When Does Turkey Season End in Texas?

Turkey hunting is a popular sport in Texas, with seasons that vary across the state. As an avid turkey hunter it’s important to know when the season ends in your region so you can take full advantage of your hunting opportunities. In this article we’ll break down the closing dates for the 2023-2024 Texas turkey seasons by zone.

Overview of Turkey Season Dates in Texas

There are two main turkey seasons in Texas – spring and fall. The fall season runs from November-January statewide. The spring season is split into zones, with differing season dates for the North, South, East, and Special One-Gobbler Only zones.

Spring season dates:

• South Zone: March 15 – April 27
• North Zone: March 29 – May 11
• East Zone: April 22 – May 14
• One-Gobbler Counties: April 1 – April 30

So when precisely does turkey season end in each Texas spring zone? Let’s take a closer look.

Closing Dates By Zone

South Zone

Encompassing most of central and southern Texas, the South Zone spring season begins in mid-March. The season runs for 6 weeks, closing on April 27, 2024. This is the earliest closing date among the spring turkey zones.

Counties included in the South Zone are:

• Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bexar, Blanco, Brazos, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Colorado, Comal, DeWitt, Fayette, Frio, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Hays, Jackson, Karnes, Kendall, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Live Oak, Madison, Matagorda, Milam, Robertson, Travis, Victoria, Washington, Wharton, Wilson

North Zone

The North Zone covers northeastern Texas and parts of the Panhandle The spring turkey season here begins in late March and ends on May 11, 2024. This closing date is 2 weeks later than the South Zone.

Counties included in the North Zone are:

• Archer, Armstrong, Baylor, Bell, Bosque, Bowie, Briscoe, Callahan, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Collin, Cooke, Crane, Crosby, Dallam, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Franklin, Garza, Gray, Grayson, Gregg, Hall, Hamilton, Harrison, Hartley, Haskell, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Howard, Hunt, Jack, Johnson, Jones, Kaufman, Kent, King, Knox, Lamar, Limestone, Llano, Lubbock, Lynn, Marion, Mills, Montague, Morris, Motley, Navarro, Nolan, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Rains, Red River, Rockwall, Rusk, San Saba, Shackelford, Smith, Somervell, Stephens, Stonewall, Tarrant, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, Wichita, Wise, Wood, Yoakum, Young

Eastern Zone

The spring Eastern Zone turkey season has a mid-April start date of April 22nd and concludes on May 14, 2024. This closing date is the latest among the Texas turkey zones.

The counties included in the Eastern Zone are:

• Anderson, Angelina, Bowie (south of U.S. Highway 82), Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Delta, Fannin (south of U.S. Highway 82), Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Houston, Jasper (national forest area only), Lamar (south of U.S. Highway 82), Marion, Morris, Nacogdoches, Newton, Panola, Polk, Red River (south of U.S. Highway 82), Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur

Special Western One-Gobbler Counties

In these 10 counties of central and southeastern Texas, only one gobbler may be harvested per season. The spring turkey season here runs for the month of April, closing on April 30, 2024.

The One-Gobbler Only counties are:

• Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Fayette, Jackson, Lavaca, Lee, Matagorda, Milam, Wharton

Youth-Only Weekends

Don’t forget that Texas also offers special youth-only turkey hunting weekends prior to the opening of the general spring seasons. In 2024, these will take place:

• March 15-16 (North Zone)
• March 8-9 (South Zone)
• March 22-23 (North Zone)
• May 3-4 (South Zone)
• May 17-18 (North Zone)

This allows youth under 17 years old a special opportunity to hunt before the regular season opens. Accompanying adults may assist but not hunt turkeys during these weekends.

Fall Turkey Season

While less popular than spring, Texas does also have a fall turkey season that runs statewide from early November through January.

In 2023-2024, the fall season dates are November 3, 2023 – January 14, 2024 in the North Zone and South Zone. The fall season offers hunters a chance to pursue birds again after the spring season closes.

Get Out There and Hunt

As you can see, turkey season in Texas provides ample hunting opportunities from November through May. With seasons ending as late as mid-May in some regions, there’s plenty of time to bag your bird. Just be sure to note the closing dates for the zone you’ll be hunting in.

Now get out to your favorite Texas turkey haunts and make the most of the 2023-2024 seasons! With proper preparation and persistence, you can experience the thrill of a successful turkey hunt before the spring season comes to an end.