Larry Rosenbaum with his 5x4 bull with a partially field dressed weight of 378 lbs. harvested from Elk Hunt Zone 2 on the North Cumberland WMA
Johnny Delaney with a 5x5 bull elk with a field dressed weight of 486 lbs. taken from Massengale Mountain in Elk Hunt Zone 4 on the North Cumberland WMA
Matthew Meyer harvested the third and final bull elk on the archery hunt’s second day by tagging a 5x5 bull with a whole weight of 397 lbs. taken out of Elk Hunt Zone 1 on the North Cumberland WMA
Youth hunter Reed Johnson harvested a 4x4 bull with a field dressed weight of 315 lbs. from Elk Hunt Zone 1 on the North Cumberland WMA
TWRA’s 2017 archery and youth elk hunts are in the books as the final segment begins this Saturday on the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area. This final hunt will include gun, muzzleloader or archery equipment for the seven lucky participants who received permits earlier this year.
In its second year, TWRA’s archery only elk hunt concluded with three-out-of-seven hunters successfully harvesting an antlered elk from the different elk hunting zones on the NCWMA. Selected to participate in the archery-only hunt that ran from Sept.
30-Oct. 6 were Johnny Lankford Delaney (Chattanooga), Edgar Michael Galaway (Brighton), William C. Harris (Smithville), Jimmy E. Hilliard (Maryville), Brandon T. Metcalf (Greeneville), Matthew Douglas Meyer (Knoxville), and Larry Wayne Rosenbaum (Dickson). The youth tag permit winner was Reed A. Johnson (Manchester). This was the sixth year for the tag which is designated for youth ages 13-16. The TFWC voted to allow a full week for the youth participant for the first time this year, rather than a two-day weekend hunt.
On the archery hunt’s first afternoon, Larry Rosenbaum was the first archer to check in an elk by bringing in a 5x4 bull weighing 378 lbs. harvested from Elk Hunt Zone 2. Later that day, Johnny Delaney checked in the second bull elk by tagging a 5x5 bull that weighed 486 lbs. taken from Massengale Mountain in Elk Hunt Zone 4. Matthew Meyer harvested the third and final bull elk on the archery hunt’s second day by taking a 5x5 bull with a weight of 397 lbs. out of Elk Hunt Zone 1.
Several other archery hunters reported having close calls, but were unable to successfully harvest a bull elk.
The youth elk hunt began on Oct. 7 and quickly ended when Reed Johnson harvested a 4x4 bull in Elk Hunt Zone 1. Mr. Johnson reports that he shot the elk at a little over 150 yards with a 7mm Remington Magnum, and that the animal only took a few steps before falling. Mr. Johnson’s bull had a field-dressed weight of 315 lbs.
Still to come is the final segment of the 2017 elk hunt set to take place Oct. 14-20, and is open for use of gun, muzzleloader, or archery equipment. Selected to participate are James L. Blackwell (Chattanooga), Doug C. Gougher (Jasper), Kimberly Ann Mayfield (Etowah), Gary W. Ownby (Clinton), Floyd Eugene Roach (Knoxville), and Darvis Gary White (Greeneville). The seventh permit was presented to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Foundation and was auctioned off with a winning bid of $13,000 by Alabama resident Tim Fisk. Fund-raising proceeds from the auctioned tag are designated for the elk restoration program.
Since the historic first managed hunt in 2009, 37 elk have been legally harvested on the NCWMA and surrounding private lands.