Roane County deer harvest: Tennessee, 2015-16 to 2025-26
Hunters checked in 2,052 deer in Roane County outside its WMAs in the 2025-26 season: 1,115 antlered bucks, 91 antlerless males and 846 females (TWRA's Hunter's Toolbox). That is 5.7 deer per square mile of land, 19th of Tennessee's 95 counties by total. Deer from WMAs are counted on each WMA's page. The count was 1% above 2024-25 (2,037). The county is in deer management Unit 5.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: TWRA's Hunter's Toolbox to the 2025-26 season. Seasons and limits: TWRA's 2026-27 guide.
Roane CountyTWRA hunting landsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Deer checked in off WMAs, 2025-26 | 2,052 (1,115 antlered bucks, 846 females) |
|---|---|
| Per square mile of land | 5.7, 8th of 95 |
| Average, 11 seasons | 1,859 deer a season |
| Highest season | 2,534 in 2015-16 |
| Antlered share, 2025-26 | 54% |
| Deer management unit | Unit 5: antlerless limit 4 in archery season, 2 in the muzzleloader season, 2 in the gun season and 2 over the four Young Sportsman days |
| TWRA region | Region 3 |
| Land area | 360.8 square miles (Census) |
| Public land mapped here | 4 TWRA hunting areas, 7,213 acres |
| Towns | Harriman, Rockwood and Kingston |
How many deer are killed in Roane County each season?
TWRA's Hunter's Toolbox shows Roane County's deer for 11 seasons. The average was 1,859 a season; the most was 2,534 in 2015-16 and the fewest 1,472 in 2017-18. 2025-26 was 19% below 2015-16.
| Season | Deer checked in off WMAs | Males | Antlered | Females | Per square mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 2,052 | 1,206 | 1,115 | 846 | 5.7 |
| 2024-25 | 2,037 | 1,244 | 1,136 | 793 | 5.6 |
| 2023-24 | 2,003 | 1,207 | 1,095 | 796 | 5.6 |
| 2022-23 | 1,820 | 1,076 | 968 | 744 | 5 |
| 2021-22 | 1,654 | 1,010 | 922 | 644 | 4.6 |
| 2020-21 | 1,762 | 999 | 914 | 763 | 4.9 |
| 2019-20 | 1,474 | 871 | 785 | 603 | 4.1 |
| 2018-19 | 1,572 | 954 | 860 | 618 | 4.4 |
| 2017-18 | 1,472 | 794 | 678 | 4.1 | |
| 2016-17 | 2,069 | 1,019 | 1,050 | 5.7 | |
| 2015-16 | 2,534 | 1,229 | 1,305 | 7 |
Source: TWRA Hunter's Toolbox, Deer Harvests by County / WMA, read October 2026: deer hunters reported at check-in. The Toolbox's county counts leave out deer taken on WMAs, which it reports by WMA. Before 2018-19 the Toolbox counts every male as antlerless, so only the male total is shown. Per square mile uses the county's 360.8 square miles of land (Census).
What are the deer seasons and limits in Roane County for 2026-27?
Roane County is in deer management Unit 5. The antlered limit is two for the season, one a day, statewide.
| Season | Dates | Antlerless limit, Unit 5 |
|---|---|---|
| August (archery only; private land and select Unit 1 WMAs) | Aug. 28 to 30, 2026 | No antlerless harvest |
| Young Sportsman (gun, muzzleloader, archery; ages 6 to 16) | Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, 2026; Jan. 9 to 10, 2027 | 2 (for the four days combined) |
| Archery | Sept. 26 to Oct. 30 and Nov. 2 to 6, 2026 | 4 |
| Muzzleloader and archery | Nov. 7 to 20, 2026 | 2 |
| Straight-walled single-shot rifles, private land only | Nov. 14 to 20, 2026 | 2 (counts toward the muzzleloader limit) |
| Gun, muzzleloader and archery | Nov. 21, 2026 to Jan. 3, 2027 | 2 |
Source: TWRA 2026-27 Tennessee Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Guide, page 67; county units: TWRA deer management unit counties. WMAs set their own hunts: see each area's page.
Where is the public hunting land in Roane County?
| Area | Acres in Roane County | Deer from the whole area, 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Roosevelt WMA | 6,335 | 115 |
| Paint Rock WMA | 673 | 17 |
| McGlothlin-Largen WMA | 114 | 27 |
| Watts Bar WMA | 91 | 68 |
Acres measured by FilledTag on TWRA hunting lands layer (HuntingAllowed), U.S. Forest Service national forest ownership and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundaries.
How does Roane County compare with its neighbors?
| County | Unit | Deer off WMAs, 2025-26 | Per square mile | Change since 2015-16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roane County | 5 | 2,052 | 5.7 | -19% |
| Anderson County | 4 | 853 | 2.5 | -21% |
| Cumberland County | 4 | 2,401 | 3.5 | 15% |
| Knox County | 5 | 1,607 | 3.2 | 36% |
| Loudon County | 5 | 1,519 | 6.6 | 33% |
| McMinn County | 5 | 1,755 | 4.1 | 9% |
| Meigs County | 5 | 1,162 | 6 | 1% |
| Morgan County | 4 | 1,088 | 2.1 | -29% |
| Rhea County | 5 | 1,596 | 5.1 | -5% |
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were killed in Roane County, Tennessee last season?
Hunters checked in 2,052 deer in Roane County outside its WMAs in the 2025-26 season: 1,115 antlered bucks, 91 antlerless males and 846 females, by TWRA's Hunter's Toolbox. The Toolbox counts deer from WMAs apart, by WMA.
What is the antlerless limit in Roane County?
Roane County is in deer management Unit 5 for 2026-27. The antlerless limit there is 4 in archery season, 2 in the muzzleloader season, 2 in the gun season and 2 over the four Young Sportsman days. The antlered limit is two statewide, one a day (TWRA 2026-27 guide, page 67).
Is there public hunting land in Roane County?
Yes. TWRA's map puts Mount Roosevelt WMA (6,335 acres in the county), Paint Rock WMA (673 acres in the county), McGlothlin-Largen WMA (114 acres in the county) and Watts Bar WMA (91 acres in the county) in Roane County.
Has the deer harvest in Roane County gone up or down?
From 2,534 in 2015-16 to 2,052 in 2025-26, 19% lower. The high in that span was 2,534 (2015-16) and the low 1,472 (2017-18).
Get a Tennessee hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Tennessee are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Tennessee included.
Where these numbers come from
- Deer harvest: TWRA Hunter's Toolbox, Deer Harvests by County / WMA.
- Deer units, seasons and limits: TWRA 2026-27 Tennessee Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Guide, pages 66 to 67; TWRA deer management unit counties.
- Public land: TWRA hunting lands layer (HuntingAllowed); U.S. Forest Service national forest ownership; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundaries. County land area: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries. Highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer.
FilledTag is not part of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Numbers are copied from TWRA and the Census Bureau or measured from public maps; nothing here is estimated by FilledTag.
Tennessee hunting Tennessee deer harvest by county Anderson County Cumberland County Knox County Loudon County