Zone L — Land Between the Lakes, Tennessee

Land Between the Lakes occupies a narrow peninsula roughly 40 miles long and 8 miles wide between Kentucky Lake (Tennessee River impoundment) on the west and Lake Barkley (Cumberland River impoundment) on the east in Stewart County. The Tennessee section accounts for about 60,000 of the total 170,000 acres. Average elevation is approximately 479 feet above sea level; terrain is gently rolling ridges and hardwood flats with little dramatic relief. The dominant land cover is second-growth oak-hickory forest with scattered pine stands, brushy openings, food plots, and maintained clearings. More than 300 miles of undeveloped reservoir shoreline rim the peninsula, creating extensive wooded coves, points, and hardwood bottoms that funnel deer movement. Interior creek drainages — including the Rushing Creek basin in the TN section — cut through ridges providing travel corridors and soft-mast habitat. The narrow land mass, sometimes only a few miles wide, means deer regularly move between the lake shores; ridge spines, saddles, and creek crossings are prime ambush locations. A 700-acre Elk and Bison Prairie enclosure near the northern KY end adds open grassland but is not within the huntable area.

Moderate. The mandatory quota permit system for all firearm deer hunting — applied by computer lottery in July — acts as a hard cap on gun-season participation, with only two 3-day adult quota windows in November for the Tennessee section. This keeps firearm-season crowding well below comparable open Tennessee WMAs. Archery season is open-access (with the LBL Hunter Use Permit) and pressure is light to moderate across 60,000 acres, with highest concentration near road-accessible ridges and creek crossings. The $25 Hunter Use Permit requirement and the remote peninsula setting filter out casual or opportunistic hunters. Non-hunting recreation — hiking, equestrian use, OHV traffic near Turkey Bay — can displace hunters on weekends in areas near developed corridors, but the backcountry feels uncrowded relative to acreage available.

All hunters ages 16+ must carry an LBL Hunter Use Permit ($25/year; Combo Hunter Use/Backcountry Camping Permit $50) plus a valid Tennessee hunting license and deer permit. Firearm deer hunting requires an additional quota hunt permit drawn by computer lottery — apply online July 1-31 at landbetweenthelakes.recaccess.com. LBL imposes a one-antlered-buck limit per season across all of LBL (both TN and KY sections combined), which is more restrictive than Tennessee's statewide 2-buck season limit. Antlerless limits on the Tennessee side follow Tennessee Deer Management Unit 2 (Stewart County): 3 antlerless deer per day during archery, muzzleloader, and gun seasons. Tennessee antler restriction: an antlered deer is defined as any deer with at least one antler measuring 3 inches or longer — no point minimums beyond that. CWD has not been detected within LBL as of 2024; carcass-transport restrictions prohibit moving whole carcasses or parts across state lines within LBL (deboned meat and cleaned skulls/skull plates are exempt).

Deer archery (TN section, 2024-25 example season): split windows — Sept. 7-Oct. 17, Oct. 21-30, Nov. 4-13, and Nov. 18-Jan. 20; additional late-season archery areas announced in late November. Firearm quota hunts (TN, 2024-25): adult quota Nov. 1-3 and Nov. 15-17; youth quota Oct. 19-20 (ages 6-16, one adult sponsor required). Legal weapons during quota hunts include rifles, handguns, muzzleloaders, archery, and crossbow per state regulations. Small game and waterfowl seasons close in the Tennessee section during quota gun hunt weekends. Wild turkey: spring turkey quota applications accepted February 1-28; fall turkeys may be taken during LBL archery deer season with a state turkey permit — bow hunters may harvest one either-sex turkey simultaneously. Black bear: no bear season at LBL; the area is outside Tennessee's black bear range and no Zone A bear rules apply. Feral hogs: hog hunting is strictly prohibited — it is illegal to hunt, chase, transport, or release feral hogs on LBL as USDA conducts active removal efforts; report sightings at 270-924-2065. Groundhogs, armadillo, and coyotes may be taken during archery season per state regulations. Night hunting for coyotes and bobcats is prohibited on LBL property.

Land Between the Lakes is the flagship public hunting destination in western Tennessee — a USDA-managed, 170,000-acre inland peninsula with 60,000 Tennessee-side acres of mature oak-hickory forest flanked by Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. What sets it apart from typical Tennessee WMAs is the quota gun system: firearm deer hunting is restricted to two 3-day November windows by lottery, so hunters who draw a permit experience managed-herd conditions without the opening-weekend crush common on open public ground. The lake-framing shoreline, narrow ridge spines, and interior creek drainages channel deer movement predictably, and the forest produces consistent hard mast. Trophy potential is modest by private-land standards but legitimate for public ground — reduced gun pressure and the one-buck-per-LBL rule give bucks more time to mature than on open WMAs. Archery season runs a uniquely long split schedule from early September through late January, offering genuine solitude across expansive acreage. The fall turkey bonus during bow season is a real perk for multi-species hunters. The gatekeeper for gun season is the July quota lottery — archery hunters can access LBL any day of the split season with just the $25 Hunter Use Permit and a state license.