Restricted Areas in Counties

It is against the law to:

• discharge a firearm on or across a public road or hunt game animals, game birds, exotic animals or fur-bearing animals on public roads.
• hunt any wild animal or wild bird, including exotic animals, on foot or from a vehicle on any public road or road right-of-way, or a boat on public water, except that migratory waterfowl may be hunted from a boat or any floating craft (except a sink box) under certain conditions. (See Migratory Game Bird.)
• possess, shoot or hunt with a firearm, bow and arrow, or crossbow on all land area and water in the Aransas and Poesta Rivers in BEE County; on all of the land area and public water in the state-owned riverbeds of LA SALLE or MCMULLEN counties; and on all of the land area and public water in the state-owned riverbeds of the Nueces, Frio and Atascosa rivers in LIVE OAK County; except for waterfowl hunting on any reservoir (existing or to be constructed) owned, operated, or maintained by a government entity.
• discharge a firearm or shoot an arrow in or on the bed or bank of a navigable stream in DIMMIT, EDWARDS, FRIO, KENEDY, LLANO, MAVERICK, REAL, UVALDE, or ZAVALA counties, or discharge or shoot an arrow that could physically contact the bed or bank of a navigable stream in these counties. This law does not apply to shotguns loaded with shot, including buckshot; or archery equipment designed for bow fishing only. A shotgun slug is prohibited.
• hunt on water of Stillhouse Reservoir or land adjacent to the reservoir owned by the federal government in BELL County, except for game birds hunted with a shotgun. A hunter must be 600 feet from the nearest private property line.
• discharge any firearm or shoot any crossbow or bow and arrow on, along, or across the waters of Oyster Bayou in CHAMBERS County from State Hwy. 65 south to the mouth of Oyster Bayou in the East Bay.
• discharge a pistol or rifle in, on, along, or across: Lake Baird in CALLAHAN County; Lake Texarkana in CASS County; the water of the Trinity River, Wallisville Reservoir, and Lake Anahuac in CHAMBERS County; the water of the Trinity River or Wallisville Reservoir in LIBERTY County; Lake Lavon in COLLIN County; Caddo Lake in HARRISON and MARION counties; and Lakes Daingerfield and Texarkana in MORRIS County; except that a person may hunt migratory waterfowl on these waters with a shotgun during an open season.
• possess for shooting a rifle or pistol on or across the water of Murvaul Lake in PANOLA County.
• hunt wild animals or wild birds or target shoot on land in HARRIS County owned by another without having in immediate possession written consent of the landowner of that land. The written consent must contain the hunter's name, identify the land on which hunting or target shooting is permitted, be signed by the landowner or legal agent for the owner, and must show the address and phone number of the person signing consent. The owner or agent and any person hunting or target shooting with the owner or agent on public or private shooting ranges are exempt from this special regulation.
• use a boat or any other type of floating device to hunt or to access land to hunt any wild bird or wild animal on any portion of Big Sandy Creek in WOOD County that is east of FM Road 2869 and within 2.18 miles of FM Road 2869 or between FM Road 2869 and FM Road 49. (Class A Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanor: $500-$4,000 and/or one year in jail.)
• hunt on Public Hunting Areas without the required permits.
• hunt in a subdivision with lots 10 acres or less in an unincorporated area of a county if the commissioners court, by order, prohibits the discharge of a firearm or the use of archery equipment in such subdivisions. (Contact local county clerk and ask about 235.022, Local Government Code.)
• hunt on any area named as a wildlife sanctuary, nesting, or propagation area.
• hunt in state or federal parks or refuges except as may be provided by special state or federal policies.
• hunt anywhere that hunting has been prohibited by county or city ordinance.
• hunt any wild animal or wild bird on or over privately owned land that is submerged under public fresh water due to seasonal or occasional inundation or submerged under salt water above the mean high tide line. The property must be posted to indicate that hunting is prohibited. (Class C Parks and Wildlife Code misdemeanor: $25-$500 fine only.)