Texas Hunting and Fishing Licenses
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In the state of Texas, hunters will have over one million acres of accessible public land to hunt for wild game. Major game animals in the state include mule deer, white-tailed deer, desert bighorn sheep, and pronghorn antelope. There are also feral pigs, their distant relatives the peccaries or javelinas, wild turkeys, squirrels, and alligators
The hunting areas in the state include properties owned by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), land leased by the TPWD from other state and federal agencies, forest products industries, and cooperating private landowners.
Hunting Requirements
Before you go hunting in Texas you must first procure a hunting license. This license is a requirement for residents and non-residents of the state, of any age.
There are however exceptions to the mandatory hunter’s license, these are:
Coyotes if they are attacking, about to attack, or have recently attacked livestock, fowl, or any domestic animals.
Feral hogs on private property with the landowner’s authorization.
Fur-bearing animals, if the hunter possesses a commercial trapper’s license
A fur-bearing animal that is considered as a nuisance or causes depredation on private property. If a landowner (resident or non-resident) or landowner’s agent is taking fur-bearing animals causing depredation on the landowner’s land. No portion of the nuisance fur-bearer may be possessed, sold or retained for any purpose.
The exceptions to the hunter license rule speak about the problem of nuisance wildlife in Texas, the growing human population means increasing contact and subsequent conflict with wildlife. Some nuisance animals are invasive such as feral pigs and barbary sheep. Their increasing population also threatens endemic animals. One such nuisance animal is the cowbird with its parasitic brooding (laying its eggs in other birds’ nests) that are affecting the other native bird population in the State.
Those considered nuisance animals in Texas include alligators, coyotes, wild pigs, cowbirds, bears, overabundant deer, ticks, and woodpecker damage.
Feral pigs in Texas have become a plague and it has posed a danger to life and property. In 2006 the state recorded $52 million worth of damages brought by these pigs. In 2019, a fatal feral hog attack was reported in southeastern Texas where a 59-year-old woman was attacked and killed by a herd of feral hogs.
In 2011 as a means to address the pig problem, State Representative Sid Miller filed Texas House Bill 716 which eventually passed and became what is known as the “Pork Choppers Law” allowing licensed hunters to shoot feral hogs in Texas using helicopters. However, aerial hunting took out just a small chip (roughly 2%) in the feral pig population, and more ways to control their number are being developed like new methods on trapping and poisoning.
Texas Governor Greg Abott in 2019 signed into law that allows landowners, a landowner’s agent, or lessee to hunt down these destructive feral hogs without the need for a license. Before the law was passed, you had to prove that these ferals were causing depredation to your property before you could take them down sans a hunting license.
Hunter Education Course
Another document required for every hunter (including non-residents) born on or after Sept. 2, 1971 is a certificate proving they had successfully completed a Hunter Education Training Course.
Persons must have their Proof of Certification or deferral while they are hunting. The minimum age of certification is 9 years and it costs $15.
If you were born on or after Sept. 2, 1971, and you are:
under 9 years of age, you must be accompanied
age 9 through 16, you must successfully complete a hunter education course or be accompanied.
age 17 and over, you must successfully complete a hunter education course; or purchase a "Hunter Education Deferral" and be accompanied.
TWPD’s Definition of Accompanied:
By a person (resident or non-resident) who is at least 17, who is licensed to hunt in Texas, who has passed hunter education or is exempt (born before Sept. 2, 1971), and you must be within normal voice control.
The State offers an online-only option for those students who are 17 years and older. You can complete all the required hunter education training online and then print your Texas Temporary Student Card after successful completion and payment for the course. No Field Day is required.
A Hunter Education Deferral costs $10. The Deferral allows a person 17 years of age or older, and who has not completed a hunter education program to defer the completion for up to one year.
A deferral may only be obtained once and is only valid until the end of the current license year. A person who has been convicted or has received deferred adjudication for violation of the mandatory hunter education requirement is prohibited from applying for a deferral.
Take note that proof of certification (Hunter Education Training Course) or a deferral is not required for getting a hunter’s license. It is a separate document that a person must bring while hunting.
Getting a Hunting License
You can procure the license at the TPWD website or a TPWD authorized agent. There are several types of Hunting licenses in Texas:
1. Texas Resident
As defined by TPWD, a resident is an individual who has been living in Texas for at least six months. Also considered residents are those non-residents under 17 years old and active-duty members of the military including their dependents.
This hunting license is required for all residents unless they have:
Senior Resident Hunting License;
Youth Hunting License;
Super Combo or Resident Combination Hunting and Fishing License Package;
Lifetime Resident Hunting License;
Disabled Veteran Super Combo Hunting and Fishing License Package;
Lifetime Resident Combination Hunting and Fishing License; or
Texas Resident Active Duty Military Hunting Package
Texas Resident Active Duty Military Super Combo Hunting and Fishing License Package.
2. Non-Resident Hunting License
Required for all non-residents who will go hunting. Non-Residents under the age of 17 may buy the resident Youth Hunting License but they are not eligible for lifetime hunting licenses.
3. Youth Hunting Licenses
Mandatory for resident, and non-resident hunters below 17 years old. They no longer need state hunting endorsement requirements except for Reptile and Amphibian Endorsement.
4. Senior Hunting License
Texas residents ages 65 years old and above are eligible for a Senior Hunting License and the Senior Super Combo License Package which have reduced fees.
