Lick Creek Bottoms WMA: deer harvest, 2026-27 rules and map
Lick Creek Bottoms WMA is 1,321 acres of TWRA hunting land in Greene County, measured on TWRA's boundary, in its Region 4. Hunters checked in 29 deer from the area in the 2025-26 season, 11 antlered bucks among them (TWRA's Hunter's Toolbox). For the area's seasons, TWRA's guide says: Same as statewide seasons, except as noted.
Data updated October 2026. Rules: TWRA's 2026-27 guide, page 115. Harvest: TWRA's Hunter's Toolbox, 2015-16 to 2025-26.
Lick Creek Bottoms WMAOther TWRA hunting landsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 1,321 acres, measured on TWRA's boundary; the guide lists 1,400 |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| TWRA region | Region 4 |
| Deer management unit | Unit 6 |
| Permits | WMA Small Game permit; WMA Waterfowl/Small Game permit; Big Game (Non-Quota/WMA) or quota permit |
| Deer checked in, 2025-26 | 29 (11 antlered bucks, 1 antlerless male, 17 females) |
| Area manager | David Sams (423) 235-4882 |
| Nearest towns | Bulls Gap (5 mi), Mosheim (6 mi) and White Pine (9 mi) |
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Lick Creek Bottoms WMA?
TWRA's 2026-27 guide prints these rules and seasons for the area. Where it says statewide seasons, the statewide dates and the county's deer management unit limits apply.
Nontoxic shot approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service required for small game (including dove) hunting.
Same as statewide seasons, except as noted. All small game hunting and dog training (excluding raccoon and opossum) closes at 4 p.m. 500 square inches of blaze orange/pink required by small game hunters during big game muzzleloader and gun hunts (excluding spring turkey).
- Quail: Open to training only. Training open only during the statewide quail season.
- Rabbit Dog Training: Oct. 1–Oct. 31.
- Dove: Sept. 1 (hunting opens at noon) open to all hunters, Sept. 5 is youth/adult only until noon, beginning at noon the field is open to all hunters for the remainder of the season. Entire Mohawk dove field is non toxic shot. EARLY WATERFOWL SEASONS WOOD DUCK/ TEAL, CANADA GOOSE Same as statewide seasons. LATE WATERFOWL SEASONS SOUTH MOHAWK, SKINNER, AND FOXGATE UNITS: Open only on Tuesdays and Saturdays as well as the closing day of the season. Hunting closes at noon. Waterfowl hunting will be allocated by hand-held bi-weekly drawings. Every other Saturday, a hand-held drawing will be conducted at 1 p.m. to determine the following two weeks Tuesdays and Saturdays hunters. The final drawing of the season will also include closing day. The drawing will be held at the Joachim Bible Refuge Maintenance Facility and hunters must be present and have all applicable licenses/permits to enter drawing. Hunting will only be allowed from designated staked positions and/or pools. Hunters drawn may bring up to 3 guests. Note: Drawn hunter must accompany these guests. After the youth/veteran waterfowl seasons, goose seasons to coincide with statewide seasons. No stake/pool restrictions or drawings. During the late waterfowl seasons, access to the South Mohawk, Skinner, and Foxgate Units is restricted to hunters actively pursuing game and any waterfowl hunters possessing a valid permit for an upcoming waterfowl hunt. Permits are valid from the issue date until the end of the waterfowl hunt listed on the permit. Drawn waterfowl hunters must have their permit in their possession when scouting/ hunting. During big game muzzleloader/gun hunts, all scouting hunters must wear 500 square inches of blaze orange/pink on the body and head. Goose season is closed on the area at the end of late waterfowl season. Goose season is open to youth/ veteran only during the youth waterfowl seasons. Goose season is open to adults after the youth/ veteran waterfowl seasons. Remainder of Area: Same as statewide seasons. No staked positions/pools. YOUTH WATERFOWL HUNT Closes each day at sunset. South Mohawk, Skinner, and Foxgate Units: Same as statewide dates. First come first serve at designated stakes and pools as posted. Remainder of Area: Same as statewide seasons. No staked positions/pools. For all seasons, no permanent blinds. All decoys, temporary blinds, blind materials and boats must be removed at the end of legal hunting hours.
