Tennessee Hunting

Tennessee

Volunteer State traditions, Cumberland Plateau hardwood ridges, restored elk viewing/tag lottery, and bobwhite quail.

Public Access & WMAs

Public Lands to Hunt in Tennessee

Official Regulatory Authority

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA)

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The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) manages over 100 designated Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) covering nearly 1.4 million acres of diverse hunting land. In addition, the Cherokee National Forest provides 650,000 acres of rugged Appalachian public mountain hunting. From the high misty summits of the Great Smokies to the bottomland cypress swamps of Reelfoot Lake and the Cumberland Plateau, the Volunteer State offers exceptional public hunting for whitetail deer, wild turkey, black bear, wild boar, and waterfowl.
Cherokee National Forest
Southern Blue Ridge Mountains | 650,000 Acres

Cherokee National Forest

Bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park across 10 East Tennessee counties. Steep mountain ridges, laurel slicks, and cold rushing creeks support thriving populations of black bear, mountain whitetail deer, wild turkey, and ruffed grouse with expansive backcountry access.

North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area
Cumberland Mountains Elk Zone | 189,000 Acres

North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area

Spanning Campbell, Scott, Anderson, and Morgan counties. Encompasses rugged mountain forests and reclaimed grasslands that serve as the core reintroduction zone for Tennessee's free-ranging elk herd, offering premier quota elk and whitetail deer hunting.

Reelfoot Lake Wildlife Management Area
Earthquake Cypress Delta | 25,000+ Acres

Reelfoot Lake Wildlife Management Area

Formed by the 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes in northwest Tennessee. An iconic natural flooded bald cypress and swamp forest internationally famous for world-class Mississippi Flyway mallard, gadwall, and goose hunting from permanent public blinds.

Prentice Cooper State Forest & WMA
Tennessee River Gorge | 24,329 Acres

Prentice Cooper State Forest & WMA

Located along the spectacular Tennessee River Gorge just outside Chattanooga on the Cumberland Plateau. Dense oak-hickory timber, sandstone bluffs, and pine woodlands provide managed archery and firearm hunts for whitetail deer, wild turkey, and feral hogs.

Catoosa Wildlife Management Area
Upper Cumberland Plateau | 79,740 Acres

Catoosa Wildlife Management Area

Located in Cumberland and Morgan counties along the Obed Wild and Scenic River gorge. Spanning rolling plateau timber, deep sandstone ravines, and river bottoms managed for trophy whitetail deer, wild boar, turkey, and squirrels.