How to Get a Falconry License in Texas
Requirements, fees, exam, and resources for getting into falconry in Texas
Falconry in Texas is regulated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) — Wildlife Conservation Permits / Wildlife Permits Office, specifically the Wildlife Division. To practice falconry legally in TX, you need a state falconry permit. A separate federal falconry permit is no longer issued to individual falconers — the state permit is the one that matters. The process involves passing a written exam, having your facilities inspected, and finding a licensed sponsor if you are applying as an apprentice.
Texas does not publish how many questions its falconry exam has. You need 80% or higher to pass it. Up-front fees for an apprentice come to $63. Texas does not publish a minimum mews size, so build to the federal standard and confirm before your inspection. Below is what you need to get started with falconry in Texas.
The southern United States provides year-round falconry opportunities thanks to mild winters and abundant small game populations. Southern falconers enjoy long hunting seasons and diverse quarry including cottontails, squirrels, and various game birds. The region's mix of open farmland, pine forests, and brushy fencerows creates excellent hawking habitat, particularly for Red-tailed Hawks and Harris's Hawks that thrive in the warmer climate.
More on falconry across the South, including trapping seasons, terrain and the regional community.
Start here
The Texas Hawking Association
You cannot be licensed as an apprentice without a sponsor, and almost everyone finds theirs through the state club. Meets, field days and introductions to general and master falconers all run through Texas Hawking Association. Of everything on this page, this is the link worth following first.
🏛️ Wildlife Agency
All falconry licensing in Texas is handled through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) — Wildlife Conservation Permits / Wildlife Permits Office. Contact them directly with questions about exam scheduling, license applications, and facility inspections.
📝 Exam Requirements
The Texas falconry exam covers raptor biology, training, housing, health care, and both state and federal regulation. You need at least 80% to pass. Texas does not publish the number of questions on its falconry exam. Confirm the format with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) — Wildlife Conservation Permits / Wildlife Permits Office when you book it. Online exam offered quarterly: First Tuesday of February, May, August, November. Contact Falconry Administrator after application submission to schedule.
- •Texas Administrative Code Regulations for Raptor Proclamations
- •California Hawking Club Apprentice Study Guide
Need help preparing? See our falconry exam preparation guide for study strategies and practice questions.
💰 Fees
A new apprentice in Texas pays $63 up front, covering the application and permit. Terms vary by state — some annual, some three or five years — so confirm yours with the agency. This is separate from the state hunting licence you will also need.
Source: agency documentChecked September 13, 2026.
🏠 Facility Requirements
Your facilities must pass inspection before Texas issues a licence. Texas sets no minimum mews floor area in its regulations. The federal standards under 50 CFR 21.82 apply: the enclosure must protect the bird from predators and weather and let it fully extend its wings. A separate weathering area is required where your bird can sun and bathe outdoors. Your facilities must pass a wildlife officer inspection before you can be licensed. Game Warden conducts facility inspection. Video guide available on TPWD YouTube channel.
For detailed construction guidance, see our mews construction guide and facility requirements overview.
🦅 Species Notes
Texas sets its own rules on which raptors may be flown. Federal rules already limit apprentices to red-tailed hawks and American kestrels; the restrictions below are what Texas adds on top.
- ⚠️Peregrine falcon take requires special drawing permit (about 35 permits annually: 21 resident, 14 nonresident)
- ⚠️Peregrine trapping season: September 20 - October 20
Species profiles are in our falconry species guide.
🔗 Resources
📋 Falconry specifics in Texas
- Bag limits are combined, not per species
- Texas caps falconry take of migratory game birds at three a day and nine in possession, “singly or in the aggregate” — the limit runs across all those species together, not separately for each.
- Falconry has seasons of its own
- Texas publishes falconry-only seasons for dove, duck, rails, gallinules, moorhens and woodcock, separate from the general hunting seasons. In the 2026–27 Outdoor Annual the duck, rail and woodcock falconry seasons run 1–21 February 2027. These dates are reset every year, so read the current Outdoor Annual before each season.
Sources
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-04.
🤝 Finding a Mentor in Texas
Every apprentice needs a sponsor holding a general or master permit, and in Texas the state club is where those introductions happen. Sponsors tend to say yes to people who have already started studying and who turn up more than once.
The ask itself is covered in our guide to finding a falconry sponsor.
How to Become a Falconer in Texas
Want to get into falconry in Texas? Here is the recommended path to your license:
- 1Study for the exam — Use our exam prep guide and the study materials listed above.
- 2Find a sponsor — Connect with local falconers — see our guide to finding a sponsor.
- 3Build your facilities — Review mews construction requirements before starting.
- 4Serve your apprenticeship — Plan on at least two years flying one bird under your sponsor — our falconry apprenticeship guide covers what those years involve.
- 5Follow the complete path — See our step-by-step path to becoming a falconer for the full timeline.
- 6Know the license classes — Understand the three license classes and how you will progress from apprentice to general to master.
- 7Budget for equipment — Beyond the mews, work through the falconry equipment list, which prices each item you will need for your first season.
- 8Know the federal rules — Every state’s rules sit on the same federal framework — our guide to federal falconry regulations covers license classes, reporting and moving between states.
This page is a summary for general information, not legal advice. Falconry regulations change, and the authoritative source is always the state agency. Confirm anything you plan to act on with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) — Wildlife Conservation Permits / Wildlife Permits Office on (512) 389-4481. Last checked 2026-08-21.