Tennessee Hunter Education Practice Test 2026: Practice test 5

Practice test 5 of 6 for the Tennessee Hunter Education Practice Test: 25 more questions with answers and explanations.

Hunting
Tennessee
132 questions
Checked October 10, 2026

Question 1 of 25
How should you get your gun or bow into a tree stand?
- Have someone toss it up
- Carry it loaded in one hand
- Pull it up unloaded with a haul line after you are secure
- Carry it on your back while you climb so your hands are free
Show answer
Answer: C. Pull it up unloaded with a haul line after you are secure
Climb with both hands free, then raise unloaded firearms and bows with a haul line.
Question 2 of 25
Three hunters walk side by side, numbered 1, 2 and 3 from left to right. Where may hunter 1 shoot?
- Straight ahead and to the right
- Behind the line
- Only into the zone ahead and to the left
- Anywhere game appears, as long as it is safe
Show answer
Answer: C. Only into the zone ahead and to the left
Each hunter has a zone of fire that does not overlap the others. Hunter 1 covers ahead and to the left.
Question 3 of 25
What happened to the passenger pigeon?
- It moved to Europe
- It became common in cities
- It became extinct, largely from unregulated market hunting and habitat loss
- It nearly died out but was restored by hunters and is common again in eastern forests
Show answer
Answer: C. It became extinct, largely from unregulated market hunting and habitat loss
The last known passenger pigeon died in 1914. Its loss helped build support for wildlife laws.
Question 4 of 25
You fall into cold water. What should you do first?
- Take off your life jacket so you can swim faster to the shore
- Swim hard to shore right away
- Keep your head above water and get your breathing under control
- Shout until you are tired
Show answer
Answer: C. Keep your head above water and get your breathing under control
Cold shock causes gasping for about the first minute. Control your breathing, then act.
Question 5 of 25
Which animal has broad, flat (palmated) antlers?
- Elk
- White-tailed deer
- Pronghorn
- Moose
Show answer
Answer: D. Moose
Bull moose have large, palm-shaped antlers.
Question 6 of 25
You see someone poaching. What should you do?
- Note details from a safe distance and report it to a game warden
- Confront them with your firearm so they know you are serious about it
- Follow them home
- Ignore it
Show answer
Answer: A. Note details from a safe distance and report it to a game warden
Wildlife agencies have tip lines, and accurate details help officers act.
Question 7 of 25
How should you hand a firearm to another person?
- Muzzle first
- Unloaded, with the action open and the muzzle pointed safely
- By tossing it gently
- With the action closed and the safety on, so it is ready to use
Show answer
Answer: B. Unloaded, with the action open and the muzzle pointed safely
An open action lets the other person see that the firearm cannot fire.
Question 8 of 25
If you get lost, what does "STOP" stand for?
- Stop, Think, Observe, Plan
- Shout, Turn, Off-trail, Panic
- Start, Turn, Open, Proceed
- Search, Travel, Orient, Push on
Show answer
Answer: A. Stop, Think, Observe, Plan
Staying calm and making a plan is the first survival step.
Question 9 of 25
A hunter enjoys the whole experience, shares it and helps teach others. Which stage is this?
- Limiting-out stage
- Sportsman stage
- Trophy stage
- Shooter stage
Show answer
Answer: B. Sportsman stage
The sportsman stage values the full outdoor experience and passing on skills.
Question 10 of 25
Is it acceptable to leave edible game meat to spoil in the field?
- Yes, at the end of the season
- No. Wasting game is unethical and illegal in many states
- Yes, for small game
- Yes, as long as you take the antlers and the hide home
Show answer
Answer: B. No. Wasting game is unethical and illegal in many states
Ethical hunters use the meat of the animals they take.
Question 11 of 25
Why is it dangerous to carry 20-gauge shells while hunting with a 12-gauge shotgun?
- They make the gun shoot too far
- 20-gauge shells are illegal for all types of hunting in every state and territory
- They will not fit in the magazine
- A 20-gauge shell can lodge in the 12-gauge barrel, which can burst if fired
Show answer
Answer: D. A 20-gauge shell can lodge in the 12-gauge barrel, which can burst if fired
Carry only one type of ammunition, the one marked on your barrel.
Question 12 of 25
What is true about a firearm's mechanical safety?
- It only works on rifles
- It can fail, so it never replaces safe muzzle control
- It also unloads the gun
- It makes the gun completely impossible to fire by accident
Show answer
Answer: B. It can fail, so it never replaces safe muzzle control
Safeties are mechanical and can wear out or break. Always control the muzzle.
Question 13 of 25
Which direction is a "safe direction" to point a firearm?
- Always straight up, since bullets fired into the air cannot come back down with force
- Toward your hunting partner's feet
- Always at your feet
- One where an accidental shot could not injure anyone or damage property
