You must carry:

• Hunting license
• Proof of Hunter Ed.
• For wild turkey hunters: Upland Game Bird Endorsement
• For bowhunters: Archery Endorsement

You should also:

• Correctly log and tag your harvest.
• Refer to the Outdoor Annual for county-specific regulations.
• Bring any deer harvested in a CWD Zone to a CWD check station within 48 hours for testing. Additional CWD Zones may be established at any time.
• Outside a CWD Zone, contact your local biologist if you would like to volunteer your deer for testing,

NEW this season: 

• MULE DEER: General season extended from 9 to 16 days in 15 counties.
• BOWHUNTERS: you're required to report all deer harvested in Dallas, Grayson, Rockwall and Collin counties within 24 hours through the My Texas Harvest Hunt App. Your reporting allows biologists to study hunting impact and improve wildlife management.
• TEXAS RESIDENTS can purchase a digital Super Combo license that allows digital tagging of deer and turkey – only available online.

Check the Outdoor Annual for more of what's new this season. 

Currently, CWD (Chronic Wasting Disease) does not have a foothold in the vast majority of our state, and it's important that we all do our part to help keep it that way.

To detect and manage this disease, CWD Zones have been designated in Kimble County, the Trans-Pecos, South Central Texas, the Panhandle, Val Verde County, Hunt County, Lubbock County, Gillespie County, Limestone County and Duval County. If you harvest deer in any of these CWD Zones, the law requires you have the deer tested for CWD within 48 hours. 

5 steps you need to take to protect Texas deer:

1. Get your harvest tested with the help of your local biologist or at a check station;  testing is free.  

2. Check the test results online.

3. Know deer carcass movement restrictions.

4. Know how to properly dispose of a deer carcass. For tips, watch the video How to Debone a Deer in a Chronic Wasting Disease Area. It is not legal in Texas to debone before reaching your final destination. 

5. Report any sick deer you see to your local biologist. 

Help protect Texas deer by testing every deer harvest, regardless of where you bag it. For more information, see our new Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine blog post Hunters Can Protect Texas Deer from Chronic Wasting Disease. 

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, why not celebrate by including your wild turkey harvest in the festivities? 

We've got 3 wild turkey recipes you can try – Slow-Cooker Turkey Breast Rolls, Smoked Hawaiian Wild Turkey (only 6 ingredients!) and Grilled Wild Turkey Breast Steaks.  

If you don't harvest a turkey in time for Thanksgiving, keep trying! Wild turkey is always an impressive addition to any table. 

In some counties, you can only take a buck if its antlers have an inside spread of 13” or more, or if it has an unbranched antler. This allows bucks to grow older and create a natural age structure in the herd, with mature bucks doing most of the breeding.

To help you estimate if a buck has 13” between the main beams, look at his ears. If an alert buck’s antler beams don’t extend beyond its ear tips, it’s probably NOT legal. This video will show you the best way to judge a buck by its antlers when you're in the field.