Hunting Tennessee this season? Keep these dates and bag limits in your pocket — free in the BlindBook app.
Tennessee is part of the Mississippi Flyway, one of four major migratory bird corridors in North America. The 2026–2027 waterfowl season runs from September 1 through March 31, 2027, with 30 distinct season segments covering ducks, geese, coots, and other migratory game birds. Season dates and bag limits are set annually by the Wildlife Resources Agency within frameworks established by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2,3,4 | Nov 28 – Nov 29 First Split | 6 | 18 |
| Dec 5 – Jan 31 Second Split |
| Species | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|
| Mallard no more than 2 hens | 4 | – |
| Wood Duck | 3 | – |
| Canvasback | 2 | – |
| Redhead | 2 | – |
| Black Duck | 2 | – |
| Pintail (Northern) | 3 | – |
| Mottled Duck | 1 | – |
| Lesser Scaup Statewide · 1/day Nov 28-30 & Dec 5-17, 2026; then 2/day Dec 18, 2026 - Jan 31, 2027 | 1 | – |
| Lesser Scaup Statewide · 1/day Dec 5-17, 2026; then 2/day Dec 18, 2026 - Jan 31, 2027 | 2 | – |
| Greater Scaup Statewide · 1/day Nov 28-30 & Dec 5-17, 2026; then 2/day Dec 18, 2026 - Jan 31, 2027 | 1 | – |
| Greater Scaup Statewide · 1/day Dec 5-17, 2026; then 2/day Dec 18, 2026 - Jan 31, 2027 | 2 | – |
14 mallards (no more than 2 hens), 3 wood ducks, 2 canvasbacks, 2 redheads, 2 black ducks, 3 pintails, 1 mottled duck. Scaup: 1/day Nov 28-30 & Dec 5-17.
2Regular duck season split 1. Coot and mergansers listed separately.
34 mallards (no more than 2 hens), 3 wood ducks, 2 canvasbacks, 2 redheads, 2 black ducks, 3 pintails, 1 mottled duck. Scaup: 1/day Dec 5-17; 2/day Dec 18 - Jan 31.
4Regular duck season split 2. Coot and mergansers listed separately.
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| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2 | Sep 12 – Sep 16 Wood Duck & Teal Early Season | 6 | – |
1No more than 2 wood ducks in the 6-duck bag
2Wood Duck & Teal early season. Possession limit is 1x daily bag on opening day, 2x on second day, 3x thereafter.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 | Sep 1 – Sep 20 Early Season | 5 | 15 |
| Oct 10 – Oct 22 Regular Season - Split 1 | |||
| Nov 28 – Nov 29 White-Fronted Goose Split 1 | |||
| Nov 28 – Nov 29 Regular Season - Split 2 | |||
| Dec 5 – Feb 14 White-Fronted Goose Split 2 | |||
| Dec 5 – Feb 14 Regular Season - Split 3 |
1White-Fronted Goose only
2Canada Goose only; bag limit 5
3Canada Goose early season. Possession limit is 1x daily on opening day, 2x on second day, 3x thereafter.
4Canada Goose: 3/day
5Canada Goose regular season split 1.
6Canada Goose: 3/day; White-fronted Goose: 3/day
7Canada Goose and White-fronted Goose season segment Nov. 28–29, 2026.
8Canada Goose and White-fronted Goose main regular season segment Dec. 5, 2026 – Feb. 14, 2027.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2,3,4 | Sep 1 – Sep 20 Early Season | 1 | 3 |
| Oct 10 – Oct 22 Regular Season - Split 1 | |||
| Nov 28 – Nov 29 Regular Season - Split 2 | |||
| Dec 5 – Feb 14 Regular Season - Split 3 |
1Possession limit is 3x daily bag except opening day (1x) and second day (2x).
2Brant season first regular split.
3Brant season second regular split.
4Brant season main regular segment.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2,3,4 | Sep 1 – Sep 20 Early Season | 20 | – |
| Oct 10 – Oct 22 Regular Season - Split 1 | |||
| Nov 28 – Nov 29 Regular Season - Split 2 | |||
| Dec 5 – Feb 14 Regular Season - Split 3 |
1Standard federal regulations apply — unplugged shotguns and electronic calls NOT allowed.
2Blue, Snow & Ross's Geese. No possession limit except opening day (daily bag) and second day (2x daily bag).
3Standard federal regulations apply; unplugged shotguns and electronic calls NOT allowed
4Blue, Snow & Ross's Geese. No possession limit except opening day (1x bag) and second day (2x bag).
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2 | Feb 15 – Mar 31 Light Goose Conservation Season | – | – |
1Unplugged shotguns and electronic calls allowed. No daily bag limit and no possession limit.
2Blue, Snow & Ross's Geese only. Free Light Goose Conservation Season Permit required (GoOutdoorsTennessee.com). No Federal or state waterfowl stamps required. Post-season survey required.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2,3,4 | Sep 1 – Nov 9 Early Gallinule and Moorhen Season | 15 | 45 |
| Nov 28 – Jan 31 | |||
| Nov 28 – Nov 29 First Split | |||
| Dec 5 – Jan 31 Second Split |
1Tennessee Migratory Bird Permit required. Possession limit is 3x daily bag.
2Coot limit is 15/day; listed within the Ducks, Coot & Mergansers row
3Coot season runs concurrent with regular duck season dates
4Coot season runs concurrently with regular duck season segments.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2,3,4 | Nov 28 – Nov 29 First split | 5 | 15 |
| Nov 28 – Nov 29 First Split | |||
| Dec 5 – Jan 31 Second Split |
1Only 2 of 5 may be hooded mergansers
2From TWRA 2026-27 waterfowl seasons; runs concurrent with duck season.
3Only 2 of the 5 may be hooded mergansers
4Merganser limit listed within the Ducks, Coot & Mergansers regular season table.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2 | Dec 3 – Jan 31 | – | – |
| Southeast Crane Zone3,4 | Dec 3 – Jan 14 First split | – | – |
| Jan 18 – Jan 31 Second split |
1Quota tag via computerized drawing (1,250 tags statewide, max 2/hunter); annual crane ID test; hours sunrise-3 pm; nontoxic shot; max 3 shells
22026-27 published by TWRA. Bag/possession are tag-based, not a fixed daily limit: 1,250 statewide quota tags via drawing, max 2 per hunter; annual online crane ID test required. Hunting hours sunrise to 3 pm; harvested cranes checked in same day; post-season survey due Feb 10.
3Quota tag via drawing; closed Jan 15-17, 2027 for the Sandhill Crane Festival; hours sunrise-3 pm; nontoxic shot
4Quota tag via drawing; hours sunrise-3 pm; nontoxic shot
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2 | Feb 6 – Feb 13 | 6 | – |
1Youth hunters ages 6–16 only. Non-hunting adults at least 21 must accompany youth. Same bag limits as regular season.
2Two youth hunt days: Feb. 6 and Feb. 13, 2027. Adults accompanying youth may not hunt. WMAs with special closing times are open all day each youth day.
| Zone / Season | Dates | Daily Bag | Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statewide1,2 | Feb 7 – Feb 14 | 6 | – |
1Veterans and active military only may hunt. Non-veteran/non-active duty may be present but not hunt. Same bag limits as regular season.
2Two vet/military hunt days: Feb. 7 and Feb. 14, 2027.
Season dates and bag limits are verified against official state wildlife agency publications and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Data shown is for the 2026-2027 season. This data was verified on July 30, 2026. Always confirm with your state's official regulations before hunting.
For waterfowl population trends, harvest analysis, and conservation research, see WaterfowlAI Insights.