Joachim Bible Waterfowl Refuge Unit (that portion of Lick Creek Bottoms WMA Between Murray Bridge Road, Bibles Chapel Road, and South Mohawk Road)
Closed to all forms of use and trespass from Nov. 15–last day of Feb. except in designated observation areas. Closed to waterfowl hunting. Same as statewide, except as noted. All small game hunting and dog training (excluding raccoon/ opossum) closes at 4 p.m. Closed to quail hunting. Nontoxic shot approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service required for small game (including dove) hunting as posted. All small game hunting is Adult/Youth only. Youths must be accompanied by a licensed adult who may also hunt.
- Dove: Opens Sept. 5, youth/adult only the entire season.
- Rabbit: Nov. 1–14. Bag limit two rabbits/day.
- Dog training: Rabbit and Quail - Oct. 1–31. All other: March 1–Oct. 31.
Source: TWRA 2026-27 Tennessee Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Guide, page 115; TWRA's page for the area. Read every rule in the guide before you go: the guide is the final word.
How many deer are taken on Lick Creek Bottoms WMA?
Hunters checked in 29 deer from Lick Creek Bottoms WMA in the 2025-26 season. Over the 11 seasons the Toolbox shows, the area averaged 19 deer a season, from 12 in 2016-17 to 29 in 2025-26.
| Season | Deer checked in | Males | Antlered | Antlerless males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 29 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 17 |
| 2024-25 | 27 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 12 |
| 2023-24 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| 2022-23 | 23 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 6 |
| 2021-22 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| 2020-21 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| 2019-20 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 |
| 2018-19 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| 2017-18 | 21 | 14 | 7 | ||
| 2016-17 | 12 | 7 | 5 | ||
| 2015-16 | 12 | 7 | 5 |
Source: TWRA Hunter's Toolbox, Deer Harvests by County / WMA, read October 2026. These are deer hunters reported at check-in. Before 2018-19 the Toolbox counts every male as antlerless, so only the male total is shown for those seasons.
Which county is Lick Creek Bottoms WMA in?
| County | Acres of the area in it | Deer unit | County deer off WMAs, 2025-26 | Rank of 95 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County | 1,321 | 6 | 1,957 | 22nd |
Acres measured by FilledTag on TWRA hunting lands layer (HuntingAllowed) and the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries. County harvest: TWRA Hunter's Toolbox, Deer Harvests by County / WMA. Units: TWRA deer management unit counties.
How do you get to Lick Creek Bottoms WMA?
Highways within 5 miles: I-81, TN 340, TN 34 and TN 160. Nearest towns: Bulls Gap (5 miles), Mosheim (6 miles), White Pine (9 miles) and Parrottsville (9 miles). Directions and the area map are on TWRA's page for Lick Creek Bottoms WMA.
The closest other TWRA hunting lands with a page here: Rankin WMA (6.1 miles), Nolichucky WMA (12 miles), North Cherokee WMA (12.2 miles) and Henderson Island Refuge (18.9 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When can you hunt deer on Lick Creek Bottoms WMA in 2026-27?
TWRA's guide says: Same as statewide seasons, except as noted. That means the statewide dates: archery from September 26, 2026, muzzleloader from November 7 and gun from November 21, 2026 to January 3, 2027.
How many deer were killed on Lick Creek Bottoms WMA last season?
Hunters checked in 29 deer from Lick Creek Bottoms WMA in the 2025-26 season: 11 antlered bucks, 1 antlerless male and 17 females, by TWRA's Hunter's Toolbox. The 11-season average is 19.
What county is Lick Creek Bottoms WMA in?
All of it is in Greene County, by TWRA's boundary, in deer management Unit 6.
What permit do you need to hunt Lick Creek Bottoms WMA?
TWRA's guide lists these for the area: WMA Small Game permit; WMA Waterfowl/Small Game permit; Big Game (Non-Quota/WMA) or quota permit. Lifetime and Annual Sportsman License holders are exempt from WMA permits (guide, page 11).
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Where these numbers come from
- Area rules, seasons, size and manager: TWRA 2026-27 Tennessee Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Guide.
- Deer harvest on the area and by county: TWRA Hunter's Toolbox, Deer Harvests by County / WMA.
- Boundary: TWRA hunting lands layer (HuntingAllowed). Counties, highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries; U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer. National forest and refuges: U.S. Forest Service national forest ownership; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundaries.
FilledTag is not part of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Numbers are copied from TWRA or measured from public maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
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