TENNESSEE · DEER · 2026-27

Tennessee deer
season 2026-27.

Archery, youth, muzzleloader, the new straight-wall rifle week and gun season, with bag limits by unit. Gun season opens Nov. 21, 2026 and runs through Jan. 3, 2027.

Last checked: Nov. 1, 2026Official TWRA season summary ↗2026-27 TWRA hunting guide ↗

Find dates, calendars & a printable summary →

2026-27 DEER SEASONS

Season dates

Tennessee runs one set of deer season dates statewide. What changes by unit is the antlerless bag. Antlered limit: 2 per season statewide, no more than 1 per day, across all seasons combined.

Season	Dates	Where	Antlerless bag
August archeryClosed for 2026-27Archery only	Aug. 28 – Aug. 30, 2026	Private lands and select Unit 1 WMAs only. Not available on WMAs in other units.	Units 1, 2, 3: No antlerless harvestUnits 4, 5, 6: No antlerless harvestsource · source
ArcheryOpen now · through Nov. 6Archery (A)	Sept. 26 – Oct. 30, 2026 Nov. 2 – Nov. 6, 2026	Statewide (all units). Check WMA rules for public land.	Units 1, 2, 3: 3 per dayUnits 4, 5, 6: 4source · source
Young SportsmanReopens Jan. 9, 2027Gun, muzzleloader or archery (G/M/A), youths 6-16	Oct. 31 – Nov. 1, 2026 Jan. 9 – Jan. 10, 2027	Statewide (all units). Youths must be with a non-hunting adult 21 or older who stays in position to take immediate control of the hunting device and follows the fluorescent orange/pink rules.	Units 1, 2, 3: 3 per dayUnits 4, 5, 6: 2 total for the 4 youth days combinedsource · source
Muzzleloader/ArcheryOpens Nov. 7 (in 3 days)Muzzleloader or archery (M/A)	Nov. 7 – Nov. 20, 2026	Statewide (all units).	Units 1, 2, 3: 3 per dayUnits 4, 5, 6: 2source · source
Straight-wall cartridge rifle (new)Opens Nov. 14 (in 10 days)Single-shot rifles with straight-walled cartridges, .35 caliber or larger, not capable of holding multiple rounds as manufactured	Nov. 14 – Nov. 20, 2026	Private lands only. Runs during the 2nd week of muzzleloader season.	Units 1, 2, 3: Counts toward muzzleloader season bag (3 per day)Units 4, 5, 6: Counts toward muzzleloader season bag (2)source · source
Gun/Muzzleloader/ArcheryOpens Nov. 21, 2026Gun, muzzleloader or archery (G/M/A)	Nov. 21, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027	Statewide (all units).	Units 1, 2, 3: 3 per dayUnits 4, 5, 6: 2source · source

Source: TWRA: Tennessee Deer Season Dates, Regulations and Other Information ↗; 2026-27 TN Guide, Deer Seasons and Bag Limits (p. 67) ↗; eRegulations TN: Deer Hunting Seasons & Bag Limits ↗

BAG LIMITS

Bag limits at a glance

Antlered deer

2 per season statewide (1 per day). An antlered deer has at least one antler 3 inches or longer. Exceptions include bonus deer on certain WMAs, Earn-A-Buck in CWD-positive counties and the Replacement Buck program.

Antlerless deer, Units 1, 2, 3

3 per day in every season except August archery (no antlerless harvest in August).

Antlerless deer, Units 4, 5, 6

Young Sportsman 2 (total for all 4 youth days), Archery 4, Muzzleloader/Archery 2, Gun/Muzzleloader/Archery 2. The straight-wall rifle season counts toward the muzzleloader bag.

Source: 2026-27 TN Guide, Deer Seasons and Bag Limits (p. 67) ↗; 2026-27 TN Guide, Deer Management Units and definitions (p. 66) ↗

DEER MANAGEMENT UNITS

Which unit is your county in?

Unit 1

Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lauderdale, Lake, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Shelby, Tipton, and Weakley counties.

Unit 2

Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Giles, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lincoln, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Perry, Robertson, Stewart, Sumner, Wayne, and Williamson counties.

Unit 3

Bedford, Cannon, Clay, Coffee, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Macon, Moore, Overton, Putnam, Rutherford, Smith, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, White, and Wilson counties.

Unit 4

Anderson, Bledsoe, Campbell, Claiborne, Cumberland, Fentress, Grainger, Grundy, Hancock, Morgan, Pickett, Scott, Sequatchie, and Union counties.

Unit 5

Bradley, Hamilton, Loudon, Knox, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Rhea, and Roane counties.

Unit 6

Blount, Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Monroe, Polk, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties.

Not sure which unit you hunt? Find your county above, or see the unit map in the 2026-27 guide ↗.

Source: TWRA: Tennessee Deer Season Dates, Regulations and Other Information ↗; 2026-27 TN Guide, Deer Management Units and definitions (p. 66) ↗

CWD

Chronic wasting disease rules

The CWD Management Zone is every county west of the Tennessee River. Whole carcasses can't be moved out of the zone; approved parts (deboned meat, clean skulls and skull plates, antlers, hides, finished taxidermy) can.
Hunting over bait (with the new Deer Bait Privilege License) is not allowed in the CWD Management Zone or in CWD-positive counties.
The list of CWD-positive counties and Earn-A-Buck details change. Check TWRA on the deer page ↗ for the current list.

Source: TWRA: Tennessee Deer Season Dates, Regulations and Other Information ↗; 2026-27 TN Guide, What's New for Hunting (p. 48) ↗

BEFORE YOU GO

Licenses, tags and check-in

Base license: Combo Hunt/Fish (residents 16-64) plus the Big Game supplement for your equipment: Big Game Archery, Big Game Muzzleloader and/or Big Game Gun. Annual Sportsman and Lifetime holders are exempt from supplements.
Deer Bait Privilege License is new for 2026: required to hunt deer over bait on private land, including landowners. Not valid in the CWD Management Zone or CWD-positive counties.
WMA hunting needs a WMA Big Game (Non-Quota) permit unless you hold a Lifetime or Annual Sportsman license.
Wear 500 square inches of fluorescent orange/pink on your head and upper body during gun and muzzleloader seasons (not required on archery-only hunts unless they overlap a big game gun season).
Tag before you drag: check in every deer by midnight on the day of harvest, using the TWRA On The Go app, online or at a check station.

Buy licenses at GoOutdoorsTennessee.com ↗, the TWRA On The Go app or a license agent. Fees and full details are in the 2026-27 guide license section ↗.

Source: 2026-27 TN Guide, License Fees & Information (pp. 8-10) ↗; 2026-27 TN Guide, Big Game rules, orange and check-in (pp. 64-65) ↗; 2026-27 TN Guide, What's New for Hunting (p. 48) ↗

GET READY FOR THE WOODS

Gear up for deer season

RUT GUIDEWhitetail rut guide & state timing lookupRead more →FREE PRINTABLEFree deer season starter checklistRead more →GEARTree stands of 2026 comparedRead more →GEARHunting saddles of 2026 comparedRead more →GEARBest cellular trail cameras of 2026Read more →FIELD GUIDEBuild a repeatable trail-camera planRead more →FIELD GUIDEHunting layering for cold sitsRead more →

WHERE THESE DATES COME FROM

Sources

Every date and limit on this page comes from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. We do not carry over last season's dates. If we could not confirm something, we say Check TWRA.

We check official sources weekly and review changes before updating this guide. Confirm the latest TWRA rules before each hunt.

Last checked: Nov. 1, 2026. Spot a change? Let us know.