Tennessee Bear Hunting

East Tennessee Black Bear Hunt

Today’s bear biologists credit a three-pronged approach to population recovery: 1) The need to reduce poaching, 2) The need to protect female bears and, 3) The need to provide sanctuaries. Bears are a shared resource prompting Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia to form the Tri-State Black Bear Study Group in 1976. The group continues to meet to discuss regional bear issues and has evolved into the Southern Appalachian Black Bear Study Group adding Kentucky, South Carolina, and Virginia. Their early work involved focusing on strategies to address the three-pronged approach.

These efforts mean bears aren’t just reserved for the mountains of East Tennessee anymore. TWRA has received reports of bears near Nashville and Memphis in recent years, which has certainly made news headlines. Will the population recover to the point that hunting seasons may be expanded further west? Time will only tell but either way, bear education will be a priority for TWRA. Our main focus as bears recolonize their former range is to educate the public on how to live responsibly with them. The fate of bears now will revolve around how humans deal with bear conflicts. It’s truly in all of our hands.

Bear Hunting Regulations

Bear limit: One (1) bear either sex per license year.
The bear bag limit for any person participating in the statewide or Bear Party-Dog hunt or both shall not exceed one bear per license year. This bear may be of either sex.
Cubs or female bears with cubs at the side may not be taken at any time. A cub is defined as a bear weighing 75 pounds or less.
Bears may be whole or field dressed but must weigh 75 pounds or greater when checked in.
If bears are quartered or boned out, the total of the meat, hide, etc. must equal or exceed 75 pounds.

Legal Hunting Equipment: See General Hunting Regulation

Bear Dog Training Season

The following bear hunt zones (BHZ’s) are open for a bear dog training season during daylight hours only. No bears may be taken or attempted to be taken and no bait may be utilized. (Bear reserves closed to dog training):

BHZ1 and BHZ2: Aug. 19, 2023- Sept. 24, 2023
BHZ3: Sept. 6 - 15, 2023
BHZ 4 and Transitional: Closed.
North Cherokee: Sept. 5 - 30, 2023
South Cherokee: Sept. 6 - 15, 2023

Bear Hunting Season Dates

HUNT TYPE		BHZ 1	BHZ 2	BHZ 3	BHZ 4	TRANSITIONAL
*Young Sportsman G/M/A (No Dogs Permitted)**		Oct. 28 - 29, 2023	Oct. 28 - 29, 2023	Oct. 28 - 29, 2023	Closed
Gun/Muzzleloader/ Archery (Dogs Allowed)	Segment 1	Oct. 7 - 9, 2023	Oct. 7 - 10, 2023	Sept. 30 - Oct. 1, 2023	Closed
	Segment 1	Oct. 14 - 15, 2023	Oct. 13 - 15, 2023	Oct. 7 - 13, 2023
	Segment 2	Nov. 6 - 13, 2023	Oct. 30 - Nov. 3, 2023	Oct. 30 - Nov. 3, 2023
	Segment 3	Nov. 27 - Dec. 13, 2023	Nov. 27 - Dec. 21, 2023	Nov. 27 - Dec. 10, 2023
	Segment 4	Closed	Closed	Dec. 28 - 31, 2023
Archery (No Dogs Permitted)		Sept. 23 - Oct. 20, 2023	Sept. 23 - Oct. 20, 2023	Sept. 23 - Oct. 20, 2023	Sept. 23 - Oct. 20, 2023	Sept. 23 - Oct. 20, 2023
Gun/Muzzleloader/ Archery (No Dogs Permitted)		Nov. 18-21, 2023	Nov. 18-21, 2023	Nov. 18-21, 2023	Closed
* Youths 6-16 years of age may participate. Young sportsmen 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. The following areas within BHZ4 are closed to bear hunting: Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Obed Wild and Scenic River Corridor, Scott State Forest, Catoosa WMA, Mt Roosevelt WMA.

Cherokee Hunts

Bear (Gun - Dogs Permitted) - Five hunts: (1) Sept. 30–Oct. 1 2023 (2) Oct. 7–13 2023 (3) Oct. 30–Nov. 3 2023 (4) Nov. 27–Dec. 10 2023 (5) Dec. 28–31 2023.

Hunting is confined to that area outside the Ocoee and Tellico Bear Reserves

One bear, either sex.

Non-hunting juveniles under the age of 13 may accompany an adult hunter (18 years old or older) who has a valid party-hunt permit. Juveniles must also comply with all regulations specified for permitted hunters.

