If you have a question you want to "Ask the Game Warden," e-mail it to: Matt Majors, Hamilton County Wildlife Officer

The close of the deer hunting season is a sad time for most hunters but a time of much needed rest for game wardens. Although all the harvest tags are not counted, Tennessee deer hunters have set a new record. We have come a long way from the days of old. I can still remember when seeing a whitetail in the woods was considered a successful hunt!

These days we are blessed with abundant deer populations to hunt. This is a combination of good habitat management by TWRA biologists and managers with a delicate balance of law-enforcement by our wildlife officers statewide. I might also add that individual hunters and hunting clubs have taken it upon themselves to be better stewards of wildlife. They have extended TWRA a helping hand by implementing and practicing quality deer management strategies on their leases and hunting clubs. This not only benefits them… but all hunters and wildlife watchers.

With the blessing of abundant wildlife come opportunities afield that were never before attainable, today, you can take a child hunting with relative certainty you will have a chance to see or even harvest a deer. You can hunt in Tennessee now with good odds of harvesting a respectable or bragging sized whitetail. These are things that were not always so!

With these things being said, I would encourage you to gauge your hunt's success not by the number of deer harvested and not by the size of the rack….. but the quality of the total experience while keeping safety in mind!

Q. How do I get rid of raccoons? They are on my back deck almost every evening!

Matt Majors, Hamilton County Wildlife Officer - Raccoons are pretty common around subdivisions, parks, and suburban areas for one main reason…the food sources. There are much easier meals around garbage cans, dog and cat food bowls, and bird feeders than there are in the unpopulated rural areas. The raccoons rarely come around for any other reason than food. Eliminate the food source and they will soon be gone.

Q. Will hunting and fishing license fees be going up this year?

Matt Majors, Hamilton County Wildlife Officer - Good Question. As of right now, there will be NO increase in license fees this year according to our regional staff. Same fees as last year… and don’t forget that TWRA is almost 100% supported from license sales and boat registrations…. so renew your licenses. All hunting and fishing licenses expire the last day of February!

Q. Where is the closest place to sight in my rifle? Are there any ranges around the Chattanooga Area?

Matt Majors, Hamilton County Wildlife Officer - There are quite a few private indoor ranges for pistols and even a few places to shoot skeet, trap, and sporting clays. These private ranges are listed in the phone book. As far as public places, Prentice Cooper WMA has a range that is open on non-hunting days. It is located in Marion County and regulations are listed in the hunting guide. The US Forest Service has a new public range on Spring Creek in the Cherokee National Forest. I am almost certain it is open during daylight hours but check with the Forest Service for more information. These are the only two public ranges that I know of.