Kanati Ranch · near Lampasas, TX

This Is Hunting Season

The 2026–27 Texas seasons, all in one place. Bows come out October 3, rifles November 7, and the hogs never take a day off.

2026–27 Season Calendar

September 2026 through August 2027 · Dates from Texas Parks and Wildlife’s Lampasas County listing

SepSOctONovNDecDJanJFebFMarMAprAMayMJunJJulJAugA
White-tailed deer
Archery onlyOct 3 – Nov 6
Youth only (16 & under)Oct 30 – Nov 1 & Jan 4 – 17
General (rifle)Nov 7 – Jan 3
Special late (antlerless & unbranched)Jan 4 – 17
Rio Grande wild turkey
Fall archery onlyOct 3 – Nov 6
Fall youth onlyOct 30 – Nov 1 & Jan 4 – 17
Fall generalNov 7 – Jan 3
Spring youth onlyMar 27 – 28 & May 22 – 23
SpringApr 3 – May 16
Birds
Dove (Central Zone)Sep 1 – Oct 25 & Dec 11 – Jan 14
Teal (September)Sep 19 – 27
Ducks (North Zone)Nov 14 – 29 & Dec 5 – Jan 31
QuailNov 1 – Feb 28
Open all year
Feral hogsEvery day, all year
Exotics (private land)No closed season
SquirrelSep 1 – Aug 31
Rabbits, coyotes & other nongameNo closed season
Furbearers (recreational)Sep 1 – Aug 31
DeerTurkeyYouth-onlySpecial lateDove & quailDucks & tealFeral hogsOpen all year

Howdy, and welcome to hunting season at Kanati Ranch! Whether you’re after a good buck, a fall gobbler, a limit of dove, or a trailer load of pigs, here’s everything you need to know before you head our way. Dates and limits below come straight from the official Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) 2026–27 Outdoor Annual for Lampasas County.

🐗 Feral Hogs: Open Season, 365 Days a Year

No closed season. No bag limit. Come hunt pigs anytime.

Feral hogs are the one thing on this ranch that never goes out of season. Spring, summer, the dead of August, any day you can get here, there are pigs to hunt.

  • No closed season, no bag limit. On private property Texas sets no closed season, no hunting hours, and no state bag or possession limit for feral hogs.
  • No hunting license needed to hunt feral hogs on private property with the landowner’s authorization. That applies to residents and non-residents alike. Hunting at Kanati Ranch by arrangement with us gives you that authorization.
  • Hunter education still applies. If you were born on or after September 2, 1971, carry your hunter education certificate or deferral (see below), even for hogs.
  • Night hunting is legal. Because there are no closed hours for hogs on private land, you can hunt them after dark. Texas law forbids using a light on a game animal or bird such as deer, so be absolutely sure it’s a hog before you shoot. TPWD also asks night hunters, as a courtesy, to let the local game warden know.
  • No live hogs leave the ranch. Transporting and releasing live feral hogs is illegal unless you follow Texas Animal Health Commission rules.

Stay at the Ranch: Camping

Make a weekend of it! Kanati Ranch has several campsites, so you can wake up right where the hunting is. One of the sites has a power pole, so you can plug in your camper or RV.

There are no water or sewer hookups at any of the sites, so please come self-contained and bring your own water.

Custom Guided HuntsColton, ranch manager — custom guided hunts: (505) 721-7989, [email protected]

Season Details

White-tailed Deer

SeasonDates
Archery only (Archery Endorsement required)Oct. 3 – Nov. 6, 2026
Early youth onlyOct. 30 – Nov. 1, 2026
General season (rifle)Nov. 7, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027
Late youth onlyJan. 4 – 17, 2027
Special lateJan. 4 – 17, 2027
  • Bag limit: 5 deer, no more than 2 bucks, all seasons combined.
  • Antler restrictions apply in Lampasas County. A legal buck has at least one unbranched antler, or an inside spread of 13 inches or more. Of your two bucks, only one may have an inside spread of 13 inches or greater. Tip from TPWD: if the antlers reach past the tips of the ears in the “alert” position, the spread is likely at least 13 inches.
  • Special late season: antlerless deer and unbranched-antlered bucks (an antler with no more than one point) only.
  • Youth-only seasons are for licensed hunters 16 years of age or younger.
  • There is no muzzleloader-only season in Lampasas County.
  • Rimfire ammunition of any caliber may not be used on white-tailed deer.

Rio Grande Wild Turkey

SeasonDates
Fall archery onlyOct. 3 – Nov. 6, 2026
Fall youth onlyOct. 30 – Nov. 1, 2026 and Jan. 4 – 17, 2027
Fall generalNov. 7, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027
Spring youth onlyMar. 27 – 28, 2027 and May 22 – 23, 2027
SpringApr. 3 – May 16, 2027
  • Bag limit: 4 turkeys per license year, gobblers or bearded hens only. Harvesting unbearded hens is prohibited.
  • Upland Game Bird Endorsement required.
  • Tag your turkey immediately, and report every turkey within 24 hours in the Texas Hunt & Fish app or online. That is now required in all counties.
  • Never hunt roosting turkeys.

