About 60 people were on hand for a TWRA public meeting in the Dayton courthouse Thursday night. Most were opposed to a TWRA proposal to assign duck blinds on four Chickamauga hunting uits by random computer drawing. (More photos below).
photo by Richard Simms
Officials with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency were on the hotseat in Dayton, Tenn. Thursday night.
Next week the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission will vote on a plan to hold random computer drawings to assign waterfowl hunts on the Chickamauga-Hiwassee area wildlife management units. The plan is to assign a total of about 25 designated blind locations for two weeks at a time, on four waterfowl units... Johnson Bottoms (5 blind sites), Candies Creek (8 blind sites), Rogers Creek (8 blind sites) and Yellow Creek (4 blind sites). Similar drawings have been held on West Tennessee waterfowl management areas for many years. However hunting on these southeast Tennessee WMA's has always been open to all comers on a first-come, first-served basis.
TWRA Region III Manager John Mayer says over the years he has consistently received complaints about extremely overcrowded conditions hurting the hunt quality for everyone involved. In recent years there have even been reports of fist fights and numerous other verbal altercations breaking out during disputes between hunters over hunt locations.
However when word of the new plan got out, a large contingency of duck hunters, most from the Rhea County area, were quite dismayed. Rep. Jim Cobb who represents the area got involved and twisted TWRA's arm to force a public meeting on the issue.
"I like TWRA, I do," said Rep. Cobb, who facilitated the meeting. "But I also think that they sometimes need to have a desire to come out and explain what they're doing instead of saying 'We'll come out when we want to.' So I kind of made them come out here."
About 60 people turned out in the Rhea County courthouse. The vocal portion of the crowd was largely against the measure. Six people spoke out against the draw hunts, supported by enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
However without exception, every person who spoke out was specifically concerned about the Yellow Creek hunting unit. No one expressed any specific objections to draw hunts on any of the other three hunting units, seemingly concerned about only Yellow Creek.
Brian Bayless told TWRA, "We'd always heard about how big, bad, rough and tough (Yellow Creek) was. Well when we got down there we realized it wasn't so bad because we walked past three or four blinds to get down to an area."
Bayless says while he hunts Arkansas and other areas, Yellow Creek has always been a favorite local hunting area for he and his sons.
"Not one time have they ever heard a cuss word that wasn't involved in a joke," he said. "There was never any bickering between the blinds."
"I like to hunt," Bayless continued. "I don't like to be 'assigned' a position. If I'm sitting in a spot and I see ducks go down in the timber, I can go over there and pursue those ducks."
Mayer says under the new proposal, hunters would be required to remain at their assigned location.
Eva Hampton doesn't hunt, but she spoke out on behalf of her husband and sons.
Hampton held back tears as she shared the great memories of past duck hunting seasons on Yellow Creek.
"I heard what ya'll were planning and it stirred me up," she said. "That opportunity (for my family) will be gone if our local duck hunting is made a draw. So please, consider all the families that would be affected if local hunting is rented out."
Two people spoke out in favor of the draw hunts. Brad Graves said that a few individuals have basically a monopoly on the prime spots at Yellow Creek because they have unfair access across public land that most hunters don't have.
Mayer said that issue has been a specific point made for many of the complaints TWRA has received.
"Just because they have certain access that is not affordable to everybody... and that they can get to those blind sites so much quicker than everyone else on a first-come, first-served basis," said Mayer. "And those are the complaints we've been hearing year after year after year. But Yellow Creek is the point of contention."
"I don't think that (easy access) tool is available at the other (hunting units)," said Rep. Cobb. "(At Yellow Creek) These guys can be over a fence and be at their duck blind while everybody else is still in the parking lot."
Asked if that is fair Rep. Cobb said, "No, probably not."
However when asked by a member of the crowd where he stands, Rep. Cobb declined to take a formal position on TWRA's recommendation, saying he simply wanted to be sure sportsmen had the chance to express their concerns directly to TWRA personnel.
Mayer believes there are many people in support of the measure who didn't want to speak publically Thursday night.
"That happens everywhere," he said. "But we hear from them through e-mails, phone calls and through the complaints we get all year long that they're not getting a fair shake out there."
While the proposal is the recommendation of Mayer and TWRA staffers, they do not make the final decision. The final decision rests with Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Commissioners, the governing board over TWRA which sets all specific hunting and fishing rules and regulations in the state.
There were no wildlife commissioners in attendance at the Thursday night meeting. Commissioner William Brown from Chattanooga represents the Rhea County area.
"Mr. Brown told me he would probably be here," Rep. Cobb said. "Maybe I misunderstood him but I thought he was going to be here. The (wildlife) commissioners are going to be making the decision. At least a couple of them should have been here."
This is not the first TWRA/TWRC issue to raise the ire of Tennessee legislators this year. The Wildlife Agency and Commission have been under fire from some sportsmen and legislators following a change in the smallmouth bass size limit on Norris Lake.
"TWRA has made a few mistakes like we all do over the years," said Rep. Cobb. "And they've aggravated some of the legislators so some of the legislators are a little bit upset over what seems to be maybe an attitude problem. Sometimes TWRA comes across as a little bit arrogant. Because they're an (independent) agency, some of the guys (in the legislature) resent that."
The TWRC will meet at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Ray Bell Region II Building. Committee meetings will be held beginning at 1 p.m. on May 19 and the commission meeting starts at 9 a.m. on May 20. The public is invited to attend. Click HERE for more information.