Hunting / After the shot & special rules
After the shot, and the local stuff.
Take care of tagging and reporting right away, then know the rules that change by county or by disease zone. This is the part that trips people up, so it's worth a read before the season.
After the shot
Tag it right away
When you take a deer or turkey, immediately fill out and attach the matching tag from your license. With a digital license, follow the digital tagging steps in the app instead.
Report it when required
Some animals must be reported to TPWD within 24 hours using the My Texas Hunt Harvest app or website. Every wild turkey must be reported, and so must deer taken in CWD (disease) zones. Texas keeps adding mandatory reporting, so check what your hunt requires.
Proof of sex & transport
In seasons where only certain sexes are legal (like gobblers-only turkey), keep proof of sex with the animal until it reaches its final stop. You can field dress and quarter your animal, but keep it identifiable until you get it home, to a processor, or to cold storage.
Disease zones
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a deadly deer disease. To slow it, TPWD draws 'zones' (mostly the Trans-Pecos and parts of the Panhandle, plus a few other spots) where extra rules apply.
- If you take a deer in a zone, you may have to bring it to a check station for testing.
- Carcass movement is limited: generally you can only move deboned meat, clean skull caps with antlers, and a few other parts out of a zone — not the whole carcass.
- Baiting and feeding may be restricted in some zones.
Zones change as the disease spreads, so check the current CWD map before you hunt those areas.
The local stuff
County-by-county rules to watch
Texas hunting is unusually local. Before you hunt, look up your exact county for:
- Antler restrictions (the 13-inch buck rule applies in many counties).
- Doe days (which days you can take antlerless deer) — expanded this season to a 16-day window in 21 Post Oak Savannah counties (including Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Karnes, Lavaca, Lee, Waller, Washington, and Wilson; some with limits like east of I-35 or north of US 59).
- One-gobbler turkey counties and the East Zone turkey method rules.
- Special crossbow and dog rules in the counties listed under Methods.
Animal-health alert
New World Screwworm
As of the 2025-2026 season, a livestock-and-wildlife pest called the New World Screwworm has been detected in Texas. It can affect deer and other animals. TPWD has posted guidance for hunters — check it if you're handling game.
TPWD Screwworm information ->Back to the basics
Official sources
Tagging, reporting, CWD, and county rules come from Texas Parks & Wildlife. Check the current maps and county lists before you hunt.
- Data vintage:
- Built on the 2026-2027 season
- Last reviewed:
- June 15, 2026
- TPWD After Harvesting a Deer or Pronghorn - Tagging and field-care rules
- TPWD Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)
- TPWD Seasons by County
- TPWD Screwworm information
Caution: CWD zones, mandatory reporting, and county rules change. The official TPWD pages and maps are the final word.