5. Military and Veteran License
Active-Duty members of the military can procure a Resident Hunting License. Also, active-duty military personnel who are Texas residents can avail of the free Texas Resident Active Duty Military “Super Combo” License and the free Texas Resident Active Duty Military Hunting Package while on leave.
Those veterans who have service-afflicted injury are eligible for the free Disabled Veteran “Super Combo License. Disabilities consist of the loss of the use of a limb or a disability with a rating of 50% or more. For more information, you can check the TPWD website.
Super Combo Licenses
These licenses are offered only to Texas residents. The Super Combo package a hunting and fishing License and five state endorsements at a discounted price. For Texas residents who hunt and fish freshwater and/or saltwater, the "Super Combo" package can save purchasers up to $18. The package includes:
Resident hunting license
Resident fishing license
Archery endorsement
Freshwater fishing endorsement
Saltwater fishing endorsement with a red drum tag
Upland game bird endorsement
Migratory game bird endorsement
Hunting License Validity
Hunting Licenses will be effective from August 15 to August 31 of the next year. Texas residents can buy a lifetime hunting license.
Hunting Licenses and Hunting Permits
Hunters need licenses to hunt, while permits are needed (in addition to the license) for those who would hunt in public hunting areas. You would need to apply for an Annual Public Hunting Permit (known as Type II) that allows you nearly year-round hunting in public land. You can buy these permits at the TPWD website.
Hunting Endorsements
Endorsements allow a hunter a specific game or activity. Among these endorsements for hunting in the state include:
Archery Endorsement is required for hunting game animals during archery-only open season and for hunting deer (at any time) in the counties of Collin, Dallas, Grayson, and Rockwall.
You can purchase the Archery endorsement online or at authorized retailers.
Texas Migratory Bird Game Endorsement is required for hunting any migratory game bird (waterfowl, coot, rail, dove, snipe, gallinule, sandhill crane, woodcock) and in combination with the Federal Duck Stamp and the Harvest Information Program (HIP) certification for waterfowl hunters 16 years of age and older.
Upland Game Bird Endorsement is required to hunt upland game birds such as wild turkey, pheasant, quail, and chachalaca. It may not be used to hunt turkey with a Non-resident Special Hunting License or a Non-resident 5-Day Special Hunting License.
Federal Duck Stamp is required for all waterfowl hunters 16 years of age or older. A valid hunting license, HIP Certification, and Texas Migratory Game Bird endorsement are also required.
Reptile and Amphibian Endorsement is required for any person who captures indigenous reptiles or amphibians on road shoulders or any unpaved right-of-way.
However, the following endorsements are included if you purchase a lifetime Resident Combo Package and the Lifetime Resident Hunting License. These endorsements are not required for any hunter (resident or non-resident) under 17 years of age.
Archery Endorsement (Item 135)
Migratory Game Bird Endorsement (Item 168)
Upland Game Bird Endorsement (Item 167)
For more details on endorsements check out this section on the TPWD website.
Getting Fishing Licenses in Texas
For anglers, Texas is a great place to catch some freshwater fish in its many lakes and streams. Among the popular freshwater fishes here in the state include the largemouth bass, sunfish, crappie, carp, and sunfish.
A resident fishing license is required for any Texan who fishes in the public waters of Texas. Exceptions to the fishing license requirement are individuals:
under 17 years of age.
born before January 1, 1931.
with an intellectual disability fishing as part of medically approved therapy, under the immediate supervision of personnel approved or employed by a hospital, residence, or school for persons with an intellectual disability. The person with an intellectual disability must carry authorization identifying the entity supplying the service. This authorization may be in the form of an identification card that contains the name of the sponsoring entity; or
with an intellectual disability fishing under the direct supervision of a licensed angler who is either a family member or has permission from the family to take the person fishing. While fishing, the person with an intellectual disability needs a note from a doctor stating the person has been diagnosed as having an intellectual disability.
A fishing license is also required for non-residents of the state who fish in Texan public waters. Those exempted from non-resident license/ package requirements include:
non-residents under 17 years of age;
Louisiana resident 65 years of age or older who possesses a valid Louisiana Recreational Fishing License (includes Senior Fish/Hunt License); or
Oklahoma residents 65 years of age or older.
Any Texas resident who fishes or takes fish, mussels, clams (how long do clams last?), crayfish, or other aquatic life in the public waters of Texas must have a valid fishing license with a freshwater or saltwater endorsement. However, a hunting license is required for hunting turtles and frogs.
Meanwhile, the TPWD has “free fishing” in State parks. Fishing licenses will not be required to anyone fishing within the boundaries of State Parks. This aims to encourage both the youth and adults to discover the joys of fishing (note that you would still pay for state park’s entrance fees). For details on free fishing inside Texas state parks, you can check this site.
Outdoor Annual App
Texas sprawling hunting lands and its hundreds of lakes and streams makes the state a hunting and fishing paradise. Before hunting and fishing you need licenses and permits. You can check these requirements on the TPWD website.
In this digital age, hunters and anglers can just download the Texas Parks and Wildlife Outdoor Annual Hunting, Fishing, and Boating Regulations. This helpful app provides hunters with comprehensive information on hunting, fishing, and boating in the state. This app is available for free on IOS and android platforms.
