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Tennessee Public Hunting Land

139 wildlife management areas, national forest, refuges and state forests, grouped by TWRA region.

Full-screen mapWMA list

Photo: Andrew Neel andrewtneel (CC0)

Map of public hunting land in Tennessee

Markers sit at the approximate center of each area from TWRA’s hunting map. Click one for the area page.

120Wildlife management areas120 on this site, largest North Cumberland WMA8State forests8 on this site, largest Franklin State Forest7National wildlife refuges7 on this site, largest Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge2National forests2 on this site, largest North Cherokee National Forest & WMA2National recreation areas2 on this site, largest Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (Tennessee portion)

West Tennessee public hunting land

56 areas in TWRA Region 1.

  • Barkley WMA8,090 acres. Stewart
  • Bean Switch Refuge572 acres. Weakley
  • Beason Creek PHA460 acres. Hardin
  • Beech River WMA450 acres. Henderson, Decatur
  • Big Sandy WMA2,370 acres. Henry, Benton
  • Black Bayou Refuge1,350 acres. Lake
  • Bogota WMA2,293 acres. Dyer
  • C.M. Gooch WMA7,000 acres. Obion
  • Camden WMA3,682 acres. Benton
  • Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge26,997 acres. Lauderdale, Dyer
  • Chickasaw State Forest & WMA11,215 acres. Hardeman, Chester
  • Colonel Forrest V. Durand WMA736 acres. Madison
  • Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge8,862 acres. Stewart
  • Cypress Pond Refuge585 acres. Decatur
  • Eagle Lake Refuge3,253 acres. Shelby
  • Ernest Rice WMADyer
  • Fort Ridge WMA1,570 acres. Haywood
  • Grays Creek WMA288 acres. Hardeman
  • Harmon Creek WMA983 acres. Benton
  • Harts Mill WMA1,758 acres. Carroll, Weakley
  • Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge11,556 acres. Haywood
  • Hatchie River WMAHardeman, Haywood, McNairy
  • Hop-In Refuge650 acres. Obion
  • Horns Bluff Refuge1,890 acres. Crockett, Gibson
  • Jarrell Switch Refuge250 acres. Carroll
  • John Tully WMA15,500 acres. Lauderdale
  • Lake Isom National Wildlife Refuge1,850 acres. Lake, Obion
  • Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (Tennessee portion)Stewart
  • Lick Creek WMA198 acres. Benton
  • Lower Hatchie National Wildlife RefugeLauderdale, Tipton
  • Maness Swamp RefugeGibson, Weakley
  • Meeman-Shelby Forest WMA & State Park13,000 acres. Shelby
  • Moss Island WMA5,119 acres. Dyer
  • Natchez Trace State Forest & WMA48,000 acres. Henderson, Carroll, Benton
  • New Hope WMA88 acres. Benton
  • Obion River WMA8,500 acres. Weakley, Obion, Gibson
  • Parker Branch WMA263 acres. Gibson
  • Perry Switch WMA210 acres. Madison
  • Presidents Island WMA6,300 acres. Shelby
  • Reelfoot National Wildlife RefugeObion
  • Reelfoot WMA24,000 acres. Lake, Obion
  • Sergeant Lee Russell Refuge570 acres. Carroll
  • South Fork Waterfowl Refuge778 acres. Madison
  • Spring Creek Wetland PHA439 acres. Madison
  • Stewart State Forest6,216 acres. Stewart
  • Tennessee National Wildlife RefugeHumphreys, Henry, Benton
  • Thorny Cypress WMA3,100 acres. Dyer
  • Three Rivers WMA1,577 acres. Obion
  • Tigrett WMA7,629 acres. Dyer, Gibson, Crockett
  • Tull Bottom WMA1,184 acres. Chester
  • Tumbleweed WMA5,770 acres. Lake, Dyer
  • West Sandy WMA4,319 acres. Henry
  • White Lake Refuge1,194 acres. Dyer
  • White Oak WMA1,194 acres. Hardin
  • Wolf River State Forest PHA5,488 acres. Fayette
  • Wolf River WMA & Ghost River SNA4,236 acres. Fayette, Shelby

Middle Tennessee public hunting land

31 areas in TWRA Region 2.

