Tennessee · Squirrel · 2026–27 Edition
Tennessee Squirrel Season 2026–27: Dates & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fall/winter season | Statewide | Aug 22 – Mar 15 |
| Spring season | Statewide | May 8 – Jun 13 |
02 — Bag limits
| Daily | 10 — gray, fox and red squirrel combined |
|---|---|
| Possession | 20 — twice the daily bag limit per TWRA's general small-game rule, with an opening-day exception |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (August 22, 2026) 05:41 — 19:57
Rule: 30 minutes before legal sunrise to 30 minutes after legal sunset — TWRA's general rule, which covers squirrel. Its night-hunting exceptions cover bullfrog, raccoon, opossum, coyote and bobcat, not squirrel. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Tennessee sun times for any other date.
04 — License
Squirrel hunters in Tennessee need a Tennessee hunting license.
Tennessee hunting license cost →
Where to hunt public land in Tennessee — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — FAQ
When does squirrel season start in Tennessee?
The 2026–27 opener is August 22, 2026. See the table above for the full window.
When does squirrel season end in Tennessee?
The 2026–27 closing date is June 13, 2027.
Is there a difference between fox and gray squirrel rules in Tennessee?
See the bag limit table above — most states run one combined limit across both species, but this is worth confirming against Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency before you hunt.
How many squirrels can you shoot in Tennessee per day?
2026–27 bag limits: Daily — 10 — gray, fox and red squirrel combined. Possession — 20 — twice the daily bag limit per TWRA's general small-game rule, with an opening-day exception. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting squirrel in Tennessee?
On opening day (August 22, 2026) legal light runs 05:41 to 19:57. The rule is: 30 minutes before legal sunrise to 30 minutes after legal sunset — TWRA's general rule, which covers squirrel. Its night-hunting exceptions cover bullfrog, raccoon, opossum, coyote and bobcat, not squirrel. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Tennessee sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt squirrels 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. Fetched directly from TWRA's hunting-seasons-summary page, which gives the verbatim table row 'Squirrel | Aug. 22, 2026 | March 15, 2027 | 10' for the fall/winter season and a combined 'Spring Squirrel' row listing both May 7, 2026–June 14, 2026 (part of the prior 2025-26 season year) and May 8, 2027–June 13, 2027 (the spring segment belonging to this 2026-27 season year, since it follows the Aug. 2026–Mar. 2027 fall/winter window) — confirming the two-segment pattern flagged for this state; only the 2026/2027 pair is used here. TWRA's separate small-game-regulations page was also fetched directly and confirms the same two date ranges and the daily bag limit of 10, plus states the applicable general rule: 'The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit, except for migratory game birds and except on opening day' — squirrel is neither exempt category, so possession is modeled as 20. No squirrel-specific shooting-hours statement was found on either TWRA page reached (the pages describe dog-training hours, not hunting hours, for squirrel), so shootingHours is omitted rather than assumed from the general daylight-hours convention.