TexasState Hunting Spots

Home › Texas › Species › Mule Deer

Big game · 2026-27

Mule Deer Hunting in Texas

Mule deer seasons cover 74 counties split into three areas: the Panhandle (55 counties), the Trans-Pecos (16) and Brewster, Pecos and Terrell. Dates, limits, county lists, rules and public ground for mule deer, all from TPWD.

Mule deer datesBagMapped land
Oct 3Opening
Jan 31Latest close
74Counties with dates
14Areas listing it

Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie (CC BY 2.0)

Archery-only mule deer hunting opens Oct. 3 in all three areas, ahead of a short general season of a little over two weeks. 29 counties hold mule deer bucks to a 20 inch outside spread. The 2026-27 Outdoor Annual lists only three mule deer areas: Panhandle, Trans-Pecos, and Brewster/Pecos/Terrell. No separate Southwest Panhandle zone appears.

TractsMule Deer on public land14 areas with mule deerDrawDraw permits for mule deer2 categories

Mule Deer at a glance

  • 74 counties.
  • Panhandle general Nov. 21 – Dec. 6, 2026; Trans-Pecos Nov. 27 – Dec. 13, 2026.
  • 1 buck all seasons combined; 20-inch outside spread rule in 29 counties.

Mule Deer opening and closing days

TPWD sets 7 segments for mule deer this license year; the last column compares each one with today.

ZoneSeason typeBeginsEndsDaysRight now
PanhandleArchery OnlyOct 3, 2026Nov 20, 202649
PanhandleGeneral SeasonNov 21, 2026Dec 6, 202616
Brewster, Pecos, Terrell CountiesArchery OnlyOct 3, 2026Nov 26, 202655
Brewster, Pecos, Terrell CountiesGeneral SeasonNov 27, 2026Dec 13, 202617
Trans-PecosArchery OnlyOct 3, 2026Nov 26, 202655
Trans-PecosGeneral SeasonNov 27, 2026Dec 13, 202617
MLDP-enrolled propertiesMLDP Conservation Option mule deerOct 3, 2026Jan 31, 2027121

Dates from the TPWD Outdoor Annual 2026-27 (species page), checked October 11, 2026.

Mule Deer bag and possession limits

These mule deer numbers are the ones a game warden will check against.

1Mule deer bucks, Panhandle
1Mule deer bucks, Trans-Pecos
2Mule deer, Brewster/Pecos/Terrell
29Spread rule counties

Mule deer limit

TPWD

Panhandle and Trans-Pecos: 1 buck all seasons combined. Brewster, Pecos, Terrell: 2 (no more than 1 buck); antlerless by MLDP tag or antlerless mule deer permit only.

ZoneLimit typeAmount
Brewster, Pecos, Terrell CountiesBag Limit2 (no more than 1 buck, all seasons combined)
PanhandleBag Limit1 buck all seasons combined
Trans-PecosBag Limit1 buck all seasons combined

Mule Deer zones and county lists

Mule deer are open in 74 counties. Where a mule deer zone line splits a county, TPWD’s boundary text sits beside the name.

ZoneFull countiesSplit
Panhandle550
Brewster, Pecos, Terrell Counties30
Trans-Pecos160
20 inch rule counties290
Panhandle: 55 counties
Brewster, Pecos, Terrell Counties: 3 counties
Show the 16 Trans-Pecos counties
20 inch spread rule counties (29)

Mule deer counties side by side

The 74 counties open to mule deer, with region and ecoregion; 14 have a public tract listing mule deer.

