When the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission meets for its annual season setting meeting in Nashville on May 23rd and 24th, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) will propose several changes to the 2001-02 hunting seasons and rules and regulations.
The following is a summary of the changes which will be proposed for consideration by the Commission.
- Change the regulation relative to hunting over bait to read “hunting in the area of bait.”
- Clarify the definition of muzzleloading equipment to make it clear that muzzleloaders using black powder substitutes (such as Pyrodex) are legal.
- Propose a hunting and trapping season for river otters in Regions 2 and 3 on an experimental basis.
- Change the language about harvesting antlered bucks from 2 per equipment type to 2 per season (with the maximum remaining 3 antlered bucks). This would allow an archer to take two antlered bucks during archery season and then use his bow and take a third antlered buck in muzzleloader or gun season. Last year, the third buck had to have been taken with another equipment type.
- Propose changing the Unit B January Young Sportsman Hunt deer hunt to either-sex.
- Propose adding 4 days of bear/boar hunting in November for Blount, Cocke, Greene, Monroe, Sevier, Unicoi, and Washington counties. Proposed dates are: Nov. 14-15 dogs permitted; Nov. 24-25 no dogs allowed.
- Adding Lawrence, Robertson, and Williamson to the list of counties with a fall wild turkey season. Add a no-quota archery-only season (Sept. 22 - Oct. 31, one bird either-sex) to those counties with a fall turkey season. The gun hunt is proposed to be increased to 6-days (Oct. 26 - 31) and 16 counties in Middle Tennessee have permits which allow two turkeys per permit. Propose to increase the quotas in many of the Middle Tennessee counties.
- AEDC: change the Sept. 28 - 30 archery hunt to no-quota.
- Buffalo Springs: open dove hunting to all day hunting after first 3 days. Allow small game hunters (fluorescent orange required) to hunt during big game seasons.
- Cherokee/Tellico Unit: add bear to the Dec. 14-16 deer/boar hunt.
- Chuck Swan: delete the Jan. 3-4 either-sex deer hunt.
- Kyker Bottoms & Lick Creek Bottoms: establish Young Sportsman/Adult only hunts for rabbit and quail on Saturdays between Feb. 15-28.
- LBL: add one week to the deer/turkey archery hunt.
- Natchez Trace: on portion south of I-40, added a Young Sportsman hunt on Nov. 3-4.
- Nolichucky: add raccoon and opossum hunting.
- Oak Ridge: add a 2-day archery hunt Nov. 10-11.
- Rankin: open small game hunting and dog training during big game hunts; small game hunters required to wear fluorescent orange during big game hunts.
These and other proposals will be considered by the Commission at its meeting in the Region II Office on May 23rd and 24th. The Committees will meet beginning at 1:00 pm on the 23rd and the Commission will meet at 9:00 am on the 24th.
The public and media are encouraged to attend this important meeting of the Wildlife Commission.