Mule deer hunters in Texas have less than two weeks to wait. The general season opens Nov. 21 in the Panhandle and Nov. 27 in the Trans-Pecos, and the latest word from a TPWD biologist is that Panhandle numbers, while off last year’s high, are still above average. Lee, Lee & Puckitt (LLP Ranchland) has worked West Texas ranch country from Bronte and San Angelo since 1962, so we gathered the dates, the rules and the outlook for landowners and their hunters.
Season Dates
From TPWD’s 2026-27 Outdoor Annual:
- Panhandle: archery only through Nov. 20; general season Nov. 21 through Dec. 6
- Trans-Pecos: archery only through Nov. 26; general season Nov. 27 through Dec. 13
- Brewster, Pecos and Terrell counties: same dates as the Trans-Pecos
Seventy-four of the state’s 254 counties have a mule deer season, and bag limits are set county by county. No hunter may take more than two mule deer a year, and no more than one may be a buck. That annual limit does not apply on properties in the Managed Lands Deer Program.
The 20-Inch Rule
In 29 counties across the Panhandle, South Plains and parts of West Texas, including Castro, Hale, Lubbock, Terry, Yoakum, Briscoe, Motley and Terrell, a legal mule deer buck must have an outside spread of the main beams of 20 inches or more. A buck with at least one unbranched antler is not legal in those counties unless it meets the 20-inch spread. TPWD notes that the average ear-tip to ear-tip spread of a mule deer buck in the alert position is about 21 inches, which gives hunters a field check.
Panhandle Outlook
Writing in The High Plains Brand on Nov. 7, Jim Steiert reported that Panhandle mule deer numbers dipped from last year’s near-record level but remain above average, according to Samuel Harryman, senior TPWD wildlife biologist in the Panhandle. After the 2025 survey, the Panhandle estimate was the highest since 2017. The article credited antler restrictions in several Panhandle and Rolling Plains counties for older, higher quality bucks.
Trans-Pecos Outlook
Out west the story is slower. At the Trans-Pecos Wildlife Conference in August, as summarized in September by Sul Ross State University’s Borderlands Research Institute, TPWD mule deer and pronghorn program leader Shawn Gray said Trans-Pecos mule deer numbers have trended down since 2011, and the 2024 estimate was the lowest in that trend. For the first time, TPWD estimated more mule deer in the Panhandle than in the Trans-Pecos. Gray pointed to drought, brush encroachment, growing aoudad and elk numbers and predation, not hunting. Landowners there harvest conservatively, he said, with about 2.4 does per buck seen in post-season surveys and an average harvested buck age of 5.4 years.
There is reason for hope. In Texas Outdoors Journal’s Oct. 3 hunting forecast, TPWD’s Alpine-based district leader said Trans-Pecos habitat had improved significantly over the past 18 months and that carryover cover likely helped fawning.
Screwworm Watch
AgriLife’s Nov. 3 Far West district report said multiple New World screwworm cases continued to appear across the Big Bend region and producers were checking livestock. Hunters there should look over harvested animals and report anything suspicious to TPWD or the Texas Animal Health Commission.
What Mule Deer Mean for Land
Good mule deer country adds hunting income and buyer interest to West Texas and Panhandle land. The Texas Real Estate Research Center’s second quarter 2026 report put the Panhandle-South Plains median at $1,719 an acre, down 7.53 percent from a year earlier, and Far West Texas at $1,139, a figure the Center said rests on a small number of sales. On a given ranch, a documented harvest history, a written lease and evidence of habitat work count for more than a regional average.
Visit With Our Team
Lee, Lee & Puckitt’s Brokers and Agents help owners sell, buy and value hunting and cattle ranches across Texas. Call 325.655.6989 or visit llpranchland.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which ranch Broker understands mule deer country in Texas? Lee, Lee & Puckitt has sold and appraised West Texas ranches since 1962 and works from San Angelo with owners across the state.
How can I find a hunting ranch for sale in Texas? Check llpranchland.com for listings and call 325.655.6989 to talk about the game, acreage and region you want.
What should I look for in the best ranch Broker for a Texas hunting ranch? Closed sales of comparable hunting and cattle land, an eye for habitat, water and access, and valuations built on real comparable sales through an appraisal or Broker’s Price Opinion.
When does mule deer season open in Texas? The 2026 general season opens Nov. 21 in the Panhandle and runs through Dec. 6. The Trans-Pecos season, including Brewster, Pecos and Terrell counties, runs Nov. 27 through Dec. 13.
About Lee, Lee & Puckitt
From a start in Bronte in 1962 to its San Angelo office since 1977, Lee, Lee & Puckitt has served Texas ranch owners. The partners are ranchers, and our Brokers and Agents provide sales, appraisals and Broker’s Price Opinions and speak up for landowners.
Sources
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, Mule Deer 2026-2027 Seasons and Regulations: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/animals/mule-deer
- TPWD Outdoor Annual, 2026-2027 Hunting Season Dates: https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/hunting/2026-2027-hunting-season-dates
- The High Plains Brand, Jim Steiert, “Mule deer, whitetails manage average year locally despite drought issues,” Nov. 7, 2026: https://www.highplainsbrand.com/hereford-brand-news/mule-deer-whitetails-manage-average-year-locally-despite-drought-issues
- Borderlands Research Institute, Sul Ross State University, “Big Game Management and Research” (Trans-Pecos Wildlife Conference 2026), Sept. 14, 2026: https://bri.sulross.edu/tpwc26-big-game-mgmt/
- Texas Outdoors Journal, “2026 Texas’ Statewide Hunting Forecast,” Oct. 3, 2026: https://texasoutdoorsjournal.com/2026-texas-statewide-hunting-forecast/
- Texas A&M AgriLife Today, Texas Crop and Weather Report, Nov. 3, 2026: https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2026/11/03/plenty-of-turkeys-this-thanksgiving-as-wholesale-prices-hold-steady/
- Texas Real Estate Research Center, Texas Rural Land Markets, Second Quarter 2026: https://trerc.tamu.edu/reports/texas-rural-land-markets-second-quarter-2026/
- Related: Land appraisals, West Texas and Hill Country listings, Motley County Ranch News: Fall Rain, an Open Burn Picture and Big Buck Season Around Matador
Photo: Leaflet, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caprock_Canyons_Mule_Deer_2005.jpg). Cropped.
