Squirrel Hunting in Texas

East Texas squirrels open Oct 1, 2026 and close Feb 28, 2027, then reopen for all of May 2027. A youth-only squirrel weekend runs Sept. 25 to 27, 2026 in the East Texas counties with the same bag of 10. Gray and fox squirrels are both game animals in Texas.

What TPWD highlights for squirrels

• East Texas (51 counties) Oct. 1, 2026 – Feb. 28, 2027 and May 1-31, 2027, 10/day.
• Other counties open all year with no bag limit.

Where each squirrel zone runs

The squirrel zone lists below come from TPWD’s county pages, 254 counties open in all.

Where squirrel hunters find public ground

Public ground for squirrels: 87 areas in 6 regions, 53 with drawn hunts marked in orange.

Pineywoods (41)

Alabama Creek WMA (14,561 ac) · Alazan Bayou WMA – Blount Tract (2,255 ac) · Alazan Bayou WMA – Old River Tract (485 ac) · Angelina National Forest (153,179 ac) · Angelina-Neches/Dam B WMA (12,636 ac) · Bannister WMA (25,695 ac) · Big Lake Bottom WMA (4,253 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve · Big Thicket National Preserve – Beaumont Hunting Area (5,396 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Beech Creek Hunting Area (3,914 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Big Sandy Creek Corridor Hunting Area (5,232 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Big Sandy Creek Hunting Area (9,269 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Canyonlands-Upper Neches River Corridor Hunting Area (2,247 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Hickory Creek Savannah Hunting Area (105 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Jack Gore Baygall Hunting Area (7,354 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Lake Bayou Hunting Area (5,194 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Lance Rosier Hunting Area (19,340 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Little Pine Island-Pine Island Bayou Corridor Hunting Area (989 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Loblolly Hunting Area (470 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Menard Creek Corridor Hunting Area (3,013 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Neches Bottom-Lower Neches River Corridor Hunting Area (2,962 ac) · Big Thicket National Preserve – Village Creek Corridor Hunting Area (3,546 ac) · Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (8,602 ac) · Caddo Lake WMA (8,124 ac) · Davy Crockett National Forest (161,100 ac) · Germany (64 ac) · Gus Engeling WMA (11,095 ac) · Ivy (465 ac) · Lake Striker Public Hunting Lands (1,476 ac) · Moore Plantation WMA (26,772 ac) · Neches River NWR – Rocky Point Unit · Neches River NWR – Sandy Bluff Unit · Neches River NWR – Walnut Branch Unit · Neches River National Wildlife Refuge (10,537 ac) · North Toledo Bend WMA (3,650 ac) · Old Sabine Bottom WMA (5,727 ac) · Sabine National Forest (160,656 ac) · Sabine River Authority Unit 630 (7,484 ac) · Town Bluff Dam and B.A. Steinhagen Lake (875 ac) · White Oak Creek WMA (25,777 ac) · Wright Patman Lake (54,358 ac)

Austin/Waco (17)

Aquilla Lake (4,000 ac) · Belton Lake (2,692 ac) · FM 1771 (307 ac) · FM 413 (310 ac) · Granger Public Hunting Lands (10,888 ac) · Keechi Creek WMA (1,500 ac) · Lake Georgetown (3,000 ac) · Luminant Texas Public Hunting Unit (1,071 ac) · Marlin Lake Park (903 ac) · Navarro Mills Lake (5,500 ac) · Richland Creek WMA · Richland Creek WMA – South Unit (8,974 ac) · Rocky Creek (282 ac) · Somerville Public Hunting Lands · Waco Lake (3,000 ac) · Whitney Lake (14,000 ac) · Wild Wood Ranch (745 ac)

Dallas/Ft. Worth (14)

Bardwell Lake (2,528 ac) · Benbrook Lake (1,400 ac) · Caddo National Grassland (17,727 ac) · Caddo National Grasslands WMA (16,140 ac) · Caddo National Grasslands WMA – Bois d'Arc Unit (13,360 ac) · Caddo National Grasslands WMA – Ladonia Unit · Cooper WMA (14,480 ac) · Hagerman NWR – Nocona Unit (822 ac) · Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge (11,320 ac) · Lavon Lake (6,500 ac) · Lewisville Lake (9,138 ac) · Pat Mayse WMA (8,925 ac) · Ray Roberts Public Hunting Lands (41,303 ac) · Tawakoni WMA (2,335 ac)

Houston/Beaumont (10)

Gum Slough (254 ac) · Huntsville State Park (2,083 ac) · Nannie M. Stringfellow WMA (3,666 ac) · Sam Houston National Forest (163,037 ac) · Sam Houston National Forest WMA (161,508 ac) · Tony Houseman/Blue Elbow Swamp WMA · Trinity River NWR – Boars Den Unit · Trinity River NWR – Butler Unit · Trinity River NWR – Page Unit · Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge (29,607 ac)

Central Texas (4)

Abilene State Park (525 ac) · Proctor Lake (2,500 ac) · San Angelo State Park · Twin Buttes Public Hunting Lands (12,858 ac)

San Antonio/Corpus Christi (1)

Guadalupe Delta WMA

On TPWD lands an adult after squirrels needs the $48 APH permit; a youth under 17 hunts free alongside a permitted adult. 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.

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