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2026-27 Outdoor Annual

Furbearer Hunting in Texas

Texas furbearers are badger, beaver, fox, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, otter, raccoon, ring-tailed cat and striped and spotted skunks. From the zone calendar to drawn hunts, the furbearer rules for 2026-27 in one place.

Furbearer calendarBag rulesLand
Sep 1Earliest opener
Aug 31Last day
254Open in
84Mapped areas

Photo: Charles Patrick Ewing (CC BY 2.0)

Recreational furbearer harvest is open Sept. 1, 2026 to Aug. 31, 2027 with no limit, but those pelts may not be sold. Commercial trapping with a trapper’s license runs Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027; nutria are open all year and beaver Oct. 1 to May 31. Coyotes and bobcats are not furbearers under Texas law; they are covered as nongame.

LandPublic furbearer areas84 areas with furbearersDrawDrawn furbearer hunts1 categories

Furbearer in brief

  • Badger, beaver, fox, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, otter, raccoon, ringtail, skunks.
  • Recreational Sept. 1 – Aug. 31, no limit; pelts may not be sold without trapper license.

Furbearer season dates, 2026-27

Furbearer hunters and trappers get 2 season rows in 2026-27; day counts include the opening and closing dates.

ZoneSegmentOpensClosesDaysNow
StatewideRecreational harvestSep 1, 2026Aug 31, 2027365
StatewideCommercial harvest (trapper license), except nutria and beaverNov 1, 2026Mar 31, 2027151

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

Furbearer limits in Texas

The figures below are the 2026-27 furbearer limits as TPWD prints them.

NoneRecreational limit
$19Resident trapper license
$315Nonresident trapper license
Every 36 hoursTrap checks

Furbearers

TPWD

No bag or possession limit (recreational Sept 1-Aug 31).

Furbearer zone map, county by county

Counties open to furbearers: 254. Each county in the furbearer lists links to its own guide.

ZoneWholePart
Statewide, private land2540
Statewide county list (254)

Furbearer licenses, hours and methods

Rules for furbearers from TPWD, with prices as listed on October 11, 2026.

License list

What furbearer hunters and trappers buy before the first hunt, at TPWD prices.

$25Resident license
$19Trapper license
$48Nonresident 5-day
$7Youth license
$48APH permit

Daily hours

For furbearers, legal means include artificial light; TPWD gives no separate hours.

Blaze orange

TPWD recommends orange for furbearers on private property and requires it on public hunting lands when firearms are allowed.

Course requirement

Hunter education ($15 in person) applies to furbearer hunters and trappers born Sept. 2, 1971 or later; veterans, active duty and peace officers are exempt.

Furbearer gear

Firearms, foothold, body grip, live/box traps, dogs, snares, archery, electronic or hand calls, artificial light, falconry (permit), air guns .30+, arrow guns.

Furbearer limits on gear

Shooting from a boat on public water; foothold/body-grip traps outside commercial season or within 400 yards of a school; smoke, explosives, chemical irritants; body grip traps over 10 in. diagonal on land or in water under 6 in.; traps not checked every 36 hours.

Furbearer pelts

Pelts taken recreationally may not be sold; a trapper’s license is required to sell.

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

Furbearer public hunting areas by region

Furbearers appear on the game list of 84 public tracts; 40 of them also run drawn or E-Postcard hunts (orange pins).

Panhandle (27)

Matador WMA (28,183 ac) · Teacup Mountain WMA (11,091 ac) · Gene Howe WMA (5,394 ac) · Rio Farms (2,552 ac) · Texas Roberts (1,625 ac) · Margoso (1,568 ac) · La Playa (1,280 ac) · Morris (1,280 ac) · Porter (965 ac) · La Lanza (640 ac) · South Place (640 ac) · Temprano (640 ac) · Stovall (630 ac) · De Campo (626 ac) · West of Town (481 ac) · Correll (384 ac) · Circle Tree (381 ac) · Pat's Place (350 ac) · Betty (326 ac) · FM 759 HQ (325 ac) · Brillhart (322 ac) · Goat Barn (321 ac) · Cobb Farms (250 ac) · Abernathy North (194 ac) · Bluestem (80 ac) · Lake Meredith National Recreation Area · Yoakum Dunes WMA

Pineywoods (20)

Davy Crockett National Forest (161,100 ac) · Sabine National Forest (160,656 ac) · Angelina National Forest (153,179 ac) · Moore Plantation WMA (26,772 ac) · White Oak Creek WMA (25,777 ac) · Bannister WMA (25,695 ac) · Alabama Creek WMA (14,561 ac) · Angelina-Neches/Dam B WMA (12,636 ac) · Gus Engeling WMA (11,095 ac) · Neches River National Wildlife Refuge (10,537 ac) · Caddo Lake WMA (8,124 ac) · Sabine River Authority Unit 630 (7,484 ac) · Old Sabine Bottom WMA (5,727 ac) · North Toledo Bend WMA (3,650 ac) · Alazan Bayou WMA – Blount Tract (2,255 ac) · Alazan Bayou WMA – Old River Tract (485 ac) · I.D. Fairchild State Forest · Neches River NWR – Rocky Point Unit · Neches River NWR – Sandy Bluff Unit · Neches River NWR – Walnut Branch Unit

