Yo. aspiring turkey hunter!
Ever dreamt of bagging a majestic gobbler in the heart of Tennessee’s wild landscapes? Well, before you head out to the woods, let’s make sure you’ve got the right license in your pocket
Here’s the lowdown on turkey hunting licenses in Tennessee:
Who needs a license?
- Anyone 16 years of age or older who wants to hunt turkeys in Tennessee needs a valid hunting license.
- Youth hunters under 16 can participate in the Young Sportsman Hunt with a special permit.
Types of licenses:
- Resident Hunting License: This is your basic license for Tennessee residents. It allows you to hunt turkeys during both the spring and fall seasons.
- Non-Resident Hunting License: This license is for folks who don’t call Tennessee home. It also covers both spring and fall turkey seasons.
- Young Sportsman License: This special permit is for youngsters aged 6-16 who want to participate in the Young Sportsman Hunt.
- Quota Hunt Permit: If you’re aiming to hunt on a specific Wildlife Management Area (WMA) with a quota system, you’ll need this additional permit.
Where to get your license:
- You can easily purchase your license online through the TWRA website.
- Alternatively, visit a licensed agent near you.
Cost of licenses:
- Resident Hunting License: $33
- Non-Resident Hunting License: $153
- Young Sportsman License: $10
- Quota Hunt Permit: Varies depending on the WMA and hunt.
Important things to remember:
- Bag limits: During the spring season, you can bag one bearded turkey per day, with a maximum of two for the entire season. In the fall, you can bag one bearded turkey per county.
- Hunting hours: You can hunt turkeys from 30 minutes before sunrise to sunset.
- Equipment: Shotguns with No. 4 shot or smaller are allowed, as well as archery equipment (bows and crossbows).
- Prohibited acts: Baiting, using rifles, handguns, electronic calls, live decoys, and loaded ammunition larger than No. 4 shot are all prohibited.
Additional resources:
- TWRA Hunting License Information: https://www.tn.gov/twra/hunting/licenses.html
- TWRA Turkey Hunting Regulations: https://www.tn.gov/twra/hunting/big-game/turkey.html
- TWRA Hunting Guide: https://www.tn.gov/twra/hunting/tennessee-hunting-guide.html
Now that you have the information, go shoot that bird and remember to hunt sensibly and in accordance with all laws. Tight lines, y’all!.
General Turkey Hunting Regulations
Legal Hunting Hours
- Thirty minutes before legal sunrise to legal sunset.
Legal Hunting Equipment
- Shotguns using ammunition with No. 4 shot or smaller. No restriction on the number of rounds in the magazine.
- Archery equipment (longbows, recurve bows, compound bows, and crossbows).
- Sighting devices including scopes are legal. Using infrared, night vision, or other artificial light-based devices to locate wildlife is prohibited.
- During the state’s turkey gun seasons, any hunter may use an Airbow, a pre-charged pneumatic gun that fires an arrow.
Prohibited Acts (see General Regulations for more details)
- It is forbidden to use or possess an electronic call device, use handguns, own rifles, bait, use live decoys, and load ammunition larger than No. 4 shot.
- It is forbidden to shoot or stalk turkeys from a boat in the counties of Dyer, Haywood, Lauderdale, Obion, Shelby, and Tipton.
Special Regulations
- Although they are not permitted to carry turkey hunting weapons, licensed hunters who have reached their bag limit or do not have a valid permit for a quota hunt may still accompany another hunter who does and assist them in making calls. This is especially true on WMAs where hunting is prohibited.
- When participating in a Young Sportsman Hunt, minors must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 21 years old and is not hunting. This adult does not require a license, but they must be able to seize the hunting gear right away. Multiple youths may be accompanied by a single qualifying adult.
- Turkeys must remain intact until tagged and checked in.
- The state’s bag limits apply to all turkeys taken during hunts on public land (details are in the WMA section).
- Fanning or reaping turkeys on WMAs is prohibited. (See WMA General Regulations for more detail) .
Wildlife Management Areas
- While some WMAs have restricted dates or quota hunts, the majority are open with bag limits and statewide seasons.
- It is prohibited to call turkeys or attempt to call them using any device that mimics the sounds made by turkeys on any WMA from March 1 until the first day of the spring turkey hunt.
- Go to the Quota Hunt page to find out when applications for the turkey quota hunt open.
Youth Turkey Hunt on Cheatham WMA
Tennessee turkey hunter Cameron Freshour harvested this seven-bearded gobbler in Greene County. Camerons bird weighed 18. 5 lbs. , had 1 1/16″ spurs, and over 46 total inches of beard!.
Multiple bearded turkeys are uncommon, with estimates suggesting less than 10% of gobblers have more than one beard.
While TWRA does not keep turkey records, NWTF does and unsurprisingly, multiple bearded birds top the list with the world record having 13 beards! Want to know how your spring gobbler stacks up? Visit https://www.nwtf.org/the-lifestyle/turkey-records-home and run it through their scoring calculator.