THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THE TEXAS GUIDED GEMSBOK AND SCIMITAR-HORNED ORYX IS NOVEMBER 1, 2026. THE BIG TIME TEXAS HUNTS RAFFLE IS OCTOBER 15, 2026.

Texas allows both adult and youth hunters the opportunity to apply for high-quality hunts across the state. The application deadlines for the 2026/2027 draw hunts began August 1, with deadlines following on the first and fifteenth of every month. This year, the Guided Exotic Hunt Package deadline is August 1. The deadline to apply for guided gemsbok and guided scimitar-horned oryx will be November 1, 2026. October 15 is the deadline to get your entries in for the Texas Grand Slam Hunt Package as well as all other raffles for the Big Time Texas Hunts.

For the official rules for the Big Time Texas Hunts, visit https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/btth/rules.phtml. Public draw applications will only be accepted online at www2.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/public_hunt_drawing/. The online application process is very simple and easy to use. You will first need to create an account and be assigned a customer ID number. If you have any questions or need assistance with applying for any of the guided hunt packages, you can either call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) at 512-389-4800 or the Huntin’ Fool Application Department at 435-865-1020.

For the official rules for the Big Time Texas Hunts, visit https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/btth/rules.phtml. Public draw applications will only be accepted online at www2.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/public_hunt_drawing/. The online application process is very simple and easy to use. You will first need to create an account and be assigned a customer ID number. If you have any questions or need assistance with applying for any of the guided hunt packages, you can either call the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) at 512-389-4800 or the Huntin’ Fool Application Department at 435-865-1020.

You can apply once at each area within a category. For example, you can submit an application for “Gun Deer – Either Sex” at the Chaparral WMA and the James Daughtrey WMA. You can also submit applications for “Gun Deer – Either Sex” and “Gun Deer – Management” at the Chaparral WMA, but you cannot submit two applications for “Gun Deer – Either Sex” at the Chaparral WMA. The new system will not, in most cases, let you submit an invalid application. However, if an invalid application is submitted, your application will be disqualified, and application fees will not be refunded. Only three applications may be submitted for any youth hunt category.

Group applications are accepted in most cases. Some hunts have restrictions on the number of names that can be on an application due to the number of hunt positions available. Information on the number of people that can be on an application is listed in each hunt’s details.

Normally, the drawings will be held the next business day following the application deadline.

Loyalty Points are rewards that increase your chances of getting drawn by entering you or your group into the pool additional times. You receive one Loyalty Point once you have applied in a category. Loyalty Points cannot be purchased. You can only receive one point per category per season. When applying as a group, Loyalty Points will be averaged for everyone on the application. Loyalty Points for each application will then be cubed for the drawing. For example, 2 Loyalty Points cubed (2 x 2 x 2) is equal to 8, meaning you will be entered into the drawing pool a total of eight times.

The application process is simple and quite cheap. Adult application fees can range from $3.00 to $10.00, and all youth hunt entries are free. You can purchase as many chances as you would like for the Big Time Texas Hunts at $9.00 an entry in addition to a $5.00 processing fee. No permit fee is required for successful applicants, but they will need to purchase a Texas hunting license for $315.00.

Legislation passed this spring simplified license options for non-resident hunters from five license options to two. Non-resident hunters hoping to harvest any legal bird or game animal, including alligator, wild turkey, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and whitetail deer, will need to purchase a Non-resident General Hunting License.

Non-resident hunters who plan on targeting exotic animals, small game birds (except wild turkey), non-game animals, fur-bearing animals, squirrel, and javelina for five or less days will need to purchase a Non-resident Special Small Game/Exotic Hunting License.

For more information on non-resident hunting licenses, go to https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/hunting-licenses-and-permits/hunting-licenses.

Hunters must be seventeen years of age or older to apply for the guided hunt packages offered through the public draw system.

Draw odds are all over the place in Texas. We have included a running catalog of the odds from year to year for the guided hunt packages, but with Texas constantly moving hunts in and out of the public draw catalog, the best way to see your odds is to view the hunt. It will list how many total applicants there were and the number of permits issued in the previous year.

Preference points were instituted on September 1, 1985. Now that the application system is online, all preference points will carry over and be called Loyalty Points. Each Loyalty Point provides the applicant an additional chance in the drawing. With the Loyalty Point system, first-year applicants still have the ability to draw these sought-after permits.

Draw odds are all over the place in Texas. We have included a running catalog of the odds from year to year for the guided hunt packages, but with Texas constantly moving hunts in and out of the public draw catalog, the best way to see your odds is to view the hunt. It will list how many total applicants there were and the number of permits issued in the previous year.

Preference points were instituted on September 1, 1985. Now that the application system is online, all preference points will carry over and be called Loyalty Points. Each Loyalty Point provides the applicant an additional chance in the drawing. With the Loyalty Point system, first-year applicants still have the ability to draw these sought-after permits.

As you can imagine, there is a pile of weapon and species options when it comes to hunting in Texas, from rifles and bows to air guns and falconry—if you name it, there’s a good chance it’s on the table. For a detailed and up-to-date listing of dos and don’ts, refer to https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/general-regulations/means-and-methods#section-3.

Outside of the public draw system, Texas has an abundance of opportunity through access permits, landowner tags, and raffle permits. We work with some amazing outfitters in Texas and can get you lined up on a hunt of a lifetime.

There are over one million acres of publicly accessible land scattered across Texas. Hunt areas include property owned by TPWD as well as acreage leased by the department from other state and federal agencies, forest product companies, and other cooperating private landowners. For more detailed information on public land access, go to https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/hunt/public/.