  • AEDC WMA & Woods Reservoir Refuge32,000 acres. Coffee, Franklin
  • Bark Camp Barrens WMA2,800 acres. Coffee
  • Bear Hollow Mountain WMA22,000 acres. Franklin
  • Beaverdam Creek WMA4,055 acres. Hickman, Lewis
  • Browntown WMA6,336 acres. Wayne
  • Cedar Hill Swamp WMA200 acres. Robertson
  • Cedars of Lebanon State Forest5,329 acres. Wilson
  • Cheatham Lake WMA5,152 acres. Cheatham, Dickson
  • Cheatham WMA20,810 acres. Cheatham
  • Eagle Creek WMA22,000 acres. Wayne
  • Flintville Hatchery750 acres. Lincoln
  • Haley-Jaqueth WMA200 acres. Williamson
  • Happy Hollow WMA1,800 acres. Hickman
  • Haynes Bottom WMA971 acres. Montgomery
  • Headwaters WMA600 acres. Cannon
  • Hick Hill WMA3,608 acres. Lewis
  • Hickory Flats WMA623 acres. Coffee
  • Laurel Hill WMA14,952 acres. Lawrence
  • Lewis State Forest1,288 acres. Lewis
  • MTSU WMA995 acres. Hickman
  • Maple Springs WMA122 acres. Coffee
  • Mingo Swamp WMA460 acres. Franklin
  • Normandy WMA750 acres. Coffee, Bedford
  • Old Hickory Lake Lock 5 Refuge900 acres. Wilson, Trousdale
  • Old Hickory WMA6,000 acres. Wilson, Trousdale, Sumner
  • Owl Hollow Mill WMA3,000 acres. Franklin
  • Percy Priest WMA10,768 acres. Rutherford, Davidson, Wilson
  • Shelton Ferry WMA628 acres. Montgomery
  • Tie Camp WMA3,280 acres. Wayne
  • Williamsport WMA1,722 acres. Maury
  • Yanahli WMA12,800 acres. Maury

Plateau Tennessee public hunting land

35 areas in TWRA Region 3.

  • Alpine Mountain WMA1,642 acres. Overton
  • Blackburn Fork WMA600 acres. Jackson
  • Bledsoe State Forest8,289 acres. Bledsoe, Cumberland, White
  • Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness WMA17,000 acres. White, Van Buren
  • Catoosa Ridge Refuge1,630 acres. Cumberland
  • Catoosa WMACumberland, Morgan
  • Charlotte Ann Finnell Neal WMA495 acres. Bradley, Polk
  • Chickamauga WMABradley, Rhea, Meigs
  • Cordell Hull WMAJackson, Smith
  • Cordell Hull Waterfowl Refuge600 acres. Jackson
  • Edgar Evins State Park6,000 acres. DeKalb
  • Fall Creek Falls State Park20,000 acres. Bledsoe, Van Buren
  • Fourth Fractional Township WMAPolk
  • Franklin State Forest8,824 acres. Marion, Franklin
  • Harp WMA285 acres. Bledsoe
  • Hiwassee Refuge6,000 acres. Meigs, Rhea
  • Jackson Swamp WMA203 acres. Overton
  • Keyes-Harrison WMA1,740 acres. Cumberland
  • Lone Mountain State Forest3,572 acres. Morgan
  • Luper Mountain WMA5,617 acres. Cumberland
  • McGlothin-Largen WMA112 acres. Roane
  • Mount Roosevelt WMA11,000 acres. Roane, Cumberland, Morgan
  • North Chickamauga Creek WMA5,400 acres. Sequatchie, Hamilton
  • Oak Ridge WMA37,000 acres. Anderson, Roane
  • Paint Rock Refuge1,600 acres. Roane
  • Pea Ridge WMA2,000 acres. DeKalb, Cannon
  • Pickett State Forest & WMA19,200 acres. Pickett, Fentress
  • Prentice Cooper State Forest & WMA26,945 acres. Marion, Hamilton
  • Skinner Mountain WMAFentress, Overton
  • South Cherokee National Forest & WMAMonroe, Polk, McMinn
  • Standing Stone State Forest & WMA8,309 acres. Overton, Clay
  • Tellico Lake WMA8,000 acres. Monroe, Loudon
  • The Boils WMAJackson
  • Watts Bar WMARoane, Rhea
  • Yuchi Refuge2,634 acres. Rhea

East Tennessee public hunting land

17 areas in TWRA Region 4.

