Getting Outside in Texas

Whether you didn’t grow up hunting or fishing and are now figuring it out and finding people to get out there and do it with, or you did but you still want to grow your community, we are here to help.

Join this community of Texas hunters and anglers so you can identify people with similar interests who you can team up with, learn from, and support.

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Two hunters in camouflage gear seated inside a hunting blind at sunset, one holding a rifle and the other using binoculars

Your Outdoor Community

Use the Member Hub to enter the community and meet your new hunting or fishing buddies. 

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Learn the basics

Resources & Information

It can feel like you have to learn a mountain of information before going hunting or fishing. Complicated license requirements, hazy access instructions, and a ton of gear to make sense of so you don’t end up in a bind out in the field. Here is some of what we think you need to know, in one place, to get started. 

To start hunting in Texas, the first thing you need is a hunting license, which you can buy online or in-person.

In addition to the hunting license, you also need to complete Hunter Education if you are getting in to hunting.

Note: If this will be your first time hunting, and you are going to be with an experienced hunter, you may be eligible to do a “Hunter Education Deferral,” in order to determine if hunting is of interest before you invest your time for the full course.

Hunter Education can be completed through in-person courses or online.

Texas does not have many public land options for open hunting. This will describe your options if you would like to explore public land hunting further.

Option 1: Drawn Hunts

Every year, Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) opens up an application for public land hunting opportunities (drawn hunts). These are all highly competitive, so you would likely have to try applying for multiple years before having an opportunity on one of the drawn hunts. More information is here.

Tips: Hunts that are farther away from large cities are less competitive. Apply to multiple categories each year so you can accumulate loyalty points (odds multipliers) in each category for future applications.

Option 2: Walk-in Hunts

There are areas across the state where you are able to walk in and hunt. These are primarily for either small game (rabbits and squirrels), doves and waterfowl, and archery whitetail and hogs.

This map shows the public hunting lands across the state.

Before showing up at one of the public hunting lands ready to hunt, be prepared with the following:

  1. Know the specific boundaries of where you can hunt, what you can hunt, and how/when you can hunt it by looking at the linked “area map” (eg this one for Somerville PHL).
  2. Public hunting lands require an additional permit that you need to purchase before arriving (Annual Public Hunting Permit).
  3. When hunting on public land, you are required to wear hunter/blaze orange. Typically a hat and a vest satisfy the requirement, but reference this resource to confirm.
  4. Know what you need to do to sign in and sign out of the public hunting land (eOSR/OSR).

There are at least 3 great programs in Texas aimed at helping new hunters learn the fundamental motions of hunting. All are competitive, so you should expect to apply for a year or two before getting accepted.

  • Texas Wildlife Association’s Adult Learn to Hunt Program (ALHP)

The Texas Wildlife Association’s focus is on serving “Texas wildlife and its habitat, while protecting property rights, hunting heritage, and the conservation efforts of those who value and steward wildlife resources.”

Their Adult Learn to Hunt Program (ALHP) operates weekend workshops wherein participants are paired with a mentor to learn and run through the basics of shooting, understanding animal movement and behavior, and harvesting and processing.

Tips: Even if you aren’t accepted for a hunt, follow TWA and ALHP on social media, as they occasionally have last minute openings.

  • Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Mentored Hunting Workshops

Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) operates their own hunting workshops for teaching new hunters the basics of hunting. You can see the list of them here.

Tips:

  1. You can efficiently complete your Hunter Education requirement through one of these workshops if you are accepted.
  2. Selection is competitive! But you will have better odds if you apply for hunts that aren’t as desirable (small game, farther away from large cities).
  3. In addition to the hunting workshops, TPWD runs a variety of hunting 101 courses where you can learn more about specific facets of hunting (rifle shooting, animal processing, etc.)
  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation’s Stewards of the Wild

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) is a 501 (c)3 organization that operates programs that are complementary to the work of TPWD. One of them is Stewards of the Wild (SOTW), which aims to enable emerging leaders (aged 21 to 45) to “actively participate in the stewardship of Texas’s wild things and wild places.” As part of this, they operate weekend workshops aimed at teaching the fundamentals of hunting (and fishing, among other outdoor activities).

More than 93% of land in Texas is privately owned, and with the culture and environment (landscape, animals, etc.), there are ample opportunities to [pay someone to] hunt on private land. There are a couple ways that you can approach pursuing this, and the one that you choose will be based on your intended mode of hunting and budget.

  • Large outfitters include Triple Play Outfitters and Spoke Hollow Outfitters. Tip: Ask these outfitters if the hunts are guided or not so you know what to expect if you are hoping for some instruction in addition to the hunting opportunity.
  • The hunting community has a tendency to repeat the suggestion of using a tool like OnX to locate land, get the owner’s name, and then knock on their door to ask for permission to hunt there. Texas has such a relationship-based culture, this doesn’t tend to work here, but you’re welcome to try! Tip: If you take a shot with this, offer to shoot hogs if you see them, help with maintenance tasks, and/or offer some of the meat from what you harvest (handing someone a fresh backstrap is always a nice gesture).
  • BirdDog is a relatively new platform that aims to support landowners through financial empowerment and new revenue opportunities. Why that matters to you is that one of these programs is connecting hunters to private land hunting opportunities that range from self-guided to fully guided, and cover every type of animal and geography you could want.

Most types of hunting in Texas are far less “gear-critical” than hunting in other states. There will be some variation depending on your hunting pursuit and where you are doing it, but this will cover the bulk of what your are likely to need. Note that I may earn from qualifying purchases made through these links, but I would not promote something that I use, or that I have found through my research to be widely-recommended.

  • Day pack backpack like this Magellan one, or more expensive Kuiu or Sitka options.
    • With most Texas hunting you will be close to your vehicle, so you really only need some extra ammo, snacks, water, and basic first aid items.
  • Anything you need for tagging harvested animals, if applicable.
    • A fine Sharpie.
    • A piece of paper (if using digital tags, because you still need to attach something with the number on it to the animal) or your paper tags.
    • Random assortment of rubber bands, zip ties, and painters tape for attaching tag to the animal. I still haven’t figured out the best thing to use, so it’s helpful to have a couple options.
  • Binoculars for spotting and accurately identifying the game you are looking for.
  • The right knife for your pursuit.
  • Bags for any harvested meat
    • Unscented kitchen trash bags work great if you are planning to quarter your large game.
    • Gallon Ziploc bags are perfect for separating backstraps, tenderloins, organs, and other trimmed meat from big game, or just for birds and small game like doves and squirrels.
  • Water! I’ve never regretted a jug or two of water in my vehicle when hunting. It helps to do a quick wash of knives and other gear, your hands, etc.
  • A basic cooler that is large enough for ice and any game you plan to harvest.

The “learn to hunt” programs (SOTW, ALHP, TPWD Mentored Hunts) are a good place to start if you want to meet people who you can hunt with. It’s still a real challenge though, and that’s my ambition with this project. You can create a profile and find others here. This is the first version of this system, so bear with me!