 A good season for white-tailed deer is expected for most of Texas due to excellent habitat growth brought on by spring rains. Antler quality will very likely surpass expectations from the 2022 season. Get more forecast details, including regional forecasts, from our press release Texas Deer Population Forecasted to Rebound from Drought Conditions.
The general white-tailed deer season opens Nov. 4. Refer to the Outdoor Annual online or app for all deer hunting regulations, including statewide bag limits, specific county regulations 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. Watch our videos below for what to expect at a check station.
Download the My Texas Hunt Harvest app and use the new CWD Zone Info tool on the home page to access a user-friendly map of current zone boundaries.
If you need an affordable place to hunt, purchase an Annual Public Hunting Permit for $48. It will give you access to over 1 million acres of public hunting land.
Quail season opens Oct. 28 statewide, and our field surveys indicate an increased number of bobwhite and scaled quail over last season. This is due to a combination of spring rainfall and cooler temperatures during the start of nesting season.
South Texas bobwhites are up 4% over a 15-year mean, and large broods of scaled quail were observed out west throughout the spring and into the summer. For all quail regulation information, refer to the Outdoor Annual online or app.
For more forecast information, including forecasts by region, see our press release Quail Populations Recovering, Strongest in Years.
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If you harvest a mule deer or a white-tailed deer in a CWD Zone, it must be taken to a CWD Check Station within 48 hours so a sample can be taken and tested for CWD. Testing is free.
Download the My Texas Hunt Harvest app and use the new CWD Zone Info tool on the home page to access a user-friendly map of current zone boundaries.
The CWD Check Station procedure is quick and easy. Watch the process in our new video What to Expect at a CWD Check Station.
If a CWD Check Station is unattended, you can still leave part of your harvest for testing by using the Dropbox. Find out how to do that in our short video How to Use a CWD Test Dropbox.
If you want to keep the head for a mount, bring your harvest to a CWD Check Station while it's attended by TPWD staff. The sample will be taken and the head won't be damaged.
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You are required to wear blaze orange (hunter orange) if you are on public hunting lands during any gun hunting season. Bow hunters, be aware that gun hunts might overlap archery-only hunts on public lands, so check before you head out.
Even if you're hunting on private land, play it safe and wear your blaze orange gear. If you hunt with a dog, get it some blaze orange. Your blaze orange attire must include headgear and cover your chest and back. Blaze pink is not permitted in place of blaze orange.
Correct use of blaze orange is one of many skills taught in Hunter Education. All hunters born after Sept. 1, 1971 must complete the Hunter Ed. course. You can verify your certification online.
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We’re seeking public input on proposed changes to carcass movement and disposal regulations for all Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) susceptible species, ahead of the Nov. 1-2 Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission meeting.
Get the details about these proposed changes and learn how to provide your comment for or against these proposals in our press release TPWD Seeks Public Comment for Proposed Carcass Movement and Disposal Regulations.
Each year Texas Game Wardens patrol over 10 million miles by vehicle and 160,000 hours by boat to keep careful watch over Texas’ wildlife.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s (TPWF) Gear Up for Game Wardens program has raised over $4 million to ensure game wardens have access to specialized equipment beyond their standard issue gear, including critical communications devices, search and rescue equipment, and much more.
Will you help TPWF sustain the Gear Up for Game Wardens program by becoming a "Friend of Texas Game Wardens" today?
When you become a "Friend of Texas Game Wardens", you provide direct support to the Gear Up program, ensuring TPWF can support our game wardens now and in the future. Become a friend.
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