The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is reminding hunters and anglers to purchase their new licenses for the 2026-27 season, with sales opening Aug. 15, according to a news release. Current-year hunting and fishing licenses, except the Year-from-Purchase All-Water Fishing Package, expire at the end of August.
Texans purchase more than 3 million hunting and fishing licenses annually, directly funding conservation efforts and recreational opportunities across the state, the agency said. Fish stocking, wildlife management, habitat restoration, public hunting leases, river access sites and conservation law enforcement by Texas Game Wardens are among the projects made possible by license sales.
Licenses can be purchased through the official TPWD website, at retail locations throughout Texas or at TPWD offices, with a $5 administrative fee applying to online purchases. The department noted that updated identity verification rules are now in effect for license purchases to combat residency fraud and support TPWD law enforcement.
All recreational licenses and endorsement stamps have a digital option, available through online purchase only when licenses go on sale Aug. 15, the release said. Digital license holders must keep their license available on a mobile device in the field or on the water, and must access digital tags through the Texas Hunt & Fish mobile app. Paper license holders may show an electronic copy of their license but must possess and apply physical tags for animals that require tagging.
Hunting and fishing regulations for the 2026-27 season are available at outdoorannual.com and through the free Outdoor Annual mobile app, which works without internet connectivity once downloaded. The Texas Hunt & Fish app also enables electronic submission of mandatory harvest reports and supports on-site registration for many TPWD public hunting lands, where hunters can access more than one million acres with an annual public hunting permit.
Resident license buyers may also purchase $5 entries in the Lifetime License Drawing, with three winners receiving a Lifetime Super Combo License; the first entry deadline is Sept. 30. Buyers can add donations supporting the Hunters for the Hungry program, the Fund for Veterans Assistance or Operation Game Thief, the state’s wildlife crime stoppers program, according to the release.