KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Hunters have taken significantly fewer deer over the opening weekend this season, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
It said so far this year, hunters have harvested 73,458 deer. In the same period last year, the TWRA said hunters harvested around 90,746 deer — a difference of more than 17,200 deer. A spokesperson also said harvest numbers "rarely stay the same and will fluctuate year-to-year."
The agency also said the number of deer hunted each year can fluctuate due to a wide variety of factors. The number of hunters participating in a season could change the number of deer harvested, and even rainy weather could lead to changes in harvest numbers.
The TWRA also said it is continuing to monitor for chronic wasting disease — a kind of deadly prion disease that has mostly been found in deer populations to the west of the Tennessee River. It has also been found in Hardin County, Wayne County and Lewis County.
Those three counties are called the "CWD Management Zone" with special feeding and carcass transport requirements for hunters.
Tennessee's gun, muzzleloader and archery deer hunting season will wrap up on Jan. 5, 2025. There are bag limits for different areas of the state. More information about the deer hunting season is available on the TWRA's website.
