Reminder: New Mandatory Harvest Reporting for Texas Doe Season

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department urges hunters to report their harvest during the antlerless deer season running from Nov. 23 to Nov. 26.

Reporting is mandatory for any antlerless deer harvested during the four-day doe season, as well as those taken during archery, youth-only, and muzzleloader seasons. Hunters in the specified 21 counties are required to report their harvest within 24 hours using either the free My Texas Hunt Harvest mobile app (available for iOS and Android) or the My Texas Hunt Harvest web page.

The designated counties for mandatory harvest reporting encompass Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Comal (East of I-35), De Witt, Fayette, Goliad (North of US 59), Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays (East of I-35), Jackson (north of US 59), Karnes, Lavaca, Lee, Travis (East of I-35), Victoria (North of US 59), Waller, Washington, Wharton (North of US 59), and Wilson.

Moreover, in the four counties exclusively dedicated to archery-only hunting (Dallas, Grayson, Rockwall, and Collin), hunters must report all white-tailed deer harvests within 24 hours through the My Harvest Hunt App throughout the white-tailed deer seasons. Accurate reporting aids wildlife biologists in assessing hunting impacts on local herds and creating more hunting opportunities.

For comprehensive information on hunting regulations, methods, and seasons, hunters can refer to the Outdoor Annual app, available for free on iOS and Android.

TPWD emphasizes that agency wildlife biologists are actively gathering and testing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) samples from hunter-harvested deer to better understand the disease's prevalence and distribution across Texas. This proactive monitoring aims to enhance the state's response to CWD detection and minimize its spread to neighboring captive and free-ranging populations.

Hunters in surveillance and containment zones must adhere to submission requirements for harvested CWD susceptible species. Furthermore, hunters outside established surveillance and containment zones are encouraged to voluntarily submit their harvest for free testing at check stations before leaving the field. TPWD provides a map of check stations for all CWD zones on their website and the My Texas Hunt Harvest app. This license year also introduces new carcass movement restrictions, requiring Texas hunters harvesting deer, elk, moose, and other susceptible species in CWD-positive states to comply with these restrictions when bringing animals home. Hunters can contact their local biologist for sample submission and more information.

For further details, visit the TPWD CWD webpage or the TAHC CWD webpage.