By Bobbie Langston
Lee Miller, Publisher | (936) 674-5912
The teal came and went. Squirrel season opens Wednesday, October 1. Archery deer follows two days later. If you hunt Forest Country, the next six weeks are the busiest stretch on the calendar.
Here is what applies across all twelve of our counties, straight from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s 2026-27 Outdoor Annual.
All twelve counties are Central Zone for dove
Angelina, Nacogdoches, Sabine, Tyler, Newton, San Jacinto, San Augustine, Jasper, Houston, Shelby, Trinity and Polk all sit in the Central Dove Zone. The regular season runs through October 25, then reopens December 11 and runs to January 14. Daily bag is 15 birds, no more than two white-tipped. Possession is three times the daily bag.
One change worth knowing: the South Zone opened September 1 this year for the first time in more than a century, so all three zones now open the same day. Special White-winged Dove Days were eliminated statewide.
Deer: archery October 3, general November 7
All twelve counties are in the North Deer Zone, and the dates are identical across the region.
- Archery only — October 3 to November 6
- Early youth-only — October 30 to November 1
- General season — November 7 to January 3
- Muzzleloader and late youth-only — January 4 to 17
The bag limit is four deer, no more than two bucks and no more than two antlerless, all seasons combined.
Every one of the twelve counties carries the 13-inch antler restriction. You may take two legal bucks, but only one may have an inside spread of 13 inches or greater. A legal buck has either at least one unbranched antler or an inside spread of 13 inches or more.
The doe rule that trips people up
Antlerless deer may be taken by hunting license tag from November 7 to 29. But in nine of our twelve counties — Angelina, Nacogdoches, Sabine, Newton, San Jacinto, Jasper, Houston, Shelby and Trinity — there is no antlerless harvest on National Forest Service property. That matters here, where the Angelina, Davy Crockett, Sabine and Sam Houston national forests cover a good deal of the map.
Tyler and Polk counties carry the November 7 to 29 window without the national forest restriction. San Augustine has its own extended provision; check the county page before you hunt it.
Squirrel
East Texas squirrel season runs October 1 through February 28, then reopens May 1 to 31. Daily bag is 10, possession 20. Youth-only ran September 25 to 27.
The license change that surprised people
As of August 3, anyone 17 or older must be physically present and show valid identification to obtain a hunting or fishing license. An unexpired REAL ID from any U.S. state or territory satisfies it. Temporary or limited-term driver licenses are not accepted without additional documentation, and buying online now requires independent ID validation. Foreign residents cannot purchase online at all.
The 2026-27 licenses went on sale August 15. Last year’s expired at the end of August, so if you have not renewed, you are hunting on an expired license.
One more thing that applies everywhere, not just in disease zones: unused parts of any white-tailed deer moved off the property where it was taken must go into commercial trash service, return to that property, or be buried at least three feet deep under three feet of earth.
Season dates and bag limits from the TPWD 2026-27 Outdoor Annual. Always confirm the county page before you hunt — regulations vary by county line in this part of Texas more than most people expect.
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