2010-11 Hunting Seasons Established During TWRC May Meeting

NASHVILLE --- The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission approved the statewide 2010-11 hunting seasons during its May meeting. The upcoming hunting seasons will have a few slight changes as approved by the commission.

 

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency personnel previewed the recommendations at last month’s TWRC meeting and again during the committee meetings at the May meeting. Most of the state’s hunting seasons’ dates and standard bag limits will remain similar for 2010-11.

 

No changes were made concerning deer season dates or to standard antlered and antlerless bag limits. Six Unit B counties will have more antlerless muzzleloader opportunities as a result of a move from the 5-day to the 14-day antlerless hunt. The counties in which the changes apply to are Anderson, Claiborne, Grainger, Greene, Hancock, and Johnson.

 

Hunters are required to check-in animals on the calendar day in which they are harvested also to aid in the agency’s law enforcement efforts. Internet check-in for bears has been eliminated to allow better data collection and to improve enforcement. 

 

The TWRC amended the agency’s proposals and created four new hog hunts on the Cumberland Plateau. Cumberland, Fentress, Overton, and Pickett counties will now allow the hunting of wild hogs with dogs during the time frames of Oct. 2-10, Nov. 1-4, Dec. 2-15, and Dec. 31-Jan. 3. A new wild hog hunt (with dogs) has been created in Monroe and Polk counties Dec. 31-Jan. 3. Also, in the same two counties is the establishment of a bear dog training session that will run from Sept. 9-14. A no bag limit on wild hogs has been set for the South Cherokee National Forest.

 

The commission reduced the bear archery season to three weeks from the agency’s recommendation of a five week season. The bear archery season will now begin Sept. 25 and continue through Oct. 15 in Blount, Carter, Cocke, Greene, Jefferson, Johnson, Monroe, Polk, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington counties.

 

A computerized drawing system for blind sites for Bogota and the new Thorny Cypress Wildlife Management Area in Dyer County and the four units on the Chickamauga WMA (Candies Creek, Johnson Bottoms, Rogers Creek, and Yellow Creek) will be implemented for next season. More information on the application process will be announced at a later date.

 

The special season fall turkey hunts and county deer quota hunts have been changed to non-quota hunts in many counties across the state. This change will eliminate the need for hunters to obtain a quota permit prior to the hunt. Hunters will be able to participate in any non-quota hunt in a county where the hunt is established. A Type 94 non-quota permit will be required except for sportsmen license holders and individuals eligible for the landowner exemption.

 

The next meeting of the TWRC will be June 16-17 and again be held at the TWRA Region II Ray Bell Building in Nashville.

 

---TWRA---