Hunting - General

2025 -2026 Texas Hunting Season Dates

bart@leasehunter.com — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 01:50:10 +0000

2025 -2026 Texas Hunting Season Dates bart@leasehunter.com Mon, 07/14/2025 - 20:50

Category

Javelina

Javelina season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
General	North	Oct. 1, 2025 – Feb. 22, 2026
General	South	Sep. 1, 2025 – Aug. 31, 2026

Mule Deer

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Mule deer season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
General	Panhandle	Nov. 22, 2025 – Dec. 7, 2025
General	Trans-Pecos	Nov. 28, 2025 – Dec. 14, 2025

Javelina

Javelina season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
General	North	Oct. 1, 2025 – Feb. 22, 2026
General	South	Sep. 1, 2025 – Aug. 31, 2026

Mule Deer

Mule deer season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
General	Panhandle	Nov. 22, 2025 – Dec. 7, 2025
General	Trans-Pecos	Nov. 28, 2025 – Dec. 14, 2025
Archery	Panhandle	Sep. 27, 2025 – Nov. 21, 2025
Archery	Trans-Pecos	Sep. 27, 2025 – Nov. 27, 2025

Pronghorn

Pronghorn season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
General	41 of 254 counties	Oct. 4-19, 2025

Squirrel

Squirrel season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
General	East Texas	Oct. 1, 2025 – Feb. 22, 2026 & May 1-31, 2026
General	Other open counties	Sep. 1, 2025 – Aug. 31, 2026
Youth-only	East Texas	Sep. 26-28, 2025

White-tailed Deer

White-tailed deer season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
General	North	Nov. 1, 2025 – Jan. 4, 2026
General	South	Nov. 1, 2025 – Jan. 18, 2026
Special Late	North	Jan. 5-18, 2026
Special Late	South	Jan. 19, 2026 – Feb. 1, 2026
Youth-Only Early Season		Oct. 24-26, 2025
Youth-Only Late Season		Jan. 5-18, 2026
Archery	252 of 254 counties	Sep. 27, 2025 – Oct. 31, 2025
Muzzleloader-Only	90 of 254 counties	Jan. 5-18, 2026

Upland Game Birds

Chachalaca

Chachalaca season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Regular	Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr & Willacy Counties	Oct. 25, 2025 – Feb. 22, 2026

Pheasant

Pheasant season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Regular	Panhandle/South Plains	Dec. 6, 2025 – Jan. 4, 2026

Quail

Quail season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Regular	Statewide	Nov. 1, 2025 – Feb. 28, 2026

Turkey

Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Fall	North	Nov. 1, 2025 – Jan. 4, 2026
	South	Nov. 1, 2025 – Jan. 18, 2026
	Brooks, Kenedy, Kleberg & Willacy counties	Nov. 1, 2025 – Feb. 22, 2026
	Archery-only	Sep. 27, 2025 – Oct. 31, 2025
Fall Youth-only	North	Oct. 24-26, 2025 & Jan. 5-18, 2026
Fall Youth-only	South	Oct. 24-26, 2025 & Jan. 19, 2026 – Feb. 1, 2026
Spring	North	Mar. 28, 2026 – May 10, 2026
	South	Mar. 14, 2026 – Apr. 26, 2026
	One-turkey counties	Apr. 1-30, 2026
	East	Apr. 22, 2026 – May 14, 2026
Spring Youth-Only	North	Mar. 21-22, 2026 & May 16-17, 2026
Spring Youth-Only	South	Mar. 7-8, 2026 & May 2-3, 2026

Migratory Game Bird

Dove

Dove season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Regular	North	Sep. 1, 2025 – Nov. 9, 2025 & Dec. 19, 2025 – Jan. 7, 2026
	Central	Sep. 1, 2025 – Oct. 26, 2025 & Dec. 12, 2025 – Jan. 14, 2026
	South	Sep. 14, 2025 – Oct. 26, 2025 & Dec. 12, 2025 – Jan. 22, 2026
Special White-winged Dove Days	South	Sep. 5-7, 2025 & Sep. 12-13, 2025

Duck

Duck season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Regular	High Plains Mallard Management Unit	Oct. 18-19, 2025 & Oct. 24, 2025 – Jan. 25, 2026
	North	Nov. 8-30, 2025 & Dec. 6, 2025 – Jan. 25, 2026
	South	Nov. 1-30, 2025 & Dec. 13, 2025 – Jan. 25, 2026
Youth/Veterans	High Plains Mallard Management Unit	Oct. 11-12, 2025
	North	Nov. 1-2, 2025
	South	Oct. 25-26, 2025

