On Friday, Oct. 30, the first firearm weekend of the fall begins on the Caddo National Grassland north of Honey Grove. The early youth-only deer weekend runs Oct. 30 through Nov. 1, 2026. General gun season opens the following Saturday, Nov. 7, and runs to Jan. 3, 2027. From then until mid-January, hunting dates set the rules for the whole grassland. That includes the riders at the Bois d'Arc Trailhead, the campers at West Lake Crockett and the crappie anglers at Coffee Mill Lake.
The grassland is open year-round, so none of these dates close it. What they change is the rules for anyone on it, from what to wear to where shooting is allowed.
The Calendar That Runs Through January
Fannin County is in the North Zone, and the Caddo National Grassland WMA is public hunting land managed jointly by Texas Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service. Here is the 2026-27 sequence, taken from the TPWD Fannin County regulations page and the TPWD duck regulations.
| Window | Dates | What's happening |
|---|---|---|
| Archery only | Oct. 3 to Nov. 6, 2026 | Bowhunting, already underway |
| Early youth only | Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, 2026 | First firearm weekend of the fall |
| General season opener | Nov. 7 and 8, 2026 | Mandatory deer check station |
| Antlerless by license tag | Nov. 7 to 29, 2026 | On Caddo, a separate USFS permit is also required |
| Duck, first split | Nov. 14 to 29, 2026 | North Zone regular season |
| Duck, second split | Dec. 5, 2026 to Jan. 31, 2027 | North Zone regular season |
| General season closes | Jan. 3, 2027 | Last day of gun season |
| Late youth only and muzzleloader | Jan. 4 to 17, 2027 | Final firearm window for deer |
From Nov. 14 to 29, three seasons run at once: deer gun season, the antlerless window and the first duck split. That makes the second half of November the busiest stretch on the calendar.
Opening Weekend Has Its Own Rules
Opening weekend is the only time the grassland has a mandatory deer check station. TPWD's Caddo WMA hunting page says any deer taken from the start of legal shooting hours on Saturday until noon Sunday has to be checked. The station is open from sunrise to 7 p.m. on Saturday and from sunrise to 1 p.m. on Sunday. In 2026 that means Nov. 7 and 8.
The rest of the opening-day rules are the same as for any public hunt, with a few Caddo-specific details:
- Hunters need a valid hunting license, the right tags and stamps, and either the Annual Public Hunting permit or a special permit. Only hunters need the $48 APH permit. Hikers, riders and anglers do not.
- Hunters on Forest Service units have to register electronically through the Texas Hunt & Fish app or website, and every deer harvested there has to be reported through that same eOSR system.
- All pasture roads are closed to vehicles, and that includes access by disabled users.
- On the Caddo grassland, taking an antlerless deer during general season requires a USFS antlerless permit. The license tag alone is not enough. Those permits are limited and come through a drawing. Applications closed Sept. 15, 2026.
Archery-only, youth-only and muzzleloader-only seasons do not need the antlerless permit. That affects the youth weekend that starts Oct. 30 and the January muzzleloader window. Fannin County's overall limit is four deer, no more than two bucks and two antlerless. Only one of those bucks may have an inside spread of 13 inches or more.
Two TPWD Pages, Two Answers on Orange
The question that matters most to people who don't hunt is whether they have to wear hunter orange. Two TPWD pages answer it differently.
TPWD's Caddo National Grasslands WMA hunting page reads:
"Hunters and non-hunters must wear hunter orange during daylight hours at any time when firearm hunting for any species is authorized on the unit (except turkeys, waterfowl, and dove)."
TPWD's statewide public hunting guidance for U.S. Forest Service units has a narrower requirement. It applies to "all hunters and those accompanying them in the field." They must wear at least 400 square inches of hunter orange in daylight, with at least 144 square inches on both the chest and the back, plus orange headwear. That page then adds:
"All National Forest and Grassland visitors are encouraged to wear daylight fluorescent orange when pursuing recreational activities during the fall/winter hunting seasons."
