Tennessee Squirrel & Rabbit Season 2026-27: Small Game Dates

Q: When does squirrel season open in Tennessee in 2026-27?

Squirrel: August 22, 2026 to March 15, 2027. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: When is rabbit season in Tennessee?

Rabbit: November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency publishes it under that name, and the zone table on this page was read from its own page on September 19, 2026.

Q: Which small game zone am I in, in Tennessee?

Tennessee sets different dates by zone for at least one species, and the boundaries are the agency's own, drawn along interstates, highways and county lines. Your zone is determined from the agency's own map: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency publishes the official zone map and boundary descriptions, linked from this page.

Q: Where are the bag limits, legal methods and licence rules for Tennessee small game?

At Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, whose regulations page is linked on this page. Those rules are legally binding, change annually and vary by species, by zone and by land ownership. This page carries the season windows themselves, with source and read date attached.

Q: Can these Tennessee small game dates change?

Yes. Agencies amend season orders, add or drop zones, and occasionally correct their own published tables mid season. This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 19, 2026, says so in the copy, and links the exact Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency page it read on September 19, 2026. Treat the agency page as the final word on the morning you hunt.

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.

No open season

Pheasant

no season

November 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Quail

published

October 10, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Grouse

published

November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Rabbit

published

August 22, 2026 to March 15, 2027

Squirrel

published

2 zone rows

Zone structure

as the agency draws it

Five seasons, one state

Tennessee small game seasons, 2026-27

“When does small game season open” is five questions wearing one coat. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency dates squirrel, rabbit, ruffed grouse and bobwhite quail separately, so each species is below under the agency’s own name for it, with the zone rows exactly as the agency lists them.

Pheasant

no season

Tennessee has no open pheasant season for 2026-27. TWRA's seasons summary lists no pheasant season in either its small game or its game bird table; Tennessee holds no wild pheasant season. Source: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Quail

published

Quail runs November 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Tennessee quail, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	November 7, 2026	February 28, 2027
Wildlife management areas, unless otherwise noted	November 1, 2026	January 15, 2027	The summary's quail footnote gives the WMA window

Dates read from Tennessee Hunting Seasons Summary, Small Game and Furbearer Season Dates, TWRA, accessed 2026-09-19.

Bobwhite quail opens the first Saturday in November with rabbit and runs through the end of February statewide. On wildlife management areas the summary gives a shorter Nov 1 to Jan 15 window unless an individual area says otherwise.

Grouse

published

Grouse runs October 10, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Tennessee grouse, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	October 10, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Tennessee Hunting Seasons Summary, Small Game and Furbearer Season Dates, TWRA, accessed 2026-09-19.

Ruffed grouse opens the second Saturday in October and runs through the end of February; the summary prints it in both its small game and game bird tables with the same dates.

Rabbit

published

Rabbit runs November 7, 2026 to February 28, 2027 across all zones.

Tennessee rabbit, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	November 7, 2026	February 28, 2027

Dates read from Tennessee Hunting Seasons Summary, Small Game and Furbearer Season Dates, TWRA, accessed 2026-09-19.

Rabbit opens the first Saturday in November and runs through the end of February statewide.

Squirrel

published

Squirrel runs August 22, 2026 to March 15, 2027 across all zones.

Tennessee squirrel, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	August 22, 2026	March 15, 2027

Dates read from Tennessee Hunting Seasons Summary, Small Game and Furbearer Season Dates, TWRA, accessed 2026-09-19.

Tennessee's fall squirrel season is one of the longest in the region, opening the fourth Saturday in August and running to mid March. A separate spring squirrel season in May and June is listed in otherSeasons.

Grouse Oct. 10, 2026 - Feb. 28, 2027

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, read September 19, 2026. Read it at the source

A pair of northern bobwhite quail standing together in a carpet of purple violets, the male with a bold white throat and eye stripe, the female buff faced — A bobwhite pair. Quail seasons run from late autumn into winter across the South and Midwest; several western states date scaled, Gambel's and California quail on the same row. Photo: Steve Maslowski, USFWS. “Colinus virginianus USFWS”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, Public domain

The rest of the calendar

Other Tennessee small game seasons the agency names

Beyond the five main species, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency dates 2 further seasons on the same small game pages. They are reproduced here under the agency’s own names, because a hunter reading a calendar needs to know which window a licence or stamp actually covers.

Spring Squirrel

published

Spring Squirrel runs May 8, 2027 to June 13, 2027 across all zones.

Tennessee spring squirrel, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide	May 8, 2027	June 13, 2027

Dates read from Tennessee Hunting Seasons Summary, Small Game and Furbearer Season Dates, TWRA, accessed 2026-09-19.

The summary prints the spring squirrel row with both the 2026 and 2027 windows; the 2027 window is the one inside the 2026-27 season year.

Woodcock

published

Woodcock runs November 14, 2026 to January 31, 2027 across all zones.

Tennessee woodcock, as published by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Zone	Opens	Closes	Notes
Statewide (segment 1)	November 14, 2026	December 6, 2026
Statewide (segment 2)	January 10, 2027	January 31, 2027

Dates read from Tennessee Hunting Seasons Summary, Small Game and Furbearer Season Dates, TWRA, accessed 2026-09-19.

Woodcock sits in the migratory bird table on the same seasons summary page as a two segment season.

Rules

Tennessee small game hunting regulations

Season windows are carried here with their source and read date attached. Everything else a hunter is bound by is set by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and its regulations page is linked below.

Current Tennessee regulations

Bag and possession limits, legal methods, shooting hours, license and stamp requirements, and youth or special season rules 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

Close view of an eastern cottontail rabbit in green grass, ears up, dark round eye and white chin catching the light — An eastern cottontail. Rabbit is usually the last small game season to close, running into February in most of the East and Midwest. Photo: Grayson Smith, USFWS. “Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (48935527872)”, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Public domain

Small game season dates in other Southeast states

Every state’s pheasant, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrel dates are on the national small game season page.

A ruffed grouse standing on snow with its feathers puffed against the cold, crest raised, in front of bare frosted branches — A ruffed grouse in northern Minnesota snow. Grouse seasons open in September or October in the northern forest states and several run through the winter. Photo: Courtney Celley, USFWS. “Ruffed grouse (53480965635)”, USFWS Midwest Region, Public domain

Tennessee deer seasonArchery, firearms, muzzleloader and youth deer dates for 2026-27, under the same sourcing rules.Tennessee turkey seasonSpring and fall wild turkey windows for 2026-27, read from the same agency.Tennessee duck seasonDuck and goose season dates by zone and flyway, read from the same agency.Tennessee fall foliagePeak color and the first grouse and squirrel weeks overlap. Plan the same trip.

Tennessee small game season questions

When does squirrel season open in Tennessee in 2026-27?

When is rabbit season in Tennessee?

Does Tennessee have a pheasant season?

Which small game zone am I in, in Tennessee?

Where are the bag limits, legal methods and licence rules for Tennessee small game?

Can these Tennessee small game dates change?

A fox squirrel with a grey back and rust orange belly crouched on a lichen covered branch against bare winter trees and blue sky — A fox squirrel in bare winter woods in Ohio. Squirrel is the earliest small game opener in many states, from mid August or September, and runs to January or February. “Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger vulpinus) (13255025953)” by Andrew C, CC BY 2.0

This page covers the 2026-27 season year with data as of September 19, 2026. Every season window is republished from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency page linked beside it, read on September 19, 2026; windows the agency had not yet published are labelled not yet published. Bag and possession limits, legal methods, shooting hours and licence rules are set by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, whose page is the final word on the day you hunt. See also the national small game season guide.