AUSTIN — With the addition of three new properties, Texas’ 2025-26 hunting season will offer more public hunting opportunities through Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Public Hunting Program.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission authorized 2025-26 hunting season dates for public hunting lands and Texas State Parks that will offer 140 different public hunts in 52 State Park and State Natural Areas, totaling more than 521,000 acres of publicly accessible land.
“We are so excited to be able to continue to grow the public hunting opportunities within state parks and natural areas every year, including on some of the newest park properties,” said Greg Creacy, Texas State Parks Natural Resources program director. “The number of hunted parks has increased from 45 to 52 in the past five years. The addition of some of our newest sites, including the recent acquisitions at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and Post Oak Ridge State Park, gives hunters a special opportunity to help the department with land management on these unique properties.”
The newest additions of acreage added to the public hunting program in Texas State Parks include 1,650 acres at Dinosaur Valley State Park, 1,400 acres at Ray Roberts Lake State Park– Isle du Bois Unit, 3,100 acres at Post Oak Ridge State Park, 3,100 acres at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area and 1,000 acres at Government Canyon State Natural Area.
TPWD’s Public Hunting Program includes more than a million acres located throughout Texas. Access to these lands is provided by two types of permits: the $48 Annual Public Hunting (APH) Permit, available beginning Aug. 15, which allows full privileges including hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and other recreational uses and the Texas Public Hunt Drawing program, which issues permits for drawn hunts on both public and private lands throughout Texas.
Applications will be accepted beginning July 1 and hunters can apply for more than 60 high-quality hunt categories.
For more information about the Public Hunting Program, including an interactive map of all available public hunting lands and a how to video, visit https://tpwd.texas. gov/huntwild/hunt/ public/. The webpage also has information about daily permit hunts and mentored hunting workshops.
