Where in Texas can you hunt rabbits and squirrels with a .22 on public land.

I don't know how to look that up on any resources that are available online or on the outdoor annual app.

Thanks for your help.

Look on the public land map and it tells you what firearms are legal. Example....


Sam Houston National Forest
White-tailed Deer: bag limit - 2 buck and 2 antlerless (all seasons combined). LEGAL
BUCK must have at least one unbranched antler or an inside spread of at least 13
inches. Limit 1 buck with an inside spread of at least 13 inches.
Archery Only Season: Oct. 2-Nov. 5 (either sex). No USFS Antlerless Deer Permit
required.
General Season: Nov. 6-Jan. 2 (buck only unless in possession of a USFS Antlerless
Deer Permit obtained from the USFS. See USFS Additional Restriction section for more
information on antlerless deer permits).
Muzzleloader: Jan. 3-16 (either sex, buck must have at least one unbranched antler). No
USFS Antlerless Deer Permit required.
Feral Hog: Open year round (no bag limit). Only legal firearms, archery equipment, precharged pneumatic air guns and arrow guns; may be used.
Waterfowl: Shooting hours - one half hour before sunrise to sunset. Hunting is allowed
each day of the Early Teal, North Zone Duck, Falconry, and Eastern Zone
Goose seasons (including any special conservation season).
Woodcock, Rail, and Gallinule: Each day of Statewide and Falconry Seasons.
Snipe: Each day of Statewide Season.
Dove: Each day of Central Zone Dove and Falconry season.
Squirrel Furbearers Rabbits & Hares
Crayfish Predators
Bullfrogs: daily limit of 25. Fishing: No APH or LPU permit required.
Trapping: Nov 1-Mar. 31, furbearers and predators only.
SPECIAL REGULATIONS: Only hunters are required to possess the APH Permit


South China Rd
Dove: Each day of the of the Central Zone Dove season
(Mourning and White-winged).
Early Teal: Each day of the Early Teal season.
Waterfowl: Each day of the North Zone Duck and
Eastern Zone Goose seasons (including any late
conservation season).
Snipe: Each day of Wilson's Snipe season.
Rabbits: May be taken while hunting dove and waterfowl.
Means Restrictions: Shotguns are the only legal means
that may be used or possessed during these hunts.

Somerville WMA
Archery Only White-tailed Deer Season: Oct.2-Nov. 5 and Nov. 25-28 (either sex) and
Nov. 6-24 and Nov. 29-Jan. 2 (buck only). Bag limit - 2 deer (1 buck and 1 antlerless). LEGAL
BUCK must have at least one unbranched antler or have an inside main beam spread 13
inches or greater
Archery Only Feral Hog: No Closed season (no bag limit). Baiting allowed Apr. 1-Aug 15.
Squirrel, Rabbits & Hares: Jan. 3-Mar. 31 (use of dogs allowed). Falconry may be used to
hunt these species during these dates.
Furbearers: Nov. 6-Mar. 31, Night only (use of dogs allowed). Shotguns are the only legal
means that may be used.
Waterfowl: Hunting is allowed each day of the Early Teal, North Zone Duck, and
Extended Falconry seasons.
Dove: Every day of Central Zone Dove season. Fishing: No APH or LPU permit required.
Means Restriction: Firearms restricted to shotguns with no larger than #2 shot. Non-toxic
shot must be used for waterfowl hunting. Air-rifles maybe used for Rabbit and Hares only.
SPECIAL REGULATIONS: Only hunters are required to possess an APH Permit. NO
ORVs or ATVs allowed; for information regarding disabled access contact Nails Creek SP. See
Prohibited Acts for further restrictions.

Welcome to THF.

If I might make a recommendation, use a 12 gauge. Save money on shells buying the cheapest #6 lead loads you can find.

I shoot steel only, I stock up on the blue 100 round boxes of Federal steel #4 loads. Find them at Walmart just before and during duck season. Steel #4 loads are legal everywhere that using a shotgun is legal to hunt. I get away for 45 to 50 cents per shot and even in todays crazy world it is plentiful during waterfowl season.

You can hunt the corps lakes with said 12 gauge and steel. In fact you can probably do more public hunting with a 12 gauge than anything else in Texas, maybe even more than with a bow. Whole lot more effective than a bow for small game. Use corps lakes to your advantage. Stock up on steel loads and foster slugs. Here are the corps lakes regs:

https://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/lake/SWF_Hunting_Guide_Final_2021_2022.pdf

Final recommendation- shop the pawn shops and look for a used Mossberg 835 with light rust on the barrel. Now you have a good cheap repeater that probably throws as good or better patterns with steel than anything at any price range.

I have killed squirrels from over 70 paces with mine using a factory full choke and federal #4’s, from the blue 100 round bulk pack. Only issue is you can’t shoot slugs in the overbore barrel… but I think that’s why it shoots steel so good. These guns were designed with 3.5” steel loads in mind for geese. I bought a snoothbore slug barrel for mine.

Shotguns probably do less meat damage than a .22, they poke tiny holes but are deadly. Learn to use the edge of the pattern at close range, or center it on the head at very close range.

Good luck