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Blackland Prairies ecoregion
Dallas County Hunting
Built from the TPWD 2026-27 county listing: deer limits, zone calendars and nearby public tracts for Dallas County, plus services.
Photo: gurdonark (CC BY 2.0)
Dallas is the seat of Dallas County, a 873 square mile stretch of the Blackland Prairies. Its 2024 population estimate is 2,656,028, about 3042 people to the square mile. On the deer zone map it falls in the North Zone. For harvest surveys the county center is in unit 21.
Dallas County deer bag and buck rules
Every Texas county gets its own deer line in the Outdoor Annual; Dallas County’s is summarized below.
County deer limits
This is one of the antler restriction counties, so measure: 13 inches inside or an unbranched antler, and no more than one wide branched buck. Antlerless by MLDP or hunting license tag. TPWD requires a harvest report within 24 hours in this county. During youth and general seasons lawful means are restricted to lawful archery equipment and crossbows only, including MLDP properties. During archery-only season, crossbows are unlawful except for individuals with a physician-certified, upper-limb disability as defined in the means and methods section.
January seasons
Collin, Dallas, Grayson, Rockwall: during youth and general seasons lawful means are archery equipment and crossbows only, including MLDP properties; crossbows unlawful in archery-only season except with physician-certified upper-limb disability; Archery Endorsement required to hunt deer at any time.
Whitetail season dates
| Deer hunt | From | To | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery Only | Oct 3, 2026 | Nov 6, 2026 | Countywide |
| Youth-Only | Oct 30, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | Countywide |
| General Season | Nov 7, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | Countywide |
| Youth-Only | Jan 4, 2027 | Jan 17, 2027 | Countywide |
Mapped public hunting for Dallas County
Most of Texas is private land, and Dallas County has no listed public area. The nearest 8 are below. County tracts show as orange.
From TPWD’s 2026-27 public hunting lists and the federal land managers, checked October 11, 2026. Distances are straight-line. How the Annual Public Hunting permit works.
Zone-by-zone dates for Dallas County
Sort through 11 game speciess with seasons in Dallas County; the status column turns green when a season is open.
| Animal | Season | Zone or area | Starts | Ends | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Archery Only | North Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Nov 6, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth-Only | North Zone | Oct 30, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | General Season | North Zone | Nov 7, 2026 | Jan 3, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | Youth-Only | North Zone | Jan 4, 2027 | Jan 17, 2027 | |
| Squirrel | General Season | All Other Counties | Sep 1, 2026 | Aug 31, 2027 | |
| Quail | Regular Season | Statewide | Nov 1, 2026 | Feb 28, 2027 | |
| Dove | Regular Season | Central Zone (South of IH 30) | Sep 1, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 | |
| Dove | Regular Season | Central Zone (South of IH 30) | Dec 11, 2026 | Jan 14, 2027 | |
| Dove | Falconry | Central Zone (South of IH 30) | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Dove | Regular Season | North Zone (North of IH 30) | Sep 1, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Dove | Regular Season | North Zone (North of IH 30) | Dec 18, 2026 | Jan 7, 2027 | |
| Dove | Falconry | North Zone (North of IH 30) | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| September teal | September teal | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Youth-Only | North Zone | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Veterans and military | North Zone | Nov 7, 2026 | Nov 8, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular Season | North Zone | Nov 14, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Regular Season | North Zone | Dec 5, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Ducks | Dusky Duck | North Zone | Nov 19, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Dusky Duck | North Zone | Dec 5, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Ducks | Falconry | North Zone | Feb 1, 2027 | Feb 21, 2027 | |
| Geese | Early Canada geese | Eastern Zone | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Geese | Dark Geese | Eastern Zone | Nov 7, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Geese | Light Geese | Eastern Zone | Nov 7, 2026 | Feb 19, 2027 | |
| Alligator | General Season | Non-core | Apr 1, 2027 | Jun 30, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Regular Season | Statewide | Dec 18, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Falconry | Statewide | Feb 1, 2027 | Feb 21, 2027 | |
| Snipe | Regular Season | Statewide | Nov 7, 2026 | Feb 21, 2027 | |
| Rails and gallinules | Regular Season | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 27, 2026 | |
| Rails and gallinules | Regular Season | Statewide | Nov 7, 2026 | Jan 6, 2027 | |
| Rails and gallinules | Falconry | Statewide | Feb 1, 2027 | Feb 21, 2027 |
From the TPWD Outdoor Annual 2026-27 county and species pages, checked October 11, 2026.
