whiskey

It's clearly a triple track. I'd say the raccoon was chasing the deer and the black panther was chasing the raccoon. Now how these three ended up the on the cross country track team is another story all together. Often tracks appear larger in the mud, so it could be a coon track. Comparing it to the deer track next to it, that would seem most likely.

Can't make it this weekend, but I'd probably be up for another time. Shoot'em in the neck! With the warmer weather, you may have some luck hunting water sources mid day and late afternoon. That's where I'd focus my attention. Hogs have to water up when it's warm.

I haven't seen any yet. Later this week could be good with the warmer weather coming.

I am not affiliated, but there is a Civil War reenactment of the battle of Fort Donnelson this weekend in Cumberland City, TN. It is easily seen from Hwy 149, so don't worry about finding it if you head out there. Looks like good weather Saturday and Sunday.

Muskrats live around beavers. You probably saw them, but the beavers are doing the damage.

My buddy had to take his two dogs to the vet after the tangled with a 55 pound beaver in his backyard. The beaver died from the fight, but the dogs got bitten up pretty bad. I can tell you a 55 pound beaver is HUGE! I couldn't believe the size of that thing. We had a problem on our land when I was a kid. Me and a buddy, both 15 at the time, sat for hours waiting to shoot one. Never did see them. Finally my uncle brought over dynamite and blew the dams and dens to pieces. That worked for a few years and then more moved in. I think you might be best to try and trap them. That way you know you are taking them out of the breeding population.

I hope you enjoyed it. It's not every day you can say you turned 105!

I use Photobucket to host the picture, then they have a UBB code I can copy directly under the photo. Just copy the UBB coded link and paste over here. Cake. Do not use the little green photo icon in the tool bar. It will double code the photo and it won't work.

There you go.

I didn't make it down to the catwalk today, but I did notice that the pictures in the baitshop are starting to increase. Some large strippers and large catfish pics starting to show up. Usually the stippers are following the bait, so I would guess they have moved in. One thought for very up to date info, is to contact the TWRA officer for the area. I know that Officer Joe Campbell covers Stewart County, but he is not the officer I usually see at TVA. I know there is a fairly new officer in Houston county, so that may be who is patrolling the area. A call to the Region 2 office may be able to get you in contact with the correct officer.

You can learn a lot by reading up on the subject of QDMA. Every piece of land needs different management for the best herd. However, if you are hunting public land, then management is all but out the window. I don't shoot young bucks. That means I don't shoot 1.5 year old deer and I don't want to shoot 2.5 year old deer. I won't shoot a 3.5 year old deer unless it has a crappy rack. I want to shoot 4.5 and older deer. This is just a personal choice and is only because I don't need deer meat to feed my family. I hunt for the challenge of outwitting an old mature buck. If I want one to eat, I don't mind taking a doe or two. I think every hunter should "hunt their own hunt". Take whatever you want that falls under the legal confines of the state laws.

I have been using the MotionX GPS, not the driving one, and have been pretty happy with it. It also allows you to download and use offline. Beware that using GPS for active tracking really eats up battery. A better way is to mark your waypoint and then shut it off till you need it again. I use mine for time and distance when hiking, so it has to stay active. I can get a close to 10 hours on a full charge, but that's about it. Don't make the mistake of leaving it running while you are sitting still in a stand, then not have enough battery to get you back to the truck.

Well, if you haven't already purchased a hunting/fishing license in Tennessee, then you will want to wait until March 1st for that also. They expire on the last day of February each year. The permits for Fort Campbell will be free for your children under 16, also they don't need a TN license until they are 13. (Jr. Hunt/Fish till 16)

...and you still owe me a canoe trip there...

Fort Campbell creeks can offer some low pressure fishing. They stock some with trout. There is a canoe rental place on the Red River near Adams. You can float and fish all day. Like WD40 mentioned, LBL has some good back country bank fishing, but I think I would focus on catfish or panfish there. Most of the easy to get to spots fill up on the weekend.

Forgot to add one more thing: Spring is quickly approaching. Tomorrow is when you need to start scouting for turkey hunting WMAs. Go walk around the woods, look for scratching and feathers, but mostly, just learn the land now before the leaves are on the trees and the underbrush is growing up. You can see further now, you can walk faster, no need to sneak around. Almost no one else is in the woods. To me, knowing the woods and the lay of the land is the best key to success. Twice this month I have gone on day hikes at Land Between the Lakes. I have seen deer sign and turkey sign on each trip. I wasn't there for the scouting, but it stood out and may be options this spring or fall.

