Hunting
Licenses, seasons, bag limits, methods, public land, and the county-by-county rules — explained simply, with the official TPWD link on every page.
Open the hunting hub ->Outdoors
The Texas outdoors, explained.
Texas has world-class hunting, fishing, and wild country - and some of the most detailed rules in the country, because so much depends on which animal and which county you're in. These guides walk you through it in plain English, then point you to the official source so you can confirm and go deeper.
The official rules are dense and change every year. We explain them the way a good neighbor would. Texas Parks & Wildlife decides the rules; we just help you read them.
Fishing
Freshwater and saltwater — licenses, size and bag limits, legal gear, where to fish, and the rules that change, with the official TPWD link on every page.
Open the fishing hub ->Off-roading
ATVs, side-by-sides, dirt bikes, and 4x4s — the decal you need, where you can legally ride (mostly private parks), the road rules, and which agency handles what.
Open the off-road hub ->Camping & state parks
Entrance fees and the money-saving park pass, how to reserve before parks fill, campsite types and costs, the rules that surprise people, and where else to camp — official links throughout.
Open the camping hub ->Boating & water safety
Life jackets and water safety first, then registering your boat, boater education, jet ski rules, the drinking law (BWI), paddling, and the drain-plug law — with the official TPWD link on every page.
Open the boating hub ->Wildlife: the animals you meet
There's a snake, a bat in the house, a baby bird, a coyote, a stranded sea turtle? What it is, whether it's dangerous, what the law says, and who to call — with the right official source for each.
Open the wildlife hub ->Foraging & collecting
Wild food and mushrooms, rocks and fossils, shells and shark teeth, shed antlers, and bluebonnets — and the one rule that decides it all: whose land are you on? Official links throughout.
Open the foraging hub ->Rivers, tubing & swimming holes
Floating the Guadalupe, Comal, and Frio and cooling off at spring-fed swimming holes — leading with flash-flood safety, plus your real right to navigable rivers and the tubing 'can ban.'
Open the rivers hub ->The coast & beaches
Going to the Gulf: rip-current safety first, then your constitutional right to the beach (the Open Beaches Act), driving and parking on the sand, beach rules, sea turtles, and where to go.
Open the coast hub ->Target shooting
Where you can legally sight in a rifle or plink at targets: gun safety first, then the city/ETJ/county lines that decide it, the laws that always apply, and public-land rules — when in doubt, go to a range.
Open the shooting hub ->Hunting & fishing licenses
What you actually have to buy to hunt or fish - the Super Combo, who needs no license, hunting and fishing prices, the endorsements people forget, tags and digital licenses, and where to buy. Built on the current 2025-2026 license year.
Open the licenses hub ->Dark skies & stargazing
Texas has the largest dark-sky reserve in the world and the darkest national-park skies in the Lower 48. Where to find dark skies, how to see more with no gear, when the meteor showers fall, and how to keep the night dark.
Open the stargazing hub ->Birding & wildlife watching
The no-license, anyone-can-do-it side of Texas wildlife: one of the two birdiest states, world-famous migration, the Austin bats and whooping cranes - and the free Merlin and eBird apps that make starting easy.
Open the birding hub ->Weather & natural hazards
The plain-English preparedness capstone: the four basics that cover any emergency, then each Texas hazard - heat, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, winter storms, and wildfire - with the one life-saving action and the live official source.
Open the weather hub ->Hiking & biking
Where to go and how to stay safe - leading with the real Texas trail danger (heat and water), plus flash floods, trail etiquette, and the bike rules for dirt and road. Free forests, day-pass parks, and city greenbelts.
Open the hiking hub ->The full hub
All fifteen topics are live
The Texas outdoors hub is complete - from hunting and fishing to camping, the coast, dark skies, birding, weather safety, and hiking. Every guide is plain English with the official source on every page, and we keep the dates and rules current. Spot something out of date? Tell us below.
Spot something that needs a Texas check?
This first pass is built to be polished over time. Send the page name, county, parcel context if relevant, and the official source you are looking at.
Email Texas Porch.