Tennessee’s 2013 deer archery-only season opens statewide on Saturday, Sept. 28. The archery season dates in all three of the state’s deer hunting units are the same. The dates are Sept. 28-Oct. 25 and Oct. 28-Nov. 8.
Tennessee is divided into three deer units for better management, A, B, and L. The antlerless deer bag limits are four in Units A and B deer management areas and three per day in Unit L areas. The antlered deer bag limit is a total of three for the entire deer season.. A hunter may take his three antlered deer during any season, but no more than one per day.
In addition to deer, archers may harvest wild turkeys of either sex during the archery-only deer season in counties that have a fall turkey hunt. Turkeys harvested during the archery-only deer season count toward the fall turkey county bag limits. (A list of counties and their bag limits are located on page 32 of the 2013 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide).
The TWRA makes the recommendation that all archery hunters obtain a 2013 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide lists the counties and bag limits for each of the different deer management units. The guides are available where hunting and fishing licenses are sold and on the TWRA website, www.tnwildlife.org.
During the opening weekend of the 2012 deer archery-only season, 3,128 deer were harvested, an increase of 317 from 2011’s total of 2,811. In 2010, 2,404 were taken the first weekend.
Hunters are reminded that they must possess the appropriate licenses and permits. Any hunter 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.