CountyZoneHunting regionEcoregionTractsDeer bag
AndrewsPanhandleCentral TexasHigh Plains03 deer
ArmstrongPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains15 deer
BaileyPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
BordenPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
BrewsterBrewster, Pecos, Terrell CountiesTrans-PecosTrans Pecos34 deer
BriscoePanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains15 deer
CarsonPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains05 deer
CastroPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
ChildressPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
CochranPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains13 deer
CokePanhandleCentral TexasEdwards Plateau05 deer
CollingsworthPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
CottlePanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains15 deer
CraneTrans-PecosCentral TexasTrans Pecos03 deer
CrockettTrans-PecosTrans-PecosEdwards Plateau05 deer
CrosbyPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains05 deer
CulbersonTrans-PecosTrans-PecosTrans Pecos14 deer
DallamPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
DawsonPanhandleCentral TexasHigh Plains03 deer
Deaf SmithPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
DickensPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
DonleyPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
EctorTrans-PecosCentral TexasHigh Plains03 deer
El PasoTrans-PecosTrans-PecosTrans Pecos0Closed
FisherPanhandleCentral TexasRolling Plains05 deer
FloydPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains05 deer
FoardPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
GainesPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
GarzaPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
GrayPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains15 deer
HalePanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
HallPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
HansfordPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
HardemanPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
HartleyPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
HemphillPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains15 deer
HockleyPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
HudspethTrans-PecosTrans-PecosTrans Pecos1Closed
HutchinsonPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
Jeff DavisTrans-PecosTrans-PecosTrans Pecos04 deer
KentPanhandleCentral TexasRolling Plains05 deer
KingPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
KnoxPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
LambPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
LipscombPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
LovingTrans-PecosTrans-PecosTrans Pecos03 deer
LubbockPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
LynnPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
MartinPanhandleCentral TexasHigh Plains03 deer
MidlandTrans-PecosCentral TexasHigh Plains03 deer
MoorePanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
MotleyPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
OchiltreePanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
OldhamPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains03 deer
ParmerPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
PecosBrewster, Pecos, Terrell CountiesTrans-PecosTrans Pecos05 deer
PotterPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains13 deer
PresidioTrans-PecosTrans-PecosTrans Pecos14 deer
RandallPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains13 deer
ReaganTrans-PecosCentral TexasEdwards Plateau05 deer
ReevesTrans-PecosTrans-PecosTrans Pecos04 deer
RobertsPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
ScurryPanhandleCentral TexasRolling Plains05 deer
ShermanPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
StonewallPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
SwisherPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains03 deer
TerrellBrewster, Pecos, Terrell CountiesTrans-PecosEdwards Plateau05 deer
TerryPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains13 deer
UptonTrans-PecosCentral TexasEdwards Plateau05 deer
Val VerdeTrans-PecosTrans-PecosEdwards Plateau05 deer
WardTrans-PecosTrans-PecosTrans Pecos03 deer
WheelerPanhandlePanhandleRolling Plains05 deer
WinklerTrans-PecosTrans-PecosTrans Pecos03 deer
YoakumPanhandlePanhandleHigh Plains13 deer

Mule Deer hunting rules in Texas

Before going after mule deer, check these license, hour and method rules.

Licenses and fees

Fees mule deer hunters should expect this license year.

$25Resident license
$7Archery endorsement
$315Nonresident general
$7Youth license
$48APH permit

When to shoot

For mule deer, TPWD allows shooting from one-half hour before official sunrise until one-half hour after official sunset.

Safety orange

Orange for mule deer is required only on TPWD public hunting lands: 400 square inches total, 144 front and back, and an orange hat.

Safety course

Mule deer hunters born on or after Sept. 2, 1971 need hunter education; certification starts at age 9 and costs $15 in person.

20 inch mule deer rule

Legal buck must have an outside spread of the main beams of 20 inches or greater; bucks with at least one unbranched antler are not legal unless the outside spread is at least 20 inches. It applies in Andrews, Armstrong, Bailey, Briscoe and Castro and 24 other counties.

Antlerless mule deer

In Brewster, Pecos and Terrell, antlerless mule deer are taken only by MLDP tag or antlerless mule deer permit.

Mule deer on MLDP land

Conservation Option ranches run mule deer from Oct. 3, 2026 to Jan. 31, 2027 on MLDP tags, which replace license tags.

Tagging a mule deer

Tag a mule deer with a license tag right after the kill; the harvest log on the back of the license is not required for mule deer.

Nonresident mule deer hunters

Only non-resident license valid for white-tailed or mule deer (incl. MLDP tags), pronghorn, bighorn sheep. It costs $315.

Texas Big Game Awards

2025-26 TBGA rules

Texas keeps no official state record book for mule deer; the Big Game Awards program and its standings fill that role.

145/160Trans Pecos
145/160Panhandle

From the TPWD Outdoor Annual general regulations, license and species pages (endorsements, hunting regulations), checked October 11, 2026. All Texas hunting laws · License guide.

Mule Deer on WMAs, APH units and refuges

14 areas name mule deer, most of them WMA tracts (6), with Panhandle holding the largest share of mule deer ground.