Restricted Bear Reserve Hunt

September 16-22, 2023: Archery, Muzzleloader, Gun, Dogs allowed.

Private property located within the proclaimed boundaries of the Kettlefoot and Laurel Fork Bear Reserves.

One bear either sex. Does not count toward the statewide bag limit. Electronic check permitted.

Bear Party-Dog Hunts

Bear Party-Dog Hunts (Gun - Dogs Permitted) – Four hunts: (1) Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2023 (2) Oct. 7–8, 2023 (3) Oct. 30–31, 2023 (4) Nov. 27–28, 2023.

75 permits per party. One party permitted in each of the following areas: Upper Tellico, Lower Tellico, Upper Bald River, and Lower Bald River.

One bear, either sex. Party-Dog Area closed during scheduled quota party dog hunts.

Application dates and instructions our on our Quota Hunt page here

Bear Hunt Zones (BHZ)

Bear Reserves, Mt. Roosevelt WMA, State Parks, Scott State Forest, National Parks and Recreation Areas are closed to bear hunting unless otherwise stated.

For the purpose of these hunting regulations and better wildlife management, the State of Tennessee is divided into five (5) bear hunt zones (BHZ’s) as follows:

BHZ1: Carter, Cocke (North of I-40), Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, & Washington counties.
BHZ2: Blount, Cocke (South of I-40), Jefferson (East of Hwy 411), Sevier counties.
BHZ3: McMinn (East of Hwy 411), Monroe, Polk counties, excluding South Cherokee WMA.
BHZ4: Anderson (west of I-75 and north of Old Lake City Hwy and north of Dutch Valley Rd.), Campbell (north of Hwy 63 and west of I-75), Claiborne (west of 25E and north of Hwy 63), Cumberland, Fentress, Morgan, Overton (east of Hwy 111) Pickett, Putnam (east of Hwy 111), Scott, Van Buren (east of Hwy 111), White (east of Hwy 111) counties.
Transitional: Anderson (east of I-75 and south of Old Lake City Hwy and south of Dutch Valley Rd.), Bradley, Campbell (south of Hwy 63 and east of I-75), Claiborne (east of 25E and south of Hwy 63), Grundy, Marion, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Grainger, Jefferson (west of Hwy 411), Knox, Loudon, McMinn (West of Hwy 411), Sequatchie, Union counties.

Black Bear Reserves

Appalachian Population: Including the Tennessee portion of the GSMNP, Bear Reserves totaling over 450,000 acres have without a doubt played a significant role in the recovery of bear numbers in the Appalachian Population.

Reserve	Hunt Zone	Total
Andrew Johnson	1	17,280
Kettlefoot	1	59,638
Laurel Fork	1	55,608
Ocoee	3	56,465
Tellico	3	22,957
Unicoi	1	38,906
	Total:	250,854

Andrew Johnson Bear Reserve

The Cherokee Wildlife Management Area and private inholdings lying southwest of Hwy. 70 east of Hwy. 107 and north of Hwy's. 25-70.

Kettlefoot Bear Reserve

The Cherokee Wildlife Management Area and private inholdings lying north of Hwy. 421, east of South Holston Lake, south of the Tennessee-Virginia state line, and west of Hwy. 91.

Laurel Fork Bear Reserve

The Cherokee Wildlife Management Area and private inholdings lying south of Hwy. 321, west of Poga Road, west of the Tennessee-North Carolina state line, and north or Hwy. 19E.

Unicoi Bear Reserve

The Cherokee Wildlife Management Area lying west of U.S. Hwy. 23, and the Devils Fork Road, north of the Tennessee/North Carolina state line, east of the Horse Creek Road to Hwy. 107 and south of Hwy. 107 to Erwin.

Bear Sanctuaries in Cherokee National Forest

Ocoee Bear Reserve

The Cherokee Wildlife Management Area and private inhodings bounded on the north by the Ocoee Lake and Ocoee River, on the south by the Tennessee/Georgia state line and on the east and west by the National Forest Boundary.

Tellico Bear Reserve

The Cherokee Wildlife Management Area in Monroe County that lies north of the Tellico-Robbinsville Road, east of Forest Service Road 35, south of the Forest Service Road 26 and west of the ridge running from Farr Gap through Little Fodderstack to Big Fodderstack and following the North Carolina state line to the Tellico-Robbinsville Road.