AmmoSight

Texas Draw Odds

Texas has no unit-based big-game draw - TPWD's Drawn Hunts program raffles Special Permits for category-based hunts (Gun Deer, Archery Deer, Gun Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Spring Turkey, and the famous Guided Bighorn Sheep package) on WMAs, state parks, refuges and leased private land, and nonresidents apply on exactly the same terms as Texans: same $3 application fee ($10 for private-land and guided packages), one common pool, no residency quota.

Selection is a random draw weighted by Loyalty Points - you earn one point per category per season you apply, your points are cubed for the drawing, and they reset to zero once you win in that category. Nothing is fronted beyond the application fee: winners pay an $80 (2-3 day) or $130 (4-5 day) permit fee only if drawn, and pronghorn, private-lands and guided packages have no permit fee at all.

Applications open July 1 with rolling category deadlines Aug 1 - Nov 1 (archery deer and pronghorn Aug 15, gun deer Sep 15, gun mule deer Oct 1, turkey Nov 1); drawings run the next business day.

Sources: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department documents, last verified September 1, 2026. · 52 sources

Odds by Species

Deer

325 hunt codes
2 public-access hunts a 0-point nonresident had an even chance at in 2025
Tags 2025, All Residencies
6,516
See every deer hunt →

Antelope (Pronghorn)

7 hunt codes
0 public-access hunts a 0-point nonresident had an even chance at in 2025
Tags 2025, All Residencies
14
See every pronghorn hunt →

Bighorn Sheep

1 hunt code
0 public-access hunts a 0-point nonresident had an even chance at in 2024
Tags 2024, All Residencies
1
See every bighorn sheep hunt →

Turkey

25 hunt codes
0 public-access hunts a 0-point nonresident had an even chance at in 2025
Tags 2025, All Residencies
147
See every turkey hunt →

The Rules, Side by Side

Nonresident and resident rules for every species. Small numbers are sources.

Bighorn Sheep
Rule Nonres.Resident
System Bonus³ 4Bonus³ 4
Choices 11
Lower Choice Burns Points No—
Point-Only NoNo
Points Expire NoNo
Party Averages YesYes
NR Share ——
All Species
Rule Nonres.Resident
System Bonus³ 4Bonus³ 4
Choices 11
Lower Choice Burns Points No—
Point-Only NoNo
Points Expire NoNo
Party Averages YesYes
NR Share ——
How This Draw Works, With an Example

Bonus points (cubed): Every applicant gets points³ + 1 entries in a random draw, so more points mean more chances, but never a guarantee.

Buying Points

Texas only awards points to applicants; there is no way to buy one without applying.

Fees

2026 Fee Nonres. Resident
Every Applicant
Drawn hunt application fee, per adult per application (standard Special Permit and NWR categories) 3 To apply $3 $3
Drawn hunt application fee, per adult per application - Private Lands and Guided Hunt Package categories 3 To apply $10 —
General Hunting License (Item 105) - required to hunt deer, mule deer, pronghorn or bighorn sheep; the Upland Game Bird Endorsement for turkey may not be used with the cheaper 5-day license 7 If drawn $315 $25
Special Permit fee - extended 4-5 day hunt (adults only, charged only if drawn; youth free) 3 If drawn $130 $130
Special Permit fee - standard 2-3 day hunt (adults only, charged only if drawn; youth free) 3 If drawn $80 $80
Archery Endorsement (Item 135) - required for Archery-Only season hunts, residents and nonresidents alike 6 If drawn $7 —
Pronghorn
Pronghorn Special Permit - no permit fee (physical permit mailed before the hunt) 2 If drawn $0 —
Bighorn
Drawn hunt application fee, per adult per application - Guided Bighorn Sheep Hunt Package 3 To apply Private-land hunts and guided packages cost $10 per adult per application; most other drawn hunts cost $3. $10 $10
Guided Bighorn Sheep Hunt Package - no permit fee (guided package hunts have no Special Permit fee) 2 If drawn $0 —
Turkey
Upland Game Bird Endorsement (Item 167) - required to hunt wild turkey (not usable with the Non-resident Special 5-Day license) 6 If drawn $7 —
Cash to Apply, One Species $23 $13

Cash to apply adds up every fee due with an application; each extra species adds its own application fee.