Panhandle (10)

Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (7,664 ac) · Caprock Canyons State Park · Cross Bar Management Area (11,883 ac) · Gene Howe WMA (5,394 ac) · Lake Meredith National Recreation Area · Matador WMA (28,183 ac) · McClellan Creek National Grassland (Lake McClellan Recreation Area) (1,449 ac) · Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge (6,449 ac) · Palo Duro Canyon State Park · Yoakum Dunes WMA

Trans-Pecos (4)

Big Bend Ranch State Park · Black Gap WMA (103,000 ac) · Elephant Mountain WMA (23,147 ac) · Sierra Diablo WMA (11,624 ac)

Mule deer areas, largest first

TractTypeCountiesAcresDrawnAlso on the list
Black Gap WMAWMABrewster103,000Yeswhite-tailed deer, javelina, dove, waterfowl, quail, rabbit, predators/furbearers
Matador WMAWMACottle28,183Yeswhite-tailed deer, feral hog, turkey, dove, waterfowl, quail, rabbit, predators/furbearers
Elephant Mountain WMAWMABrewster23,147Yeswhite-tailed deer, feral hog, elk, javelina, dove, quail, rabbit, predators/furbearers
Cross Bar Management AreaBLM LandPotter11,883Yeswhite-tailed deer, feral hog
Sierra Diablo WMAWMACulberson and Hudspeth11,624Yeselk, javelina, predators/furbearers
Buffalo Lake National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge–7,664Yeswhite-tailed deer, feral hog, dove, quail, pheasant
Muleshoe National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge–6,449Yeswhite-tailed deer, feral hog, dove, quail
Gene Howe WMAWMAHemphill5,394Yeswhite-tailed deer, feral hog, turkey, dove, waterfowl, quail, rabbit, predators/furbearers
McClellan Creek National Grassland (Lake McClellan Recreation Area)National GrasslandGray1,449Yeswhite-tailed deer, feral hog
Caprock Canyons State ParkState ParkBriscoe–Yeswhite-tailed deer, feral hog, exotics
Lake Meredith National Recreation AreaNational Recreation Area–––white-tailed deer, dove, waterfowl, turkey, quail, pheasant, rabbit, predators/furbearers
Palo Duro Canyon State ParkState ParkRandall and Armstrong–Yeswhite-tailed deer, feral hog, exotics, turkey
Yoakum Dunes WMAWMACochran, Terry and Yoakum–Yesferal hog, quail, rabbit, predators/furbearers
Big Bend Ranch State ParkState ParkPresidio and Brewster–Yesferal hog, javelina, quail

Mule deer hunters on TPWD public lands carry a $48 APH permit, good for the license year. How the APH permit works.

TPWD APH data, WMA and drawn hunt lists and federal land managers, 2026-27, checked October 11, 2026. Species lists are what each manager names; area rules still apply.

Mule Deer: drawn hunt categories

2 drawn categories in the 2026-27 TPWD catalog name mule deer, and 2 premium packages include them.

Category groupHuntApply by
Special PermitMule DeerOct 1, 2026
Special Permit, archeryMule DeerAug 15, 2026

Premium hunts

Packages that include mule deer: Texas Grand Slam (desert bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, pronghorn, desert mule deer); Ultimate Mule Deer Hunt (Panhandle).

Adult mule deer hunters pay a $3 application ($10 for Private Lands and guided) and, if drawn, $80 for a standard hunt or $130 for an extended one; youth apply and hunt free. Big Time Texas Hunts sells unlimited $9 entries for its mule deer packages until Oct. 15, 2026.

TPWD Public Hunt Drawing catalog, fees and deadlines (drawing) and Big Time Texas Hunts (BTTH), checked October 11, 2026. Texas drawn hunts.

How many mule deer Texas hunters take

Mule deer hunters took an estimated 10,704 mule deer in 2025-26, 9,630 of them bucks. In 2017-18 the Trans-Pecos produced 9,529 of them at a 51.69% success rate.