Show answer
Answer: D. One where an accidental shot could not injure anyone or damage property
What is safe depends on the situation. Think about people, buildings and hard surfaces.
Question 14 of 25
Why should a bowhunter usually wait before tracking a hit animal?
- Arrows only work after about an hour
- An animal that is pushed may run far and leave less blood
- It is required by federal law for all bowhunters in every state
- To let other hunters go first
Show answer
Answer: B. An animal that is pushed may run far and leave less blood
Giving the animal time to lie down makes recovery more likely.
Question 15 of 25
Where should hunter orange be worn to be most effective?
- On the front only, where other hunters usually see you
- On the boots only
- On the head and upper body, visible from all sides
- On a pack only, so it can be removed
Show answer
Answer: C. On the head and upper body, visible from all sides
Laws such as Pennsylvania's require orange on the head, chest and back, visible from 360 degrees.
Question 16 of 25
What should you do before you climb a steep bank, jump a ditch or get into a boat?
- Put the safety on and keep it loaded
- Unload your firearm
- Hold the barrel for balance
- Put your finger on the trigger
Show answer
Answer: B. Unload your firearm
Unload whenever there is a chance you could slip or fall.
Question 17 of 25
What does the Pittman-Robertson Act fund wildlife restoration with?
- An excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition
- A tax on gasoline
- A tax on fishing boats only
- Fines collected from poachers in every state
Show answer
Answer: A. An excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition
The Act uses an 11 percent excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition.
Question 18 of 25
What does "fair chase" mean?
- Hunting without an unfair or improper advantage over the animal
- Chasing game with a vehicle until it gets too tired to run any farther
- Giving the animal a head start
- Shooting only running animals
Show answer
Answer: A. Hunting without an unfair or improper advantage over the animal
Fair chase shows respect for the animal and for hunting.
Question 19 of 25
How should you carry a harvested wild turkey out of the woods?
- Over your shoulder in full view
- Wrapped in blaze orange so it is not mistaken for a live bird
- Held up high so other hunters can clearly see its beard and fan
- Hidden in camouflage
Show answer
Answer: B. Wrapped in blaze orange so it is not mistaken for a live bird
Covering the bird keeps other hunters from seeing turkey colors moving through the woods.
Question 20 of 25
Two hunters reach a fence together. What is a safe way to cross?
- Unload both guns; one hunter holds them while the other crosses, then hands them over
- One covers the other with a loaded gun
- Both lean loaded guns on the fence
- Both climb over at the same time while holding their loaded guns with the safeties on
Show answer
Answer: A. Unload both guns; one hunter holds them while the other crosses, then hands them over
With actions open and guns unloaded, they can be handed across safely.
Question 21 of 25
What did the Dingell-Hart amendments of 1970 and 1972 add?
- A ban on all handguns
- A federal hunting license required in every state for all hunters over 16
- A tax on hunting dogs
- Excise taxes on handguns and archery gear, partly for hunter education
Show answer
Answer: D. Excise taxes on handguns and archery gear, partly for hunter education
These taxes help pay for hunter education programs and target ranges.
Question 22 of 25
Where should you aim for a quick, clean kill on big game?
- The hindquarters
- The neck
- The heart-lung area
- The head
Show answer
Answer: C. The heart-lung area
The vital area is the largest target that kills quickly and wastes the least meat.
Question 23 of 25
Who sets the standards that hunter education courses across North America are built on?
- Each hunting store
- The National Park Service
- The Federal Aviation Administration
- The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA)
Show answer
Answer: D. The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA)
State and provincial courses are developed to standards set with IHEA-USA and IHEA-Canada.
Question 24 of 25
What nearly happened to the American bison by the late 1800s?
- It was almost wiped out by unregulated killing
- It became a farm animal only
- It spread across the whole continent, from coast to coast
- Nothing changed
Show answer
Answer: A. It was almost wiped out by unregulated killing
Bison numbers fell from millions to very few. Protection helped them recover.
Question 25 of 25
When should you NOT use the trail carry, which points the muzzle ahead and down?
- When someone is walking behind you on the trail
- When someone is walking in front of you
- When you are alone in an open field
- When you are on a road
Show answer
Answer: B. When someone is walking in front of you
In the trail carry, the muzzle points ahead, toward anyone in front.

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