Deer Seasons & Bag Limits

Name: eRegulations
Price range: $

Deer Definitions and Bag Limits

Antlered Deer: Male or female deer with at least one (1) antler that is a minimum of three (3) inches in length.

Antlerless Deer: Male or female deer with no antlers or with antlers that are less than three (3) inches in length.

Antlerless Bag Limit: Antlerless deer hunters may harvest up to the unit antlerless bag limit in each DMU. Moving to a different county within the same DMU does not increase the hunter’s bag limit.

Antlered Bag Limit: Two (2) antlered deer (one 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 (only on certain WMAs), under the Earn-A-Buck program in a CWD positive county (See CWD in Tennessee), or as a replacement buck (See CWD in Tennessee).

To find a list of CWD positive counties, visit CWDinTennessee.com

Archery equipment is legal during muzzleloader and gun seasons, muzzleloading equipment is legal during gun season.

Deer Seasons and Bag Limits
Season Type	Season Dates	Statewide Antlered Bag Limit	Units 1, 2, & 3 Antlerless Bag Limits	Units 4, 5, & 6 Antlerless Bag Limits
August¹	Aug. 23–Aug. 25	2 (1/day)⁴	Closed	Closed
Young Sportsman² (G/M/A)	Oct. 26–27, Jan. 11–12, 2025		3/day	2
Archery³ (A)	Sept. 28–Nov. 8			4
Muzzleloader/Archery (M/A)	Nov. 9–Nov. 22			2
Gun/Muzzleloader/Archery (G/M/A)	Nov. 23–Jan. 5, 2025			2
1 - Archery only. Private lands and select WMAs only. See individual WMA regulations. Due to the removal of Unit CWD, guns and muzzleloaders will no longer be allowed during the August season. 2 - Youths 6–16 years of age may participate using gun, muzzleloader, or archery equipment (G/M/A). 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. Antlerless bag limits for Units 4, 5, and 6 are not to exceed a total of 2 antlerless deer for the four (4) days combined. 3 - Closed during October Young Sportsman Hunt (Oct. 26–27). 4 - Bag limit may be exceeded only if taken as a bonus deer (only on certain WMAs), under the Earn-A-Buck program in a CWD positive county, or as a Replacement Buck.