Hunting in Gaines County requires a Texas license from TPWD

Gaines County hunting starts with a state license and the right add-ons for the bird or animal. TPWD's county page includes mule deer, white-tailed deer, quail, dove, waterfowl, and javelina seasons. For 2025-26, mule deer use the Panhandle antler rules here, so the spread rule matters before anyone raises a rifle.

Pronghorn are handled a different way. TPWD treats pronghorn harvest as permit-by-property. The permit goes to a landowner or agent in huntable parts of the Trans-Pecos, Permian Basin, and Panhandle. The hunter still has to make sure that permit belongs to the land being hunted.

Land access is the other gate. TPWD teaches that more than 95 percent of Texas land is private or managed land. Written permission, a lease, or a clear invite from the owner is what opens the field. The license in your wallet does not do that by itself. The same permission rule applies to bird hunts on crop ground.