Dove, Quail and Waterfowl

SpeciesDatesDaily bag
Dove (Central Zone)Sept. 1 – Oct. 25, 2026 and Dec. 11, 2026 – Jan. 14, 202715 (no more than 2 white-tipped); possession 3× daily
Quail (bobwhite & scaled)Nov. 1, 2026 – Feb. 28, 202715; possession 45
September tealSept. 19 – 27, 20266 in the aggregate
Ducks (North Zone)Youth & veterans/active military: Nov. 7 – 8, 2026; regular: Nov. 14 – 29, 2026 and Dec. 5, 2026 – Jan. 31, 20276 in the aggregate, with species limits (see TPWD)
Geese (Western Zone)Nov. 7, 2026 – Feb. 7, 20275 dark and 5 light
  • Dove and waterfowl need a Migratory Game Bird Endorsement and HIP certification (just tell the clerk you’ll hunt migratory birds when you buy your license). Waterfowl hunters 16 and older also need a Federal Duck Stamp.
  • Quail need an Upland Game Bird Endorsement.
  • Migratory bird shotguns must be plugged to hold no more than three shells.

Squirrels, Rabbits, Exotics, Predators and Furbearers

  • Squirrel: open Sept. 1, 2026 – Aug. 31, 2027 in Lampasas County, no bag limit.
  • Rabbits and hares: no closed season and no bag limit on private property.
  • Exotics (such as axis deer, aoudad and fallow deer): on private property there is no closed season, no state bag limit and no set hunting hours. A hunting license and landowner permission are required.
  • Coyotes, bobcats and other nongame animals: no closed season or bag limit on private property. A hunting license is required, except for coyotes attacking or about to attack livestock.
  • Furbearers (raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, badger and others): recreational season Sept. 1 – Aug. 31 with no bag limit. A hunting license is required, and recreationally taken furbearers may not be sold.
  • Javelina: no open season in Lampasas County.

Before You Hunt: The Legal Basics

Licenses and Endorsements

  • A Texas hunting license is required for any hunter of any age (feral hogs on private land with landowner authorization are the exception).
  • Texas residents: Resident Hunting License (Senior Resident license for 65 and older, or a Super Combo).
  • Youth under 17 (resident or not): Youth Hunting License. Youth are exempt from state endorsements, but still need HIP certification for migratory birds.
  • Non-residents: the Non-resident General Hunting License is the only license that covers white-tailed deer. The Non-resident Special 5-Day Small Game/Exotic license covers exotics, game birds (not turkey) and small game, but not deer.
  • Endorsements: Archery (to hunt deer during archery-only season), Upland Game Bird (turkey and quail), Migratory Game Bird plus HIP (dove and waterfowl), Federal Duck Stamp (waterfowl, 16 and older).
  • Licenses run from purchase through August 31. Hunters 17 and older must also carry a driver’s license or state ID.

Hunter Education

  • Every hunter born on or after September 2, 1971, including out-of-state hunters, must have completed hunter education and carry proof (paper or in the app).
  • Minimum certification age is 9. Hunters under 9 must be accompanied. Ages 9 – 16 must be certified or accompanied.
  • Age 17 and over without certification may buy a one-time Hunter Education Deferral and hunt accompanied.
  • “Accompanied” means within normal voice control of a licensed hunter at least 17 who has passed hunter education or is exempt.
  • Active-duty military, honorably discharged veterans and peace officers are exempt.

Tagging and the Harvest Log

  • Deer: immediately after harvest, and before field dressing or moving it, fill out the correct tag from your license (including property name and county), cut out the month and day, and attach it. Then complete the harvest log on the back of your license in ink. In antler-restricted counties like ours, check the asterisk box for any buck with a 13-inch or greater inside spread.
  • Digital licenses: tag in the Texas Hunt & Fish app and attach a handwritten note with the confirmation number (or your name, customer number and date/time if you have no signal).
  • Turkey: tag immediately and report within 24 hours.
  • Keep proof of sex with the deer until it reaches its final destination. If deer parts leave the ranch, unused parts must go to commercial trash, be buried at least 3 feet deep, or come back to the property.
  • Lampasas County is not on TPWD’s list of counties with mandatory deer harvest reporting.

Legal Shooting Hours

  • Deer, turkey, quail and other game animals and upland birds: one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.
  • Dove, ducks and other migratory birds: one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
  • Feral hogs, exotics and nongame on private land: no set hours.

Landowner Permission and Safety

  • It is illegal to hunt any animal on private land without the landowner’s consent. Killing a deer without consent is a state jail felony. All hunting at Kanati Ranch is by arrangement with the ranch.
  • Never let a shot cross a property line without written permission from the neighbor, and never shoot from or across a public road.
  • Hunter orange isn’t required on private land in Texas, but we recommend it.
Please verify before you hunt. This page is a friendly summary, not legal advice, and regulations can change during the season. Every hunter is responsible for knowing and following current law. Always check the official TPWD Outdoor Annual and the Lampasas County season listing, or call TPWD at (800) 792-1112. Summary based on the 2026–27 Outdoor Annual (valid Sept. 1, 2026 – Aug. 31, 2027), checked October 18, 2026.

Official Sources