Aug. 23: Free Hunting Day

1:09 p.m. Aug. 20, 2025

TWRA Free Hunting Day

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

Moore County hunters will have a chance to head into the woods without a license on Saturday, Aug. 23, when the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) hosts its annual Free Hunting Day.

The date coincides with the opening day of squirrel season, one of the state’s oldest and most cherished outdoor traditions. Hunters may harvest up to 10 squirrels per day from Aug. 23 through March 15, 2026. Legal hunting hours are a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset.

“Free Hunting Day is designed to get more Tennesseans outdoors and give people the opportunity to try the sport,” the TWRA said in a statement. The agency encourages experienced hunters to introduce family members and friends to the pastime. The day also provides a chance for lapsed hunters to re-engage with the sport.

In addition to squirrel season, a three-day archery-only antlered deer hunt on private lands and designated Unit 1 wildlife management areas (WMAs) runs Aug. 22–24. Hunters are urged to check the 2025–26 Tennessee Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping Guide for specific WMA regulations. Permission is required before entering private property.

While hunting licenses and WMA permits are waived on Free Hunting Day for state residents, hunter education requirements remain in place. Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1969, must have completed a hunter education course. Those without certification may obtain an Apprentice Hunter Permit, which waives the requirement for one year and may be purchased up to three times in a lifetime.

Youth under age 10 are not required to have hunter education certification, but must be accompanied by an adult at least 21 years old who can immediately assume control of the hunting device.

The TWRA reminds hunters that firearms and muzzleloaders are not permitted during the August deer season following the removal of Unit CWD regulations.

For more information on Free Hunting Day, hunter education, or Tennessee hunting seasons, visit www.tn.gov/twra or contact a TWRA regional office.