Where do I buy a Tennessee hunting license?

Tennessee hunting licenses and tags are sold by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.

When is Tennessee hunting season?

Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the Tennessee season dates change every year. Our Tennessee deer guide summarizes the 2025-26 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) regulations before you plan a hunt.

What can you hunt in Tennessee?

Besides white-tailed deer, our species guides single out Tennessee for wild hog, eastern gray squirrel. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.

Where is public hunting land in Tennessee?

Good starting points include Cherokee National Forest, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, Chickasaw Wildlife Management Area. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.

Hunting · State by State

Tennessee Hunting Guide

What to hunt in Tennessee, what it costs, the laws that matter and where the public land is — with the official Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) links.

West Tennessee river-bottom farmland, six Deer Management Units, and a season stretching into January make the Volunteer State a dependable whitetail destination.

Tennessee's landscape breaks into three broad hunting regions: West Tennessee's flat, fertile Mississippi River bottomland and row-crop agriculture, Middle Tennessee's rolling farmland and limestone cedar glades, and East Tennessee's rugged Cumberland Plateau and Appalachian ridges.

Agency: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA)
Region: Southeast
Deer rank: #24 of 50
Species guides: 3

Tennessee hunting license and tag costs

Deer license and tag prices as last reviewed. Other species' permits are listed in the agency fee schedule.

License / tag	Price
Resident annual hunting/fishing combo	approx. $33 base license, plus big game license
Nonresident annual all-game hunting license	approx. $305
Nonresident big game license (deer)	required in addition to base hunting license; check current TWRA fee schedule
Nonresident annual sportsman license	bundled option covering hunting and big game license, priced at a discount versus buying separately

Tennessee hunting laws to know

Rules that catch hunters out most often. Not a substitute for the regulations book.

Topic	Rule
Blaze orange	Required during gun season for all hunters; archery-only hunters outside gun season are generally exempt.
Baiting	Legal on private land in most of the state, but prohibited on WMAs and within Chronic Wasting Disease zones — check current CWD zone maps.
Crossbows	Legal for all hunters during archery season and gun season, no permit or disability documentation required.
Sunday hunting	Allowed on private land statewide; check individual WMA regulations, as some public areas restrict Sunday access.
Legal firearms	Centerfire rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, and handguns meeting caliber minimums are legal during gun season.
Tagging/reporting	All deer must be reported through the Tennessee Deer Registry before the carcass is moved from the point of kill, per TWRA's 'Tag Before You Drag' program.
CWD carcass transport	Whole carcasses and high-risk parts may not leave designated CWD zones; only deboned meat, cleaned skulls/antlers, and similar finished products can be transported out.
Hunter education	Required for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969, unless hunting under direct supervision of a licensed adult per apprentice provisions.

Tennessee deer season structure (2025-26)

Exact dates and unit-specific bag limits are set annually by Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission proclamation; always confirm current-year dates for your Deer Management Unit on TWRA's deer hunting page before you hunt.

Season	Weapon	Typical window
Archery	Bow / crossbow	Late Sept. – late Jan.
Muzzleloader/archery	Muzzleloader or bow/crossbow	Nov. 8 – Nov. 21, 2025
Gun season	Modern gun (rifle/shotgun/muzzleloader/archery)	Nov. 22, 2025 – Jan. 4, 2026
Youth hunts	Any legal weapon	Designated weekends before and after gun season
Late antlerless season	Any legal weapon (unit-dependent)	Portions of Jan.

What you can hunt in Tennessee

Deer — White-tailed deer
Very good · ranked #24 of 50 for deer.
Wild Hog
Expanding populations, often unwelcome
Access: Some states restrict hunting to discourage spread — verify before you plan
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Classic Appalachian hardwood squirrel hunting tradition with long seasons
Access: Over-the-counter small-game license

Public hunting land in Tennessee

Tennessee's public-land base includes national forest in the east, TVA-managed reservoir land in the west, and dozens of TWRA wildlife management areas spread across all three regions, giving nonresidents accessible options regardless of which part of the state they target.

Cherokee National Forest
National forest · East Tennessee
Roughly 650,000 acres of Appalachian ridges split into northern and southern sections; classic mountain bowhunting with lower deer density but light pressure.
Official page
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
National recreation area · Northwest Tennessee/Kentucky border
170,000 acres between Kentucky and Barkley Lakes offering quota and non-quota deer hunts on federally managed land shared with Kentucky.
Official page
Chickasaw Wildlife Management Area
WMA · West Tennessee
Bottomland hardwood WMA along the Hatchie River known for solid buck numbers amid heavy regional agriculture.
Catoosa Wildlife Management Area
WMA · Cumberland Plateau
Large, rugged plateau-top WMA popular for quota hunts and known for producing quality bucks with managed pressure.
Ames Plantation Wildlife Management Area
WMA · West Tennessee
Historic working farm and research property with quota hunts and strong agricultural food sources near Memphis.

Official Tennessee links

Last reviewed 2026-03.

Nearby state hunting guides

Questions

Frequently asked

Where do I buy a Tennessee hunting license?: Tennessee hunting licenses and tags are sold by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) through its official licensing site. Buy direct from the agency rather than a reseller, and complete hunter education first if your birth year requires it.
When is Tennessee hunting season?: Seasons differ by species, weapon and zone, and the Tennessee season dates change every year. Our Tennessee deer guide summarizes the 2025-26 deer season structure; for every other species, check the current Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) regulations before you plan a hunt.
What can you hunt in Tennessee?: Besides white-tailed deer, our species guides single out Tennessee for wild hog, eastern gray squirrel. Each species guide explains tags, seasons and tactics.
Where is public hunting land in Tennessee?: Good starting points include Cherokee National Forest, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, Chickasaw Wildlife Management Area. Confirm access rules, closures and special regulations with the managing agency before you go.