10,704Mule deer taken, 2025-26
9,630Bucks
1,074Does
27,980Mule deer hunters
36.82%Success rate
Mule deer harvest, TPWD estimates07,50015,00022,50030,00005-06: 9,6909,69005-0606-07: 8,2788,27806-0707-08: 9,1889,18807-0808-09: 9,5259,52508-0909-10: 12,24312,24309-1010-11: 12,15412,15410-1111-12: 7,5037,50311-1212-13: 8,7098,70912-1313-14: 7,7957,79513-1414-15: 9,7239,72314-1515-16: 10,60010,60015-1616-17: 18,06218,06216-1717-18: 17,62017,62017-1825-26: 10,70410,70425-26

The mule deer series has a gap: 2018-19 to 2024-25 are not on TPWD’s public page.

Mule deer by ecoregion, 2017-18

EcoregionHuntersHarvestSuccess
Trans-Pecos16,1329,52951.69%
Rolling Plains14,5003,41622.50%
High Plains6,7062,51735.14%
Edwards Plateau6,3442,15831.43%

Mule deer by density class, 2017-18

Density classHuntersHarvestSuccess
Medium15,5226,01238.57%
High7,3174,35348.48%
Very Low9,7563,73140.91%
Low11,0873,52428.00%

TPWD harvest surveys (2025-26, 2005-06 to 2017-18 report). Survey estimates, not check-station counts.

Loading up for Mule Deer country

Prices change; the buttons search Amazon at the moment you click.

Amazon links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you.

Spotting scope

Glassing open desert and canyon country for mule deer.

Current prices

Binocular harness

Keeps glass at hand on long walks in rough country.

Current prices

Trekking poles

Steep, rocky slopes in the Trans-Pecos and Panhandle breaks.

Current prices

Game bags

Breathable bags for quartering meat far from the truck.

Current prices

Gear comparisonsHunting gear

More Texas game near mule deer country

Big gameWhite-tailed DeerOct 3 to Feb 28 · 168 areasBig gamePronghornOct 3 to Oct 18 · 1 areasBig gameDesert Bighorn SheepBy permit · 0 areasBig gameJavelinaSep 1 to Aug 31 · 19 areas

Common mule deer questions

How wide must a mule deer buck be?

Legal buck must have an outside spread of the main beams of 20 inches or greater; bucks with at least one unbranched antler are not legal unless the outside spread is at least 20 inches.

Can I shoot a mule deer doe in Texas?

Only in Brewster, Pecos and Terrell, and only by MLDP tag or antlerless mule deer permit. Elsewhere the mule deer bag is one buck.

Is there a Southwest Panhandle mule deer zone this year?

The 2026-27 Outdoor Annual lists only three mule deer areas: Panhandle, Trans-Pecos, and Brewster/Pecos/Terrell. No separate Southwest Panhandle zone appears.

Is my county open for mule deer?

74 counties, listed by zone above.

When does the mule deer season start?

TPWD sets mule deer at Panhandle archery only Oct 3 to Nov 20, 2026; Panhandle general season Nov 21 to Dec 6, 2026; Brewster, Pecos, Terrell Counties archery only Oct 3 to Nov 26, 2026; Brewster, Pecos, Terrell Counties general season Nov 27 to Dec 13, 2026; Trans-Pecos archery only Oct 3 to Nov 26, 2026; Trans-Pecos general season Nov 27 to Dec 13, 2026. Every segment is in the calendar above.

What is the bag limit on mule deer?

Panhandle and Trans-Pecos: 1 buck all seasons combined. Brewster, Pecos, Terrell: 2 (no more than 1 buck); antlerless by MLDP tag or antlerless mule deer permit only.

What license do I need for mule deer?

Required or relevant: Resident license ($25); Archery endorsement ($7); Nonresident general ($315).

How many public tracts include mule deer?

14 public tracts list mule deer, including Black Gap WMA, Matador WMA and Elephant Mountain WMA. Adults after mule deer on TPWD land carry the $48 APH permit.

Are there hour limits on mule deer?

For mule deer, TPWD allows shooting from one-half hour before official sunrise until one-half hour after official sunset.

Is blaze orange required for mule deer?

Orange for mule deer is required only on TPWD public hunting lands: 400 square inches total, 144 front and back, and an orange hat.

Last word on mule deer

The TPWD species page is the final word on mule deer; this page was checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Species listEvery Texas seasonPublic land mapTPWD on mule deer

Other photos on this page: gurdonark (CC BY 2.0); colmmcsky (CC BY-SA 2.0); ShenandoahNPS (Public domain); Larry Lamsa (CC BY 2.0); Buck Valley Ranch (CC BY 2.0); Larry Lamsa (CC BY 2.0).