Zone C — Middle Tennessee, Tennessee

Rolling farmland and mixed hardwood forest of the Central Basin, an oval depression averaging 550–700 ft in elevation ringed by the Highland Rim at roughly 1,000 ft. Shallow limestone bedrock creates the cedar glade ecosystems unique to the Nashville Basin — open rocky flats with thin soils giving way to cedar-covered ridge flanks and hardwood bottoms. Major watersheds include the Cumberland River (Old Hickory Lake), Duck River, Elk River, and upper Tennessee River drainages. Crop fields of corn, soybeans, and winter wheat alternate with hardwood hollows and brushy field edges. Land Between the Lakes on the western fringe sits along the Cumberland River impoundments (Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley). Sumner, Maury, and Williamson counties offer classic Middle Tennessee farmland habitat: broad creek bottoms, farm pond fringes, and wooded fence lines with little topographic relief below the Highland Rim escarpment.

Moderate to high overall, with significant variation by area. WMAs closest to Nashville — Cheatham, Old Hickory, Percy Priest — draw heavy weekend pressure during gun season and the peak rut (late October through mid-November). Old Hickory land-access points get hit hard; Percy Priest is described by local hunters as constantly busy. Pressure drops sharply mid-week and late season after January 1. More remote areas like Eagle Creek, Natchez Trace, and especially AEDC (managed-access with permit requirements) see lighter competition and better midseason hunting. Land Between the Lakes draws moderate pressure from both Tennessee and Kentucky hunters. Private farmland in Williamson, Maury, and Sumner counties is heavily leased and competitive; public land hunters willing to go deep or hunt weekdays can find uncrowded conditions.

DMU 2 (Middle Tennessee) allows up to 3 antlerless deer per day throughout the season. The statewide antlered deer limit is 2 per season with no more than 1 per day. No antler restrictions apply in DMU 2 — any antlered deer may be taken legally. A standard Tennessee hunting license and deer hunting license cover all weapon types; no unit-specific draw permits are required for general seasons. AEDC WMA requires a separate WMA access permit. No earn-a-buck or bonus tag programs are in effect. Effective season total: 2 antlered bucks plus antlerless deer at 3 per day across the full season length.

Deer seasons 2025-26: early velvet archery August 22-24 (private land only); general archery September 27–October 24 and October 27–November 7; muzzleloader November 8–21; gun November 22–January 4, 2026; youth hunts October 25–26 and January 10–11, 2026. Fall turkey archery runs concurrent with deer archery; fall shotgun/archery turkey combo runs October 11–24. Spring turkey season April 11–May 24, 2026 (youth April 4–5); bag limit 1 male per day, 2 per season, maximum 1 jake. Black bear hunting is restricted to Zone A (East Tennessee mountains) — Zone C carries no bear season. Wild hogs are present throughout Zone C, heaviest in the southern counties (Wayne, Lawrence, Giles); legal to take year-round on private land with no bag limit, and during big game seasons on public land. CWD has not been detected in DMU 2 as of 2025 but hunters should verify current TWRA surveillance updates before transporting carcasses.

Zone C is Tennessee's premier trophy whitetail region. Sumner County produced the world-record non-typical whitetail — Stephen Tucker's 315-1/8 inch 47-point buck taken by muzzleloader in 2016 — and the Central Basin and Highland Rim edge counties consistently yield bucks scoring 140–160 inches B&C from farm country. The combination of grain fields, cedar-glade edges, hardwood creek bottoms, and suburban refuge corridors allows bucks to reach maturity surprisingly close to Nashville. The rut runs hot in late October through mid-November with bucks cruising farmland edges and funneling through creek drainages and ridge saddles. For public land, Eagle Creek WMA and AEDC offer the best mix of acreage and low pressure. Land Between the Lakes on the western fringe delivers a unique Forest Service-managed hunt with solid success rates and a wilderness feel. Bowhunters gain a structural edge by keying on Highland Rim-to-Basin terrain transitions where ridge saddles and creek crossings concentrate deer movement.