Texas Hunting License Cost 2026: Residents, Non-Residents and Dove
A Texas hunting license for 2026-27 is $25 for residents and $315 for non-residents on the general license. Most residents buy the $68 Super Combo instead, which folds in fishing and the migratory game bird endorsement. Dove hunters also need that $7 migratory endorsement and free HIP certification. Non-residents hunting dove for a long weekend usually skip the $315 annual and buy the $48 5-day Special Small Game/Exotic license plus the $7 endorsement.
- Non-resident 5-day Special Small Game/Exotic (not valid for deer or turkey) $48
- Super Combo (hunt + freshwater/saltwater fishing + migratory bird endorsement), resident $68
Base license alone doesn't cover most hunts: residents usually buy the Super Combo ($68) that bundles hunting, freshwater/saltwater fishing and the migratory game bird endorsement. Non-residents use the $315 general license for deer, or the $48 5-day Special Small Game/Exotic for dove and other small game (not deer or turkey). A $5 admin fee applies to online/phone purchases.
Fee last verified 2026-09-14.
Heading out for Texas hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
See also the Texas dove hunting license, zones and migratory endorsement .
| Add-on | Resident | Non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Migratory Game Bird Endorsement (dove, waterfowl, etc.) | $7 | $7 |
| Upland Game Bird Endorsement (turkey, quail, pheasant) | $7 | $7 |
What a Texas hunting license costs
The standalone resident hunting license is $25. Senior residents 65 and older pay $7. Youth under 17, resident or not, pay $7 and are exempt from most state endorsements. The resident Super Combo is $68 and is what most Texas hunters buy: hunting, freshwater and saltwater fishing, and the migratory game bird endorsement in one package. A $5 administrative fee applies to every online or phone purchase.
The $25 base license alone does not include the migratory endorsement needed for dove, or the upland endorsement needed for turkey and quail. Those are $7 each when bought separately. Super Combo already includes the migratory endorsement.
Texas hunting license cost for non-residents
Non-residents pay $315 for the general hunting license. That is the only non-resident product valid for white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn or bighorn sheep. There is no Super Combo equivalent at the resident bundle price.
For dove, quail, exotic and other small game, the 5-day Special Small Game/Exotic license is $48. It covers five consecutive days printed on the license. It is not valid for deer or turkey. Add the $7 migratory endorsement for dove, and answer the HIP questions at checkout. Youth under 17 hunt on the $7 youth license and are treated as residents for license purposes.
Dove, migratory and upland endorsements
Anyone 17 or older hunting mourning dove, white-winged dove, waterfowl or other migratory birds needs the Migratory Game Bird Endorsement ($7) and HIP certification (free, answered at purchase). A federal duck stamp is for waterfowl only, not dove. Turkey, quail, pheasant and chachalaca need the separate $7 Upland Game Bird Endorsement.
Season zones and bag limits for dove change by North, Central and South zones. The fee stack and a zone summary live on the Texas dove hunting license page.
Hunter education requirements
Texas requires hunter education certification for anyone born on or after September 2, 1971. Hunters who haven't completed the course can still hunt under a "hunter education deferral" if accompanied by a properly licensed adult, but the deferral has limits on how long it can be used, so most hunters just complete the course, which is offered both in a traditional classroom format and as an online course with a required field day.
License year and deadlines
The Texas license year runs from September 1 through August 31. Licenses go on sale August 15. A hunting license bought any time in that window expires the following August 31, regardless of purchase date. That means a license bought in July only covers a few weeks before needing renewal, something out-of-state hunters planning a fall trip should double-check before buying early.
How to buy your Texas hunting license
TPWD sells licenses online, by phone, and through more than 1,700 license retailers across the state (sporting goods stores, feed stores and many county courthouses among them). The online system at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website is the fastest option and lets you add endorsements in the same transaction. Tell the clerk or the online form that you need HIP certification if you will hunt dove.
Hunting in Texas: what to expect
Texas is overwhelmingly private-land hunting: well over 95% of the state is privately owned, so most hunters either own or lease land, or book a hunt through an outfitter, rather than relying on public wildlife management areas the way hunters in the Midwest or Northeast typically do. The state's whitetail deer population is the largest in the country, and the exotic game ranch industry (axis deer, blackbuck antelope and more) is a distinctly Texan option not available almost anywhere else. The Panhandle and South Texas brush country both have strong reputations for trophy deer, while dove hunting each September draws more participants statewide than any other single season.
Public hunting access in Texas
TPWD's public hunting lands program leases private ranchland and manages wildlife management areas specifically to give license holders without their own land or lease a way in. Access requires a separate Annual Public Hunting Permit on top of the Super Combo, and competition for the better draw hunts (especially for deer on quality WMAs) is real, so applying early in the season matters.
For hunters new to Texas, the sheer scale of the private-land system is worth planning around: many first-time non-resident hunters book through an outfitter or day-lease service rather than trying to find land access cold, since walk-up public options are comparatively limited relative to the state's size.
The Super Combo versus the $25 hunting license
The $25 resident hunting license is real, and it is not what most Texas hunters put in their wallet. TPWD's Super Combo at $68 bundles hunting, freshwater and saltwater fishing, and the migratory bird endorsement, which is the stack you would buy anyway if you deer hunt, dove hunt and wet a line in the same year. Non-residents pay $315 for the general hunting license and do not get a Super Combo equivalent at that resident bundle price. A $5 administrative fee applies to online and phone purchases on top of either option.
Public hunting in Texas is the exception. More than 95 percent of the land is private, so a license without a place to hunt is a receipt. TPWD's public hunting lands program and annual public hunting permit open specific tracts; they are mapped, they have their own rules, and they are not a substitute for a lease in South Texas. If you are coming from out of state for deer, line up access before you pay $315. If you are coming for dove, run the $48 five-day math first.
How to renew a Texas hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in Texas. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. License year runs Sep 1 through Aug 31; 2026-2027 fees shown. Licenses go on sale August 15.
The fastest route is the official Texas online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Texas fishing license and the Texas boating license pages too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.