Tennessee Hunting

[drdirtnap]

Hello All.

I'm a FNG here, possibly moving from AZ to your fine state 

I am curious about the hunting here.  What big/small game is here?  How does one aquire license/tags?

Do you have a draw system like AZ?

I have not done any research on the matter.  I just learned I may be heading this way 30 min ago!

Thanks for your time!

[ShaunM]

No draw system. We have plenty of game to hunt. Majority of the people here Deer and turkey hunt. We do have some good waterfowl hunting in the Western part of the State. Licenses and tags are over the counter here. 

[drdirtnap]

18 minutes ago, ShaunM said:

Licenses and tags are over the counter here. 

That's wonderful news! Thank you;

[Sleep profit]

Tn has great hurting and fishing State makes it very easy to obtain licenses or permits we have a. Black powder mussel loading season a. Bow season and regular firearms season So whatever you’re interested in We also Bear hunt in eastern TN  Better waterfowl hunting in west TN 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Sleep profit

[gregintenn]

https://gooutdoorstennessee.com/?gad=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIje6X1bTC_wIVxr6GCh3PzAb1EAAYASAAEgIp3_D_BwE
Everything you ever wanted to know about hunting and fishing is located right here on this handy, dandy website! Enjoy.

[DO-TN]

Having moved from the west a few years ago there are some things. 

Lack of public land. There is no millions of acres of BLM or FS land you can wonder on for days. Most hunting is done on private land. If you don't buy some acerage, you might have a difficult time.

It is crowded. The days of spending days in the wilderness and not ever seeing another person are long gone here.

Deer hunting is stupid easy. At least where I live (north central) I can't go start my car in the morning without shoving deer out of the way. You may be used to planning your deer hunting trip all year, take 2 weeks off work. Go set up camp for opening day, spend all that time in the wilderness to get your one lucky shot to fill your one-deer-a-year mule tag. In TN, it's not like that. You can shoot like 4 a does a day and they are much smaller white tail deer so filling the freezer, if that is your goal, is as simple as walking out on the back porch and nailing one, hang it, butcher it and be done. Kinda takes the fun out in my experience.

License, this is the neat thing. If you are on your property, no license or tag required. Simply check the season dates in your area and have at it. No need to buy anything other than ammo. Lesson here is buy as much land as you can.

There are places like LBL and Fort Campbell in my area where you can get on public land but there are restrictions to short range, muzzle loader, archery and the like and there will be other people around. Sometimes, lots of people around.

Tennessee is not as gun friendly as others would have you believe. You wonder into any metro area with a gun in your back window, expect to have a talk with the local police. Nothing like living in the west at all where that won't even get a second glance.

Range time. Like hunting, there is no going off on some corner of public land and shooting. This will also be met by local police/Sheriff with a frown on thier face. I know this one first hand. Again, buy a large chunk of land off in the county away from any metro and choose one with good back stops.

Distance shooting. There are no 300-500 yard deer shots here. The forrest is too thick. I have never shot a deer past 75 yards since I have been here. There will be no need for a scoped belted magnum.

Your experience may vary, but this has been mine. That said, I do like it here much better than the high plains desert of the west but set your self up in your plans and property searching.

[Ren3gade50]

We ain't a communist state.

Well...

Aside from the favoritism per the coveted elk draw and of course their ain't no good ole boy system in that.

LOL!!!

 

Might wanna steer away from public duck blind issues around west TN.

They can get kinda touchy about who is who and who came 1st or even who came last after x time issues.

 

 

[Ren3gade50]

Plenty of public lands state and fed or inconjunction per reciprocal agreement to hunt, you just gotta know where they are and learn the area,s

And we do have good bucks.

Just takes a little trigger patience and woods/ game knowldege...

After the 1st weekend of ML and 1st weekend of rifle here 75% of TN " hunters" have shot their wad for the year.

They might deer hunt 6 or 7 times a yr on average.

Ain't hard to kill on private lands if you are soley a private land hunter and doing whatever to " hunt".

Other than private land shoothouse watching a bait pile, which is illegal in Tn....

Of course no one will admit to that....

Your only options are Public lands and they ain't hard to find....

 

On private land Deer magically always come out by the shoothouse on mee maw and pee paws farm here in TN.

some even have properties that butt right up next to state and fed lands.

And deer are always " finding" something to eat on set ups like that.

 

You won't find any bags of corn on numerous pallets in aisles for sale in this state in any store anywhere either from early Sept thru late Dec either.

