| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Season | 07 NOV 2026 – 28 FEB 2027 | 114d |
As publishedNov 7, 2026 - Feb 28, 2027 (statewide); Nov 1, 2026 - Jan 15, 2027 on WMAs
Statewide season shown; a separate, shorter WMA season applies (Nov 1, 2026 - Jan 15, 2027) unless a specific WMA states otherwise. Referred to simply as 'Quail' by TWRA (Tennessee's only native quail species).
TWRA's own species page states bobwhite occur statewide, in all but the highest elevations of East Tennessee, but a second USDA/TWRA/Quail Forever fact sheet, the Tennessee Bobwhite Restoration SAFE (State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement) project sheet, gives the sharpest quantified density statement available for this species: bobwhites have the highest wild population density in West TN but continue to experience declines even in those counties. That same fact sheet enrolls 28 named counties across four ecoregions (Mississippi Valley Loess Plains, Southeastern Plains, Interior Plateau, and Ridge and Valley), confirming restoration effort, not just remnant population, is concentrated most heavily in the west. Split by TWRA's own four administrative regions (re-verified live 2026-09-26 against two tn.gov news releases naming the SAFE counties by region): Region 1/West TN 12 counties, Region 2/Middle TN 8 + Region 3/Cumberland Plateau 4 = 12 counties, Region 4/East TN mountains 4 counties. TWRA's separate quail-focal-area program deliberately anchors five WMAs across all three grand divisions (Wolf River WMA, Fayette County, west; Bark Camp Barrens WMA, Coffee County, and Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness WMA, White County, both middle/Cumberland Plateau; Kyker Bottoms WMA, Blount County, and Lick Creek Bottoms WMA, Greene County, both east). The TWRA northern-bobwhite species page separately names Bridgestone-Firestone and Bark Camp Barrens as sites holding only a few remaining birds, consistent with East and Middle TN populations being remnant rather than robust even where anchor WMAs exist.
Provisional: TWRA hasn't published a 2026 quail survey result. The agency's own small game coordinator points to field reports only, with no number or comparison to last year behind them, so treat this as a picture of where Tennessee's birds stand rather than a measured change in either direction. Bobwhites "have been in decline across Tennessee for decades," and this season is one of localized opportunity, not statewide abundance. Weather was mixed: a severe ice storm in parts of Middle and West Tennessee may have hurt overwinter survival, and a wet summer usually means poor brood survival, but the coordinator says "field reports indicate otherwise, with numerous broods sighted across the state where habitat is intentionally managed." West Tennessee, with more CRP and generally better numbers on private land, holds the state's largest populations, while Middle Tennessee is more hit or miss. Bridgestone-Firestone Centennial Wilderness WMA near Sparta (a draw hunt) and Fort Campbell near Clarksville are the named controlled-access public options. Heavy late-summer rain means thicker-than-normal cover this fall.
No measured change for 2026: a low, long-declining population, with a possible ice-storm hit to overwinter survival set against good brood reports on managed ground, per TWRA's own small game coordinator.
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