CWD-positive counties (23)
- CarrollCWD-positive
- ChesterCWD-positive
- CrockettCWD-positive
- DecaturCWD-positive
- DicksonCWD-positive
- DyerCWD-positive
- FayetteCWD-positive
- GibsonCWD-positive
- HardemanCWD-positive
- HardinCWD-positive
- HaywoodCWD-positive
- HendersonCWD-positive
- HenryCWD-positive
- HumphreysCWD-positive
- LauderdaleCWD-positive
- LewisCWD-positive
- MadisonCWD-positive
- McNairyCWD-positive
- ShelbyCWD-positive
- TiptonCWD-positive
- WayneCWD-positive
- WeakleyCWD-positive
- WilliamsonCWD-positive
CWD Management Zone (21 counties)
Carcass transport rules apply across the zone.
- BentonManagement zone
- CarrollManagement zone
- ChesterManagement zone
- CrockettManagement zone
- DecaturManagement zone
- DyerManagement zone
- FayetteManagement zone
- GibsonManagement zone
- HardemanManagement zone
- HardinManagement zone
- HaywoodManagement zone
- HendersonManagement zone
- HenryManagement zone
- LakeManagement zone
- LauderdaleManagement zone
- MadisonManagement zone
- McNairyManagement zone
- ObionManagement zone
- ShelbyManagement zone
- TiptonManagement zone
- WeakleyManagement zone
CWD rules for hunters
Rule 1
Only approved parts (deboned meat, antlers, cleaned skull plates/skulls, cleaned teeth, finished taxidermy, hides) may leave the CWD Management Zone; whole carcasses can move only within and between zone counties.
Rule 2
A carcass brought into the CWD Management Zone cannot be moved back out.
Rule 3
Only approved parts of deer, elk, moose and caribou killed out of state may be brought into Tennessee.
Rule 4
Deer baiting and wildlife feeding are prohibited in the CWD Management Zone and all CWD-positive counties (feeding exceptions: within 100 ft of an occupied building, deer-excluded, authorized hog control, normal agriculture/food plots).
Rule 5
Earn-A-Buck: each antlerless deer killed in a CWD-positive county and submitted for testing earns an extra antlered deer, to be taken in a CWD-positive county that season. No cap.
Rule 6
Replacement buck: after TWRA notice of a CWD-positive antlered deer, hunter may take a replacement buck in a CWD-positive county during the current or next season. No cap.
Rule 7
A hunter whose deer tests CWD-positive gets a $75 processing voucher.
Rule 8
Testing is voluntary via drop-off freezers and participating processors/taxidermists; results in about 2 weeks. No mandatory testing requirement appears in 2026-27 rules.
From the 2026-27 TWRA guide and TWRA CWD pages (source), checked October 9, 2026.
Counties where baiting and feeding are banned (26)
- BentonNo baiting or feeding
- CarrollNo baiting or feeding
- ChesterNo baiting or feeding
- CrockettNo baiting or feeding
- DecaturNo baiting or feeding
- DicksonNo baiting or feeding
- DyerNo baiting or feeding
- FayetteNo baiting or feeding
- GibsonNo baiting or feeding
- HardemanNo baiting or feeding
- HardinNo baiting or feeding
- HaywoodNo baiting or feeding
- HendersonNo baiting or feeding
- HenryNo baiting or feeding
- HumphreysNo baiting or feeding
- LakeNo baiting or feeding
- LauderdaleNo baiting or feeding
- LewisNo baiting or feeding
- MadisonNo baiting or feeding
- McNairyNo baiting or feeding
- ObionNo baiting or feeding
- ShelbyNo baiting or feeding
- TiptonNo baiting or feeding
- WayneNo baiting or feeding
- WeakleyNo baiting or feeding
- WilliamsonNo baiting or feeding
CWD questions
What is CWD?
Chronic wasting disease is a fatal prion disease of deer and elk. It was first found in Tennessee in 2018.
Is CWD testing mandatory?
No. Testing is voluntary through drop-off freezers and participating processors and taxidermists.
Can I take a deer out of the CWD zone?
Only approved parts: deboned meat, antlers, cleaned skull plates, hides and finished taxidermy.
What is Earn-A-Buck?
Each tested antlerless deer from a CWD-positive county earns an extra buck in a CWD-positive county that season.
Is it safe to eat deer from CWD counties?
Health agencies advise testing deer from affected areas and not eating meat from an animal that tests positive.
Can I bait deer in CWD counties?
No. Baiting and feeding are banned in all 26 listed counties.
What if my deer tests positive?
TWRA provides a $75 processing voucher and a replacement buck option.
Can I bring a deer in from another state?
Only approved parts of deer, elk, moose and caribou killed out of state.