Oklahoma › Species › Texas Horned Lizard
Protected, no Oklahoma season
Texas horned lizard in Oklahoma: protected, no 2026-27 season
Protected in Oklahoma; status, law and penalties from ODWC sources and Title 29.
Photo: Jack Gray (CC BY 2.0)
Texas Horned Lizard status in Oklahoma
For Texas horned lizards the 2026-27 answer from ODWC is "Closed statewide", with no bag, no dates and no license that would cover one.
- Status line (horned lizard): Closed statewide.
- Closed reptiles: Texas horned lizard, eastern side-blotched lizard, checkered whiptail, American alligator (possession unlawful), western chicken turtle, northern map turtle, wandering gartersnake, gulf swampsnake, alligator snapping turtle, common lesser earless lizard, round-tailed horned lizard, western mudsnake.
From ODWC reptile and amphibian regulations, checked November 3, 2026.
What the regulations say about Texas horned lizards
The rows below are the Oklahoma legal lists that name Texas horned lizards or the groups they belong to.
- Reptiles and amphibians: prairie, western diamondback and timber rattlesnakes and massasauga (Mar 1-June 30), other unlisted reptiles (6 per species), bullfrog (15), aquatic frogs, Woodhouse's toad, Necturus/Ambystoma salamanders (no limit) and other amphibians (4 per species).
- Closed salamanders: Sequoyah, Kiamichi and western slimy salamanders, Rich Mountain, Ozark zigzag, four-toed, grotto, Oklahoma, cave, mole, ringed and Ouachita dusky salamanders and three-toed amphiuma.
From ODWC reptile and amphibian regulations and Oklahoma Statutes Title 29, checked November 3, 2026.
Oklahoma penalties for Texas horned lizards
What breaking the horned lizard rules can cost, by statute.
| Violation | Penalty | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| General (no other penalty provided) | $10-$100 and/or 10-30 days jail. | 29 O.S. § 7-201 |
| Restitution | Courts order restitution to ODWC: $100-$5,000 for § 5-411/5-412 species; $10-$5,000 for other wildlife. | 29 O.S. § 7-207 |
For a horned lizard violation, contact the ODWC game warden.
From Oklahoma Statutes Title 29 (no currency date printed), checked November 3, 2026.
Geese flying over oil pumpjacks against a red Oklahoma sunset. Photo: Shiva Shenoy (CC BY 4.0)
Open game related to Texas horned lizards
What can be hunted instead of Texas horned lizards.
| Species | Season | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Rattlesnake | Mar 1–Jun 30 | No daily limit. |
| Bullfrog | Open all year | 15. |
| Black-tailed Prairie Dog | Open all year | No limit. |
From the ODWC regulation pages, checked November 3, 2026.
Texas Horned Lizard and the protected list
Oklahoma protects Texas horned lizards along with the species below; each line is the rule as the sources give it.
- Mountain lion: No hunting season; may be killed only when depredating or as an immediate safety hazard; report immediately and present the carcass within 24 hours.
- Swift fox, spotted skunk, ringtail: Closed statewide year-round; live animals, carcasses or raw furs may be possessed only with proof of legal take outside Oklahoma.
- Bear cubs, sows with cubs, collared bears, denned bears: Shooting cubs or females with cubs, shooting a collared bear, pursuing denned bears or pursuing bears with dogs is prohibited.
- Antlerless mule deer (firearm seasons): Harvest of antlerless mule deer prohibited in youth gun, muzzleloader, deer gun and holiday antlerless seasons.
- Non-bearded turkeys (spring): Harvest of non-bearded turkeys prohibited in spring.
- Migratory nongame birds (hawks, owls, eagles, songbirds, all birds except resident game birds, house sparrows and starlings): Protected by federal and state law; 29 O.S. § 5-410 covers hawks, falcons, owls and eagles.
- Endangered and threatened species: Mammals: gray bat, northern long-eared bat, Ozark big-eared bat, Indiana bat. Birds: whooping crane, piping plover, eastern black rail, red knot, red-cockaded woodpecker. Fish: Ozark cavefish, leopard darter, Neosho madtom, blackside darter, longnose darter, Arkansas River shiner. Invertebrates: winged mapleleaf, scaleshell, Ouachita rock pocketbook, rabbitsfoot and Neosho mucket mussels, Oklahoma cave crayfish, American burying beetle, western fanshell. Plants: geocarpon minimum, harperella. Taking requires the Director's written permission (29 O.S. § 5-412).
- Closed salamanders: Sequoyah, Kiamichi and western slimy salamanders, Rich Mountain, Ozark zigzag, four-toed, grotto, Oklahoma, cave, mole, ringed and Ouachita dusky salamanders and three-toed amphiuma.
- Nests and eggs of game birds: Taking or destroying nests or eggs of game birds is regulated by 29 O.S. § 5-207.
- Bighorn sheep, moose: Listed in 29 O.S. § 5-411; no Oklahoma season.
From the ODWC general hunting regulations and the ODWC reptile and amphibian regulations, checked November 3, 2026.
Windmill and ripe grass under mammatus clouds at sunset after a storm on the southern plains. Photo: Lane Pearman (CC BY 2.0)
Field of golden coreopsis wildflowers glowing at sunset on the prairie. Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Questions about Texas horned lizards in Oklahoma
Where can I read the horned lizard rule?
The Wildlife Conservation Commission sets rules that ODWC publishes; this page follows those and Title 29 as read on November 3, 2026.
Which seasons are open for game like Texas horned lizards?
These are open in 2026-27: rattlesnakes (Mar 1–Jun 30); bullfrogs (Open all year); prairie dogs (Open all year).
What wildlife is closed all year in Oklahoma?
This guide covers ten: mountain lions, swift foxes, spotted skunks, ringtails, whooping cranes, prairie chickens, hawks, falcons, owls and eagles, American alligators, Texas horned lizards and alligator snapping turtles.
Who enforces wildlife law in Oklahoma?
Through the local ODWC game warden. Each county page on this site names the law enforcement district and its captain.
Which reptiles are closed in Oklahoma?
Texas horned lizard, eastern side-blotched lizard, checkered whiptail, American alligator (possession unlawful), western chicken turtle, northern map turtle, wandering gartersnake, gulf swampsnake, alligator snapping turtle, common lesser earless lizard, round-tailed horned lizard, western mudsnake.
What does an illegal horned lizard cost in restitution?
Yes, under 29 O.S. § 7-207: Courts order restitution to ODWC: $100-$5,000 for § 5-411/5-412 species; $10-$5,000 for other wildlife.
How does Oklahoma law treat an illegal horned lizard?
29 O.S. § 7-201: $10-$100 and/or 10-30 days jail.
May a hunter take a horned lizard in Oklahoma?
There is none: closed statewide. Texas horned lizard, eastern side-blotched lizard, checkered whiptail, American alligator (possession unlawful), western chicken turtle, northern map turtle, wandering gartersnake, gulf swampsnake, alligator snapping turtle, common lesser earless lizard, round-tailed horned lizard, western mudsnake.
Other photos on this page: Shiva Shenoy (CC BY 4.0); Lane Pearman (CC BY 2.0); U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Southwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0).