the equipment Texas Game Wardens need. 

Becoming a Friend of Texas Game Wardens helps TPWF continue their work to enhance the capabilities of the best-trained corps of conservation officers in the nation. And with your $100 donation, you will receive a special decal so you can show your support of Texas Game Wardens.