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White-tailed deer season opens Nov. 4 in both the North and South Zones.
Wild turkey season opens Nov. 4 in both the North and South Zones.
Mule deer season starts Nov. 18 in the Panhandle, Nov. 24 in the Trans-Pecos region.
Cooler weather has arrived just ahead of the most promising white-tailed deer season of the past few years. Improved habitat brought on by spring rains is expected to translate into robust deer populations. Above-average antler quality is also expected due to reduced harvest numbers last season and benefits of the spring bounty.
“Overall, the 2023-24 deer hunting season is expected to be good in terms of harvest numbers and opportunities, so don’t let the chance to spend time afield with family, friends and fellow hunters pass you by,” said TPWD White-tailed Deer Program Leader Blaise Korzekwa.
The 3 top areas for white-tails this season are:
Edwards Plateau, which has the highest deer population in Texas.
South Texas Plains, known for mature bucks and above-average antler quality.
Cross Timbers Region, with the second-highest deer population.
Get forecasts for all 6 regions of the state in our press release Texas Deer Population Forecasted to Rebound from Drought Conditions.
Good luck this fall, and enjoy your time hunting with friends and family.
You must carry:
You should also:
- Correctly log and tag your harvest whether deer or wild turkey.
- 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.
- Be aware mandatory harvest reporting for buck and antlerless deer remains in effect in Collin, Dallas, Grayson, and Rockwall counties, and for antlerless deer in 21 counties in South Central Texas.
NEW this year:
Several digital licenses that authorize digital tagging of deer and turkey are now available online. These include Youth Hunting, Lifetime Hunting tags, Super Combo, Senior Super Combo and Lifetime Combo Tags.
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The free My Texas Hunt Harvest (MTTH) app now has a new tool that allows you to view Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Zone boundaries. The interactive map allows you to tap any location in the state to determine if it is in a CWD Zone.
This tool will also be updated with new information to help you stay aware of changes to zone boundaries. If you've turned off automatic updates for apps on your device, you'll have to manually update the MTHH app in order to use all these new features.
For more about this new tool, see our press release New Features Available on My Texas Hunt Harvest App.
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Ground venison and rice go Mediterranean in this dolma recipe. Dolma are similar to egg rolls or mini burritos in that the ingredients are rolled up into a tasty little parcel, then cooked. This dish originated in Greece, so you'll use grape leaves, not tortillas, to hold it all together. Try it!
You'll find the list of ingredients and the written recipe in the description for the Venison Dolma video.
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Proper disposal of deer carcass parts is important to aid in preventing the spread of CWD.
Whether your harvest was taken in a CWD Zone or was not, unused carcass parts should be either:
1. Buried at least 3 feet deep on the property where harvest occurred
2. Disposed of in a permitted landfill (trash service/dumpster)
3. Returned to/left for disposal on the property where the animal was harvested
If you plan to have the head of a deer mounted, follow the proper procedure.
Field dressing should be done soon after harvesting the animal, using common-sense precautions. Find out more in our video How to Field Dress a Deer.
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