Texas Porch

Foraging / Antlers & finds

Shed antlers & other finds.

The odds and ends people pick up outdoors - a dropped antler, a pretty feather, a stick of firewood. Here's what you can actually keep.

Shed antlers

Every winter and spring, deer naturally drop their antlers, and picking up a naturally shed antler is widely treated as fine on private land with permission - it's not from a hunted animal, so there's no tag or license. TPWD doesn't spell this out in a single rule, though, and collecting antlers (like anything else) is clearly off-limits in state parks, wildlife management areas, and national wildlife refuges. When in doubt, ask. (This is about naturally shed antlers - not antlers from a deer taken illegally.)

Feathers

Feathers are tempting, but off-limits for native birds. You can't keep the feathers, nests, or eggs of protected birds - even ones you find (see the Wildlife hub). Feathers from legally hunted game birds and a few non-native species are okay.

Firewood

Don't gather firewood in state parks, and don't move firewood long distances - it spreads tree-killing pests. Buy it where you'll burn it (see the Camping hub).

Keep going

Where you can collect

The land map.

The land map ->

Wild food

Plants you can gather.

What to gather ->

Bluebonnets

The famous flower myth.

Settle the myth ->

Foraging hub

Back to the main guide.

Open the hub ->

Official sources

Park collecting rules come from TPWD; bird-feather protection comes from the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Shed-antler legality isn't laid out in a single rule, so when in doubt, ask.

Data vintage:
Finds and keep-it rules as reviewed June 2026
Last reviewed:
June 15, 2026

Caution: Collecting anything - antlers included - is prohibited in state parks, WMAs, and wildlife refuges. For shed antlers elsewhere, confirm with TPWD or the landowner.

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