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Tennessee, 2026-27 season year

Tennessee Bear Season 2026-27

Although listed as a carnivore, black bears are primarily omnivorous feeding on seasonally abundant foods. Bear diets include berries, fruits, nuts, insects, roots, grasses, small rodents, bird eggs and carrion. Acorns comprise much of and are a significant food source in the late season diet of black bears in Tennessee. Bears, like many other wild animals, are opportunistic and look for effortless calories.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Bear Seasons: October 3, 2026 to January 3, 2027. People report black bears in Tennessee most in May, and 20 percent of all reports fall in September, October and November. Everything below is Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s own words and dates, read on September 19, 2026, beside the record of what people reported.

This page covers the 2026-27 season year. Dates were read from the agency sources linked below, last checked September 19, 2026. Seasons change annually and agencies correct their own pages; confirm against the linked agency page before you hunt.
October 3, 2026 to January 3, 2027
Bear Seasons
published
September 26, 2026 to October 23, 2026
Archery Only
published
No season
Spring bear season
no season
May
Busiest reported month
3,763 reports on record
Fall activity

When black bears are most active in Tennessee

The agency counts about 6,000 black bears in Tennessee, in two main populations: an Appalachian one along the North Carolina line and a Cumberland one on the northern Cumberland Plateau toward the Kentucky line. Both are pieces of a larger Southeastern population the agency says it shares with Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. Bears are seen regularly in East Tennessee and far less often in the middle and western parts of the state, though the agency expects them to keep moving back into that historical range as populations in Kentucky, Mississippi and Arkansas grow.

The bars count research grade American black bear observations people uploaded to iNaturalist for Tennessee, by calendar month, across every year the platform holds. The busiest month in the record is May, and reports drop below 40 percent of that peak by October. The drop into winter reflects bears denning and fewer people outdoors in equal measure, which is why the agency’s sentences below, not the curve, carry the timing.

3,763 research grade American black bear observations have been uploaded to iNaturalist for Tennessee across every year the platform holds, and 20 percent of them fall in the three shaded fall months. The busiest month in the record is May, and reports drop below 40 percent of that peak by October. These are counts of what people reported, so they measure observers as well as bears; they are not a population, not a survey and not a statement about this autumn. See the records on iNaturalist.

Research grade black bear reports uploaded for Tennessee by year, 2016 to 2025: 34 in 2016 and 662 in 2025. Most of the climb is the platform itself growing, and every species on it shows the same shape, so this is a record of reporting rather than a population trend.

What Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says

Fall feeding

Although listed as a carnivore, black bears are primarily omnivorous feeding on seasonally abundant foods. Bear diets include berries, fruits, nuts, insects, roots, grasses, small rodents, bird eggs and carrion. Acorns comprise much of and are a significant food source in the late season diet of black bears in Tennessee. Bears, like many other wild animals, are opportunistic and look for effortless calories.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, read September 19, 2026. Read it at the source

Denning

Denning starts as early as November and ends as late as May. Females tend to begin hibernation earlier than males. In years of high mast production, bears can enter dens later.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, read September 19, 2026. Read it at the source

When conflicts and sightings rise

The expansion of human-populated areas has resulted in an increase in bear sightings around people. A bear being in an area is not a cause for alarm, but proper measures should be taken to reduce the risk of bears lingering due to attractants. The best approach to prevent unwanted bear encounters is to secure attractants that bring bears near homes and populated areas.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, read September 19, 2026. Read it at the source
A young black bear resting its chin on a bare dead branch in a green hardwood forest, ears forward, looking at the camera
A young black bear on a dead limb in the hardwoods. In the eastern forests the fall feeding season runs on acorns and beechnuts, which is why the agency sentences quoted on these pages talk about hard mast and mast years. Photo: Courtney Celley, USFWS. “Black Bear (20083897724)”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Public domain
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Hunting dates

Tennessee bear seasons, 2026-27

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency dates American black bear seasons under its own names, and each is below under that name with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them, the source page linked beside each table, and the date it was read.

Bear Seasons

published

Bear Seasons is OPEN now in the Bear Hunt Zone 1: Carter, Cocke (north of I-40), Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties, through October 11, 2026, with 3 zone segments open.

