All 400 permits were issued at a Saturday hand-held drawing to participate in Tennessee’s third sandhill crane hunt. The drawing was held at the Birchwood Community Center in north Hamilton County.
As a result of the drawing, there are no leftover permits to issue this week at Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency regional offices.
The draw was conducted by TWRA staff members from the Nashville office and the TWRA Region III office in Crossville.
All persons issued a sandhill crane permit must pass an internet-based crane identification test before hunting.
All permits issued are not valid until a verifiable “Sandhill Test” validation code is written on each permit. The purpose of this test is to improve hunter’s awareness and ability to distinguish between sandhill cranes and protected species which may be encountered while hunting. The test is now available online.
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission established a limited sandhill crane hunting season for a designated zone in southeast Tennessee. The sandhill crane hunting season is open during the late waterfowl season on Nov. 28-29 and Dec. 5 through Jan. 1, 2016.