Tennessee Deer Hunting
- Deer Management Units, Season Dates & Bag Limits
- Earn-a-Buck and Replacement Buck Programs
- Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Regulations
- General Deer Hunting Regulations
- Big Game Mobile - Tag Before You Drag - Check-In Procedures
- TWRA Check-In Station Map
- Elk & Bear - Quota Hunt Information
- A Word About Tree Stand Safety
- Free Online Safety Course for Tree Stands
Out-of-State Hunters - Be aware of carcass importation restrictions for deer, elk, moose and caribou. CWDinTennessee.com
Unit 1 includes Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lauderdale, Lake, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Shelby, Tipton, and Weakley counties.
Unit 2 includes Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Giles, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Perry, Robertson, Stewart, Sumner, Wayne, and Williamson counties.
Unit 3 includes Bedford, Cannon, Clay, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Macon, Moore, Overton, Putnam, Rutherford, Smith, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, White, and Wilson counties.
Unit 4 includes Anderson, Bledsoe, Campbell, Claiborne, Cumberland, Fentress, Grainger, Grundy, Hancock, Morgan, Pickett, Scott, Sequatchie, and Union counties.
Unit 5 includes Bradley, Hamilton, Loudon, Knox, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Rhea, and Roane counties.
Unit 6 includes Blount, Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Monroe, Polk, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties.
August Archery Only (Velvet) Hunt
The WMAs below will open for the Archery (Velvet) hunt August 22-24, 2025. Reminder, no WMAs in other units are open for this hunt. The August Archery (Velvet) Hunt also includes private land. Some WMAs list “open with statewide seasons,” but this does not include the August Archery (Velvet) Hunt. Please check regulations carefully before heading out.
Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park and State Natural Area
Eagle Lake Refuge
Bomprezzi Unit of the Eagle Lake Refuge
Wolf River Wildlife Management Area Unit 1
Wolf River Unit 2
Piperton Wetland
Chickasaw State Forest Wildlife Management Area
Gray’s Creek Wildlife Management Area
Oak Dain Wetland
Big Hill Pond State Park
Tull Bottom Wildlife Management Area
South Fork Refuge
Spring Creek Wildlife Management Area
Colonel Forest V Durand Wildlife Management Area
Fort Ridge Wildlife Management Area
Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge
John Tully Wildlife Management Area
Horns Bluff Refuge
Maness Swamp Refuge
Parker Branch Wildlife Management Area
Perry Switch Wildlife Management Area
Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge
Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge
Carcass Transport into Tennessee:
Only approved parts (i.e., deboned meat, clean skulls, skull plates and teeth, antlers, finished taxidermy, hides, and tanned products) from deer, elk, moose, and caribou may be brought into TN.
CWD Management Zone for Carcass Transportation & Wildlife Feeding Restrictions
Deer carcass transportation and wildlife feeding restrictions apply to the CWD Management Zone. These restrictions have been put in place to reduce the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease. The CWD Management Zone (map on right) includes Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Madison, McNairy, Lake, Lauderdale, Lewis, Obion, Shelby, Tipton, Wayne, and Weakley Counties.
Carcass transport restrictions reduce the chance that an infected deer carcass becomes a source of infection in a new area, while wildlife feeding restrictions reduce deer exposure to potential infections in other deer and in the environments where deer unnaturally congregate due to supplemental feeding. Approved parts (i.e., deboned meat, clean skulls, skull plates and teeth, antlers, finished taxidermy, hides, and tanned products) may be moved freely within Tennessee. There are restrictions on moving unapproved parts (i.e., whole or undressed carcasses) from county-to-county depending on whether the county resides in the CWD Management Zone.
Visit the CWD Management Zone for Carcass Transportations and Wildlife Feeding Restrictions for more details.
Deer Harvest Check-In
All harvested deer must be checked in. Visit Big Game Check-In Procedures for details.
Antlered Deer
Male or female deer with at least one (1) antler that is a minimum of three (3) inches in length. All Units (statewide) - Two (2) antlered deer (1 per day, not to exceed 2 for the season). The bag limit of two (2) antlered deer may be exceeded if taken as a bonus deer, taken under the Earn-A-Buck Program, or taken as a Replacement Buck.
Antlerless Deer
Male or female deer with no antlers or with antlers that are less than three (3) inches in length. Antlerless deer hunters may harvest up to the antlerless bag limit in each Deer Management Unit (DMU). Moving to a different county within the same DMU does not increase the hunter’s bag limit.
Legal Equipment
Archery equipment is legal during muzzleloader and gun seasons; muzzleloading equipment is legal during gun season.
Albino Deer
Hunting, trapping, or possession of albino deer is prohibited as set forth in TCA 70-4-130. An albino deer is a deer with a lack, or significant deficiency, of pigment in the skin and hair, and has pink eyes.
The TWRA urges all deer hunters hunting from tree stands to use a fall restraint system. Most deer hunting accidents involve hunters falling from a tree stand. Proper use of a fall restraint system could prevent or lessen the severity of these accidents.
Related Deer Hunting Links