Goose

Goose season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Early Canada Goose	East	Sep. 13-28, 2025
Dark Geese	West	Nov. 1, 2025 – Feb. 1, 2026
Dark Geese	East	Nov. 1st, 2025 – Jan. 25, 2026
Light Geese	West	Nov. 1, 2025 – Feb. 1, 2026
Light Geese	East	Nov. 1st, 2025 – Feb. 15, 2026

Rails, Gallinules & Moorhens

Rails, Gallinules & Moorhens hunting seasons and dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Regular	Statewide	Sep. 20-28, 2025 & Nov. 1, 2025 – Dec. 31, 2025

Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill Cranes hunting seasons and dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Regular	A	Oct. 25, 2025 – Jan. 25, 2026
	B	Nov. 21, 2025 – Jan. 25, 2026
	C	Dec. 13, 2025 – Jan. 18, 2026

Snipe

Common season dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Regular	Statewide	Nov. 1, 2025 – Feb. 15, 2026

Teal

Teal hunting seasons and dates
Season	Zone	Dates
September Teal Only	Statewide	Sep. 20-28, 2025

Woodcock

Woodcock hunting seasons and dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Regular	Statewide	Dec. 18, 2025 – Jan. 31, 2026

Other Animals

Alligator

Alligator hunting seasons and dates
Season	Zone	Dates
General	22 Counties & Special Properties	Sep. 10-30, 2025
General	All Other Counties	Apr. 1, 2026 -June 30, 2026

Rabbits and Hares

Rabbits and Hares hunting seasons and dates
Season	Zone	Dates
Regular	Statewide	No closed season

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Mitigating Liability On A Hunting Lease

bart@leasehunter.com — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 01:28:35 +0000

Mitigating Liability On A Hunting Lease bart@leasehunter.com Fri, 08/11/2023 - 20:28

Category

Hunting - General

Leasing private land to individuals for the purpose of hunting dates back nearly a century ago in Texas. Since then, millions of hunters have enjoyed the pursuit of wild game without any incident. However, recreational hunting on private lands involves many risks that go beyond those of using firearms on the property. Landowners and hunters alike, should consider some type of risk mitigation by using a comprehensive insurance policy to protect them from liability.

Hunting lease insurance is an affordable way transfer monetary risk way from both landowner and the hunter invitee. Other than weapons, many other risks remain such as the operation of motorized vehicles, treacherous terrain, falling from elevated hunting stands and property damage. According to the Real Estate Center Journal, The Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code (TCPRC Ch. 75) provides protection to landowners for anyone entering the property for recreational purposes in the form of liability caps only if the owner, lessee or occupant has liability coverage in effect equal to or greater than the specified amounts. Most Hunting lease insurance policies are written with these limits in mind.

Having comprehensive lease agreement with clearly written rules and the acknowledgement of know risks on a property can help reduce the chances for something going wrong. However, when things do, a comprehensive insurance policy is indespensible tool in mitigating financial risk to all parties involved.

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NRA Launches Experienced Hunter Education

Anonymous — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 01:45:25 +0000

NRA Launches Experienced Hunter Education Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 03/19/2020 - 20:45

Category

Hunting - General

8 of the Best States for Hunting in the US: Find Your New Lease (2020)

admin — Mon, 04 Nov 2019 21:28:26 +0000

8 of the Best States for Hunting in the US: Find Your New Lease (2020)

Blog Image

admin Mon, 11/04/2019 - 15:28

Category

Hunting - General

Hunting, fishing, and interacting with wildlife is a national past time. Did you know that over 101 million Americans each year hunt, fish, or otherwise engage with wildlife, in activities such as bird or animal watching?

If you're a hunter and are looking for new hunting grounds to enjoy, you're in the right place. Here are seven of the best states for hunting in 2020.

1. New Mexico

The terrain of New Mexico is diverse, offering hunters options ranging from mountains to forests, like the Gila National Forest. Not only does the terrain offer something for everyone, but the wildlife you can hunt is also diverse.

From coyote to feral hogs...+ More Details

If you're a hunter and are looking for new hunting grounds to enjoy, you're in the right place. Here are seven of the best states for hunting in 2020.

