The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s operational budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which will commence in July 2025

Chattanooga, TN – According to the state officials, the decision was made during the Commission’s August meeting, held at the Tennessee Farm Bureau headquarters for the first time since May 2000.

In addition to approving the budget, the Commission received an overview of a newly developed deer management framework and upcoming hunting seasons.

The Wildlife and Forestry Division provided a review of the new science-driven deer management framework. This framework, designed using stakeholder objectives and additional data sources, introduces significant updates to deer hunting regulations, particularly in response to chronic wasting disease (CWD) and antlerless bag limits in East Tennessee.

One notable change is the creation of new units that group counties based on similar biological and environmental factors affecting deer populations. This restructuring is intended to enhance monitoring and management of deer across the state. As a result, Unit CWD in West Tennessee has been eliminated, with regulations in those areas reverting to normal statewide seasons.

Notably, rifles will no longer be permitted during the August velvet hunt and the muzzleloader season. However, the CWD Management Zone regulations, which include feeding and transport restrictions, remain unchanged. The Earn-a-Buck program also continues to apply in counties affected by CWD.

East Tennessee hunters will see increased antlerless bag limits in certain areas. The TWRA will closely monitor these changes over the next two years to evaluate their impact on deer populations.

Another significant update is the introduction of a voluntary reporting feature for deer hunters. Hunters will now have the option to report the specific locations of their deer harvests, a measure aimed at improving the Agency’s understanding of deer distribution and population dynamics across the state.