All good advice so far. I always make two suggestions when someone is new to hunting and is seeking answers: 1. Get a copy of the printed hunting/fishing guide, put it in the john and read it over and over again. 2. Go to the hunter's safety course. If there isn't one offered soon, take the free online course. Another great thing to do is find the 3 closest WMA/Public hunting areas nearest to you that you. Print out the WMA flyer for each from the TWRA website. Then you can learn the specific rules for the area you plan to hunt. No need to try and learn every rule for every WMA in the state, they just vary too much. Focus on the one you are interested in. 3) Are the WMA areas extremely packed during turkey and deer seasons? How does one negotiate a decent place to hunt with lots of other hunters on public land? What are the unstated rules when dealing with other hunters? - First come first served. That is the way it should work. If you get there first, 3 hours before daylight, then others should move on. This isn't always followed. The upshot is that it's public land and there are plenty of jerks willing to ruin their hunting just to ruin your hunting. However, I have had very few problems with this over the years. 4) How much gear do normal hunters take? I mean, do you carry a backpack full and blind for turkey hunting? For deer hunting, do you lug a stand with backpack and gun? What else would you need to take with you for each of those game? - Too much. I have changed my philosophy on gear. I have gone from trying to carry everything I "could" need or want, to a philosophy of carrying as few things as possible. Do I really need 3 knives on a deer hunt? Do I really need 3 slate calls on a turkey hunt? Do I need a rain coat and a poncho? NO! Go as light as possible, you will enjoy it more. After your first few hunts, reassess the items you are carrying. Leave out what you haven't used. 12) Do you guys use a GPS to find your way in and out of WMA's? If so, what's a good affordable brand/model? - I like them, but I find that after learning my way around an area, I rarely use them. They are handy the first few times in a new WMA, but not required. I use my iPhone mostly. WD40 gave you good answers. There is good reason he is a SME for the hunting forum. Just don't pay much attention when he gets on a turkey rant. He hasn't been pulled over to the dark side yet... This forum is a great resource. Lots of experienced hunters to help answer your questions too.

30-30 is fine. Take the .41 in case you have to track a wounded pig into a crawl thicket. The only disadvantage I see in the 30-30 over the .44mag is magazine capacity in a lever gun. .44mag, rifle and pistol were my choices when I lived in hog country. My and my buddy and taken close to a hundred hogs with .44mags. I used 300gr XTPs and he used some cheap winchester JSP 240gr. The flat front JSP's worked just as well as the XTPs. We both played around with heavy hard cast lead loads and killed a few pigs with them, but got more run-offs. Our goal was ZERO tracking through the Florida swamps. Center of the neck with a major caliber is the best medicine for DRT hogs. If you can't get a DRT hog, then hopefully the place you are going has a tracking dog. I have seen so many run-offs lost cause they just stop bleeding and the track is lost after a short distance.

Yes, as long as I can remember Archery has been legal during the entire season. It was the ML and Gun seasons that were turned on and off until the current year regulations. As a bow hunter, I always looked forward to those mid-season times when firearms were closed and only archery was open.

Not likely now. Last year they changed the flow of the various weapons seasons to "avoid confusion". Now it's bow first, then muzzleloader, then gun. I doubt they are likely to throw an archery season on the back end again. Unfortunate for us archery hunters. I wasn't confused in the first place....

Reindeer farming is big business in Alaska. I would rather have a deer farm next door than a hog farm next door.

I work in Cumberland City, but I don't have a boat. I do know lots of guys that fish out there, but I don't know any of them that have a pontoon. I will ask around and see what I can find.

I don't know of any books that are specific to middle Tennessee, but Peterson's Field Guide is probably the most popular for wild edible plants in North America. There is also a Peterson's that is related to Eastern and Central North America. That might help narrow it down. I have found wild river plums, blackberries, and persimmons close to home. I have been wanting to get a guide and do some identifying too. I will probably do some of this during the spring and summer this year. I have mushroom guide and have done a little 'shrooming the last couple springs.

If you have turkey on the property, take a look at planting some Chufa. Deer eat the tops and turkey eat the tubes. You can do corn early and then peas/turnips later.

Thanks for posting. I'm gonna pray for y'all.