Austin/Waco (12)

Granger Public Hunting Lands (10,888 ac) · Richland Creek WMA – South Unit (8,974 ac) · Waco Lake (3,000 ac) · Luminant Texas Public Hunting Unit (1,071 ac) · Marlin Lake Park (903 ac) · Mertens (378 ac) · FM 413 (310 ac) · FM 1771 (307 ac) · Rocky Creek (282 ac) · Beevill Branch (113 ac) · Richland Creek WMA · Somerville Public Hunting Lands

Dallas/Ft. Worth (8)

Caddo National Grassland (17,727 ac) · Caddo National Grasslands WMA (16,140 ac) · Caddo National Grasslands WMA – Bois d'Arc Unit (13,360 ac) · Lewisville Lake (9,138 ac) · Pat Mayse WMA (8,925 ac) · Roger R. Fawcett WMA (5,459 ac) · Tawakoni WMA (2,335 ac) · Caddo National Grasslands WMA – Ladonia Unit

Houston/Beaumont (6)

Sam Houston National Forest (163,037 ac) · Sam Houston National Forest WMA (161,508 ac) · Mad Island WMA (7,714 ac) · Nannie M. Stringfellow WMA (3,666 ac) · Justin Hurst WMA · Tony Houseman/Blue Elbow Swamp WMA

Central Texas (5)

Twin Buttes Public Hunting Lands (12,858 ac) · Kerr WMA (6,459 ac) · Paul and Toni Fox Burns WMA (2,178 ac) · McGillivray and Leona McKie Muse WMA (1,972 ac) · Mason Mountain WMA

San Antonio/Corpus Christi (3)

Chaparral WMA (15,200 ac) · Guadalupe Delta WMA · James E. Daughtrey WMA

Trans-Pecos (3)

Black Gap WMA (103,000 ac) · Elephant Mountain WMA (23,147 ac) · Sierra Diablo WMA (11,624 ac)

Adult furbearer hunters and trappers need the $48 Annual Public Hunting permit on TPWD public hunting lands; youth under 17 hunt free with 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.

Furbearer in the TPWD drawing

Drawn hunts are how many furbearer hunters and trappers reach WMAs, refuges and private leases; 1 categories cover furbearers.

GroupHunt typeDeadline
E-Postcard (APH)Furbearer/PredatorNot listed

A drawn furbearer permit costs an adult $80 (2 to 3 days) or $130 (4 to 5 days) after a $3 application; youth pay nothing.

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

Furbearer country: what goes in the truck

Items matched to the species listed for this place.

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Electronic predator call

Coyotes and bobcats come to distress sounds.

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Shooting sticks

A steady rest for open country shots.

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Night hunting light

Predator hunting at night is legal on private land.

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Camo face mask

Predators pick up movement fast.

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Compare before you buyGear guide

Seasons that overlap furbearers

Year-roundCoyote and BobcatYear-round · 84 areasYear-roundFeral HogYear-round · 180 areasSmall gameRabbit and HareYear-round · 156 areasOther gameAlligatorSep 10 to Jun 30 · 7 areas

Asked about furbearers

Can I sell raccoon pelts in Texas?

Only with a trapper’s license during the commercial season. Recreationally taken furbearers may not be sold.

Is a coyote a furbearer in Texas?

No. Coyotes and bobcats are nongame, not furbearers.

Can I use a light for raccoons?

Yes. Artificial light is listed among the legal means for furbearers.

Is there public land for furbearers in Texas?

Sam Houston National Forest, Sam Houston National Forest WMA and Davy Crockett National Forest lead a list of 84 areas for furbearers. Bring the $48 APH permit for furbearers on TPWD tracts.

How late can I shoot furbearers?

For furbearers, legal means include artificial light; TPWD gives no separate hours.

Must I wear hunter orange for furbearers on public land?

TPWD recommends orange for furbearers on private property and requires it on public hunting lands when firearms are allowed.

Are there drawn hunts for furbearers?

TPWD drawing categories for furbearers: Furbearer/Predator. Applications are online only.

Which counties are open for furbearers?

Furbearers are open in 254 counties.

What are the 2026-27 dates for furbearers?

For furbearers: Statewide recreational harvest Sep 1, 2026 to Aug 31, 2027; Statewide commercial harvest (trapper license), except nutria and beaver Nov 1, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027.

What is the possession limit for furbearers?

No bag or possession limit (recreational Sept 1-Aug 31).

Heading out after furbearers

Dates and limits here match the 2026-27 Outdoor Annual as of October 11, 2026; county pages and area rules can add to them, so read both before a furbearer hunt.

Species guideStatewide seasonsMap of tractsFurbearer source page

Other photos on this page: TexasExplorer98 (CC BY 2.0); GA-Kayaker (CC BY 2.0); Juliana Chong (CC BY 2.0); USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0); Ligocsicnarf89 (CC BY 4.0); U.S. Geological Survey (CC0).