Next Application Deadlines

  1. Bighorn sheep — Guided Bighorn Sheep Hunt Package (BXX) 5

    results about Nov 4

    The drawing is held in late November, after the herd surveys set the number of permits. Hunt dates and the ranch are set after the drawing.

    Jul 1 – Nov 1, 2026 15 days

  2. Turkey 1

    results about Nov 4

    Jul 1 – Nov 1, 2026 15 days

  3. Deer — Archery Deer (ADE), Archery Mule Deer (AMD), Archery 1

    results about Aug 16

    (Last cycle ran Jul 1 – Aug 15, 2026.) Deadlines are 11:59 p.m. Central time. If you draw, the permit fee is due about 10 days after the drawing.

    Jul 1 – Aug 15, 2027 302 days expected

  4. Pronghorn 1

    results about Aug 16

    (Last cycle ran Jul 1 – Aug 15, 2026.)

    Jul 1 – Aug 15, 2027 302 days expected

  5. Deer — Private Lands - Antlerless/Spike (PLA), Private Lands - Either Sex (PLE), Youth Only Gun Deer - Either Sex (YDE), Rifle, National Refuge Archery Deer (NAD), E-Postcard Archery Deer (EAD), E-Postcard Youth Archery Deer (EYA) 1

    results about Sep 3

    (Last cycle ran Jul 1 – Sep 1, 2026.)

    Jul 1 – Sep 1, 2027 319 days expected

  6. Deer — Youth Only Gun Deer - Antlerless/Spike (YDA), Gun Deer - Antlerless/Spike (GDA), Gun Deer - Either Sex (GDE), Gun Deer - Management (GDM), National Refuge General Deer (NGE), Youth Only Gun Deer - Management (YDM), E-Postcard Deer (EDR), E-Postcard Youth Deer (EYD), USFS Buck Deer Permit - Adult (FBA), USFS Buck Deer Permit - Youth (FBY), USFS Antlerless Deer Permit - Adult (FSD), USFS Antlerless Deer Permit - Youth (FSY) 1

    results about Sep 16

    (Last cycle ran Jul 1 – Sep 15, 2026.)

    Jul 1 – Sep 15, 2027 333 days expected

  7. Deer — Gun Mule Deer (MDG), National Refuge Deer Antlerless/Spike (NGA), National Refuge Youth Deer (NYD), E-Postcard-Youth Deer Antlerless/Spike (EYS) 1

    results about Oct 2

    (Last cycle ran Jul 1 – Oct 1, 2026.)

    Jul 1 – Oct 1, 2027 349 days expected

  8. Deer — National Refuge Muzzleloader Deer (NMD), Muzzleloader 1

    results about Oct 16

    (Last cycle ran Jul 1 – Oct 15, 2026.)

    Jul 1 – Oct 15, 2027 363 days expected

Dates marked expected are last cycle's schedule rolled forward by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's own rule; confirm them once the new dates are published.

Legal cartridges in Texas by species and weapon

Sources (52)

Draw Rules, Fees and Deadlines

  1. 1. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · 2026-2027 Drawn Hunt Deadlines
  2. 2. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Drawn Hunt FAQs · 2026
  3. 3. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Drawn Hunts - Fees · 2026
  4. 4. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Drawn Hunts - Loyalty Points (formerly Preference Points) · 2026
  5. 5. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Guided Bighorn Sheep Hunt Package - Hunt Category Details · 2026
  6. 6. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Outdoor Annual - Hunting Endorsements (fees) · 2026
  7. 7. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department · Outdoor Annual - Hunting Licenses (fees) · 2026

Draw Results, Hunt Lists and Harvest Reports, 2021–2026

2026 · 1 document
2025 · 1 document
2024 · 7 documents
2023 · 25 documents
2022 · 6 documents
2021 · 5 documents
Report an error on this page

Every report is checked against the agency source before we change anything.

About These Numbers

Rules, fees and deadlines are copied from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department documents and change by commission action; a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. The odds on each species page are last draw's results. Check the agency's site and apply there; we don't take applications. How we compute these.