(a) Any person who desires to take protected game or fish out of the state may do so under the following conditions, but not otherwise:

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class C misdemeanorup to 30 daysup to $50
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111

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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 70-4-203

  • Agency: means the wildlife resources agency. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Creel limit: means the maximum number of fish that may be taken, caught, killed, or possessed, by any person for any particular period of time, as provided by rule and regulation adopted by the commission. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Fish: means all species of trout, salmon, walleye, northern pike, bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish, perch, sunfish, drum, carp, sucker, shad, minnow, and such other species of fish that are presently found in the state or may be introduced or transplanted into this state for consumptive or nonconsumptive use. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Fishing: means any effort made to take, kill, injure, capture, or catch any fish and every act of assistance in any effort. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Hunting: means chasing, driving, flushing, attracting, pursuing, worrying, following after or on the trail of, searching for, trapping, shooting at, stalking, or lying in wait for, any wildlife, whether or not such wildlife is then or subsequently captured, killed, taken, or wounded and every act of assistance to any other person, but "hunting" does not include stalking, attracting, searching for, or lying in wait for, wildlife by an unarmed person solely for the purpose of watching wildlife or taking pictures of wildlife. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Person: means an individual, association, partnership, or corporation. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Possession: means both actual and constructive possession, and any control of the object or objects referred to. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Resident: means any person who resides in this state for a period of ninety (90) consecutive days with the genuine intent of making this state that person's place of permanent abode, and who, when absent, intends to return to this state. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Transport: means to carry or convey from one place to another, and includes an offer to transport, or receipt or possession for transportation. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Wildlife: means wild vertebrates, mollusks, crustaceans, and fish. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1) Such person must have in possession at the time of such taking out of the state, or at the time of transporting within the state, a hunting and fishing license, duly issued to such person under this title; and
(2) Such person cannot take from the state more than two days’ bag or creel limit on ducks or other migratory birds or protected game or fish.
(b) Any officer of the wildlife resources agency, or assistant officer of the wildlife resources agency, sheriff, deputy sheriff, constable or other officer has the right to demand of any person possessing game and proposing to take it out of the state an inspection of such person’s license. A refusal on the part of the person to exhibit the license is a Class C misdemeanor.
(c) Any resident hunter may have game or fish transported home by filing with the common carrier a written statement with name and address, the number of such person’s hunting license, and the number of game or fish to be so transported, and that the game or fish was legally killed by such person and is not for sale. A copy of the statement shall be attached to such person’s game, or to whatever the game may be enclosed in.
(d) It is unlawful for any person, company or common carrier to ship or transport any birds, game fish or animals as mentioned in this section, except as otherwise provided in this title, without having ascertained that the person offering the same for shipment was then and there in possession of a hunting and fishing license duly issued and covering the period when the shipment was offered, and without requiring such person to accompany the shipment.
(e) A violation of this section is a Class C misdemeanor.