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Commission adopts 2026–27 hunting, migratory bird proclamation changes including expanded doe days and adjusted turkey rules
Summary
The commission approved multiple season and rule changes for the 2026–27 hunting proclamations: county closures for some turkey seasons, removal of unbearded hen harvest in the north turkey zone, expanded doe days in 21 counties, and a revised muzzleloader definition to include some modern charges.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission adopted amendments to the statewide hunting and migratory game bird proclamations for 2026–27, encompassing seasons and bag limits for upland game, wild turkey, migratory game birds and big game.
Shaun Oldenburger (small game program director) and Blaise Korzekwa (white‑tailed deer program leader) summarized the suite of proposals. Key changes include aligning quail and chachalaca season dates; closing or modifying turkey seasons in counties where mandatory reporting and surveys show minimal populations; removing the ability to harvest unbearded hens in the north turkey zone (north of Highway 120) to protect nesting females; and a proposal to expand four‑day localized doe seasons in 21 counties into a longer special doe season that would generally run from the second Saturday of general season through the Sunday after Thanksgiving (16 days in most years, sometimes up to 23 days due to calendar shifts). Staff also proposed updating the definition of "muzzleloader" to accommodate newer self‑contained powder charges widely accepted in other states.
Staff reported public comment totals for individual subproposals (hundreds of comments across topics, with typically strong majority support for staff recommendations but notable pockets of opposition on specific county or season choices). Commissioners discussed biological rationales, calendar effects across ecoregions and the potential for unintended overlap of seasons that could affect landowners and hunters. Commissioner John McCall raised timing concerns tied to local rut timing and asked staff to consider regional variation in future proposals.
After public comment and brief discussion, the commission approved the package (with an earlier procedural adjustment to restore a traditional dove‑season split). The adopted changes will be published in the Texas Register and applied for the 2026–27 proclamation cycle.
