Elk Hunting in Texas
Most of the people do not realize there are free range elk in Texas. And we can find west Texas has a very healthy population of Rocky Mountain Elk and some of the favorite places for elk hunting in the country. Also, there are several mountain ranges out in West Texas that have populations of elk, with access to over (500,000 acres) we got some great high desert elk hunting. Licenses are easily obtained over the counter (OTC), no closed season or state drawing for elk tags in Texas, & hunters can hunt with firearms or archery equipment. With the lower elevation, around 4500 and typically better weather than in the Rocky Mountains, elk hunting in Texas isn’t quite as strenuous as you would expect on most elk hunts.
Elk Hunting Season in Texas
One of the biggest advantages of elk hunting in Texas is that we can rifle hunt during the peak of the rut, while the bulls are bugling. There is no closed season or seasonal restrictions for elk hunting in Texas, they can be hunted year around, but the best time to hunt elk in Texas is during the rut in September and October.
Elk License in Texas
Licenses are $25 for residents, $7 for youth ages 16 & younger and seniors ages 65 & older, and Non-Residents $315.
Where to Hunt Elk in Texas
Elks were only native to a small area in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas and we can’t find anywhere else in Texas. Elk lived in the Guadalupe Mountains were a different, now-extinct species from the elk that live in Texas now a days. There are also several private ranches where you can pay to hunt like Ox Ranch.
Good Gear List for Hunting in Texas
- Hunting License & Other Id’s
- Texas Guide if Non-Resident
- Camera with Batteries
- Mobile Phone
- Belt
- Gloves
- Hat or Beanie
- Pants and Underwear
- Rain jacket
- Vest
- Boots
- Socks
- Hunting Knife
- Spotting Scope
- Binoculars
- Backpack Rain Cover
- Trekking poles
- Rifle or Bow
- Sleeping bag.
- Cooking Stove
- Water Cooler
Texas Elk Hunting Legal Firearms
Game animals & non-migratory game birds may be hunted with any legal firearm, except:
- Rimfire Ammunition of any caliber may not be used to hunt white-tailed deer, desert bighorn sheep, or pronghorn.
- Fully Automatic Firearms
- Shotguns are the only legal firearm that may be used during the spring Eastern turkey season.
- Magazine Capacity number of shells/cartridges allowed, there are no restrictions on the number of shells or cartridges a legal firearm may hold when hunting game animals or game birds (except migratory game birds, see (Legal Shotgun).
- Muzzleloader: any firearm that is loaded only through the muzzle (as opposed to breech-loading firearms). A ball and cap firearm in which the powder and ball are loaded into a cylinder is not a muzzleloader.
- Suppressors (aka silencers): may be used to take any wildlife resource; however, all federal, state and local laws continue to apply.