Summary of Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Seasons Dates
Please refer to the Hunting and Trapping Guide for the latest detailed hunting dates, bag limits, zones, units, and required licenses and/or permits.
Check out our Google calendar for season dates that you can add to your personal calendar.
Below you will find a season summary so you can start planning your hunting trips.
G = Gun • M = Muzzleloader • A = Archery • S = Shotgun
White-tailed Deer Hunting Units
Unit A
Unit A includes Bradley, Carter, Hamilton, Hawkins, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Rhea, Roane, and Sullivan counties.
Unit B
Unit B includes Anderson, Bledsoe, Campbell, Claiborne, Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Grundy, Hancock, Jackson, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Scott, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren, and White counties.
Unit C
Unit C includes Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Jefferson, Unicoi, Union, and Washington counties.
Unit D
Unit D includes Blount, Monroe, Polk, and Sevier counties.
Unit L
Unit L includes Bedford, Benton, Cannon, Carroll, Cheatham, Coffee, Davidson, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Franklin, Giles, Hardin, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lake, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Obion, Perry, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Wayne, Weakley, Williamson, and Wilson counties.
Unit CWD
Unit CWD includes Chester, Crockett, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Haywood, Henderson, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Shelby, and Tipton counties.
Units A, B, C, D, L bag limit: 2 antlered deer (No more than 1 per day). Unit CWD bag limit: 3 antlered deer (No more than 1 per day; with all taken solely in Unit CWD or in combination with no more than two (2) deer taken outside Unit CWD). See the Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide for deer units and county listings.
Archery1 - Aug. 25-27 - Units A, B, C, D, L, Private Lands, Antlered deer only.
G/M/A1 - Aug. 25-27 - Unit CWD, Antlered deer only. Private lands and select public lands (see hunting guide for details)
A - Sep. 23-Oct. 27; Oct. 30-Nov 3 - Units A, B, C, D, L, Antlerless bag: Units A, B, C, & D=4; Unit L = 3/day, no season limit
A - Sep. 23-Oct. 27 - Unit CWD, Antlerless bag: 3/day, no season limit
G/M/A Young Sportsman2 (ages 6-16) Oct. 28-29; Jan. 13-14 - Statewide Antlerless bag: Units A, B, C, & D=2; Units L & CWD=3/day
M/A - Nov. 4-17 - Units A, B, C, D, L, Antlerless bag: Units A & B=2; Units C & D=1; Unit L=3/day
G/M/A - Oct. 30 - Jan. 12; Jan. 15-30 - Unit CWD, Antlerless bag: 3/day
G/M/A - Nov. 18 - Jan. 7 - Units A, B, C, D, L, Antlerless bag: Unit A=2; Unit B=1; Unit C=1 (Nov. 18-Dec. 3 only); Unit D=1 (Nov. 18-24 only); Unit L=3/day
G/M/A - Jan. 8-12 Private Lands Only3 - Unit L, Antlerless bag: 3/day. No antlered deer in Unit L
1. Private lands only and archery only, except in Unit CWD where guns and muzzleloaders are allowed and select public lands are additionally open for hunting. See Region 1 WMA regulations starting on page 37 to see which public lands are open during this hunt. Fluorescent orange is required in Unit CWD.
2. Youths 6-16 years of age may participate. Participating youth can use gun, muzzleloader, and archery equipment (G/M/A). Young sportsmen must be accompanied by a nonhunting 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. Antlerless bag limits for Units A, B, C and D are not to exceed a total of 2 antlerless deer for the four days combined.
3. Hunting is allowed on all privately owned lands in Unit L (including leased land and lands owned by individuals). It is the responsibility of all hunters to obtain verbal or written permission to hunt on privately owned lands. No public lands or WMAs are open during this period. No antlered deer may be taken during this period in Unit L.
ELK (QUOTA HUNT)
A Sep. 30 - Oct. 6, 2023; 7 permits, 1 antlered elk/permit
G/M/A Young Sportsman (resident only, ages 13-16)
Oct. 7 - 13, 2023; 1 permit, for 1 antlered elk
G/M/A Oct. 14 - 20, 2023; 7 permits, 1 antlered elk/permit
Black Bear
Bag limit: 1 per season. Cubs under 75 lbs. are prohibited.
