Jason Shipman photo
General whitetail deer season opens Nov. 7. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department predicts it should be a good one.
“Overall, the 2026-27 season is expected to be good in terms of harvest numbers and opportunities for quality bucks, said TPWD’s White-tailed Deer Program Leader Blaise Korzekwa. “Although some ecoregions may have missed out on adequate spring rainfall, hunters will still have plenty of opportunities to harvest a quality buck this season. Texas leads the nation in terms of number of deer hunters, annual harvest, and deer population. Even an average year in Texas is worth hunting, and those landowners who properly manage the state’s natural resources have shown year after year that their management can pay off.”
Korzekwa added, “Following three above-average years of fawn recruitment, with an estimated 2025 fawn recruitment of 42%, the Texas deer population has climbed to over 5.64 million white-tailed deer. The severe drought conditions of 2022 led to a decrease in the statewide population to 4.7 million, but exceptional fawn recruitment in recent years has led to the current increase in population. The 2025 estimate of 5.64 million is roughly a 12.5% increase from the 2024 estimate of 5 million white-tailed deer. Consecutive years of above-average fawn recruitment helped boost the population and will aid in the age structure of Texas’ deer population for years to come. The 5-year-average statewide fawn recruitment is 40% and will yield an exceptional crop of mature bucks in the coming years.”
“Texas has a strong white-tailed deer population that is still able to flourish in average conditions and can sharply rebound in years with great habitat conditions,” Korzekwa added.
TPWD gave a breakdown for each of the state’s ecoregions:
Edwards Plateau
The Edwards Plateau, commonly called the Hill Country, has the highest deer population in the state with an estimated 1.973 million white-tailed deer in this ecoregion alone. Severe drought conditions in 2022 lowered the region’s population to 1.514 million white-tailed deer in 2023. Since then, consecutive years of exceptional fawn survival helped the population to steadily increase. Hunters looking for opportunities to see lots of deer this fall should put this area on the priority list.
The area around Llano and Mason counties (Deer Management Unit 6) has the highest deer density in the region. Doe harvest is especially important in this area to relieve pressure on food resources.
Despite what seems like perpetual drought conditions every spring, the Edwards Plateau has received adequate rainfall in recent years and is a great deer hunting region, especially for hunters looking for quantity of animals. It consistently produces one of the highest hunter success rates in the state.
South Texas
The South Texas Plains ecoregion is known for mature bucks and above average antler quality relative to most other areas of the state. For hunters seeking a once-in-a-lifetime trophy, South Texas is often regarded as the premier big buck destination.
Estimates show a population of nearly 478,000 white-tailed deer, and although drought conditions can limit growth from year to year, the population has been trending upward with slow growth over the last two decades. More-often-than-not drought conditions in South Texas leads to erratic fawn crops that keep population growth at a slow pace and require good habitat management and population management practices to produce the quality of deer South Texas is known for.
The 5.5-plus-year-old classes will be abundant and offer plenty of mature bucks this season. Many ranches in the region manage for older age class bucks and the 5.5+ age class should be well represented. Properties “stacking” bucks into the mature age classes over the last several years should see a good pool of mature bucks available for harvest.
Hunters can expect an average season in South Texas, but average in this part of the state is still a great season.
Post Oak Savannah
Similar to other areas of the state, the Post Oak Savannah ecoregion began the spring under extreme drought conditions but enjoyed good late-spring rain which contributed to above average fawn production this year.
Age and antler surveys indicate that 30 percent of the buck harvest in 2025 was represented by bucks 4.5 years old or older, which is lower than recent years and likely due to the increased number of young bucks from exceptional fawn crops since 2023.
Below-average fawn survival in 2021 and 2022 will create a lower estimate of 4.5- and 5.5-year-old bucks this season. Above-average fawn survival from 2023-2025 has produced many young bucks, but hunters should practice patience and give these bucks a few more years to reach maturity.
Pineywoods
Most recent survey data estimated the Pineywoods deer population at 334,414 and has remained very stable over the previous five years.
Habitat management is critical in the Pineywoods to help sustain deer populations. TPWD biologists work with numerous landowners and timber companies to restore and maintain quality deer habitat in the region. Based on previous year’s fawn production, hunters should expect a strong cohort of 3.5-year-old bucks, but a below-average cohort of 4.5- and 5.5-year-old bucks. Hunters should continue to practice quality deer management and allow bucks to reach at least 4.5 years old.
Hunters need to be mindful of not harvesting too many young and middle-aged bucks this season, as aside from the 3.5-year-old age class, those age cohorts are not as strong this season and they will become mature in a few more years.
Cross Timbers
The Cross Timbers ecoregion in north Texas has the second highest deer population in the state, with 924,242 white-tailed deer.
The population in the Cross Timbers continues to increase due to exceptional fawn survival over the last three years. Because of the relatively consistent fawn production, buck age structure is generally well distributed across all age classes. However, hunters will likely see fewer 4.5-year-old bucks this year due to poor fawn recruitment in 2022, but every other age class will be well represented. Hunters focusing on mature bucks should not be disappointed with the upcoming season.
Rolling Plains
The Eastern and Western Rolling Plains ecoregions have experienced population growth in recent years.
Sporadic fawn production over the last several years has created age gaps in mature age classes, but overall mature buck numbers will remain steady. In 2025, 42 percent of the buck harvest in the Western Rolling Plains was represented by bucks 4.5 years old or older, equal to the Eastern Rolling Plains and the second highest in the state behind South Texas. Because of larger property sizes and relatively light hunting pressure, as well as more interest in deer management, harvest trends of older age class bucks are expected to continue in 2026.
The Rolling Plains ecoregion has been a hotbed for mature bucks, with both the East and the West landing in the top three ecoregions for mature buck harvest. Hunters can expect another great season in 2026-27.
Dates to remember
General whitetail season:
North: Nov. 7, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027
South: Nov. 7, 2026 – Jan. 17, 2027
Special late:
North: Jan. 4-17, 2027
South: Jan. 18-31, 2027
Youth-only late season: Jan. 4-17, 2027
Muzzleloader only: 90 of 254 counties: Jan. 4-17, 2027
—courtesy TPWD
