confused hunter(s)

[Wingshooter]

It's nice to know people with land. I need to meet some of those kinds of friends or at least find a lease. My goal is to be able to buy 100ac or so, but I can't do it yet.

A good hunting lease will hold the land owner harmless, and should ease the fear of being sued. I would certainly sign such a lease, but I can't find any land not already leased or hunted. I am a member of a hunting club, but it is not as well managed as I would like.

As far as the WMA's go, I don't mind hunting them during the bow season - sometimes I have the place to myself. Once gun season starts, I guess I will just hunt my club or bow hunt an archery only WMA. I don't like hunting WMA's during the gun season either, especially on opening week or the weekends.

[DaveS]

Don't get me wrong, I love hunting WMAs. The one I hunt mostly for deer is hardly ever crowded. It's just the "locals" there have their race courses set up for their ATV's. I was confronted by two of them last year, and was told to "get off our land". I politely (at first) told him this was not his land, it was state land and I had full right to be here. Then I got told "we don't appreciate you boys from Clarksville hunting here trying to take over our land". The whole time one stayed on his 4-wheeler and the other kept trying to inch around behind me. Each time he moved, I would kinda step back and half face him. Pretty dumb considering they appeared to be unarmed and I had a .308 in my hands, and a .357 under my jacket. Just think....I pay good money for this crap. And of course I stood there trying to call a game warden on my cell and could not get an answer. Been trying to call them ever since. Maybe next time I'll feel in danger of my life!

[jimic]

TWRA want you purchase the WMA Permit, no to hunt the WMA.

TWRA answer is the same to all questions, dont have enough money.

[jimic]

Call the game warden if you like. i believe you wil find carring a hand gun on the WMA is not permited.

Sorry

[jimic]

Found it

[Guest forklift]

Someone asked how newbs feel about all the rules. Well, you can consider me a newb, because nobody in my family liked guns or hunted until i came out of the womb. I was just born with an outdoor spirit. By the time I moved out on my own and was able to purchase firearms, hunting gear, etc., i had moved out of state. To make a long story short, last year was my first official hunting season here in TN and i was 38!!

Got in some small game and dove hunting, because trying to read the big game rules made me vomit every time i got to the deer section.

All last year I studied that damn handbook. This year I'm ready for a private land bowhunt. You still probably won't catch me ever WMA hunting big game here in TN. I can't afford to pay the license fees (friggin ridiculous if you ask me to legislate payments for EVERY SINGLE WEAPON you use... splitting up guns and muzzleloaders just doesn't make sense to me. $28 for gun + $28 for muzzleloader?!?! come on!!!)

It's beyond insane what they've done and eveyone is right about the wardens useless natures... i've called several local wardens and none of them even so much as RETURN my calls. They're never available at ANY time of the day. When I see one on a WMA, I kid you not, EVERY SINGLE ONE has a different interpretation of the rules.

Here's an example of the idiots working for TWRA: Last year I called about shooting coyote on private land (a friend was having yote problems and it was big game archery season) so i asked a guy in person if i could use my .270 even though i was on private land and small game hunting (at the least i was expecting him to say i had to use a .22 so it didn't look like i was deer hunting).

The dude actually told me that i had to use archery tackle because it was during archery season!!!

So i got to thinking... did he want me to archery shoot freakin DOVE, TOO?!?! that's during archery season? LOL I talked to another one and he said that the first warden 'was an idiot.' Gotta love comradery!

To be fair, there is ONE TWRA guy that's cool and you can find him (forget his name) some of the time at the Percy Priest hunter safety firing range. He's been the most helpful to me.

So yeah, i still have no idea how non quota hunts work and why in the heck i have to buy a special season tag to bag antlerless deer during G/M/A but not if i wanted to bag a buck.

I should stop talking now.

Edited August 15, 2009 by forklift

[Guest Patty]

Non quota hunts on WMA's allow hunters who have bought the correct hunting license to hunt according to the bag limits of such WMA that they intend to hunt on. There is no set number of hunters for a non quota hunt.

A quota hunt only allows the hunters who were drawn for a specific WMA to hunt on such WMA. Only hunters who have a quota permit should be on the WMA during that hunt. And these hunters follow the WMA bag limits for this hunt also.

A special season tag allows a hunter to take a extra bag limit for whatever species the special season is for. This would allow a hunter to take more game above the normal WMA or Statewide limit, if he or she had the special season tag. And only during the special season time frame.

Now as far as hunting on private lands, you may take coyote all year long and you may use what ever weapon you choose, as long as there are not restrictions that prevent you from using such weapon, from the guide rules or state and local laws. If you were to be hunting on a WMA for coyote's then you could only use the weapon that was allowed for that WMA. And a example would be, during a archery only hunt you would be allowed to use just a bow and arrow or crossbow to take a coyote.

Edited August 15, 2009 by Patty

[memphismason]

After reading all of this I am thankful that my Dad and Grandfather own land. The won't let anyone hunt on it but family, and since I am a son of a landowner, then I am not required to purchase all of the silly licenses.

I do purchase a small game/fishing license every year so that I can fish.

Edited August 15, 2009 by memphismason

[Guest GunTroll]

Well I'm glad to see this newb (to TN) isn't the only one confused and pissed at the "play book" of regs/rules in this state. Its like trying to read braille for me. Regs for every little piece of dirt out there! Some seem to contradict each other too!

You know its just easier for me to hunt out of state where the deer are bigger anyways! I'm not dissing on TN. I love it here. I'm glad to be back in the south around my own kind but TN won't get notta cent from me till I get some of my own land to hunt or gain the ever increasingly harder permission given land. At least that way I can just have one rule book to adhere to!