Digital Licenses and Tagging

Digital License and Tagging Information

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers several digital licenses that authorize digital tagging of harvested deer, turkey, and oversized red drum. Digital licenses are available through online purchase only. A digital license holder will not receive a printed license or tags and must understand and abide by the requirements listed below.

Not all items purchased online are fully digital licenses. If a license has a digital option, you will be asked to choose whether you want a Printed (Paper) or Digital license. If you choose a Printed (Paper) license that includes tags, or if the license you purchase is only available in Printed (Paper) format, you must use the paper license tags that will be sent in the mail on harvested animals that require tagging.

View & Connect Your Digital License

Your digital license must be available while hunting or fishing. The license can be viewed through TPWD’s Outdoor Annual and Texas Hunt & Fish mobile apps. Connect your license before heading to the field:

  1. Download the Texas Hunt & Fish mobile app
  2. Tap “View My Licenses” on the home screen
  3. Tap “Add Account” and follow instructions to connect your digital license
  4. Confirm your license information is accurate
  5. Ensure your device is charged while in the field

General Digital Tagging Requirements

  • Digital tagging for harvested deer, turkey, and oversized red drum must be completed through the Texas Hunt & Fish mobile app. An updated version of the app that supports digital tagging will be available by August 15, 2024.
  • Digital license holders who purchase a Federal Duck Stamp will be able to present digital proof of your stamp via the Texas Hunt & Fish app for the entire hunting season.
  • Other license purchases made for this season (e.g., Annual Public Hunt, Federal Sandhill Crane Permit, Bonus Red Drum Tag, etc.) will be provided in digital format only and will show up as separate items on your digital license.
  • Tags issued with your digital license are displayed in the Texas Hunt & Fish mobile app. All county bag limits, special provisions and restrictions apply; refer to the Outdoor Annual. Execution of a digital tag serves as completion of mandatory harvest reporting for deer and turkey in applicable counties.
  • It is your responsibility to track tag usage. Use the Harvest History section in Texas Hunt & Fish and ensure that your app is synced. Do not harvest an animal if you are not certain that you have a tag available to use.

Handwritten tag on white-tailed deer

Harvest Reporting and Physical Documentation for Deer and Turkey

  • Immediately upon take of a deer, turkey, or oversized red drum you must create a harvest report using the Texas Hunt & Fish mobile or web app.
  • Download the Texas Hunt & Fish mobile app prior to heading to the field to ensure the harvest report can be created, regardless of availability of data service.
  • For deer and turkey, a physical, handwritten document must be attached to the carcass.

If data service is available:

  1. The Texas Hunt & Fish app will provide a confirmation number upon submission of the harvest report.
  2. This confirmation number must be written on a durable material, attached to the harvest, and maintained in legible condition until tagging requirements cease.

If data service is not available:

  1. The harvest report will be saved by your device in an ‘Unsubmitted’ status.
  2. You must then write the following information on a durable material, attach it to the harvest, and ensure it is maintained in legible condition:
    • First and last name of the person who harvested the deer or turkey
    • Hunting license customer number (found in your app)
    • Date and time of harvest

As soon as data service becomes available:

  1. When service is available, you must complete and submit the harvest report in Texas Hunt & Fish.
  2. A confirmation number will be provided, which must be written on a durable material, attached to the harvest, and maintained in legible condition until tagging requirements cease. This confirmation number can simply be added to the existing documentation previously attached to the animal and must be maintained in legible condition until tagging requirements cease.

Harvest Reporting for Oversized Red Drum and Spotted Seatrout

  • No physical document is required to be attached to an oversized red drum or spotted seatrout; the completed harvest report submitted in Texas Hunt & Fish is all that is required.
  • Digital license holders who purchase a license that provides an oversized red drum and/or spotted seatrout tag are limited to the take of one fish per tag, with the option to purchase a bonus tag for one additional harvest of each species in a given license year.