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WMA · Shelby County

North Toledo Bend WMA hunting

Who runs it, what it costs to hunt, which seasons apply for whitetails, feral hogs, exotics and doves, and where the closest public tracts and towns are.

What to huntPermit rulesArea map
3,650Listed acres
ShelbyCounty
10Species
615APH unit

Photo: sonnia hill (CC BY 2.0)

North Toledo Bend WMA: size, manager and access

North Toledo Bend WMA falls in the TPWD Pineywoods hunting region and is a wildlife management area run by TPWD in Shelby County. By acreage (3,650) it sits at number 29 of 36 wildlife management areas in the data. Nearest town guide: Center, 15 miles off; the area is northeast of there.

3,650Size, acres
ShelbyCounty used
PineywoodsPublic hunt region
WMACategory
615APH map unit
10Species
SeasonsZone calendarBag and status columnsPermitsBefore you goEndorsements by species

This is APH ground: buy the $48 permit before you go. Look for youth-only hunts in the TPWD listing.

WMA page 3,650 acres; APH GIS layer 2,675 calculated acres.

Check-in office: 8096 FM 2782, Nacogdoches, TX 75964.

Official area page

From the source record and 6 linked sources, retrieved 2026-10-11; page checked October 11, 2026.

Season windows for North Toledo Bend WMA game

Listed game here runs to 10 groups: whitetails, feral hogs, exotics, doves, ducks and geese, squirrels, rabbits, predators, furbearers by trap and snipe, woodcock and rails. Texas zones split many of these, so the rows are for Shelby County.

North Zonewhite-tailed deer zone
Central Zonedove zone
StatewideSeptember teal zone
North Zoneducks zone
Eastern Zonegeese zone
East Texassquirrel zone
SpeciesSegmentZoneStartsEndsLimitToday
White-tailed deerArchery OnlyNorth ZoneOct 3, 2026Nov 6, 20264 deer
White-tailed deerYouth-OnlyNorth ZoneOct 30, 2026Nov 1, 20264 deer
White-tailed deerGeneral SeasonNorth ZoneNov 7, 2026Jan 3, 20274 deer
White-tailed deerMuzzleloaderNorth ZoneJan 4, 2027Jan 17, 20274 deer
White-tailed deerYouth-OnlyNorth ZoneJan 4, 2027Jan 17, 20274 deer
DoveRegular SeasonCentral ZoneSep 1, 2026Oct 25, 202615 a day
DoveRegular SeasonCentral ZoneDec 11, 2026Jan 14, 202715 a day
DoveFalconryCentral ZoneNov 13, 2026Nov 29, 20263 a day
September tealSeptember tealStatewideSep 19, 2026Sep 27, 20266 a day
DucksYouth-OnlyNorth ZoneNov 7, 2026Nov 8, 20266 a day
DucksVeterans and militaryNorth ZoneNov 7, 2026Nov 8, 20266 a day
DucksRegular SeasonNorth ZoneNov 14, 2026Nov 29, 20266 a day
DucksRegular SeasonNorth ZoneDec 5, 2026Jan 31, 20276 a day
DucksDusky DuckNorth ZoneNov 19, 2026Nov 29, 20266 a day
DucksDusky DuckNorth ZoneDec 5, 2026Jan 31, 20276 a day
DucksFalconryNorth ZoneFeb 1, 2027Feb 21, 20273 a day
GeeseEarly Canada geeseEastern ZoneSep 12, 2026Sep 27, 20265 Canada a day
GeeseDark GeeseEastern ZoneNov 7, 2026Jan 31, 20275 dark a day
GeeseLight GeeseEastern ZoneNov 7, 2026Feb 19, 20275 light a day
SquirrelGeneral SeasonEast TexasOct 1, 2026Feb 28, 202710 a day or none
SquirrelGeneral SeasonEast TexasMay 1, 2027May 31, 202710 a day or none
SquirrelYouth-OnlyEast TexasSep 25, 2026Sep 27, 202610 a day or none
WoodcockRegular SeasonStatewideDec 18, 2026Jan 31, 20273 a day
WoodcockFalconryStatewideFeb 1, 2027Feb 21, 2027—
SnipeRegular SeasonStatewideNov 7, 2026Feb 21, 20278 a day
Rails and gallinulesRegular SeasonStatewideSep 19, 2026Sep 27, 202615 a day
Rails and gallinulesRegular SeasonStatewideNov 7, 2026Jan 6, 202715 a day
Rails and gallinulesFalconryStatewideFeb 1, 2027Feb 21, 2027—
Feral hogsArea rules————
ExoticsArea rules————
Rabbits and haresArea rules————
Predators and furbearersArea rules————
Trapping (furbearers)Area rules————