  • Big South Fork National River and Recreation AreaScott, Fentress, Pickett
  • Buffalo Springs WMA342 acres. Grainger
  • Chuck Swan State Forest & WMA24,705 acres. Union, Campbell
  • Cove Creek WMA2,450 acres. Campbell
  • Foothills WMA10,000 acres. Blount
  • Forks of the River WMA648 acres. Knox
  • Henderson Island Refuge525 acres. Jefferson
  • Kyker Bottoms Refuge525 acres. Blount
  • Kyles Ford WMA1,000 acres. Hancock, Hawkins
  • Lick Creek Bottoms WMAGreene
  • Martha Sundquist State Forest2,001 acres. Cocke
  • Nolichucky WMAGreene
  • North Cherokee National Forest & WMACarter, Johnson, Cocke
  • North Cumberland WMA205,000 acres. Campbell, Scott, Claiborne
  • Rankin WMA1,975 acres. Cocke, Hamblen
  • Scott State Forest2,823 acres. Scott, Fentress
  • Whites Mill Refuge53 acres. Blount

National forest, refuges and state forests

Wildlife management areas are listed by region above and on the WMA list.

State forests

  • Bledsoe State ForestBledsoe, Cumberland, White
  • Cedars of Lebanon State ForestWilson
  • Franklin State ForestMarion, Franklin
  • Lewis State ForestLewis
  • Lone Mountain State ForestMorgan
  • Martha Sundquist State ForestCocke
  • Scott State ForestScott, Fentress
  • Stewart State ForestStewart

National wildlife refuges

  • Chickasaw National Wildlife RefugeLauderdale, Dyer
  • Cross Creeks National Wildlife RefugeStewart
  • Hatchie National Wildlife RefugeHaywood
  • Lake Isom National Wildlife RefugeLake, Obion
  • Lower Hatchie National Wildlife RefugeLauderdale, Tipton
  • Reelfoot National Wildlife RefugeObion
  • Tennessee National Wildlife RefugeHumphreys, Henry, Benton

National forests

  • North Cherokee National Forest & WMACarter, Johnson, Cocke
  • South Cherokee National Forest & WMAMonroe, Polk, McMinn

National recreation areas

  • Big South Fork National River and Recreation AreaScott, Fentress, Pickett
  • Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (Tennessee portion)Stewart

Public land questions

How much public hunting land is in Tennessee?

TWRA manages or co-manages more than a million acres across its wildlife management areas, with more in the national forest, refuges and Big South Fork.

What is the biggest WMA in Tennessee?

North Cumberland WMA, about 205,000 acres in Anderson, Campbell, Claiborne, Morgan and Scott counties.

Do I need a permit to hunt WMAs?

A WMA permit for hunters 16 to 64, unless you hold an Annual Sportsman license. Some areas also run quota hunts drawn in advance.

Can I hunt Cherokee National Forest?

Yes. TWRA manages hunting on the North and South Cherokee as WMAs under the statewide rules plus their own listings.

Can I hunt national wildlife refuges in Tennessee?

Several refuges, including Tennessee, Cross Creeks, Reelfoot, Chickasaw and Hatchie, allow hunting under refuge-specific rules and permits.

Are WMA seasons the same as statewide seasons?

Not always. Each WMA has its own dates, and they can be shorter or limited to certain weapons.

Where are the best duck hunting areas?

West Tennessee: Reelfoot, the Tennessee River refuges and the Mississippi River bottoms. See the waterfowl page.

How were these locations mapped?

From TWRA’s official Hunting Allowed map layer and each agency’s pages, checked October 2026.