Bexar County, TX Animal Ordinances: Wildlife Feeding (2026)

Bexar County is home to dense white-tailed deer populations in the Hill Country fringe (north and northwest), javelina on the south and west sides, and expanding coyote and bobcat populations in suburban greenbelts. Texas Parks and Wildlife Code Chapter 62 and 63 govern wildlife and exotic species. On private property, feeding of deer is legal and commonly practiced; hunting over bait is legal in Texas, a distinction from many other states. TPWD 31 TAC 65.10 regulates supplemental feeding in Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) containment and surveillance zones; portions of western Bexar and adjacent counties have been included in surveillance zones at various times, so check current maps before placing a feeder. Feeding wildlife in ways that causes a public safety hazard (attracting coyotes near a residence, concentrating javelina that damage property) can be abated under TX Health and Safety Code Ch. 343 nuisance provisions. San Antonio Parks has rules against feeding wildlife in city parks including pigeons, ducks, and geese. Feeding feral hogs is legal (and often encouraged for trapping), but releasing live feral hogs is a state jail felony under Ag Code 161.141. Migratory birds are protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act; songbird feeding is unregulated.