(a) It is unlawful for any person to be in possession of any firearm, bow and arrow, shotgun or rifle in, on, or while traversing any refuge, public hunting area or wildlife management area frequented or inhabited by big game, except during specified or lawful open seasons on these areas. Any person violating this section is guilty of hunting big game and shall be punished as provided for in subsections (b) and (c).

Attorney's Note

Under the Tennessee Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
class B misdemeanorup to 6 monthsup to $500
For details, see Tenn. Code § 40-35-111

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 70-4-117

  • Big game: means deer, bear, wild turkey, and all species of large mammals that may be introduced or transplanted into this state for hunting. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • 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
  • Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
  • 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
  • Public hunting area: means a specific land or water area, or both, not intensively managed that is established for the protection of wildlife species and public use by both consumptive and nonconsumptive users. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Refuge: means a specific land or water area, or both, that is established for the protection of one (1) or more species of wildlife with no, or limited forms of, consumptive uses, and limited nonconsumptive use to the degree compatible with desired wildlife protection. 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
  • Trapping: means taking, killing, and capturing wildlife by the use of any trap, snare, deadfall, or other device commonly used to capture wildlife, and the shooting or killing of wildlife lawfully trapped, and includes all lesser acts such as placing, setting, or staking such traps, snares, deadfalls, and other devices, whether or not such acts result in taking of wildlife, and every attempt to take and every act of assistance to any other person in taking or attempting to take wildlife with traps, snares, deadfalls, or other devices. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Wildlife: means wild vertebrates, mollusks, crustaceans, and fish. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Wildlife management area: means a specific land or water area, or both, that is established for the intensive management of both habitat and wildlife species for optimum enhancement and use by both consumptive and nonconsumptive users. See Tennessee Code 70-1-101
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b)

(1) A violation of this section is a Class B misdemeanor.
(2) It is mandatory upon the court to impose the prison sentence, upon conviction for a second or subsequent offense, and the prison sentence is not subject to suspension.
(c) In the prosecution of a second or subsequent offense, the indictment or presentment must allege the prior conviction for violating any of the provisions of this section, setting forth the time and place of each such prior conviction. The court shall prohibit such convicted person, either a first or subsequent offender, from hunting, fishing or trapping in this state for a period of one (1) year.
(d) Notwithstanding subsection (a), a person not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing a handgun may carry a handgun as defined in § 39-11-106 the entire year while on the premises of any refuge, public hunting area, wildlife management area or, to the extent permitted by federal law, national forest land maintained by the state. Nothing in this subsection (d) shall authorize a person to use any handgun to hunt unless the person is in full compliance with all wildlife laws, rules and regulations.
(e) Nothing in this section shall authorize a person not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing a handgun to possess such weapon in the portion of any refuge, public hunting area or wildlife management area that is within the boundaries of a state park or state natural area unless otherwise authorized in accordance with state law.
(f) Nothing in this section shall authorize a person to access any area unless the person is in full compliance with all current wildlife laws, rules, proclamations and regulations.