Tennessee Deer Season 2026–27

Tennessee's 2026–27 deer season runs from August 28, 2026, to January 10, 2027. Statewide gun season opens Saturday, November 21, 2026, and runs through January 3, 2027. Before that, muzzleloader season opens November 7, and the first Young Sportsman weekend is October 31 – November 1. The last chance of the year is the second youth weekend, January 9–10, 2027. All dates and bag limits come from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) deer hunting page.

Tennessee Deer Season 2026–27 at a Glance

Unlike most Southern states, Tennessee runs the same season dates statewide. What changes from place to place is how many does you can take, so check your unit below. Wildlife management areas (WMAs) set their own hunt dates and need a WMA permit, so check the TWRA WMA listings before you hunt public land.

Which Tennessee Deer Unit Am I In?

Tennessee is split into six deer management units (DMUs), and your unit sets your antlerless limit.

• Unit 1 (West Tennessee): Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lauderdale, Lake, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Shelby, Tipton and Weakley.
• Unit 2 (west Middle Tennessee): Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Giles, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Perry, Robertson, Stewart, Sumner, Wayne and Williamson.
• Unit 3 (east Middle Tennessee): Bedford, Cannon, Clay, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Macon, Moore, Overton, Putnam, Rutherford, Smith, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, White and Wilson.
• Unit 4 (Cumberland Plateau): Anderson, Bledsoe, Campbell, Claiborne, Cumberland, Fentress, Grainger, Grundy, Hancock, Morgan, Pickett, Scott, Sequatchie and Union.
• Unit 5 (Tennessee Valley): Bradley, Hamilton, Loudon, Knox, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Rhea and Roane.
• Unit 6 (East Tennessee mountains): Blount, Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Monroe, Polk, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington.

Bag Limits and Antler Rules

• Antlered deer must have at least one antler 3 inches or longer. Anything shorter counts as antlerless.
• Two bucks total for the year, across all seasons. You can go over that only with a bonus deer on certain WMAs, through the Earn-A-Buck program in a CWD-positive county, or with a Replacement Buck.
• Changing counties doesn't reset your limit. Moving to another county in the same unit doesn't add to your antlerless bag.

No antlerless deer can be taken during the August hunt. Full details are on the TWRA deer page.

Straight-Walled Rifle Week

From Nov. 14–20, 2026, the second week of muzzleloader season, you can use a single-shot rifle chambered in a straight-walled cartridge of .35 caliber or larger on private land only. The rifle can't be able to hold more than one round as manufactured. Deer you take that week count toward your muzzleloader season limits, according to TWRA.

Young Sportsman Hunts

Hunters ages 6 to 16 get two weekends: Oct. 31 – Nov. 1, 2026, and Jan. 9–10, 2027. They can use a gun, muzzleloader or bow. Every young hunter needs a non-hunting adult 21 or older close enough to take control of the gun or bow right away, and that adult has to wear orange or pink too. One adult can take more than one young hunter. The January weekend is the last legal deer hunting in Tennessee this season, a week after gun season closes.

Orange, Check-In and Baiting Rules

• Fluorescent orange or pink: during muzzleloader and gun seasons, wear at least 500 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange or pink on your upper body and head, visible from the front and back. A hat and vest together meet the rule. It doesn't apply to archery-only hunts, according to TWRA's big game rules.
• Tag before you drag: before you move your deer, check it in on the TWRA On The Go app, which works without cell service, or attach a temporary transportation tag from your license printout. Every deer must be checked in by midnight on the day you kill it, and before you give it to anyone or leave the state, according to TWRA's check-in page. Keep your confirmation number with the deer until it's processed.
• Baiting: hunting deer over bait on private land takes a Deer Bait Privilege License, and there's no exemption for any age. It's not allowed in the CWD Management Zone or other CWD-positive counties, or on public land.

Hunting West Tennessee? CWD Rules

Every county west of the Tennessee River is in the CWD Management Zone. You can't move a whole carcass out of that zone to the rest of the state. Only deboned meat, clean skulls and skull plates, antlers, hides and finished taxidermy can leave. Feeding wildlife is also restricted there, and baiting isn't allowed at all. If you're coming from another state, only those same approved parts can be brought into Tennessee. Details are on the TWRA deer page and at CWDinTennessee.com.

When Is the Rut in Tennessee?

Tennessee doesn't publish county-by-county breeding dates the way Georgia and Alabama do. TWRA's sponsored Watchable Wildlife profile says the peak of the rut is in November, though does can breed anywhere from September to February, as summarized by MyWild's Tennessee rut guide. That makes muzzleloader season, Nov. 7–20, one of the best windows of the year. The gun opener on Nov. 21 still falls inside that November peak, so opening week is worth taking off work.

See how other Southern states line up in our Southeast deer rut dates 2026 guide.

Planning Around Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is Nov. 26, 2026. Gun season opens the Saturday before, Nov. 21, so the whole holiday week is open statewide. If you're traveling south to hunt that week, check our Thanksgiving week hunting guide, our Alabama deer season guide and our Georgia deer season guide.

Tennessee Deer Season FAQ

When does deer season start in Tennessee in 2026?

The August archery hunt ran Aug. 28–30. Regular archery opened Sept. 26, muzzleloader opens Nov. 7, and gun season opens Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026.

When does gun season end in Tennessee?

Jan. 3, 2027. The Young Sportsman weekend on Jan. 9–10, 2027, is the last hunt of the season, for hunters ages 6 to 16.

How many deer can you kill in Tennessee?

Two antlered deer per season, one per day. Antlerless limits depend on your unit: three per day in Units 1, 2 and 3, and smaller limits in Units 4, 5 and 6.

Can I use a rifle during muzzleloader season in Tennessee?

Only a single-shot, straight-walled cartridge rifle (.35 caliber or larger), only on private land, and only Nov. 14–20, 2026.

How do I check in a deer in Tennessee?

Use the TWRA On The Go app before you move the deer, or tag it with a temporary transportation tag. Then check it in at GoOutdoorsTennessee.com or a check station by midnight on the day of harvest.

Can I wear pink instead of orange in Tennessee?

Yes. Tennessee allows daylight fluorescent orange or pink. You need at least 500 square inches on your upper body and head, visible front and back.

Gear Up for the Season

Every Hunt One More® design is built around faith, service and time in the field. Grab The Lord Is My Guide® tees and hoodies for those cold December sits, and put a Hunt One More decal on the truck before opening day.

Trust the process. Trust the hunt. And when the sun's going down, hunt one more.

Keep Reading on Camp Talk

• Georgia Deer Season 2026–27
• Alabama Deer Season 2026–27
• Southeast Deer Rut Dates 2026
• Thanksgiving Hunting 2026: What's Open
• Late-Season Whitetail Hunting

Season dates and bag limits come from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. This guide is for planning only. Always confirm current regulations, license requirements and bag limits with TWRA before you hunt.

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