Tennessee

Joining the Union in 1796, Tennessee, originally settled by the Cherokee and Chickasaw tribes, has an important and unique history encompassing the rise of country music and harboring some of the largest manufacturing and shipping industries in America. Home to the most visited national park in America, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee is a thriving state for sportsmen and women with a variety of opportunities. For anglers, the Volunteer State is perhaps most well-known for its abundance of lakes and tailwaters, which produce some of the largest brown trout in the Southern U.S. Hunters will also be impressed by the variety of species that call the Volunteer State home including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, black bear, ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, and various species of waterfowl.

For more information on the elected officials protecting and promoting the sportsmen’s traditions in Tennessee, please contact: Conner Barker

Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus

Senator Marsha Blackburn Representative Tim Burchett Representative Scott DesJarlais Representative Charles Fleischmann Representative David Kustoff

Tennessee Governors Sportsmen's Caucus Member

Governor Bill Lee

Tennessee Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus Leadership

Representative Jesse Chism Senator Paul Rose Senator Steve Southerland Representative Chris Todd

Tennessee Policy Highlights

In 2023, the Caucus worked to protect the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency’s ability to make wildlife management decisions based on the best science available, consistent with the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, to protect against the
further spread of Chronic Wasting Disease and other threats

Three hunters with dog in field

The Caucus has been instrumental over the years defeating bills that would have negatively impacted sporting dog owners and trappers as well as leading efforts to prohibit drones from interfering with hunters and anglers and allowing firearm carry permit holders to possess a firearm in a refuge, public hunting areas, or Wildlife Management Area.

In 2017, thanks to the leadership of Senator Mike Bell and other Caucus Members, Tennessee became the first state to enact legislation that would reimburse the state fish and wildlife agency (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency) for free and discounted hunting and fishing licenses.

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Paid Hunting License Holders

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Paid Angling License Holders

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0
.5 M

Generated for Wildlife Conservation

Tennessee Policy Briefs

No-Net-Loss

“No-Net-Loss” of public lands has become increasingly important to ensure access to public lands and waterways for current and future generations of sportsmen and women.… Read more.
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Tennessee Latest News

March 30, 2026

Hunting Access Bill Clears Tennessee General Assembly

Why It Matters: As hunting participation has generally been on the decline in recent years, access to quality hunting ground is often cited as a leading barrier to hunting participation. These challenges can be exacerbated when access and opportunity are governed by conflicting rules established by multiple agencies, causing confusion among would-be participants. Efforts to codify the state’s fish and wildlife agency as the sole rulemaking and […]

March 16, 2026

CSF’s Hunter Education in Schools Legislation Passes in Tennessee  

Why It Matters: Exposing young people to the fundamentals of our time-honored traditions is essential in recruiting the next generation of hunters. Bringing hunter safety education classes into schools offers a controlled and safe environment for students to learn the fundamentals needed to safely participate and enjoy our favorite pastimes and continue funding conservation through the […]

March 9, 2026

Multiple CSF Priorities Advance in Tennessee

Why It Matters: Whether it’s the funding of conservation today or enabling the next generation of sporting license buyers, there are bills moving through the Tennessee General Assembly that would benefit the sporting-conservation community both short and long-term. Hunters and anglers generate the vast majority of state-level conservation funding through the “user pays – public benefits” structure that is the American System of […]

Deer with fawn at night
February 23, 2026

Dedicated Conservation Funding Legislation Front and Center in Tennessee

Why It Matters: Hunters and anglers generate the vast majority of state level funding for conservation through the “user pays – public benefits” structure that is the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF). State fish and wildlife agencies rely on funds generated by sportsmen and women through sporting license sales and excise tax revenue from the Wildlife and Sportfish Restoration programs to…

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Tennessee Reports

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Impact You Can See

Penalties for poaching were increased in CT and TN.

State agency authority was defended and/or enhanced in AL, CO, IN, MD, ME, MO, MT, NH, ND, NM, SD, TN, TX, and WA.

250,000 acres of wetlands that provide critical wildlife habitat were protected in TN.

Hunters in MD and TN may now use new technologies to assist in the recovery of wounded game while maintaining the Fair Chase Ethic central to our outdoor traditions.

Legislatures in AL, AR, DE, GA, IL, KY, LA, MS, NH, NV, NY, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, UT, VT, and WV celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Sportfish Restoration Program and formally recognized the crucial role that sportsmen and women play in funding conservation efforts through the “user pays, public benefits” structure of the American System of Conservation Funding.