Tennessee · License · 2026 Edition
Tennessee Hunting License Cost 2026: Fees, Deer & Turkey Permits
A year costs $33 for residents and $110 for nonresidents.
Tennessee runs two different systems for residents and nonresidents. A resident starts with the $33 Combination Hunt/Fish license, which covers small game, then adds a supplemental license for each thing they actually want to hunt — Big Game Gun, Archery or Muzzleloader at $33 apiece for deer, bear, hog and turkey, and Waterfowl at $37. The $165 Annual Sportsman license skips that entirely, covering every state supplemental and non-quota permit in one purchase. Nonresidents stack nothing: they pick a tier instead, $110 a year for small game and waterfowl or $305 for All Game with deer and turkey included. Hunting any Wildlife Management Area needs a WMA permit on top, which Lifetime and Annual Sportsman holders already carry. Processing fees are added to every purchase.
01 — Base hunting license
| Type | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resident Combination Hunt/Fish, annual (16-64) | $33 | The minimum license to fish or hunt small game. Deer, bear, hog, turkey and waterfowl each need a supplemental license on top. |
| Resident Junior Hunt, Fish & Trap (13-15) | $9 | Covers hunting, trapping and fishing with no supplemental licenses needed. WMA permits still apply. Must be bought before the 16th birthday. |
| Resident Annual Sportsman (16-64) | $165 | All-inclusive: hunting, trapping and fishing with no state supplementals and no non-quota permits, and quota applications carry no fee. |
| Resident Annual Senior Citizen Hunt/Fish/Trap (65+) | $4 | No supplemental licenses needed. WMA permits still apply. |
| Resident Permanent Senior Citizen Hunt/Fish/Trap (65+) | $49 | Bought once from the 65th birthday. No supplemental licenses needed; WMA permits still apply. |
| Resident Senior Sportsman (65+) | $49 | All-inclusive, the senior version of the Annual Sportsman. |
| Apprentice Hunter Education Permit | $11 | Stands in for the hunter education certificate for one year, up to three years in a lifetime. Bought alongside the actual license; same price for nonresidents. |
| Nonresident Annual Hunt — Small Game/Waterfowl, no big game | $110 | The closest nonresident equivalent to the resident combination license. |
| Nonresident Annual — All Game | $305 | Deer, bear, hog and turkey included — nonresidents buy no supplementals. |
| Nonresident 7-Day Hunt — Small Game/Waterfowl, no big game | $61 | |
| Nonresident 7-Day — All Game | $214 | Big game included. |
| Nonresident Annual Junior All Game (13-15) | $41 | |
| Nonresident 7-Day Junior All Game (13-15) | $26 | |
| Nonresident Annual Junior Hunt/Fish Combination (13-15), no big game | $10 | Small game only; big game needs one of the Junior All Game licenses. |
02 — Deer permits
| Permit | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Supplemental Big Game Gun (resident) | $33 | Covers deer, bear, hog and turkey. Required on top of the combination license; the weapon you use decides which supplemental you need. |
| Supplemental Big Game Archery (resident) | $33 | Covers deer, bear, hog and turkey. |
| Supplemental Big Game Muzzleloader (resident) | $33 | Covers deer, bear, hog and turkey. |
| WMA Big Game permit, non-quota | $24 | Same price for residents and nonresidents, and needed at every age for WMA big game seasons. Lifetime and Annual Sportsman holders are exempt. |
| Cherokee WMA Big Game permit, non-quota | $18 | Valid only for Cherokee WMA non-quota big game hunts. Same price for nonresidents. |
| Deer Bait Privilege License (resident) | $50 | Only for hunting whitetail over bait on private or leased land, and never in the CWD Management Zone or a CWD-positive county. No age or license exemption. |
| Deer Bait Privilege License (nonresident) | $100 | Same restrictions as the resident version. |
03 — Turkey permits
| Permit | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Supplemental Big Game Gun (resident) | $33 | The same supplemental that covers deer, bear and hog — there is no separate turkey license. |
| Supplemental Big Game Archery (resident) | $33 | The same supplemental that covers deer, bear and hog. |
| Supplemental Big Game Muzzleloader (resident) | $33 | The same supplemental that covers deer, bear and hog. |
| WMA Big Game permit, non-quota | $24 | Same price for residents and nonresidents. Lifetime and Annual Sportsman holders are exempt. |
04 — Waterfowl stamp
| Stamp | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Supplemental Waterfowl (resident) | $37 | Required on top of the combination license to hunt waterfowl. Nonresidents get waterfowl with their Small Game/Waterfowl or All Game license instead. |
| Tennessee Migratory Bird (HIP) Permit | $1 | Required of residents and nonresidents alike for waterfowl and other migratory birds. Free for Lifetime and Sportsman license holders. Expires June 30 each year. |
| WMA Small Game / Waterfowl permit | $61 | Same price for nonresidents; $12 for a single day. Lifetime and Annual Sportsman holders are exempt, as are youths under 16 hunting small game and waterfowl. |
| Federal Duck Stamp | $30.50 | The price Tennessee charges through its own portal, July 1 to February 11. Same for nonresidents. The e-stamp is valid all season; the physical stamp is mailed after March 10. |
Waterfowl hunters 16 and older also need HIP registration and a Federal Duck Stamp. Tennessee duck season dates →
05 — Hunter education
Tennessee requires a hunter education certificate for most first-time license buyers. Required of every hunter, resident or nonresident, born on or after January 1, 1969. Certification from any other state is accepted. Children under 10 may hunt without it while accompanied by an adult of at least 21 who can take immediate control of the hunting device. An Apprentice Hunter Education Permit ($11) defers the requirement a year at a time, for up to three years in a lifetime.
06 — Where to buy
Licenses and permits are sold through Go Outdoors Tennessee, the state's official portal.
Tennessee licenses are valid 365 days from the date of purchase rather than to a fixed calendar date. A few items keep fixed dates anyway: the Migratory Bird (HIP) Permit expires June 30 each year, and the Federal Duck Stamp is sold July 1 through February 11.
Verified · Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Last verified 2026-08-06
Publisher's note. Prices read from the TWRA license offerings document, retrieved 2026-08-06. Review due 2027-06-01. Fees are set by the state and change without notice — confirm current prices before purchase.