EAST TEXAS (KETK) — The general season for white-tailed deer in East Texas will begin on Saturday, here is what local hunters need to know.
Season dates:
- The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has announced that the general hunting season will start Nov. 4 and continue until Jan. 7, 2024, with late youth-only season running from Jan. 8 to Jan. 21.
- According to TPWD breeding activity will happen from Oct. 21 to Jan. 5 with a peak of Nov. 22 in the northern portion of East Texas and Nov. 12 in the southern parts of the piney woods.
Licenses and permits:
- Resident adult hunting license: $25 available here
- 65+ resident hunting license: $7 available here
- Youth hunting license / Digital youth hunting license: $7 available here
Where to hunt:
According to TPWD, information about public hunting opportunities is available, including an interactive map of over 1 million acres of accessible lands.
Deer hunting methods:
TPWD said it is legal to hunt deer in the following ways:
- From a motor vehicle, powerboat, sailboat or from any other floating device within the boundaries of private property or upon private water
- Use of calling devices (including manual and mouth-operated), recordings and electrically amplified calls to hunt game animals
- Use of decoys to hunt game animals (not including live decoys)
- Use of bait for game animals (Baiting may be unlawful on most public property, so check specific regulations for each specific public property)
- Trapping nongame/exotic animals (such as feral hogs, rabbits, etc.) on private property
- Use of dogs to aid in game bird hunting
Bag limits:
Bag limits are established by each county and no person may exceed the annual bag limit of five white-tailed deer with no more than three of which may be bucks, except for on Managed Lands Deer Program properties, according to the TPWD.
Visit the TPWD website for specific limits.