1. New Mexico

From coyote to feral hogs to bison to quail and grouse, there are hunting opportunities big and small. New Mexico also offers the ability to hunt for some animals year-round and also offers hunting of animals you can't find anywhere else in the US.

You can hunt feral hogs, cougars, bison, oryx, and coyotes year-round. Some require a license, but some do not, so be sure to check current regulations. If you want to hunt unique animals, New Mexico also allows hunters to hunt for Persian ibex, oryx, and Barbary sheep.

2. Arkansas

Arkansas offers a variety of hunting. Alligators or frogs anyone? From small game to big game, Arkansas has it. If you want year-round hunting like New Mexico, you can hunt feral hogs anytime during the year. It has to occur on privately-owned land (that you own or that you have permission to be on).

If you want to hunt feral hogs on public land, you'll have to wait until deer, bear, and elk season. Those seasons vary. If you want to hunt or trap something more unique, Arkansas permits alligator hunting in certain areas of the state to hunters chosen through a lottery. They also allow you to trap and kill up to 18 bullfrogs a day during frog season.

3. Texas

Did you know that hunters in Texas kill more deer than any other state? They're number two in the number of does killed as well. Everything is bigger in Texas, after all.

Texas offers over 1 million acres of public land for hunting animals like whitetail deer, alligators, ducks, goose, squirrel, and snipe. You do need to have a license to hunt anything in Texas, and part of the requirements include passing a hunter safety course.

4. Missouri

Missouri has a ton of public land available for hunting. Since there's not a ton of hunters, you get more square miles per hunter there. Aside from the traditional deer, you can also hunt bobcat, badgers, and foxes in Missouri.

If you're a resident who owns 5+ acres of land, you and anyone in your immediate household can hunt, fish, and trap on your land (except turkey and deer). If you're over the age of 65, you can fish and hunt (except for deer and turkey) without a permit.

If you're under the age of 15, you can also fish and hunt without a permit. If you're under 15 and you aren't hunter certified, you have to hunt in the presence of a licensed adult hunter who has a valid hunter-education card.

5. Indiana

Like Missouri, Indiana is a state that hasn't always been a hunter's paradise, but it's on the uptick! Indiana offers the highest chance in the country that you'll take home a record-breaking whitetail deer.

Hunters in Indiana have a decent success rate, there's a lot of public land available, and there aren't a ton of hunters, making this a great hidden gem for hunters in the Midwest.

6. Kentucky

Kentucky is another hidden gem for hunting! They have long seasons, hunter-friendly regulations, a large herd, and plenty of public lands available for hunters. Your likelihood of bagging a Booner buck in Kentucky is second only to your chances in Indiana (for the novice hunters, a Booner is a buck that exceeds the minimum Boone and Crockett score).

You can even bag multiple deer in many areas of the state. In some zones, there's no limit on antlerless deer, but most places only allow you to kill one antlered deer. You'll need to make sure you complete a harvest log and keep that on your person whenever you are hunting.

7. Oklahoma

Oklahoma offers a wide variety of hunting, including deer, turkey, bear, elk, waterfowl, doves and other migratory birds, feral hogs, quail, antelope, and pheasant. Whatever it is that you want to hunt, chances are Oklahoma has it!

Oklahoma tends to have fewer deer die-offs and is less drought-prone than neighboring Texas, making the turkey and deer hunting much more reliable.

8. Pennsylvania

You can't deny how hunter-friendly Pennsylvania is. For decades, the Monday after Thanksgiving was an informal holiday, with most schools across the state closed for the first day of buck season. That only changed this year when the legislature voted to move the first day of hunting season to a Saturday, giving hunters one extra day to hunt.

While you won't find any feral hogs to hunt in Pennsylvania, you will find plenty of deer, pheasant, ruffed grouse, rabbits, and there's even a short trapping season for river otters that you can take advantage of.

The Best States for Hunting: Where Will You Hunt Next?

As you start thinking about your late fall and early 2020 hunting destinations, this list of the best states for hunting will give you a good starting point to start planning your next trip. Whether you want to head out west, down south, or explore the middle of the country, excellent hunting is to be had all over the US.

If you're looking for somewhere to stay and hunt, take a look at our hunting leases. Many of our leases offer lodging, stands, feeders, and feed. We've got all of your hunting needs covered!

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