Thorny Cypress WMA: deer harvest, 2026-27 rules and map
Thorny Cypress WMA is 3,288 acres of TWRA hunting land in Dyer County, measured on TWRA's boundary, in its Region 1. Hunters checked in 34 deer from the area in the 2025-26 season, 12 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 96. Harvest: TWRA's Hunter's Toolbox, 2015-16 to 2025-26.
Thorny Cypress WMAOther TWRA hunting landsLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 3,288 acres, measured on TWRA's boundary; the guide lists 3,100 |
|---|---|
| County | Dyer County |
| TWRA region | Region 1 |
| Deer management unit | Unit 1 |
| Permits | WMA Small Game permit; WMA Waterfowl/Small Game permit; Big Game (Non-Quota/WMA) or quota permit |
| Deer checked in, 2025-26 | 34 (12 antlered bucks, 6 antlerless males, 16 females) |
| Area manager | Josh Emerson (731) 285-6124 |
| Nearest towns | Dyersburg (9 mi), Ridgely (11 mi) and Halls (14 mi) |
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Thorny Cypress 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.
Same as statewide seasons, except as noted. Areas within 150 yards of draw waterfowl pools are closed during small game, trapping and statewide deer gun season(s). Closed to Fall turkey hunting.
- Turkey: April 3–April 25. One (1) male bearded turkey, counts toward statewide bag limit.
- Turkey (Young Sportsman): Same as statewide season.
- Dog training: Sept. 1–Oct. 31 Waterfowl - Same as statewide season, except hunting of waterfowl during the duck season occurring in Nov.–Feb. permitted only on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and the first and last day of each segment of the late duck seasons and the youth/ military waterfowl seasons. Goose season to coincide with statewide season after the youth/military waterfowl season, no pool restrictions or day, except the last day of each season and the remaining goose seasons when hunting shall close at sunset. Designated pools (except Pool 10, Pool 11 and Pool 12) will be allocated by computer draw pools. Waterfowl hunting is restricted to temporary blind sites. Hunters are restricted to pools or number stakes as specified by special instructions supplied by TWRA annually. All hunters in a party are required to hunt in the same temporary blind site for which they are drawn. Decoys and temporary blinds may be left out over the specified hunt but must be removed upon completion of the hunt on the last day. Pools 10, 11, and 12: No waterfowl hunters permitted in Pools 10, 11, and 12 (non-draw pools) and no access allowed from two hours after legal shooting hours have ended until 4 a.m. the following day during the duck seasons occurring in Nov.–Feb. No permanent blinds. All decoys, temporary blinds, blind materials, and boats must be removed daily from Pools 10, 11, and 12. All waterfowl hunting shall cease at 3 p.m. each day, except the last day of each season and the remaining goose seasons when hunting shall close at sunset.
Source: TWRA 2026-27 Tennessee Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Guide, page 96; 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 Thorny Cypress WMA?
Hunters checked in 34 deer from Thorny Cypress WMA in the 2025-26 season. Over the 11 seasons the Toolbox shows, the area averaged 42 deer a season, from 16 in 2016-17 to 73 in 2024-25.
| Season | Deer checked in | Males | Antlered | Antlerless males | Females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 34 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 16 |
| 2024-25 | 73 | 37 | 31 | 6 | 36 |
| 2023-24 | 54 | 33 | 28 | 5 | 21 |
| 2022-23 | 62 | 36 | 28 | 8 | 26 |
| 2021-22 | 48 | 29 | 21 | 8 | 19 |
| 2020-21 | 56 | 31 | 24 | 7 | 25 |
| 2019-20 | 41 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 17 |
| 2018-19 | 27 | 15 | 11 | 4 | 12 |
| 2017-18 | 29 | 13 | 16 | ||
| 2016-17 | 16 | 9 | 7 | ||
| 2015-16 | 21 | 10 | 11 |
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 Thorny Cypress WMA in?
| County | Acres of the area in it | Deer unit | County deer off WMAs, 2025-26 | Rank of 95 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dyer County | 3,288 | 1 | 733 | 82nd |
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 Thorny Cypress WMA?
Highways through the area: I-155 and US 412. Nearest towns: Dyersburg (9 miles), Ridgely (11 miles), Halls (14 miles) and Newbern (14 miles). Directions and the area map are on TWRA's page for Thorny Cypress WMA.
The closest other TWRA hunting lands with a page here: White Lake Refuge (next to it), Ernest Rice Sr. WMA (next to it), Bogota WMA (3 miles) and Tumbleweed WMA (4.5 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When can you hunt deer on Thorny Cypress 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 Thorny Cypress WMA last season?
Hunters checked in 34 deer from Thorny Cypress WMA in the 2025-26 season: 12 antlered bucks, 6 antlerless males and 16 females, by TWRA's Hunter's Toolbox. The 11-season average is 42.
What county is Thorny Cypress WMA in?
All of it is in Dyer County, by TWRA's boundary, in deer management Unit 1.
What permit do you need to hunt Thorny Cypress 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).
Get a Tennessee hunt plan when they open
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Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Tennessee included.
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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