Tennessee bear seasons, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Bear Hunt Zone 1: Carter, Cocke (north of I-40), Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties (segment 1)October 3, 2026October 5, 2026The agency groups these as early, mid and late windows.
Bear Hunt Zone 1: Carter, Cocke (north of I-40), Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties (segment 2)October 10, 2026October 11, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 1: Carter, Cocke (north of I-40), Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties (segment 3)November 9, 2026November 16, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 1: Carter, Cocke (north of I-40), Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties (segment 4)November 21, 2026November 24, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 1: Carter, Cocke (north of I-40), Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington counties (segment 5)November 30, 2026December 16, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 2: Blount, Cocke (south of I-40), Jefferson (east of Hwy 411) and Sevier counties (segment 1)October 3, 2026October 18, 2026The October window here runs unbroken for sixteen days, the longest early window in the state.
Bear Hunt Zone 2: Blount, Cocke (south of I-40), Jefferson (east of Hwy 411) and Sevier counties (segment 2)November 2, 2026November 6, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 2: Blount, Cocke (south of I-40), Jefferson (east of Hwy 411) and Sevier counties (segment 3)November 21, 2026November 24, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 2: Blount, Cocke (south of I-40), Jefferson (east of Hwy 411) and Sevier counties (segment 4)November 30, 2026December 15, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 3: McMinn (east of Hwy 411), Monroe and Polk counties, excluding South Cherokee WMA (segment 1)October 3, 2026October 4, 2026Zone 3 is the only zone the agency reopens after Christmas, for four days at the turn of the year.
Bear Hunt Zone 3: McMinn (east of Hwy 411), Monroe and Polk counties, excluding South Cherokee WMA (segment 2)October 10, 2026October 16, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 3: McMinn (east of Hwy 411), Monroe and Polk counties, excluding South Cherokee WMA (segment 3)November 2, 2026November 6, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 3: McMinn (east of Hwy 411), Monroe and Polk counties, excluding South Cherokee WMA (segment 4)November 21, 2026November 24, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 3: McMinn (east of Hwy 411), Monroe and Polk counties, excluding South Cherokee WMA (segment 5)November 30, 2026December 13, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 3: McMinn (east of Hwy 411), Monroe and Polk counties, excluding South Cherokee WMA (segment 6)December 31, 2026January 3, 2027
Bear Hunt Zone 4: Anderson (west of I-75 and north of Old Lake City Hwy and north of Dutch Valley Rd.), Campbell (north of Hwy 63 and west of I-75), Claiborne (west of 25E and north of Hwy 63), Cumberland, Fentress, Morgan, Overton (east of Hwy 111), Pickett, Putnam (east of Hwy 111), Scott, Van Buren (east of Hwy 111) and White (east of Hwy 111) countiesDecember 12, 2026December 13, 2026Private land only. Zone 4 has no other window on the agency's bear season tables beyond archery and the young sportsman weekend.
Bear Hunt Zone 5: Hancock and Hawkins countiesDecember 12, 2026December 13, 2026Private land only.

Dates read from Tennessee Bear Season Regulations and Information, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, accessed 2026-09-19.

Tennessee splits its bear range into five numbered Bear Hunt Zones plus a Transitional Zone, and the dates differ in every one of them. Zones 1, 2 and 3, the Appalachian core, carry the full set of October, November and December windows. Zones 4 and 5 and the Transitional Zone, the recolonizing edge on the Cumberland Plateau and in the northeast ridges, carry far less: a weekend in December for Zones 4 and 5 on private land, and for the Transitional Zone nothing at all outside the statewide archery window. The agency also prints a separate reserve hunt in September and a dog training season, both listed under otherSeasons.

Archery Only

published

Archery Only is OPEN now in the Bear Hunt Zones 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and the Transitional Zone, through October 23, 2026.

Tennessee archery only, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Bear Hunt Zones 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and the Transitional ZoneSeptember 26, 2026October 23, 2026The one window the agency runs on the same dates in every zone, including the Transitional Zone.

Dates read from Tennessee Bear Season Regulations and Information, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, accessed 2026-09-19.

A four week window at the front of the season, and the only bear season the Transitional Zone has.

Spring bear season

no season

Tennessee holds no spring bear season. Tennessee prints no spring bear season. Every dated bear window on the agency's tables falls between late September and early January, and the only spring dates on the bear page belong to the dog training season. Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Other Tennessee bear seasons the agency names

Young Sportsman

published

Young Sportsman opens in 21 days, on October 31, 2026 (Bear Hunt Zones 1, 2 and 3).

Tennessee young sportsman, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Bear Hunt Zones 1, 2 and 3October 31, 2026November 1, 2026
Bear Hunt Zones 4 and 5October 31, 2026November 1, 2026Private land only.

