It’s August, which means kids are back in school and the fall hunting and fishing seasons are quickly approaching. Before packing your favorite tackle and camo for trips, be sure to purchase an annual fishing and hunting license for 2023-24.
Current-year Texas hunting and fishing licenses (except the Year-from-Purchase All-Water Fishing Package) expire at the end of August. Licenses for the 2023-24 season went on sale August 15.
Texans purchase more than 2.7 million hunting and fishing licenses annually, directly funding a multitude of conservation efforts and recreational opportunities. Some of the many projects made possible by license sales include fish stocking, wildlife management, habitat restoration, public hunting leases, river fishing access and Texas Game Wardens.
Outdoorsmen and women can purchase a variety of licenses online through the official TPWD website, by phone at 1-800-895-4248 during regular business hours or in-person.
New this year, hunters and anglers can purchase additional types of digital licenses including Youth Hunting (Item 169), Lifetime Hunting tags (Item 991), Lifetime Fishing tags (Item 992) and the Exempt Angler tag (Item 257).
The Super Combo license (Items 111, 117 and 990) continues to be available for purchase as a digital license this year as well.
The digital license option is available through online purchase only once licenses sent on sale August 15. Digital license holders will not receive a printed license or tags but must keep their digital license available while in the field. Digital tagging is required of digital license holders through the My Texas Hunt Harvest mobile app. The license can be viewed through the My Texas Hunt Harvest and TPWD Outdoor Annual mobile apps.
TPWD encourages repeat license buyers to use the expedited checkout process, which speeds up re-purchasing licenses bought in recent years.
Customers can access their past and current licenses in several ways: (1) an electronic photo of their licenses, (2) an emailed receipt of their purchases; (3) their account in the online license sales system; (4) via License Lookup in the Outdoor Annual app or My Texas Hunt Harvest app.
Hunting and fishing regulations for the 2023-24 season are available online at outdoorannual.com, on the Outdoor Annual mobile app. The mobile app is free, and once downloaded, it works without internet connectivity, making it easy for hunters and anglers to view regulations in even the most remote locations. Other features include license lookup, location-based functionality such as “Hunting Seasons and Regulations by Location,” “Where to Fish,” and more. A limited supply of printed booklets will be available at select TPWD offices. Hunters and anglers are encouraged to call their local offices to check availability.
The My Texas Hunt Harvest app enables electronic submission of mandatory harvest reports, including alligator gar harvest reporting, and supports digital tagging of harvested deer, turkey and oversized red drum for certain license holders. The app also allows hunters to complete their on-site registration for many TPWD public hunting lands. Hunters can hunt on more than one million acres of public land with the purchase of an Annual Public Hunting Permit.
When buying their license, resident hunters and anglers may wish to purchase an entry in the Lifetime License Drawing. Three lucky winners will each win a Lifetime Super Combo License and never need to buy a Texas hunting or fishing license again. Entries are $5 each and can be purchased online, by phone or at any license retailer. The first entry deadline is September 30.
When making their purchase, license buyers can also add a donation of $1, $5, $10 or $20 to help support the Hunters for the Hungry program or the Fund for Veterans Assistance. Donations to the Hunters for the Hungry program provide hunters with a way to donate legally harvested deer to participating processors. The processed meat goes to local food banks to feed Texas families in need. Donations to the Fund for Veterans Assistance program provide grants to veteran service organizations and nonprofit charitable institutions, assisting veterans and their families at the community level throughout Texas.
For frequently asked questions about Texas hunting and fishing licenses, visit the TPWD website. (https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/faqs)