Texas · Squirrel · 2026–27 Edition
Texas Squirrel Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Squirrel season | Statewide except East Texas counties | Jan 1 – Dec 31 |
| Youth-only season | East Texas counties | Sep 25 – Sep 27 |
| General season — fall segment | East Texas counties | Oct 1 – Feb 28 |
| General season — spring segment | East Texas counties | May 1 – May 31 |
02 — Bag limits
| Statewide except East Texas — Daily/Possession | No bag limit (31 TAC §65.46(b)) — the year-round counties have no daily or possession cap at all |
|---|---|
| East Texas — Daily (general and youth-only season) | 10 |
| East Texas — Possession | 20 |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 25, 2026) 06:57 — 19:59
Rule: One-half hour before official sunrise to one-half hour after official sunset — squirrel is a game animal in Texas, and TPWD's Outdoor Annual gives that single rule for game animals and non-migratory game birds. It is NOT the migratory-bird rule: dove and waterfowl stop at sunset, squirrel may be hunted a further half hour. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Texas sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Squirrel hunters in Texas need a Texas hunting license.
Where to hunt public land in Texas — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does squirrel season start in Texas?
The 2026–27 opener is September 25, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does squirrel season end in Texas?
The 2026–27 closing date is May 31, 2027.
Is there a difference between fox and gray squirrel rules in Texas?
See the bag limit table above — most states run one combined limit across both species, but this is worth confirming against Texas Parks and Wildlife Department before you hunt.
How many squirrels can you shoot in Texas per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Statewide except East Texas — Daily/Possession — No bag limit (31 TAC §65.46(b)) — the year-round counties have no daily or possession cap at all. East Texas — Daily (general and youth-only season) — 10. East Texas — Possession — 20. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting squirrel in Texas?
On opening day (September 25, 2026) legal light runs 06:57 to 19:59. The rule is: One-half hour before official sunrise to one-half hour after official sunset — squirrel is a game animal in Texas, and TPWD's Outdoor Annual gives that single rule for game animals and non-migratory game birds. It is NOT the migratory-bird rule: dove and waterfowl stop at sunset, squirrel may be hunted a further half hour. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Texas sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt squirrels on my own land in Texas without a license?
Texas requires a license for essentially all game even on your own land — the one landowner carve-out is feral hogs, which a resident landowner (or anyone with their consent) may take without a license. Deer, turkey, and everything else still need the usual license and tags.
Verified · Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. TPWD's Outdoor Annual squirrel page (fetched directly, redirects internally within tpwd.texas.gov but resolves) plus 31 Texas Administrative Code §65.46 (the codified rule, read via a Cornell Law/eLaws mirror since the Texas Secretary of State's texreg site has moved and no longer serves the rule text directly) were cross-checked against each other and agree. Texas splits squirrel regulation in two: (b) 'all other counties' run Sept. 1, 2026 – Aug. 31, 2027 with literally no closed season and, per the rule text, 'no bag limit' at all — modeled here as a yearRound segment since it is continuously open across the calendar year. (a) A fixed list of 51 East Texas counties (Anderson, Angelina, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Chambers, Cherokee, Delta, Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Galveston, Gregg, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Jasper, Jefferson, Lamar, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Marion, Montgomery, Morris, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Orange, Panola, Polk, Rains, Red River, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Walker, Wood) instead run a dated season (Oct. 1, 2026 – Feb. 28, 2027, plus May 1–31, 2027) with a daily bag limit of 10 and possession limit of 20, plus a youth-only weekend (Fri–Sun immediately before Oct. 1, i.e. Sept. 25–27, 2026) at the same limits. IMPORTANT — this is the reverse of the tip that prompted the double-check: East Texas is the region WITH a bag limit; it is the rest of the state (the year-round counties) that has none. Both the TPWD page and the codified rule state this the same way, so it is not a one-source artifact.