At 261,797 square miles, Texas, the Lone Star State, is second only to Alaska in size. Possessing enormous natural resources, Texas is a major agricultural state and an industrial giant, leading all other states in such categories as oil, cattle, sheep, and cotton. Most hunting in Texas is done on private land, primarily on large ranches that may be leased by outfitters or individuals, or hunted with the permission of the landowner.

Texans are avid and enthusiastic hunters. The state is particularly famous for its large-antlered white-tailed deer, but hunters can also pursue alligators, javelinas, wild pigs, mule deer, pronghorn, squirrels, turkeys, waterfowl, and upland birds, especially quail. In addition, many Texas ranches have large populations of imported non-native animals, including nilgai, axis deer, blackbuck, aoudad, and even a wide variety of African game such as zebras and oryx. In most cases these exotic animals can be hunted year-round on private land. These ranches provide a unique opportunity for hunters to pursue animals that are native to Africa and Asia at a relatively low cost and without having to leave the U.S.

Many, but not all, ranches in Texas are high-fenced, especially those with exotic species. Much of Texas is brushy and thick, making for challenging hunting despite the large and abundant game populations. For this reason, hunting, especially for whitetails, is often done from permanent blinds, and baiting is popular, especially with the use of automatic feeders, which are legal in the state.

Texas has an overabundance of feral hogs, and because they are unprotected, exotic, non-game animals, they may be taken by any means or methods at any time of year. There are no seasons or bag limits, however a hunting license and landowner permission are required to hunt them.

Texas requires 400 square inches of fluorescent orange to be worn by all hunters when hunting on public hunting grounds. Orange is not required on private land, but is encouraged. A Texas hunting license is required for hunting any species in the state. Learn more about Texas hunting from the Texas Department of Parks & Wildlife: http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/.