Dallas County: what goes in the truck
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Box blind
Most Texas deer are hunted from elevated box blinds over senderos and feeders.
Deer numbers around Dallas County
County harvest is not published in Texas, so the nearest figure is the unit 21 survey from 2017-18, the latest unit table TPWD has released.
TPWD Big Game Harvest Survey, unit and ecoregion tables for 2017-18 (report). Estimates, not check-station counts; units cross county lines.
Dallas County: seven days of hunting hours
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 Dallas County 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.
Dallas County meat processors and shops
Sorted by county, then by distance.
Game wardens nearest Dallas County work from TPWD Law Enforcement Office (Mesquite) in Mesquite (11 miles).
Listings from Academy, Bass Pro and Cabela’s store locators, the TPWD warden office list, Hunters for the Hungry and business directory pages, checked October 11, 2026. Call ahead; seasonal hours vary.
Dallas County gun ranges
15 ranges listed inside Dallas County, six shown here.
On the local calendar
| Day | Event | Discipline | Enter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 2026 | DPC – NTX STEEL CHALLENGE [Action Bays 6~10 & 100Yd Bay] (2026-10-11) | Steel | Details |
| Oct 16, 2026 | Oaks Gun Show (2026-10-16) | Gun show | Source page |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Training Class: Street Encounter Tactics [CPD Classroom/Range] | Class | Details |
| Oct 31, 2026 | 22LR Rifle _100 YARD_ Benchrest Match [Silhouette Range] | Smallbore | Enter |
| Nov 1, 2026 | 22 Steel [Action Bays 1~5] (2026-11-01) | Steel | Details |
| Nov 8, 2026 | DPC – NTX STEEL CHALLENGE [Action Bays 6~10 & 100Yd Bay] (2026-11-08) | Steel | Details |
Neighbors of Dallas County
The county touches 6 others in Texas.
Asked about Dallas County
What is the county deer limit for Dallas County?
4 deer for the season, including at most 2 bucks and 2 does.
Must a Dallas County buck be 13 inches wide?
Antler restrictions apply; check spread or look for an unbranched antler before you shoot.
Where is the nearest public hunting to Dallas County?
Dallas County itself has none. Short drives lead to Grapevine Lake, Lavon Lake and Farm Road 1138.
How do the bird zones split in Dallas County?
Dove hunters use the Central Zone and North Zone; duck hunters the North Zone; goose hunters the Eastern Zone.
When does general deer season open in Dallas County?
The North Zone calendar applies. Gun hunters get Nov 7, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027; archery-only begins Oct 3, 2026.
Who processes wild game around Dallas County?
Not listed yet; try the map search.
Can turkeys be hunted in Dallas County?
No. Dallas County is closed to turkey hunting.
Which endorsements do Texas hunters need?
Archery, upland game bird and migratory game bird endorsements are $7 each, on top of the $25 resident license.
Is there a javelina season in Dallas County?
There is no javelina season in the county.
What time can I start shooting in Dallas County?
From 30 minutes before sunrise. Migratory birds end at sunset; everything else ends 30 minutes later.
Before the Dallas County trip
Confirm the 2026-27 dates for Dallas County on the TPWD county page before you go.
Other photos on this page: sonnia hill (CC BY 2.0); bgautrea (CC BY-SA 2.0); gurdonark (CC BY 2.0); ejmc (CC BY 2.0); daveynin (CC BY 2.0); G Yancy (CC BY 2.0); gurdonark (CC BY 2.0); US Forest Service – Southern Region (Public domain).