NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bowhunters across Tennessee get back in the woods Monday, as the second archery-only stretch of the 2026-27 deer season runs from Nov. 2 through Friday, Nov. 6.
It follows the first young sportsman hunt, held over the Oct. 31-Nov. 1 weekend, and an opening archery segment that ran from Sept. 26 to Oct. 30. From here the calendar moves quickly toward the busiest part of the fall.
Muzzleloader and archery hunting opens Saturday, Nov. 7. The second week of that season brings something Tennessee hunters have not had before: from Nov. 14 to Nov. 20, rifles chambered for straight-wall cartridges are legal, but only on private land.
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission approved that seven-day season at its April meeting in Knoxville. The rifles must be single shot and at least .35 caliber. Qualifying rounds are metal centerfire cartridges whose cases stay nearly the same width along their length, such as the .45-70 Government, .450 Bushmaster or .350 Legend; shotgun shells do not count. Deer taken that week fall under muzzleloader bag limits.
The full gun, muzzleloader and archery season keeps its traditional start on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 21 this year, and runs through Jan. 3, 2027. A second young sportsman weekend follows on Jan. 9-10.
Commissioners left other big game seasons and bag limits unchanged for this year. They did trim Wayne and Lewis counties from the chronic wasting disease management zone, and baiting and feeding are now banned in any CWD-positive county east of that zone, though hunters there may haul carcasses out to processors and taxidermists.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency urges hunters to carry the 2026-27 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide, which lists license rules, counties and bag limits for all six deer management units. It is on the agency website and app and wherever licenses are sold.
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