As the 2016 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guides are hitting the shelves and mobile devices, clarification for changes in deer hunting regulations has been requested.
Hunters who are making plans to pursue deer this year should take note of a few changes in the definition of legal bucks as well as some new deer hunting units and antlerless limits.
Firstly, an antlered deer is now defined as any male or female deer with antler protruding above the hairline, while an antlerless deer is now defined as any deer with no antler protruding above the hairline.
Hunters can view examples of both antlered and antlerless deer on page 23 of the new guide.
Additionally, male fawns with no antler protruding above the hairline do not count towards a hunter’s antlered bag limit; rather they count toward the hunter’s antlerless bag limits. Deer having already shed their antlers and does without antlers are also considered antlerless. Male fawns with antler protruding above the hairline count towards a hunter’s antlered bag limit. Velvet antlered deer are also considered antlered.
Ultimately, the statewide limit for antlered deer in Tennessee is two per year.
Another major change that hunters will notice is that two new deer hunting units have been added: Units C and D. These two new units refer primarily to antlerless harvest and dates, which are featured on page 22 of the Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide. Also, several counties have been moved to different units and antlerless bag limits have changed. Please refer to page 22 the hunting guide for complete details.