Dates read from Tennessee Bear Season Regulations and Information, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, accessed 2026-09-19.

A single weekend at the end of October for young hunters. The Transitional Zone is not included.

Restricted Bear Reserve Hunt

published

Restricted Bear Reserve Hunt has closed for the season year; the last segment ended September 25, 2026.

Tennessee restricted bear reserve hunt, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Private property inside the proclaimed boundaries of the Kettlefoot and Laurel Fork Bear ReservesSeptember 19, 2026September 25, 2026Private lands only.

Dates read from Tennessee Bear Season Regulations and Information, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, accessed 2026-09-19.

The earliest bear dates on the Tennessee calendar, a week in September confined to private ground inside two reserve boundaries in the northeastern corner of the state.

Bear Dog Training Season

published

Bear Dog Training Season opens in 219 days, on May 17, 2027 (Bear Hunt Zones 1 and 2).

Tennessee bear dog training season, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
ZoneOpensClosesNotes
Bear Hunt Zones 1 and 2 (segment 1)August 22, 2026September 27, 2026
Bear Hunt Zones 1 and 2 (segment 2)May 17, 2027June 6, 2027
Bear Hunt Zone 3 (segment 1)September 9, 2026September 18, 2026
Bear Hunt Zone 3 (segment 2)May 17, 2027June 6, 2027
North Cherokee WMASeptember 8, 2026October 3, 2026
South Cherokee WMASeptember 9, 2026September 18, 2026

Dates read from Tennessee Bear Season Regulations and Information, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, accessed 2026-09-19.

The agency's own name for a separate set of dates, late summer and again the following spring, that no bear may be taken under. Zone 4 and the Transitional Zone are closed to it. It is the only bear listing on the Tennessee calendar that carries spring dates.

The agency's own season sentence

Tennessee has two main black bear populations: the Appalachian Population along the Tennessee-North Carolina border and the Cumberland Population in the northern part of the Cumberland Plateau along the Tennessee-Kentucky border.
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, read September 19, 2026. Read it at the source

Current Tennessee regulations

Permit and tag requirements, zone maps, permitted methods, tagging and reporting, and everything else a bear hunter is bound by for Tennessee are set by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, are legally binding and change annually. Its current regulations page is linked here.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency: current regulations
A black bear track pressed into wet grey mud, five rounded toes in an arc above a broad pad, with a second fainter print beside it
A black bear track in mud in Shenandoah National Park. Tracks, scat, turned over logs and claw marks on smooth beech bark are the sign most people meet in the fall woods, weeks before they meet the bear. Photo: M. Punches, NPS. “Black Bear Track in Mud (44654784885)”, ShenandoahNPS, Public domain

Bear season in other states

Tennessee deer seasonArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer windows for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.Tennessee small game seasonPheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel openers, read from the same agency.Tennessee foraging calendarThe acorns, beechnuts and berries the agency names as fall bear food are the same mast a forager follows.
An adult black bear standing on a broken limb high in a hardwood tree above two small cubs, all three looking down
A mother black bear and two cubs of the year in a hardwood tree. The denning sentences quoted on the state pages describe when family groups like this one go to ground, and it moves by weeks between a Gulf Coast winter and a northern one. Photo: Courtney Celley, USFWS. “Black Bear Family (20083894064)”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Public domain

Tennessee bear season questions

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A brown wooden Bear Country sign with a white bear pictogram and a red band, on two posts at the edge of a lodgepole pine campground in low sun
A Bear Country sign at Indian Creek Campground, Yellowstone. The land manager writes the rules on the board, and they change by campground and by season: food storage orders, closed drainages, and whether a soft sided tent is allowed at all. “Bear Country Sign for Indian Creek (14457698423)”, Yellowstone National Park from Yellowstone NP, USA, Public domain
A snow covered track running between pines bent low under heavy snow, with a strip of blue sky above
Midwinter at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, Maine. This is denning season in the north; each agency's own sentence on when its bears enter and leave their dens is quoted on the state pages, and the month bars show the reports thinning to match. “Winter at Moosehorn (11714166893)”, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region, Public domain

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with agency data read on September 19, 2026 and an iNaturalist record to September 19, 2026. Every sentence about bear behaviour is Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s own, quoted exactly with a link to its page; every season window is republished from the agency page linked beside it, and windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. The month bars count what members of the public reported and are not a population. See also the national bear season guide.