State
CWD rules in Tennessee
CWD zone status
Agency
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA)
Last verified
June 16, 2026
CWDCrossing provides informational summaries of state CWD carcass-transport regulations. Rules change annually pre-hunting-season; verify with both the origin and destination state wildlife agencies before transport. Failure to comply may result in citations. Not affiliated with the CWD Alliance, the National Deer Association, or any state agency.
Bringing a carcass into Tennessee
Tennessee is the regulating authority for what you can bring in. CWD confirmed in TN (first detected Dec 2018, Hardeman/Fayette Counties; now 23+ counties). Carcass-transport page returned intermittent fetch errors; details cross-confirmed via other TWRA tn.gov pages.
Allowed for import
- Deboned meat
- Clean skulls (cleaned of meat and tissue)
- Skull plates and teeth
- Antlers
- Finished taxidermy
- Hides and tanned products
Restricted from import
- Whole or undressed carcasses from out of state
- Carcass parts containing brain/spinal (nervous system) tissue
Handling + processing
Cervids harvested outside TN must be processed (deboned; skulls cleaned) before import. Applies to residents and nonresidents. Within TN, a carcass that enters the CWD Management Zone cannot be moved out of the zone.
Taking a carcass out of Tennessee
When you hunt in Tennessee and bring the carcass to another state, that destination state sets the rule. Because Tennessee has confirmed CWD detections, several destination states apply their stricter "from a CWD-affected state" rule to carcasses originating here — plan to bring back lower-risk parts only.
Tennessee on the CWD map
- CWD confirmed in state
- Under heightened surveillance
- No known CWD detections
Zone status is informational, not a hazard rating. Detections expand over time — confirm current status with each state's wildlife agency.
CWDCrossing provides informational summaries of state CWD carcass-transport regulations. Rules change annually pre-hunting-season; verify with both the origin and destination state wildlife agencies before transport. Failure to comply may result in citations. Not affiliated with the CWD Alliance, the National Deer Association, or any state agency.