Hunting in Tennessee: 3 Animals to Hunt Year-Round

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency determines how to maintain a healthy balance of wildlife while encouraging a thriving source of game for sport hunters. Some species are so prevalent that managing the population requires year-round exposure to sport hunting. Though at times this is due to the invasive nature of the species, it is not always the case.

Regardless, these animals are so successful at adapting to and thriving in habitats encroached upon and altered by human presence that they create pressure on more at-risk species competing with them for the same resources.

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Here are three animals you can hunt in Tennessee year-round, according to HuntingSeasonHQ.com.

1. Red Deer
Indigenous to Europe and Asia, this species of deer has long been a staple food source. However, in North America they are considered an invasive species. While some farms maintain herds on private lands for the explicit purpose of meat production and harvest, those members found loose in the wild can be harvested year-round without limit, provided the hunter acquires a free permit to do so from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

Hunters should be confident in their ability to distinguish between elk and red deer, however, as juvenile elk may be similar in size to adult buck red deer and the sweep of their antlers is very similar. Mistakenly killing an elk out of season and/or without explicit permit carries a $2,500 fine and possible jail sentence up to one year.

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2. Bullfrog
Excepting waters located within state and federal wildlife refuges, Tennessee offers open season on bullfrogs throughout the year. On lakes managed by the agency, the season is limited to the month of June. Hunters are permitted 20 per night, and while the use of firearms is prohibited on agency managed lakes, the TWRA does not classify pellet guns or air rifles as firearms.

3. Beaver
The presence of a strong beaver population can alter the geography of an entire ecosystem. Because Tennessee has a wealth of bottomland hardwood forests that would be adversely affected through such alterations, the TWRA chooses to employ heavy population control methods for this native species. Tennessee’s year-round beaver season has no bag limits for hunters.

This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.

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