 

Edited June 24, 2023 by Ren3gade50

[Ren3gade50]

On 6/14/2023 at 4:27 AM, DO-TN said:

Having moved from the west a few years ago there are some things. 

Lack of public land. There is no millions of acres of BLM or FS land you can wonder on for days. Most hunting is done on private land. If you don't buy some acerage, you might have a difficult time.

It is crowded. The days of spending days in the wilderness and not ever seeing another person are long gone here.

Deer hunting is stupid easy. At least where I live (north central) I can't go start my car in the morning without shoving deer out of the way. You may be used to planning your deer hunting trip all year, take 2 weeks off work. Go set up camp for opening day, spend all that time in the wilderness to get your one lucky shot to fill your one-deer-a-year mule tag. In TN, it's not like that. You can shoot like 4 a does a day and they are much smaller white tail deer so filling the freezer, if that is your goal, is as simple as walking out on the back porch and nailing one, hang it, butcher it and be done. Kinda takes the fun out in my experience.

License, this is the neat thing. If you are on your property, no license or tag required. Simply check the season dates in your area and have at it. No need to buy anything other than ammo. Lesson here is buy as much land as you can.

There are places like LBL and Fort Campbell in my area where you can get on public land but there are restrictions to short range, muzzle loader, archery and the like and there will be other people around. Sometimes, lots of people around.

Tennessee is not as gun friendly as others would have you believe. You wonder into any metro area with a gun in your back window, expect to have a talk with the local police. Nothing like living in the west at all where that won't even get a second glance.

Range time. Like hunting, there is no going off on some corner of public land and shooting. This will also be met by local police/Sheriff with a frown on thier face. I know this one first hand. Again, buy a large chunk of land off in the county away from any metro and choose one with good back stops.

Distance shooting. There are no 300-500 yard deer shots here. The forrest is too thick. I have never shot a deer past 75 yards since I have been here. There will be no need for a scoped belted magnum.

Your experience may vary, but this has been mine. That said, I do like it here much better than the high plains desert of the west but set your self up in your plans and property searching.

Their is alot of incorrect information in your post and speculation on your part in it.

So much so, it would take about 10 to 12 specifically numbered items to list.

 

Not saying this to be malicious at all... 

 

Their are people on here I'm sure that recognize my Fudge fingered username I goofed up when I registered several yrs ago.

Not Ren3gade50 

But Renegade50...

 

 

 

[Ren3gade50]

On 6/13/2023 at 4:41 AM, drdirtnap said:

Hello All.

I'm a FNG here, possibly moving from AZ to your fine state 

I am curious about the hunting here.  What big/small game is here?  How does one aquire license/tags?

Do you have a draw system like AZ?

I have not done any research on the matter.  I just learned I may be heading this way 30 min ago!

Thanks for your time!

Here are 2 bucks killed on Public Land in TN fall 2022

The 8 was shot on FTCKY in area 44A ( haven't seen anyone in their in over 4 yrs)

Dressed out at 193

Came in behind a doe from about 95 110 yds out thru the oaks.

Had the scope on him from about 75 yds out hauling butt behind her.

Shot at about 17 or 18 yds

 

The 10 was shot on a TWRA managed COE Property.

Bubba don't get off paths.

Bubba won't walk 35 mins in the dark on a compass bearing to get to escape and remote backside travel corridors 

Dressed out at 182 or 183 IIRC

7 mornings to kill that buck last week of november before he made a mistake following a doe in open hardwood bottoms trying to get off a corner of 190acres of the COE land onto a adjacent private duck hunt club.

105 110 yd shot.

The guns in relation to the size of the antlers should give you a idea that we do have good deer here in TN.

Trigger patience and built up knowledge of the terrian and food source ( soft browse and acorns) which 90% of the time is the prime factor in putting yourself in deer movement corridors which remain basically the same year after year after year.

You get about 10 to 15 areas in your brain housing group where you have figured it all out.

Then you got places to go.

But ya gotta put in your sweat equity to find spots.

Then it's just a waiting game on stand and a wind game deciding where you want to go, and Tn weather forecastors can screw up a forecast like no others in this nation.

But some spots can be 360 wind adjustable spots also.

Toss everything out the window during a whitetail rut.

Never know what is gonna happen or when....

 

And having trigger patience letting bucks go to grow...

 

 

" pics or it never happened"

Edited June 24, 2023 by Ren3gade50