TENNESSEE · TURKEY · 2026-27
Tennessee turkey
season 2026-27.
Fall archery and shotgun dates for 2026, the counties that stay closed, and the spring 2027 season that opens a week earlier than usual.
FALL 2026
Fall turkey season
Fall turkey is a short window in Tennessee, and some counties stay closed. The fall bag is one male turkey for the whole fall, archery and shotgun combined.
| Season | Dates | Where | Bag limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall turkey, archery onlyOpen now · through Nov. 6Archery | Sept. 26 – Oct. 30, 2026 Nov. 2 – Nov. 6, 2026 | Open in all counties except Crockett, Dyer, Giles, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lincoln, Shelby, Tipton and Wayne. | One (1) male turkey for the whole fall season (archery and shotgun combined). No bearded hens.source · source |
| Fall turkey, shotgun/archeryClosed for 2026-27Shotgun or archery | Oct. 17 – Oct. 30, 2026 | Same open counties as fall archery. During fall season you may not possess both archery equipment and shotguns and/or rifles. | Counts toward the statewide fall bag of one (1) male turkey.source · source |
Closed counties for fall turkey: Crockett, Dyer, Giles, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lincoln, Shelby, Tipton and Wayne.
Source: TWRA: Turkey Season ↗; 2026-27 TN Guide, Turkey Hunting Regulations (p. 74) ↗; TWRA news, Sept. 21, 2026: Deer and fall turkey archery seasons open Sept. 26 ↗
SPRING 2027
Spring turkey season 2027
Spring 2027 dates are already set. New this year: the general season opens one week earlier, on April 3, 2027.
| Season | Dates | Where | Bag limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 Young SportsmanOpens March 27, 2027Shotgun or archery, youths 6-16 | March 27 – March 28, 2027 | Statewide. Some WMA and public-land exceptions. | One (1) male turkey per day; counts toward the spring bag of two (2). Only one can be a jake. No hens, including bearded hens.source · source |
| Spring 2027 general seasonOpens April 3, 2027Shotgun or archery | April 3 – May 16, 2027 | Statewide. Some WMA and public-land exceptions. New for 2027: spring opens one week earlier (April 3). | One (1) male turkey per day, two (2) per season, only one can be a jake. No hens, including bearded hens.source · source |
Source: TWRA: Turkey Season ↗; 2026-27 TN Guide, Turkey Hunting Regulations (p. 74) ↗; TWRA news, Apr. 17, 2026: Commission sets 2026-27 hunting and trapping seasons ↗
BEFORE YOU GO
Licenses, tags and check-in
- Combo Hunt/Fish plus the Big Game supplement for your equipment (Big Game Gun for shotguns, Big Game Archery for bows). Annual Sportsman and Lifetime holders are exempt.
- Turkeys must stay intact afield until they are checked in. Check in by midnight on the day of harvest.
- WMA spring turkey quota hunt applications: Dec. 16, 2026 - Jan. 6, 2027.
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
Plan your turkey hunt
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.
- TWRA: Turkey Season ↗
- 2026-27 TN Guide, Turkey Hunting Regulations (p. 74) ↗
- TWRA: Summary of Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Seasons Dates ↗
- TWRA news, Apr. 17, 2026: Commission sets 2026-27 hunting and trapping seasons ↗
- TWRA news, Sept. 21, 2026: Deer and fall turkey archery seasons open Sept. 26 ↗
Last checked: Nov. 1, 2026. Spot a change? Let us know.