
Season Gear
Texas deer season is open, duck season is close and the cold is coming. Here is what we'd pack.
Get draw deadline reminders
An email before every Texas and Western draw application closes.
Bonus: the free 2027 Western draw deadline calendar (PDF) when you sign up. Free. A few emails a year, timed to deadlines and results. Unsubscribe anytime.
Why trust these picks
We do not lab-test or field-test every product. We choose from established brands, the maker’s specs and dated Amazon ratings.
- Our favorites come first. We lead with proven gear we would trust in the field, never whatever pays the most.
- No paid placements. Brands cannot buy a spot on our lists. Every pick is earned.
- Real specs, real prices. Specs come from the maker, and where we show prices and ratings they are dated so you know they are fresh.
Deer season essentials

For the stand, the blind and the drag out.
- Rifle scope
Clear glass at dawn and dusk is when most deer are taken.
Check priceAffiliate link - Grunt call and rattling antlers
Pulls a rutting buck in close through thick brush.
Check priceAffiliate link - Trail camera
Shows which bucks are using a lease and when they move.
Check priceAffiliate link - Scent control spray
Helps when the wind swirls around a stand.
Check priceAffiliate link - Deer feeder
A standard on Texas ranch leases where feeding is legal.
Check priceAffiliate link - Ground blind
Hides movement on a sendero or field edge without a tree.
Check priceAffiliate link - Field dressing kit
Gloves, saw and blades in one roll for a clean job in the field.
Check priceAffiliate link - Laser rangefinder
Know the yardage before you squeeze, especially across open sage and canyons.
Check priceAffiliate link - 10x42 hunting binoculars
The all-round glass for picking apart ridges and timber edges at first light.
Check priceAffiliate link
Picking a camera for a feeder or lease? Read Best Trail Cameras for Texas Hunters (2026).
Gear guides
What we'd pack for a Texas duck hunt

Stay dry, stay hidden and set a spread that works.
- Insulated chest waders
Dry and warm on a cold north wind in the marsh.
Check priceAffiliate link - Mallard decoys
A realistic spread is what finishes ducks in close.
Check priceAffiliate link - Duck call
A few soft quacks and feed chatter turn circling birds.
Check priceAffiliate link - Layout blind
Lets you hide in open fields and rice stubble with no cover.
Check priceAffiliate link - Floating shotgun case
Protects your gun in the boat and floats if it goes over.
Check priceAffiliate link - Decoy bag
Carries a full spread through mud without tangles.
Check priceAffiliate link - Dry bag
Keeps license, phone and calls dry in the boat.
Check priceAffiliate link
Cold-weather layers

For long sits when the north wind shows up.
- Insulated hunting jacket
The core layer for long, still sits in the stand.
Check priceAffiliate link - Insulated bibs
Bibs seal out the wind better than pants on a cold morning.
Check priceAffiliate link - Merino base layer
Stays warm when you sweat on the walk in, and does not stink.
Check priceAffiliate link - Heated gloves
Keeps your trigger hand working on a frosty morning.
Check priceAffiliate link - Hand warmers
Cheap insurance in every pocket.
Check priceAffiliate link - Insulated boots
Cold feet end more hunts than anything else.
Check priceAffiliate link - Merino hunting socks
Warm and dry inside your boots all day.
Check priceAffiliate link
Draw odds and deadlines: Texas drawn hunts, all deadlines.

Never miss a draw
Apply on time
One short email before each application window closes, and another when results post. Free.
Get deadline emailsGet draw deadline reminders
Texas drawn hunt deadlines (Jul to Nov) and Western draw windows (Jan to Jun), plus results when they post. Sign up and get the free 2027 draw deadline calendar (PDF). Unsubscribe anytime.
