The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will present a preview of recommendations for the 2017-18 hunting and trapping seasons at the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission’s April meeting.
The meeting will be held April 26 beginning at 9.a.m. at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Region II Ray Bell Building. The public is invited to attend.
Wildlife and Forestry Division Chief Mark Gudlin will provide an overview on the hunting seasons’ setting process. The commission will also be given a brief summary of the 2016-17 hunting seasons. The TFWC sets the state’s annual hunting seasons at its May meeting. The annual hunting and trapping regulations are effective Aug, 1 through July 31.
The commission will also receive a brief preliminary response from the Agency on the Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s “Whitetail Deer Resolution” that was presented at the March TFWC meeting. Approved by the federation’s board of directors, the resolution called for the TWRA to formulate a statewide strategic whitetail deer management plan.
An overview of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) will be presented. CWD is a terminal neurological disease that impacts deer and elk in many other states. Disease information and the threat of CWD to the state’s deer and elk populations will be shared.
A brief presentation will be given on the history of Tennessee’s elk restoration. In addition, current elk management practices on the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area will also be presented.