Tennessee Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A Tennessee hunting license costs $33 for a resident adult and $305 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-11).
Tennessee's licensing system revolves around a choice: the cheaper combo access license that only covers small game and fishing, or the pricier all-inclusive Sportsman License that adds deer, turkey, bear and waterfowl without needing separate supplemental licenses for each.
- Non-resident 7-day all-game $214
Resident $33 "Hunt/Fish Combo Access" covers small game and fishing only: deer/turkey/bear/waterfowl need a supplemental license, or the $165 all-inclusive Sportsman license. Non-resident annual all-game is $305 ($214 for a 7-day version).
Fee last verified 2026-09-11.
Heading out for Tennessee hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What a Tennessee hunting license costs
The resident Hunt/Fish Combo Access license is $33, but that covers small game and fishing only, so deer, turkey, bear and waterfowl hunters need a supplemental license on top. The all-inclusive resident Sportsman License is $165 and covers everything in one purchase, which works out cheaper for hunters targeting more than one or two big game species.
Non-resident pricing
Non-residents pay $305 for the annual all-game license, or $214 for a 7-day all-game license, a genuinely useful option for a single hunting trip rather than a full season.
How to buy your Tennessee hunting license
Go Outdoors Tennessee handles online sales, and licenses are also available at TWRA regional offices and authorized license agents statewide.
Hunting in Tennessee: what to expect
Tennessee's elk hunt, through a competitive draw for a small number of tags in the northern Cumberland Plateau, is one of the state's most notable hunting opportunities, part of a successful elk reintroduction that's grown steadily since the early 2000s. Whitetail deer hunting is strong statewide, with West Tennessee's agricultural bottomlands and Middle Tennessee's cedar glades both known for good deer numbers, while East Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains region offers a more rugged, mountain-hunting experience for bear and turkey. Turkey season each spring draws serious participation across the state, aided by one of the more successful wild turkey recovery programs in the Southeast.
Wildlife Management Areas in Tennessee
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency manages more than 1.5 million acres of public land across the state's WMA system, ranging from the bottomland hardwood tracts of West Tennessee to the ridge-and-valley terrain of the Cumberland Plateau. Some of the state's best deer and turkey WMAs run limited quota hunts that require a separate application, similar to neighboring Georgia, while others stay open on a first-come basis for the entire season. The Cherokee National Forest in East Tennessee adds a huge additional block of public land for hunters targeting bear or turkey in mountain terrain rather than the farm country further west.
Sportsman license versus Hunt/Fish Combo Access
The $33 resident Hunt/Fish Combo Access covers small game and fishing only. Deer, turkey, bear and waterfowl need a supplemental license, or the $165 all-inclusive Sportsman license. Non-resident annual all-game is $305, or $214 for a 7-day version, which is the product that matches a week in the WMA system rather than a year you will not spend in Tennessee.
Go Outdoors Tennessee is the checkout. A Sportsman license is the resident default if you deer hunt and fish. Buying the $33 combo and then stacking supplements can cost more than $165 once deer and turkey are on the ticket. Run the numbers once on the official fee sheet before you click.
Wildlife Management Areas are where hunters without a farm go, and many of the better deer and turkey hunts are quota or assignment hunts with application windows that close before you have packed the truck. Read the current WMA booklet for the area you want, then buy the license that matches (Sportsman for residents who will hunt deer, 7-day all-game for a visiting hunter who will not be back). A license without a WMA assignment, and without private land, is a receipt. National forest in the Cherokee is the other public option and still needs the same TWRA credentials. Quota results post on Go Outdoors Tennessee; do not book lodging for a drawn WMA hunt until the assignment is on your account.
How to renew a Tennessee hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in Tennessee. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes.
The fastest route is the official Tennessee online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Tennessee fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.