Cooke Knob - Deer Muzzleloader

Muzzleloader deer hunting at Cooke Knob puts you on 638 private, gated acres near Oakdale, Tennessee, in Morgan County and Deer Management Unit 4. You hunt during the two week muzzleloader and archery season each November, a short, prime window, and you will have the whole property to yourself.

The ground is Cumberland Plateau country: hardwood ridges broken up by drainages that pull deer from one ridge to the next. Movement concentrates along those drainages, and the timber lets you set up on travel routes with a clean muzzleloader shot. Bucks here see far less pressure than they would on the public land nearby.

Access is simple. You enter through a gated neighborhood and drive the gravel road that runs through the property. Trucks and ATVs are allowed on that road, and there are two designated parking spots. The road doubles as your retrieval route, and the northwest corner is set aside for hunters who walk in.

Hunts run 5 days for one party of up to two hunters, priced per hunter. Bucks and does are legal under Tennessee bag limits. During the second week, Tennessee also allows single shot, straight-walled cartridge rifles of .35 caliber or larger on private land. Licenses are over the counter, and lodging and food are in nearby Harriman.

By November, deer on the plateau are keyed into the hardwood ridges for cover and food and are moving more during daylight. The drainages between ridges act as funnels, putting deer within muzzleloader range as they cross from one ridge to the next. Low pressure means deer are not avoiding daylight to dodge hunters, which gives you more chances at a mature buck during a short season.

After your hunt, you will be sent an automated Harvest Report. To assist Infinite Outdoors in maintaining the quality of properties, and continue to put conservation at the forefront, we require that the harvest report be completely filled out and returned. Failure to fill out the harvest report within 2 weeks of the hunt taking place will result in a $25 fine. If you are unsuccessful in filling your tag, Infinite Outdoors still needs to have that information provided to them. This is how we will make changes to future year's harvest quotas and continue to be the most well managed access and conservation platform in the country.

Tennessee's muzzleloader and archery deer season runs for two weeks in November. During the second week, single shot, straight-walled cartridge rifles of .35 caliber or larger are also legal on private lands, and those deer count toward the muzzleloader bag limit. Check tn.gov/twra for current dates.

No application is needed. Residents need an Annual Hunt/Fish Combination license plus the Big Game supplemental that matches the equipment you hunt with, or an Annual Sportsman license. Nonresidents need a 7-Day All Game or Annual All Game license. Hunters born on or after January 1, 1969 must show proof of hunter education.
This property is in Deer Management Unit 4 (Morgan County), where the antlerless limit for this season is 2. Fluorescent orange or pink requirements apply.
Buy licenses at GoOutdoorsTennessee.com, in the TWRA On The Go app, or at a license agent. Harvested deer must be tagged and checked in under TWRA's Tag Before You Drag rules.

No draw is required. Tennessee deer licenses are sold over the counter to residents and nonresidents, so you can book your dates and buy your license before your hunt.

Your reservation fee is due at booking and is non-refundable. A 50% deposit of the outdoorsman fee is due at booking, and the remaining 50% is charged one month before your hunt.

If you cancel before your deposit is processed, Infinite Outdoors will handle your cancellation right away. Once your deposit has been processed, Infinite Outdoors will work to reschedule your hunt for a different season or year. Refunds are not guaranteed. The reservation fee is non-refundable.

If there is a lapse in availability, please do not be discouraged to reach out to IO. All calendars are set and managed by landowners, and unavailability is set by them. However, IO is willing to reach out on your behalf, to check on available dates. Other reasons for unavailable dates include biologist recommended hunter/harvest quotas that landowners implement, as well as state season dates not being released.

You are not legally allowed to access the property, for any adventure, prior to your selected access day. If you try to access the property at all before your selected date(s), without prior approval from IO, you will be subject to trespassing and punishments therein