Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Ed Carter, Executive Director

Legal Bucks

Deer must have antlers a minimum of 3 inches in length on buck-only or antlered-only hunts.

Antlerless Deer

Defined as those deer with no antlers or deer with antlers less than 3 inches in length.

Albino Deer

Hunting, trapping, or possession of albino deer is prohibited as set forth in TCA Chapter 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.

Special Season Quota Hunts Eliminated Gun "Doe Day" Now Available In Most Counties

Deer hunters who primarily hunt in Unit A and B counties will no longer need to apply for quota permits to harvest antlerless deer during the gun season this year. Antlerless deer can now be taken during “doe days” in their respective county by anyone holding a Sportsman License, Lifetime Sportsman, Sr. Citizen with Type 166 & 167 license, and landowners hunting on their own land. Regular license holders (Type 001) will need to purchase a Special Season permit (Type 094) to take advantage of the antlerless opportunities.

Once securing the proper licenses or permits, to participate in the antlerless gun hunts,  simply find your county in the below listed table and follow the dates and bag limits prescribed. Unit L hunters are allowed three does per day throughout the gun season (antlerless license requirements still apply). If your county is not in Unit L and is not listed in the table, it is buck-only hunting throughout the gun season.

Unit A includes the following counties:
Bledsoe, Bradley, Clay, Crockett, Cumberland, DeKalb, Dyer, Grundy, Hamilton, Jackson, Lake, Lauderdale, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Overton, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Sequatchie, Tipton, Van Buren, Warren, and White.

Season Type	Season Dates	Antlerless Bag Limit	Antlered Bag Limit
Archery (includes crossbows)	Sep. 24 - Oct. 28, 2011 Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2011	4	3
Muzzleloader and Archery	Nov. 5-18, 2011	4
Gun, Muzzleloader and Archery	Nov. 19, 2011 - Jan. 1, 2012	See table for anterless hunts
Young Sportsman*	Oct. 29-30, 2011 Jan. 7-8, 2012	2 2

*Youths 6-16 years of age only. Each young sportsman must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, 21 years of age or older, who must remain in a position to take immediate control of the hunting device and who must also comply with fluorescent orange regulations, as specified for legal hunters. Multiple youths may be accompanied by a single qualifying adult. Youths 10 years of age or older must meet Hunter Education requirements.

Unit B includes the following counties: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Fentress, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Pickett, Polk, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, and Washington.

Season Type	Season Dates	Antlerless Bag Limit	Antlered Bag Limit
Archery (includes crossbows)	Sep. 24 - Oct. 28, 2011 Oct. 31 - Nov. 4, 2011	2	3
Muzzleloader and Archery	Nov. 5-18, 2011	See table below
Gun, Muzzleloader and Archery	Nov. 19, 2011 - Jan. 1, 2012	See table for anterless hunts
Young Sportsman	Oct. 29-30, 2011 Jan. 7-8, 2012	1 1

Antlerless Hunts During Unit B Muzzleloader Season

The antlerless bag limit during the Unit B muzzleloader season is one (1) per hunter. This antlerless deer may be harvested under the guidelines listed below.

Young Sportman Hunts

Youths 6-16 years of age only. Each young sportsman must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, 21 years of age or older, who must remain in a position to take immediate control of the hunting device and who must also comply with fluorescent orange regulations, as specified for legal hunters. Multiple youths may be accompanied by a single qualifying adult. Youths 10 years of age or older must meet Hunter Education requirements.

Unit L includes the following counties: Bedford, Benton, Cannon, Carroll, Cheatham, Chester, Coffee, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Fayette, Franklin, Gibson, Giles, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, Marshall, Maury, McNairy, Montgomery, Moore, Obion, Perry, Robertson, Rutherford, Shelby, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Wayne, Weakley, Williamson, and Wilson.

* A Type 094 permit is required to hunt antlerless deer during this season except for landowners hunting under the landowner exemption (as described in T.C.A. 70-2-204), Sportsman and Lifetime Sportsman license holders, and hunters who possess a Type 167 permit.

** Youths 6-16 years of age only. Each young sportsman must be accompanied by a non-hunting adult, 21 years of age or older, who must remain in a position to take immediate control of the hunting device and who must also comply with fluorescent orange regulations, as specified for legal hunters. Multiple youths may be accompanied by a single qualifying adult. Youths 10 years of age or older must meet Hunter Education requirements.

Claiborne County (east of Hwy 25E from the Kentucky state line to the Hwy33/25E intersection in Tazewell and east of Hwy 33 from the Hwy 33/25 E intersection to the Union County line). Hunters must submit any red deer harvested for biological sample collection at designated check stations on designated days or by calling the Region 4 Office to report a harvest.

Gun-Muzzleloader-Archery
Jan. 14-22, 2012, no limit - either sex