Tennessee deer hunters will be able to hunt over bait on private land starting in 2026, thanks to a new law signed by the governor earlier this month. The legislation, which received strong support from state politicians, creates a baiting privilege license for deer hunters in the Volunteer State. The new law drops at a time when other states, like Washington, are banning baiting to attempt to reduce the spread of CWD.
House Bill 938, which was introduced by Kip Capley in the House and Joey Hensley in the Senate, establishes a bait privilege license, which will be issued by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. The license fee, which essentially requires hunters to pay extra if they want to put out corn piles, will cost $50 for residents and $100 for nonresidents. All hunters in a party using bait are required to possess a permit — including those who are ordinarily exempt from purchasing a hunting license, including landowners and children under 13.
TWRA will have the authority to suspend the baiting privilege (without a refund of fees) on a county, regional, or statewide basis to prevent the spread of wildlife diseases like CWD.
Hunting over bait is currently prohibited in the state of Tennessee. Although hunters can put out corn or other food attractants, they cannot legally hunt within 250 yards of it until at least 10 days after the bait has been removed. The new law makes an exception for deer hunting with the designated license. The original draft of the bill included wild hogs in the bait privilege license, but it was removed in an amendment to focus the legislation on whitetail deer. Violating the law could result in a class C misdemeanor.
“While the law does take effect July 1, 2025, [the] next steps are actually for the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission to [make] rules to implement this law by August 1, 2026,” TWRA assistant public relations chief Chelsey Sexton told OL in an email. “Hunters will not be able to use bait until then.”
More than 22 states currently allow deer baiting in some form, including five of Tennessee’s neighbors: Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina.
“A lot of other states allow hunting over bait anyway, like Texas and several other states, so that’s my reason for supporting it,” state senator Joey Hensley, a primary sponsor of the bill, told Fox Chattanooga. “I just don’t think that people should be penalized because they’re hunting over bait, especially on their property. That’s what this bill does, but it requires people to get a license that would generate additional revenue.”
The new baiting license requirement has drawn some backlash from hunters across the state. Some critics argue that the requirement is government overreach and that landowners shouldn’t have to pay for privileges exercised on their own property.
“If baiting deer on your own land is going to be legal, why should landowners and hunters have to pay extra for that right?” Tennessee resident John Baker told Outdoor Hub.
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Other critics of the bill are concerned that baiting could speed the spread of CWD by concentrating deer in certain areas. Chronic wasting disease was first discovered in the Volunteer State in 2018 and has since been found in whitetails in 18 counties.
TWRA is expected to release specific regulations ahead of the 2026 deer season, when baiting rules will take effect.
A correction was made on May 28, 2025: A previous version of this article misstated when the baiting law will take effect. While it does become law on July 1, 2025, it will not go into effect until the 2026 hunting season. This story has been updated to include comment from the TWRA.