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Tagging a Deer

A tag from the hunting license of the person who killed the deer or turkey must be correctly and legibly completed (including name of property and county) and immediately attached to the animal (exception is properties with issued tags such as MLD tags).

The hunter MUST:

  • use the specific type of deer or turkey (for example, buck tags must be used only on buck deer, antlerless tags on antlerless deer, etc.)
  • have the month and date of kill clearly cut out on the tag by notching the respective month and day. Do not “ink out.”
  • immediately complete, date and cut out the appropriate hunting license tag after a deer is harvested but before the deer is field dressed, moved or tagged.
  • for white-tailed deer, immediately before moving carcass, complete the log, in ink, on the back of the hunting license. Asterisks in the log indicate bucks with an inside main beam spread of at least 13 inches. Failure to complete the log as required may result in a fine not to exceed $500 for each deer improperly logged.

Completion of the log is not required for mule deer, or for white-tailed deer or mule deer lawfully taken under a MLDP tag, TPWD Special Drawn Public Hunt permit, or on a Big Time Texas Hunt.

Tag cut out3

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