These are statewide zone dates. North Toledo Bend WMA can run shorter seasons, fewer days or drawn-only hunts, so check the area rules before opening day.

No statewide season exists on private land for hogs, exotics, rabbits or predators, so check the area rules.

Zone dates and bags from the TPWD Outdoor Annual 2026-27 (Outdoor Annual) for Shelby County; area game list from the area record. Checked October 11, 2026.

Where North Toledo Bend WMA sits, with neighbors

8 public tracts within a 60 mile radius, plus North Toledo Bend WMA itself in orange.

Closest towns we cover: Center 15 miles southwest, 5,231 people; San Augustine 27 miles south, 1,848 people; Hemphill 39 miles south, 1,039 people.

National forest

Sabine National Forest (9 miles south)

National forest 9 miles off to the south. 160,656 ac.

Public hunting land

Sabine River Authority Unit 630 (11 miles northwest)

Public hunting land 11 miles off to the northwest. 7,484 ac.

WMADraw only

Bannister WMA (41 miles southwest)

WMA 41 miles off to the southwest. 25,695 ac.

National forest

Angelina National Forest (42 miles south)

National forest 42 miles off to the south. 153,179 ac.

WMADraw only

Moore Plantation WMA (46 miles south)

WMA 46 miles off to the south. 26,772 ac.

Corps lake

Sam Rayburn Reservoir (51 miles southwest)

Corps lake 51 miles off to the southwest. 6,000 ac.

Public tractDraw only

Lake Kurth (City of Lufkin) (52 miles southwest)

Public tract 52 miles off to the southwest.

Wildlife refugeDraw only

Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge (54 miles north)

Wildlife refuge 54 miles off to the north. 8,602 ac.

CountyShelby County huntingCounty deer listingMapAll mapped tractsEight TPWD regions

Points from TPWD GIS, agency pages and public geocodes as noted in each record. Distances are straight-line. Statewide public land map.

North Toledo Bend WMA: permits, endorsements and blaze orange

Card by card: permits, licenses, orange.

Annual Public Hunting (APH)

TPWD permit list

$48Cost
173Item
$12LPU

Anyone 17 or older needs the APH permit on these lands; it can only be bought with a season hunting license. Statewide it reaches 180-plus areas and over 1 million acres. Hunters younger than 17 go free alongside a permitted adult (18+).

What to buy first

TPWD licenses

$25Texas resident
$315Nonresident
$7Youth
$7Migratory endorsement
$25+Federal duck stamp

Every hunter needs a Texas hunting license ($25 resident). Given the species here, also carry migratory endorsement and HIP and the federal duck stamp (16 and up) for ducks and geese. Hunter education covers every hunter born from September 2, 1971 on.

Hunter orange

TPWD source

400 sq inOrange minimum
144 sq inFront and back
Orange requiredHat

This applies whenever firearm hunting is permitted in daylight, with turkey, migratory birds and alligators exempt.

Drawn hunt rules

Rules page

Deer must go straight to the check station. Buckshot only where allowed. No shooting from vehicles. Dogs for small game and birds except turkey.

Deer bag for the Shelby County side of North Toledo Bend WMA

County deer rules from TPWD for Shelby County, with county facts for context.

