Public Hunting in Texas

Find a place to hunt on over 1 million acres of publicly accessible land located throughout Texas.
Hunt areas include property owned by TPWD, acreage leased by the department from other state and federal agencies, forest products industries, and other cooperating private landowners. [En Español]


The Annual Public Hunting Permit (also known as walk-in) provides nearly year-round hunting on nearly one million acres of land. Hunt white-tailed deer, feral hogs, dove, quail, turkey, waterfowl, rabbit, squirrel and more on more than 180 hunting areas, including wildlife management areas, state parks and approximately 120 dove and small game areas leased from private landowners.

The Public Hunt Drawing System provides opportunities to apply for a wide variety of supervised, drawn hunts including special drawings for both adults and youth hunters.

Additionally, TPWD offers E-Postcard selection hunts and special hunt package drawings for exotic wildlife and quality native animals on TPWD managed lands as well as specially leased private properties.

A Regular Permit is available for certain small game and waterfowl hunts. Regular permits are issued at the hunt area on a first-come first-served basis.

TPWD and partner organizations offer mentored hunting workshops to help introduce new hunters to the hunting experience and provide training on the skills needed to be successful in the field.

Public Hunting Areas Interactive Map

Browse the interactive map of hunting areas in Texas. View available areas, Public Hunting Regions, Dove Zones, and TPWD Wildlife Districts. View different base maps like satellite, terrain or topo maps.

Family Finds A Place to Hunt

Finding a place to hunt can be difficult for many Texas hunters. A father-daughter dove hunting family from Houston has found the perfect solution, the Annual Public Hunting Permit, which allows them access to over 1 million acres of land across the state.