Texas deer season 2026-27 and the rifles that fit it

Texas has more white-tailed deer than any other state, and deer season is a fall tradition from the Piney Woods to the Hill Country. Around Waco and Hewitt most hunting happens on private leases in cedar breaks, post oak woods and river bottoms, where a shot can come at 40 yards in the brush or at 250 across a pasture. This guide covers the 2026-27 season dates published by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, what the rules require of your firearm, and which rifles suit Central Texas. Always read the Outdoor Annual for your county before you hunt.

2026-27 white-tailed deer seasons

Texas splits the state into a North Zone and a South Zone for whitetails. Every Central Texas county in our directory, from McLennan and Bell to Brazos, Williamson and Tom Green, is in the North Zone. Statewide dates for 2026-27:

Archery only: October 3 to November 6, 2026.
Early youth-only season: October 30 to November 1, 2026.
General season, North Zone: November 7, 2026 to January 3, 2027.
General season, South Zone: November 7, 2026 to January 17, 2027.
Late youth-only season, North Zone: January 4 to 17, 2027.
Muzzleloader season: January 4 to 17, 2027, in the counties that have one.
Special late season: January 4 to 17, 2027 in North Zone counties that have one, and January 18 to 31, 2027 in the South Zone.

During the special late season, harvest is limited to antlerless deer and unbranched antlered bucks, meaning a buck with no more than one point on an antler.

How the rules look in Central Texas

Bag limits and extra seasons vary by county, so check yours:

McLennan, Coryell, Hill, Lampasas and Brown: five deer, no more than two bucks, with a special late season in January.
Bell: four deer, no more than two bucks and two antlerless, with both a muzzleloader season and a special late season.
Falls, Limestone, Brazos and Navarro: four deer, no more than two bucks and two antlerless, with a muzzleloader season in January.
Williamson and Travis: rules differ east and west of I-35, and some antlerless deer must be reported within 24 hours through the Texas Hunt and Fish app or online.

Many of these counties also have antler restrictions: a legal buck has at least one unbranched antler or an inside spread of 13 inches or more, and only one buck with a 13-inch or wider spread may be taken in the county. On properties with Managed Lands Deer Program tags, harvest is by those tags only.

Mule deer

Mule deer live in 74 Texas counties in the Panhandle and Trans-Pecos, far west of Waco. For 2026-27, archery runs from October 3 to November 20 in the Panhandle and to November 26 in the Trans-Pecos. The general season runs November 21 to December 6, 2026 in the Panhandle and November 27 to December 13, 2026 in the Trans-Pecos.

Licenses and hunter education

You need a Texas hunting license with deer tags, and an archery endorsement to hunt during archery season. Every hunter born on or after September 2, 1971 must complete hunter education, with a minimum certification age of 9. Hunters 17 and older can buy a one-time deferral for $10 that lasts through the license year. Tag your deer as the Outdoor Annual directs before you move it.

What the rules require of your firearm

Texas keeps its firearm rules for deer short:

No rimfire: rimfire ammunition of any caliber may not be used on white-tailed deer, mule deer, pronghorn or desert bighorn sheep.
Muzzleloader season: only firearms loaded through the muzzle, both powder and projectile, are legal.
Archery season: firearms may not be used to take deer.
Suppressors: legal for hunting any wildlife in Texas, as long as you follow federal, state and local law.
Lights: it is illegal to hunt game animals with artificial light that illuminates the animal.
Roads: you may not shoot on or across a public road or hunt from one.

Baiting deer is legal on private land in Texas, which is why feeders are common. Beyond the rimfire ban, the choice of cartridge is left to the hunter, so choose one that delivers a clean, ethical kill at the distances you expect.

Rifles for Central Texas brush

Most shots around Waco, Gatesville and Marlin come in the brush, along a sendero or at the edge of a field. Texas whitetails are not large, and a controlled-expansion bullet matters more than raw power.

.243 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor: light recoil and flat trajectories, good for young hunters and for pasture shots.
7mm-08 and .308 Winchester: short actions that hit hard in the brush and still reach across a field.
.270 Winchester and .30-06: classic all-round deer cartridges that also handle hogs and exotics.
.300 Blackout: a favorite in short, suppressed AR rifles for blinds at close range.

Rifles for Hill Country and West Texas

West of Lampasas and Brownwood the country opens up. Shots across draws and oat fields can stretch past 300 yards, so hunters around San Angelo and Abilene lean toward the 6.5 Creedmoor, .270 and 7mm magnums with a 3-9x or 4-12x scope and a bipod or shooting sticks.

Setup and practice

A bolt-action rifle with a quality scope is the classic choice, though AR-10 rifles in .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor have become common in Texas blinds. Zero at 100 yards, confirm at 200, and put a box of your hunting load through the rifle before opening day. Texas Parks and Wildlife does not run public ranges and does not allow target practice on its public hunting lands, so plan to sight in at a club or commercial range.

Public hunting near Waco

Most Texas hunting is on private land, but the $48 Annual Public Hunting Permit and drawn hunts open public ground. Richland Creek Wildlife Management Area near Corsicana and Mexia, Paul and Toni Fox Burns Wildlife Management Area near Brownwood and Kerr Wildlife Management Area in the Hill Country all offer hunts. Check each area's rules before you go.

Buy before the season

Texas has no waiting period, so a rifle can go from the dealer's counter to the deer stand the same week. Browse rifles, optics and hunting ammunition; rifles ship to the dealer you choose and ammunition ships to your door. For hogs, which you can hunt year-round, read our hog hunting guide, and see Texas gun laws for transport rules. Local pages in our gun shop directory include Waco, Gatesville and Lampasas.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.