Tennessee · Bear · 2026–27 Edition
Tennessee Bear Season 2026–27: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Archery only (still-hunt, no hounds) | Statewide (all BHZ + Transitional Zone) | Sep 26 – Oct 23 |
| Young Sportsman (ages 6–16 with licensed non-hunting adult; gun/muzzleloader/archery) | Statewide | Oct 31 – Nov 1 |
| General season (gun/muzzleloader/archery, still-hunt, no hounds) | BHZ1, BHZ2, BHZ3, BHZ5 (excludes BHZ4 and Transitional Zone) | Nov 21 – Nov 24 |
| Hound hunt — early | BHZ1 (Carter, Cocke N of I-40, Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, Washington) | Oct 3 – Oct 5 |
| Hound hunt — mid | BHZ1 | Nov 9 – Nov 16 |
| Hound hunt — late | BHZ1 | Nov 30 – Dec 16 |
| Hound hunt — early | BHZ2 (Blount, Cocke S of I-40, Jefferson E of Hwy 411, Sevier) | Oct 10 – Oct 11 |
| Hound hunt — mid | BHZ2 | Nov 2 – Nov 6 |
| Hound hunt — late | BHZ2 | Nov 30 – Dec 15 |
| Hound hunt — early | BHZ3 (McMinn E of Hwy 411, Monroe, Polk excl. South Cherokee WMA) | Oct 3 – Oct 18 |
| Hound hunt — mid | BHZ3 | Nov 2 – Nov 6 |
| Hound hunt — late | BHZ3 | Nov 30 – Dec 13 |
| Hound hunt — early | BHZ4 (Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Cumberland, Fentress, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Scott, Van Buren, White — partial-county lines apply) | Oct 3 – Oct 4 |
| Hound hunt — late | BHZ4 | Dec 31 – Jan 3 |
| Hound hunt | BHZ5 (Hancock, Hawkins) | Oct 10 – Oct 16 |
02 — Bag limits & check-in
| Statewide | 1 bear, either sex, per license year; harvested bear must weigh at least 75 lbs (or, if quartered/boned, meat and hide together must equal or exceed 75 lbs) |
|---|---|
| Cub/sow protection | Cubs (75 lbs or less) and female bears with cubs at their side may not be taken at any time |
| Harvest reporting | Check in the harvest the same day via GoOutdoorsTennessee.com, the TWRA On the Go app, or a physical check station; keep the confirmation number available until final processing |
| Biological sample | A tooth from each harvested bear must be submitted to TWRA by February 15 following the harvest |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (September 26, 2026) 06:08 — 19:06
Rule: 30 minutes before legal sunrise to 30 minutes after legal sunset — TWRA's general rule for big game, which covers bear. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Tennessee sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Bear hunters in Tennessee need a Tennessee hunting license — a Big Game license (covers bear/deer/turkey/elk) in addition to the base hunting license, plus the weapon-specific supplemental permit matching archery, muzzleloader, or gun season — confirm current fees directly with TWRA Check-in or reporting a harvest is typically mandatory; see the row above for Tennessee's specific rule.
Tennessee hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Tennessee — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Patterning bear activity before Tennessee's opener usually means glassing feeding areas and running a trail camera through summer — check the state's own rules on baiting before you set one over bait.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does bear season open in Tennessee?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is September 26, 2026. See the table above for each method and zone.
When does bear season end in Tennessee?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 3, 2027. Individual segments and zones can close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need a separate bear license or tag in Tennessee?
a Big Game license (covers bear/deer/turkey/elk) in addition to the base hunting license, plus the weapon-specific supplemental permit matching archery, muzzleloader, or gun season — confirm current fees directly with TWRA
How many bears can you shoot in Tennessee?
2026–27 bag limits: Statewide — 1 bear, either sex, per license year; harvested bear must weigh at least 75 lbs (or, if quartered/boned, meat and hide together must equal or exceed 75 lbs). Cub/sow protection — Cubs (75 lbs or less) and female bears with cubs at their side may not be taken at any time. Harvest reporting — Check in the harvest the same day via GoOutdoorsTennessee.com, the TWRA On the Go app, or a physical check station; keep the confirmation number available until final processing. Biological sample — A tooth from each harvested bear must be submitted to TWRA by February 15 following the harvest. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting bear in Tennessee?
On opening day (September 26, 2026) legal light runs 06:08 to 19:06. The rule is: 30 minutes before legal sunrise to 30 minutes after legal sunset — TWRA's general rule for big game, which covers bear. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Tennessee sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt bear on my own land in Tennessee without a license?
Tennessee landowners, their spouse and children (and children's spouses), may hunt and fish their own farmland without a license — they don't have to live there. Tenants get the same right, but only while actually living on the land with the owner's permission. Deer, bear, and boar permits and the Duck Stamp still apply, and a signed exemption statement must be carried while hunting.
Verified · Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Last verified 2026-08-14
Publisher's note. Read directly from TWRA's bear season page and cross-checked against the agency's 'Summary of Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Seasons Dates' page, which lists the same Bear Hunt Zone (BHZ) county definitions and dates with explicit years (2026 for openers, 2027 for the BHZ4 late hound segment and the Cherokee/reserve training windows that run into spring). Tennessee splits bear hunting into a statewide still-hunt structure (archery-only, Young Sportsman, and a general gun/muzzleloader/archery weekend) layered on top of zone-specific hound-hunt segments in BHZ1–BHZ5; the Transitional Zone is closed to hounds. Excluded from methods[] here: the Restricted Reserve Hunt on Kettlefoot & Laurel Fork WMAs (Sept 19–25, 2026) and the Cherokee National Forest party-dog hunts (four areas, 75 permits per party) — both are separate lottery/quota-permit hunts on specific public tracts, not part of the general-license BHZ season, so including their dates would misstate what an ordinary license holder can access; TWRA's own WMA/Cherokee quota-hunt application window (June 10–July 22, 2026) governs those instead. Bag limit, minimum weight, cub/sow protection, and tooth-submission deadline read verbatim off the bear page. Harvest check-in (GoOutdoorsTennessee.com, TWRA On the Go app, or a physical check station, same-day) corroborated via TWRA's 'Tag Before You Drag' page and eRegulations' check-in procedures summary. Not independently confirmed on an official page this round: the exact fee and name of the archery/muzzleloader/gun supplemental permits required alongside the Big Game license — secondary sources describe weapon-specific supplemental licenses but the precise current fee schedule was not read verbatim; confirm directly with TWRA before relying on it.