Texas Deer, Turkey and Quail Seasons Open Soon With Strong Forecasts
Quail season opens Nov. 1 and the general white-tailed deer and fall turkey seasons open Nov. 7, with Texas Parks and Wildlife forecasting a good year for hunters.
Texas hunters are just days away from the start of the state’s biggest seasons, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says the outlook is good to excellent for deer, quail and wild turkey.
Quail season opens statewide Sunday, Nov. 1. The general white-tailed deer season and the fall wild turkey season both open Saturday, Nov. 7, in the North and South zones.
Mule deer season opens Nov. 21 in the Panhandle and Nov. 27 in the Trans-Pecos, including Brewster, Pecos and Terrell counties.
Near-record deer herd
Texas has a near-record population of about 5.64 million white-tailed deer, according to TPWD, and the department expects plenty of chances to harvest a quality buck this season.
Rain in late spring and early summer improved habitat. The Cross Timbers, Edwards Plateau, Eastern Rolling Plains and parts of the Post Oak Savannah and Blackland Prairie fared best, and TPWD expects a slightly above-average season in those regions.
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Quail and turkey outlook
Hunters can take three species of quail in Texas: bobwhite, Gambel’s and scaled, or blue, quail. The daily bag limit is 15 birds and the possession limit is 45 for all three species combined.
TPWD expects good to excellent bobwhite hunting in South Texas, while quail numbers in the Rolling Plains are expected to be lower than the past two years. Scaled quail hunting should be good, especially in the Trans-Pecos and western Edwards Plateau.
Turkey hunters should see plenty of mature gobblers this fall after excellent hatches in 2023, 2024 and 2025, according to the department.
What’s new this season
- Hunters may no longer harvest unbearded wild turkey hens.
- Matagorda and Wharton counties are closed to turkey hunting.
- New identity verification rules are in effect when buying a hunting license, aimed at preventing residency fraud.
- A new online Turkey Harvest Map tracks harvest trends and updates every 24 hours from mandatory harvest reports.
What hunters need
All hunters must carry their hunter education certification, hunting license and any required endorsements. Licenses are available online at tpwd.texas.gov or from retailers.
All harvested wild turkeys must be reported within 24 hours using the free Texas Hunt & Fish app or online. In certain counties, harvested white-tailed deer must also be reported within 24 hours.
Deer hunters should also review proper tagging, chronic wasting disease information and statewide carcass disposal rules.
In some counties, a white-tailed buck is legal only if its antlers have an inside spread of 13 inches or more, or if it has an unbranched antler. TPWD says a quick field check is to look at the ears: if an alert buck’s antlers do not extend past its ear tips, it is probably not legal.
Hunters can check the rules for their county in the Outdoor Annual at tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual or in the free Outdoor Annual app.
Check your dogs for screwworm
TPWD is also asking hunters to check dogs that spend time outdoors for New World screwworm. The flies lay eggs in open wounds, and the larvae feed on living tissue, which can kill an animal if left untreated. The first Texas case was found in a calf on June 3, according to the department.
Anyone who sees live maggots on a live animal should report it to TPWD right away and should not move the animal.
