Sub-species: Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam’s
Tags: Over the counter plus some limited quota hunts
Application Period: Deadline Nov 1
Electronic or Print at Home Fulfillment: NO
Hunter Education Required: Yes if born on or after Sept 2, 1971
Bag Limit: varies by county
2026 Spring Season Dates:
South Zone: March 14 – April 26
North Zone: March 28 – May 10
One-turkey Counties: April 1-30
East Zone: April 22 – May 14
Special Youth Hunt:
South Zone: March 7-8, May 2-3
North Zone: March 21-22, May 16-17
Special Disabled Hunt: No
Decoys Allowed: Yes
Tagging Instructions: A tag from the hunting license of the person who killed the turkey must be correctly and legibly completed (including name of property and county) and immediately attached to the animal. The hunter MUST use the specific type of turkey tag, have the month and date of kill clearly cut out on the tag by notching the respective month and day. All wild turkeys harvested in Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Fayette, Jackson, Lavaca, Lee, Matagorda, Milam, and Wharton Counties now have mandatory harvest reporting requirements.
Noteworthy Restrictions: During a season in which the bag composition for turkey is restricted to gobblers only or gobblers and bearded hens, proof of sex must remain with the turkey, attached or unattached, until it reaches either the processor’s permanent residence or a cold storage/processing facility and is finally processed. Proof of sex for gobblers is one leg, including the spur or a patch of skin with breast feathers and beard attached. For a bearded hen, a patch of skin with breast feathers and beard attached. It is unlawful to hunt roosting turkeys at any time. All turkeys must be tagged immediately upon harvest.
Special Regulations for East Zone Season
Shotgun and lawful archery equipment are the only legal methods of take; no hunting over bait. Counties in East Zone: Bowie (north of U.S. 82), Cass, Fannin (north of U.S. 82), Grayson, Jasper (other than the Angelina National Forest), Lamar (north of U.S. 82), Marion, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Red River (north of U.S. 82), and Sabine counties.
Special Regulations for Western One-Gobbler Counties
No more than one gobbler may be harvested annually per county in the Western One-Gobbler Zone. Those counties in the Western One-Gobbler Only Zone include Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Fayette, Jackson, Lavaca, Lee, Matagorda, Milam, and Wharton.
512-389-4800
Licenses Needed to Hunt Turkeys
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Resident - Hunting License $25
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Resident - Hunting License Senior $7
Age 65 & older.
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Resident - Hunting License Youth $7
Under age 17.
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Nonresident - Spring Turkey License $126
Valid to hunt turkey only during the open spring turkey season. Non-residents purchasing this license are required to purchase a $7 Upland Endorsement.
Spring North Zone Counties: Archer, Armstrong, Bandera, Baylor, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brewster, Borden, Bosque, Briscoe, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Carson, Childress, Clay, Coke, Coleman, Collingsworth, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Cottle, Crane, Crockett, Crosby, Dawson, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, Ellis, Erath, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Gray, Guadalupe, Hall, Hamilton, Hardeman, Hartley, Haskell, Hays, Hemphill, Hill, Hood, Howard, Hutchinson, Irion, Jack, Jeff Davis, Johnson, Jones, Kendall, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Kinney (north of Highway 90), Knox, Lampasas, Lipscomb, Llano, Lynn, Martin, Mason, McCulloch, McLennan, Medina (north of Highway 90), Menard, Midland, Mills, Mitchell, Montague, Moore, Motley, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Palo Pinto, Parker, Pecos, Potter, Randall, Reagan, Real, Roberts, Runnels, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Somervell, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Throckmorton, Tom Green, Travis, Upton, Uvalde (north of Highway 90), Val Verde (north of a line beginning at the International Bridge and proceeding along Spur 239 to U.S. Hwy. 90 and thence to the Kinney County line), Ward, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Williamson, Wise, Young
Spring South Zone Counties: Aransas, Atascosa, Bee, Brooks, Calhoun, Cameron, Comal, Crockett, DeWitt, Dimmit, Duval, Frio, Goliad, Gonzales, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Karnes, Kenedy, Kinney (south of Highway 90), Kleberg, La Salle, Live Oak, Maverick, McMullen, Medina (south of Highway 90), Nueces, Refugio, San Patricio, Starr, Uvalde (south of Highway 90), Val Verde (south of U.S. Highway 90 and east of Spur 239/277 S), Victoria, Webb, Willacy, Wilson, Zapata, Zavala
Spring One Gobbler Counties: Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Fayette, Jackson, Lavaca, Lee, Milam, Wharton, Matagorda
Eastern Turkey Counties: Bowie, Cass, Fannin, Grayson, Jasper, Lamar, Marion, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Red River, Sabine
This site is dedicated to the wonderful passion of Spring turkey hunting. Our goal is to encourage you to “expand your season”, by “expanding your boundaries”. We hope that you find this information useful in planning your next hunt. The information in these pages has been compiled and interpreted to the best of our ability. Please consult local hunting regulations to be sure that you are in compliance with all hunting laws. ©Hunt49 2026