How to Get Your Texas Youth Hunting License

If you want to know how to get your Texas youth hunting license, you have to be under 17 at the time of purchase and pay a $7 fee through the Texas Parks and Wildlife system. Once purchased, the license is valid through August 31 of the license year.

The application process is simple and affordable, so younger hunters can get their legal start to hunting with minimal obstacles. However, there are age-based education and licensing requirements that we’ll explore in more detail below. 

How to Get a Texas Youth Hunting License

How to get your Texas youth hunting license comes down to three primary things:

1. Meeting the state’s hunter education requirements
2. Purchasing the license
3. Adding the required endorsements for the game you’re hunting.

If you’re unsure how these rules apply, it helps to understand when you need hunter education before getting a Texas hunting license.

Step 1: Meet Hunter Education Requirements

While completing a hunter education course is not required to purchase a Texas youth hunting license, it is required in some circumstances based on the child’s age. 

Children under 9 do not need a hunter education certificate. However, to legally hunt, the child must be accompanied by a licensed hunter who is at least 17 years old. This adult hunter must have completed a hunter education course or be legally exempt from that requirement. 

Youth ages 9-16 have two options:

• Hunt under the supervision of a qualified adult
• Or, complete a Texas-approved hunter safety course.

Texas currently offers a $15 course that can be completed as an in-person class lasting about six hours or as a free online course with a mandatory four-hour in-person field day. 

Step 2: Purchase the License

The current fee for a Texas youth hunting license is $7 for residents and non-residents. The license is valid through August 31 of the license year. 

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers several options for purchasing the license. 

Once you’ve purchased the youth license, the next step is to make sure you have the necessary endorsements for the type of hunting you’ll be doing. 

Step 3: Check for Required Endorsements

Fortunately, youth hunters aren’t required to purchase most endorsements. There are a few exceptions, including:

• Waterfowl: A Federal Duck Stamp is required for hunters age 16 and older. 
• Migratory birds: You must have a HIP Certification to hunt migratory birds such as doves. HIP is free, easy to obtain, and required for every state where you hunt migratory birds.
• Reptile and amphibian: If you’re hunting or collecting snakes, lizards, turtles, or frogs, you’ll need this endorsement attached to your youth license.

Since regulations can change from season to season, always check current Texas game laws before heading to the field. 

Step 4: Consider Youth Hunting Opportunities

Texas is a state that embraces hunting and has created several youth-specific hunting opportunities to safely introduce young hunters to the sport within educational and supportive environments. 

The Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP) provides affordable guided hunts for young hunters ages 9-17 on public wildlife management areas. These are structured hunts that focus on safety and education, pairing youth with experienced mentors for hands-on learning in proper hunting techniques and ethics. 

TPWD also offers several youth-only drawn hunts with reduced or waived fees. These special hunts typically take place on prime hunting locations to give young hunters the chance to have positive first hunts while building confidence in their abilities and hunting skills.

What Is a Texas Apprentice (Youth) Hunting License?

For hunters under 17, the Texas Youth Hunting License is the perfect entry-level license. A licensed adult mentor must supervise the apprentice at all times in the field since the young hunter has not yet completed a hunter education course. 

This apprentice-type hunting license was designed to introduce young hunters to safe hunting practices in a controlled environment, allowing them to learn directly from an experienced mentor who can help build a strong foundation in safety, marksmanship, and fieldcraft. 

Since this license is extremely affordable and accessible, it is one of the most streamlined and effective ways for new hunters to legally get started. 

Who Qualifies for the Youth Hunting License?

If you’re wondering if there are any hidden qualifications or fees for getting your Texas youth hunting license, there aren’t any. 

How to Use the Texas Youth License Properly

Once you get your Texas youth hunting license, you are granted legal hunting privileges in the state. However, those privileges come with specific requirements that must be followed every time you’re in the field. 

Follow Accompaniment Rules

An adult who is at least 17 years old and who holds a valid hunting license must accompany the youth license holder during the hunt. The adult license holder must have also completed, or be exempt from completing, a TPWD-approved hunter education course. 

