Tennessee sportsmen will be venturing to the woods for one of the state’s traditions with the annual opening of gun season for deer which falls on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. The 2013 season opens Nov. 23.
For the third year, sportsmen will find one continuous season that will continue through Jan. 5, 2014. The continuous season replaced the previously two segmented hunting seasons that were in place prior to 2011.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency divides the state into three deer hunting units, A, B and and L. Hunters may harvest one antlered buck per day until the statewide bag limit of three is reached, including those deer harvested during archery and muzzleloader seasons. An antlered buck is a buck with an antler at least three inches long.
For antlerless deer hunting in Units A and B during this season, refer to the list of hunts on page 26 of TWRA’s 2013 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide. All hunts listed are now non-quota. Each county listed on page 26 has its own bag limit. A hunter may harvest the bag limit of antlerless deer in any open Unit A or B county and then go to any other counties listed and take the antlerless bag limit there, also. The bag limit for antlerless deer in Unit L is three per day.
A Type 94 permit is required to harvest antlerless deer during this season on all non-quota hunts in Units A, B, and L, except for holders of an Annual Sportsman, Lifetime Sportsman, or Senior Citizen License Type 167 Permit.
TWRA personnel will be collecting data at selected check-in stations across the state on opening day. Antlered bucks will be measured and aged for management purposes.
The second Young Sportsman Hunt will be held the weekend of Jan. 11-12, 2014.
Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969 is required to carry proof of satisfactory completion of a hunter education class or be in possession of the Apprentice Hunting License (along with other required licenses) while hunting any species in Tennessee.
For more information about Tennessee’s 2013-14 deer hunting seasons, refer to the 2013 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide available at all license agents, TWRA regional offices in Jackson, Nashville, Crossville, and Morristown or on the TWRA website at www.tnwildlife.org.