So one page says non-hunters "must" wear orange and the other says visitors are "encouraged" to. Both come from the same agency and cover the same ground. Both list exemptions for waterfowl, turkey and dove hunting. Firearm deer hunting runs from Oct. 30 to Jan. 17 with only the archery days before it, so the question applies to nearly every fall and early-winter visit. TPWD's Caddo hunting information line is (903) 982-7107. The National Grasslands office is at (940) 627-5475.
This post is general information about published hunting and recreation rules, not legal advice. Confirm your own situation with TPWD or the Forest Service before you go.
Where the Campsites Sit in All This
The same Forest Service guidance limits where shooting can happen. No firearm or other weapon may be discharged within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area. Shooting across or on a National Forest System road, or a body of water next to one, is also prohibited. The grassland's developed sites have that buffer around them, and the Forest Service lists all of them as open:
Bois d'Arc Trailhead. This is the horse camp. The Forest Service lists it as open, with 26 campsites, while Recreation.gov lists 28 for the same trailhead. The Forest Service page also lists toilets, horse washing and drinking water, at $10 per site per night. From Honey Grove, take FM 100 north for 12 miles, then FM 409 west for 5½ miles, and turn left into the trailhead. Recreation.gov lists hiking, biking and backpacking among the activities there.
Coffee Mill Lake Recreation Area. The Forest Service lists it as open and says Road 917A is open.
West Lake Crockett. Open, with 12 first-come, first-served campsites.
East Lake Crockett. Open, but the boat launch is closed until further notice.
These listings were last updated between October 2025 and March 2026. Treat them as the posted status, and check with the district before a trip that depends on a specific site.
The Water Runs on a Different Calendar
Deer season covers the whole grassland. The two lakes follow their own fishing seasons, which happen to peak in the same months.
Coffee Mill Lake is 650 acres by TPWD's count and 750 by the Forest Service's. TPWD lists it as up to 30 feet deep, off FM 409 about 10 miles northeast of Bonham. TPWD rates its bass fishing good and its catfish, crappie and sunfish fishing excellent. It names fall as the time for bass and winter into early spring for crappie. The lake has one boat ramp, at the campground. It is open year-round and requires an access permit. The Forest Service charges $2 per vehicle per day, or $30 for an annual pass that also covers other day-use fee areas.
Lake Davy Crockett is smaller and shallower: 355 acres and up to 20 feet deep. TPWD rates its bass and sunfish fishing excellent and names October through December for catfish. Getting on the water is limited right now. TPWD's access page says the boat ramp is closed for repairs and the lake is open only to kayaks and small watercraft. Bank fishing and camping are available at the east and west Forest Service sites. TPWD has also paused its weekly fishing reports while it improves its data collection. For now, the agency's species ratings and seasonal guidance are the best published information on both lakes.
Duck season opens Nov. 14. Waterfowl hunting is one of the exemptions on both TPWD hunter-orange lists. During gun season, a duck hunter on the water may have no orange on while a deer hunter in the pasture behind them must wear it.
Fees Still Pending
The Forest Service took public comments through April 30, 2026, on proposed recreation fee changes for the Caddo and LBJ grasslands. The Southern Region's fee proposal page shows the comment period for the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas as closed and says comments will be reviewed. It does not list a new fee schedule. Until one is posted, the Forest Service still lists $10 a night for camping, $2 per vehicle per day and $30 for the annual pass.
The firearm deer season on the grassland ends with the late youth-only and muzzleloader window, Jan. 4 through 17, 2027. The second duck split continues through Jan. 31.
Owning land next to public ground like the Caddo National Grassland means living with its season dates, road closures and neighbors. At Bois D'Arc Realty, we've worked with Fannin County acreage for more than 30 years, including hunting tracts and recreational land near the grasslands. If you want a place with access like this, we can help you find the right tract. Start Your Country Property Search.