No dogs
A - Sept. 23 - Oct. 20, All Zones
G/M/A - Young Sportsman, (Ages. 6-16): Oct. 28-29, Zone 1, 2, 3
G/M/A - Nov. 18-21 - Zone 1, 2, 3
Dogs Allowed - G/M/A
Oct. 7-9, 14-15 - Zone 1
Oct. 7-10, 13-15 - Zone 2
Sept. 30-Oct. 1, Oct. 7-13 - Zone 3
Nov. 6-13 - Zone 1
Oct. 30-Nov. 3 - Zone 2, 3
Nov. 27-Dec. 13 - Zone 1
Nov. 27-Dec. 21 - Zone 2
Nov. 27-Dec. 10 - Zone 3
Dec. 28-31 - Zone 3
Restrictive Bear Hunt
Sept. 16-22 - Private lands within Kettlefoot/Laurel Fork Reserves
FALL TURKEY
Bag Limit: 1 bearded turkey, per county, only in counties open to fall turkey hunting.
A Sep. 23 - Oct. 27, 2023, Oct. 30 - Nov. 3, 2023
S Oct. 14-27, 2023
SPRING TURKEY
2023 Season
S/A Young Sportsmans (ages 6-16) - April 8-9, 2023
Daily bag: 1 bearded turkey per day. Counts toward spring season bag of two (2), only one can be a jake.
S/A General Season - April 15- May 28, 2023
Bag limit: 2 bearded turkeys, only one can be a jake; no more than 1 per day. Adult gobbler must have at least one of the following: a beard longer than 6 inches, tail feathers are all the same length, wing feathers have white barring all the way to the tip, a spur that is at least 1/2 inch long.
2024 Season
S/A Young Sportsmans (ages 6-16) - April 6-7, 2024
Daily bag: 1 bearded turkey per day. Counts toward spring season bag of two (2), only one can be a jake.
S/A General Season - April 13- May 26, 2024
Bag limit: 2 bearded turkeys, only one can be a jake; no more than 1 per day. Adult gobbler must have at least one of the following: a beard longer than 6 inches, tail feathers are all the same length, wing feathers have white barring all the way to the tip, a spur that is at least 1/2 inch long.
GAME BIRDS
Grouse Oct. 14, 2023 - Feb. 29, 2024: Daily bag 3
Quail Nov. 4, 2023 - Feb. 29, 2024: Daily bag 6
MIGRATORY BIRDS
Sandhill Crane (Quota Hunt)
Statewide Zone Dec. 2, 2023 – Jan. 30, 2024
Southeast Zone Dec. 2, 2023 - Jan. 11, 2024 & Jan. 15 – 30, 2024
Mourning Dove Sep. 1 - 28, 2023 | Oct. 14 - Nov. 5, 2023 | Dec. 8, 2023 - Jan. 15, 2024: Daily bag 15
Woodcock Nov. 11 - Dec. 3, 2023 | Jan. 10 - Jan. 31, 2024: Daily bag 3
Snipe Nov. 14, 2023- Feb. 28, 2024: Daily bag 8
Canada Goose Sep. 1-17, 2023: Daily bag 5
Wood Duck/Teal Sep. 9-13, 2023: Daily bag 6, not to exceed 2 wood ducks/day
Teal-only Sep. 14-17, 2023: Daily bag 6
Ducks, Coots, and Mergansers - Bag limit is 6 ducks per day with restrictions
Statewide Zone Nov 25 - 26, 2023 & Dec 5, 2023 - Jan 31, 2024
Veterans and Active Military Feb 4. and Feb. 11, 2024
Young Sportsman Feb. 3, 2024, and Feb. 10, 2024: All zones, ages 16 and under
See the Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide for more information on these seasons, as well as the sandhill crane and other goose seasons.
SMALL GAME
Squirrel - Aug. 26 - March 15: Daily bag 10
Spring Squirrel (2024) - May 11 - June 9: Daily bag 10
Rabbit - Nov. 4 - Feb. 29: Daily bag 5
Bullfrog - Year-round - 20 per person per night
Bullfrog - TWRA Managed Lakes - June 1-30 - 20 per person per night
Fox, Mink, Muskrat, Otter, Spotted Skunk, Weasel - Nov. 17, 2023 - Feb. 29, 2024 - No limit
Bobcat
Statewide - Nov. 17, 2023 - Feb. 29, 2024 - 1 per day
Private Land - Sept. 23, 2023 - Nov. 16, 2023 - 1 per day
Armadillo, Beaver, Coyote, Groundhog, Striped Skunk - allowed year-round - No limit
Raccoon
Private Land Sunset July 1, 2023 - Sunrise Sep. 16, 2023, Nightly Season bag 2. Closed in Scott, Morgan, Roane, Rhea, Hamilton, and all other counties east of those counties.
Statewide Season Sunset Sep. 16, 2023 - Sunrise March 15, 2024: Nightly bag: 4
Training Season Year-round, except where prohibited by local ordinances. No, take permitted.