Skip to Main Content Skip to Main Navigation

Deer Hunting

 Facebook
Google
  Twitter  Email  More  Print
Brought to you by:
  • White-Tailed Deer Hunting Units and Bag Limits

For better wildlife management, Tennessee is divided into three deer units.

  • The statewide bag limit for antlered bucks is three (3).
  • No more than one (1) antlered deer may be taken per day.
  • The only way the bag limit of three (3) antlered bucks may be exceeded is if bucks are taken on TWRA or NWR managed hunts where the bucks are noted as bonus deer. Check specific public lands for more information.
  • Special Red Deer Hunt, Claiborne County

Allow taking of Red Deer in that portion of Claiborne County south of the Powell River. Hunters must submit any red deer harvest for a biological sample.

Take Red Deer to: Cunningham Slaughter HouseTazewell, TN 37879

Business: 423-626-6666

Hours: 8AM-5PM. 7 days a week.

12TNHD-Red%20Deer%20Pic.jpg




Season Type

Season Dates

Antlerless Bag Limits

Antlered

Bag Limit

 

 

Unit L

Unit A

Unit B

Statewide

Archery

Sep. 22–Oct. 26, 2012

Oct. 29–Nov. 2, 2012

3/day

4

4

3

(one antlered deer per day,
not to exceed 3
for the year)

Muzzleloader/Archery

Nov. 3–16, 2012

3/day

4

1

Gun/Muzzleoader/Archery

Nov. 17, 2012–Jan. 6, 2013

3/day*

See Antlerless Gun Hunts below.*

See Antlerless Gun Hunts below .*

Young Sportsman**
Gun/Muzzleoader/Archery

Oct. 27–28, 2012

3/day

2

1

Jan. 12–13, 2013

3/day

2

1

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

** Youths 6-16 years of age may participate. 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.

 

12TNHD-Deer%20Mng.%20Unit%20Map.jpg
  • Unit L Counties

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, Wilson.

  • Unit A Counties

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, White.

  • Unit B Counties

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, Washington.

 

  • Antlerless Deer Hunts

For counties and portions of counties that are open to antlerless deer hunting during the regular gun season see table on this page. Most WMAs are closed during these hunts. Refer to specific WMA listings for open dates.

* A Type 094 permit is required except for landowners hunting under the landowner exemption on their own land, Sportsman and Lifetime Sportsman license holders, and hunters who possess a Type 167 permit. All ages, including juveniles under 13, need a Type 094 for county antlerless non-quota hunts, unless hunting under an exemption listed above.

 

2012/13 Antlerless Deer Non-Quota Hunts*

County

Number of Antlerless Deer Per Hunt

Nov.
17 – 18

Nov.
19 – 25

Nov. 26
– Dec. 2

Dec.
3 – 9

Dec.
10 – 16

Dec.
17 – 23

Dec. 24
– Jan. 6

Anderson

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Blount1

 

 

 

 

 

2

2

Bradley

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

Campbell

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Carter2

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Claiborne

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Cocke2

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

Crockett

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

Dekalb

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

Dyer

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

Grainger

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Greene2

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Grundy

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Hamblen

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Hamilton

 

1

1

 

 

1

1

Hancock

1

 

 

 

 

1

1

Hawkins

 

 

 

 

 

2

2

Jackson

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jefferson

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Johnson2

 

 

 

 

 

2

2

Knox

 

 

 

 

 

2

2

Lake

 

 

 

 

2

2

2

Lauderdale

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

Loudon

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

McMinn

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

Marion

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

Meigs

 

1

 

 

1

1

 

Morgan

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Rhea

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

Roane

 

1

 

 

1

1

 

Scott

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Sevier

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

Sullivan2

 

 

 

 

 

2

2

Tipton

 

 

 

 

2

2

2

Union

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Van Buren

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Warren

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

1 Blount County west of Highway 411 and east of Highway 129

2 Excludes Cherokee WMA

 

2012-13 Statewide Deer Seasons

 

12TNHD-Statewide%20Deer%20Seasons%20Calendar.jpg

Regulations in red are new this year.

Purple text indicates an important note.

Most Read Pages
Return to the eregulations.com home page
Brought to you by:
Conservation Partner Advertisements: The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency allows appropriate advertising in its annual regulation guides in print and online, in order to defray or eliminate expenses to the state, and support enhanced communications with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Constituents. Through a unique partnership with J.F.Griffin Publishing, LLC & eRegulations.com, ‘Conservation Partners’ have been established that pay for advertising in support of the regulations both in print and online. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency neither endorses products or services listed or claims made; nor accepts any liability arising from the use of products or services listed. Advertisers interested in the Conservation Partners program should contact J.F.Griffin/eRegulations.com directly at 413-884-1001,
This is not the full law. Consult the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for further details. All persons are reminded that the statutes, code and regulations are the legal authorities.
JF Griffin Media
J.F. Griffin Media reaches 9,000,000 sportsmen every year through our print and digital publications. We produce 30 hunting and fishing regulation guides for 15 state agencies. For advertising information, please visit: www.jfgriffin.com