Deer rules for Shelby County

TPWD listing

4Total deer
2Antlered
2Does

Measure before you shoot: 13 inches inside spread or an unbranched antler, with a single wide branched buck allowed. Antlerless harvest runs Nov. 7-29 using a license tag. no antlerless harvest on National Forest Service property.

County whitetail segments

SegmentOpensClosesPart
Archery OnlyOct 3, 2026Nov 6, 2026Countywide
Youth-OnlyOct 30, 2026Nov 1, 2026Countywide
General SeasonNov 7, 2026Jan 3, 2027Countywide
MuzzleloaderJan 4, 2027Jan 17, 2027Countywide
Youth-OnlyJan 4, 2027Jan 17, 2027Countywide
PineywoodsTPWD ecoregion
796 sq miLand, sq mi
CenterCounty seat
24,1922024 residents
15TPWD deer unit
2Public units

Game seasons that reach Shelby County

11 speciess have a 2026-27 season here. Texas splits most of them into zones, and this table keeps only the zones that include Shelby County.

SpeciesSeason typeAreaBeginsEndsRight now
White-tailed deerArchery OnlyNorth ZoneOct 3, 2026Nov 6, 2026
White-tailed deerYouth-OnlyNorth ZoneOct 30, 2026Nov 1, 2026
White-tailed deerGeneral SeasonNorth ZoneNov 7, 2026Jan 3, 2027
White-tailed deerMuzzleloaderNorth ZoneJan 4, 2027Jan 17, 2027
White-tailed deerYouth-OnlyNorth ZoneJan 4, 2027Jan 17, 2027
SquirrelGeneral SeasonEast TexasOct 1, 2026Feb 28, 2027
SquirrelGeneral SeasonEast TexasMay 1, 2027May 31, 2027
SquirrelYouth-OnlyEast TexasSep 25, 2026Sep 27, 2026
QuailRegular SeasonStatewideNov 1, 2026Feb 28, 2027
DoveRegular SeasonCentral ZoneSep 1, 2026Oct 25, 2026
DoveRegular SeasonCentral ZoneDec 11, 2026Jan 14, 2027
DoveFalconryCentral ZoneNov 13, 2026Nov 29, 2026
September tealSeptember tealStatewideSep 19, 2026Sep 27, 2026
DucksYouth-OnlyNorth ZoneNov 7, 2026Nov 8, 2026
DucksVeterans and militaryNorth ZoneNov 7, 2026Nov 8, 2026
DucksRegular SeasonNorth ZoneNov 14, 2026Nov 29, 2026
DucksRegular SeasonNorth ZoneDec 5, 2026Jan 31, 2027
DucksDusky DuckNorth ZoneNov 19, 2026Nov 29, 2026
DucksDusky DuckNorth ZoneDec 5, 2026Jan 31, 2027
DucksFalconryNorth ZoneFeb 1, 2027Feb 21, 2027
GeeseEarly Canada geeseEastern ZoneSep 12, 2026Sep 27, 2026
GeeseDark GeeseEastern ZoneNov 7, 2026Jan 31, 2027
GeeseLight GeeseEastern ZoneNov 7, 2026Feb 19, 2027
AlligatorGeneral SeasonNon-coreApr 1, 2027Jun 30, 2027
WoodcockRegular SeasonStatewideDec 18, 2026Jan 31, 2027
WoodcockFalconryStatewideFeb 1, 2027Feb 21, 2027
SnipeRegular SeasonStatewideNov 7, 2026Feb 21, 2027
Rails and gallinulesRegular SeasonStatewideSep 19, 2026Sep 27, 2026
Rails and gallinulesRegular SeasonStatewideNov 7, 2026Jan 6, 2027
Rails and gallinulesFalconryStatewideFeb 1, 2027Feb 21, 2027

From the TPWD Outdoor Annual 2026-27 county and species pages, checked October 11, 2026.

North Toledo Bend WMA: what goes in the truck

Click any item for current listings and prices.

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Box blind

Box blinds keep a hunter dry and hidden over a feeder or food plot.

Current prices

Deer feeder

Timed feeders bring deer to a predictable spot.