Carry Your License

Like all hunters, the youth hunter must carry the license at all times while hunting and be prepared to show it upon request by a game warden. The license can be a printed copy or a digital version stored on a mobile device.

Know the Regulations

Stay current on Texas’s hunting regulations. They can change from season to season, so make a point of knowing the current seasons, bag limits, shooting hours, legal weapons, and ammunition.

Also, follow all public and private property rules. 

Add Required Endorsements When Needed

If you're hunting waterfowl, migratory birds, or specialty species like deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, turkey, and alligator, you will need to purchase additional endorsements. These can be in the form of duck stamps or tags. 

Properties participating in the Managed Lands Deer Program (MLDP) may issue their own tags, which you'll need to carry with you in the field.

Pro Tips for First-Time Youth Hunters

Once you know how to get your Texas youth hunting license, shift your focus to preparation and setting realistic expectations to make your first hunting season a success.

Tip #1: Prepare for Your Hunt

Since you can never be too prepared, spend time at the range to build a solid foundation in shooting fundamentals and safe firearms handling. Work toward developing proper muscle memory for loading, aiming, manipulating the safety, and shooting. Many of these basics can also be drilled at home through dry-fire practice. 

Tip #2: Start With a Mentored Hunt

Before pursuing game on your own, participate in a mentored hunt through TYHP programs or with experienced (and licensed) family members or friends. Hunting with someone who has years of experience can teach you (or young hunters) critical decision-making skills and tactics that could take you decades to learn on your own. 

Tip #3: Take a Hunter Safety Course

Even though participating in mentored hunts allows you to delay getting a hunter education certificate, take a course as soon as you’re eligible. These courses teach critical basic skills, including firearms safety, conservation, ethical practices, species identification, basic first aid, and more.

Learning these critical skills in a classroom is easier than trying to absorb them during the excitement of your first hunt. 

Tip #4: Double-Check Hunting Regulations Every Season

Finally, hunting regulations frequently change in response to ongoing updates to game management plans. Make a point of checking regulations at the beginning of each season and consider subscribing to email updates from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Take a Hunter Education Course to Hunt Safely in Texas

Even though the Lone Star state makes youth hunting affordable and accessible, long-term success as a hunter requires a commitment to safety, proficiency, ethics, and wildlife conservation. Even if you’re hunting with a mentor and don’t need to get your hunter safety certificate right away, consider taking a hunter education course anyway. 

A hunter safety course through ilearntohunt is the perfect educational companion for your supervised hunts. Our Texas course will prepare you to make better decisions in the field and, when you’re ready, help ease the transition to independent hunting.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What do you need to get a youth hunting license in Texas?

A: The Texas Youth Hunting License is available to any resident or non-resident under 17 years of age, costs $7, and can be purchased online, by phone, or at a store that sells hunting licenses. Youth are exempt from state hunting endorsement requirements, except for the Reptile and Amphibian Endorsement.

Q: Can a 17-year-old hunt youth season in Texas?

A: No. Only licensed hunters 16 years of age or younger are eligible to participate in Texas youth-only seasons.

Q: What is the Texas Youth Hunting Program?

A: Founded in 1996 by the Texas Wildlife Association and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, TYHP provides youth ages 9–17 with safe, educational hunting experiences for deer, turkey, waterfowl, and more, typically including mentors, lodging, and meals.

Q: How old do you have to be to take a youth hunter hunting?

A: The accompanying adult must be at least 17 years old, licensed to hunt in Texas, and hunter-education certified (or exempt) to take a youth hunter hunting. On public hunting lands, the supervising adult must be at least 18 years old.

Q: What age do kids need a hunter safety course in Texas?

A: The minimum age for hunter education certification in Texas is 9. Children under 9 must be accompanied by a licensed, hunter-education-certified adult. Hunters ages 9 through 16 must either complete a hunter education course or be accompanied by one.