Current prices

Rangefinder

Bowhunters and rifle hunters both use one.

Current prices

Field dressing kit

Field care starts right after the shot.

Current prices

Side by side gearGear by hunt

North Toledo Bend WMA legal hunting light, next seven days

Shooting time for deer, javelina, turkey and quail is sunrise less 30 minutes to sunset plus 30. Dove and waterfowl hunters stop at sunset.

Times worked out for North Toledo Bend WMA in Central time. Rule from the TPWD Outdoor Annual (shooting hours). Nongame, exotics and feral hogs on private land may be hunted at any hour. Shooting hours for every county.

Shops and processors serving North Toledo Bend WMA

County listings lead; neighbors follow.

Shootin' Straight Taxidermy taxidermy

Center, Shelby County · about 10 mi away

(936) 332-4419MapOnline
Hawkeye Hunting Club guide service

Center, Shelby County

(936) 598-1000MapOnline
Pro-Log Incorporated Deer Camp guide service

Tenaha, Shelby County · about 14 mi away

(903) 248-2388MapOnline
L & L Taxidermy taxidermy

Tenaha, Shelby County · about 15 mi away

(936) 488-0519MapOnline
Tommy Robison taxidermy

Center, Shelby County · about 18 mi away

(936) 598-2885MapOnline
Panola Processing game processing

Carthage, Panola County · about 23 mi away

(903) 690-0430MapOnline
Lindsay's Taxidermy taxidermy

Beckville, Panola County

(903) 678-0501MapOnline
Richard's Taxidermy taxidermy

Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County · about 45 mi away

(936) 560-9493MapOnline

Game wardens closest to this area work out of TPWD Law Enforcement Office (Tyler) in Tyler (79 miles).

Deer processing searchSearch taxidermy

Store locators (Academy, Bass Pro, Cabela’s), the TPWD law enforcement office list, Hunters for the Hungry and business listings, checked October 11, 2026. Call ahead.

What people want to know about North Toledo Bend WMA

What do Texas hunting licenses cost this year?

$25 resident, $315 nonresident general, $7 youth.

Do youth-only deer seasons apply here?

Statewide youth deer dates are Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, 2026 (both zones); Jan. 4-17, 2027 (North Zone); area rules decide whether they apply on this ground.

What is North Toledo Bend WMA?

Wildlife management area run by TPWD, under TPWD. Program: TPWD Wildlife Management Area.

What size is North Toledo Bend WMA?

It covers 3,650 acres on the record.

Is North Toledo Bend WMA open with just a hunting license?

You need the APH permit ($48) and a hunting license.

What animals are hunted on North Toledo Bend WMA?

The listing names whitetails, feral hogs, exotics, doves, ducks and geese, squirrels, rabbits, predators, furbearers by trap and snipe, woodcock and rails.

What 2026-27 dates apply to doves at North Toledo Bend WMA?

The Central Zone sets it: Sep 1 to Oct 25, 2026 (regular season). Check the area for any shorter dates.

How many deer can I take around North Toledo Bend WMA?

County bag (Shelby): 4 deer, 2 bucks max, 2 antlerless max. Spread rules apply to bucks. Hunts here may carry their own limits.

Is blaze orange required on North Toledo Bend WMA?

Wear 400 square inches of orange, including 144 on chest and back, plus headwear, during firearm hunting hours. Turkey, migratory bird and alligator hunters are exempt.

Which covered town sits nearest North Toledo Bend WMA?

Base in Center, 15 miles off to the northeast. Also near: San Augustine (27 miles).

Last checks for North Toledo Bend WMA

The managing agency has the final word on North Toledo Bend WMA. Check its page and the TPWD county listing the week of your hunt.

Land mapBrowse areasAnnual Public HuntingShelby County rulesOfficial page

Other photos on this page: Life Lenses (CC BY-SA 2.0); Joe Mabel (CC BY-SA 4.0); Maciej Kraus (CC BY 2.0); Adrian Delgado2012 (CC BY 2.0).