Posted by Press Release
on May 21, 2003

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission (TWRC) will meet at the TWRA Region II headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee on May 28 and 29, 2003 to set the hunting seasons and rules and regulations for hunting during the 2003-2004 season, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA).

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission (TWRC) is the governing body of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and is responsible for enacting rules, regulations and laws regarding hunting seasons, bag limits, methods of harvest, and other regulations. During the Spring TWRC meeting each year, the regulations for the upcoming season are set.

Committee meetings will take place on Wednesday, May 28 starting at 1:00 p.m. and the actual Commission Meeting will be Thursday, May 29 beginning at 9:00 a.m.

The following is a summary of the proposals that will be presented to the TWRC at the May meeting:

 
• Legalize the use of crossbows during any muzzleloader or gun season (but not during archery-only seasons).

   

• Propose to restrict the raccoon season in Region III to be the same as Region IV (open Nov. 7 and close Feb. 15).

   

• Restructure the deer seasons to allow the early muzzleloader season to open on the Saturday of the second weekend in November. In 2004 moving the Young Sportsman hunt to the last weekend in October. In Unit B, move the 3 days of either-sex hunting to the first 3 days of the muzzleloader season.

   

• In Unit B, make all of the archery-only deer season either-sex.

   

• In Unit A, increase the bag limit on each Young Sportsman deer hunt to two deer, no more than one antlered.

    

• Increase the deer bag limit in Bedford, Davidson, Giles, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Rutherford, Williamson, and Wilson counties during the Nov. 22 - Dec. 7 gun season to allow 3 antlerless deer per day for each county.

   

• In Region IV, add Blount (west of Hwy. 411 and east of Hwy. 129), Carter (excluding Cherokee WMA), Grainger, Johnson (excluding Cherokee WMA), and Loudon counties to the Antlerless White-tailed Deer Special Quota Hunts.

   

• Hawkins County - increase the antlerless permits to 1,000. Season dates: Dec. 20-28.

   

• On an experimental basis from Jan. 15 - March 1, an individual without a weapon may use a dog for the purpose of locating feral hogs in Fentress and Overton counties only. However, the chasing of feral hogs with dogs or hunting or harvesting feral hogs being pursued by dogs is prohibited.

   

• Carter, Johnson, and Sullivan counties: extend the bear hunting season, Dec. 4 - 17.

   

• Add an Oct. 4 - 5 bear hunting season in Johnson County. This hunt would include the private land within the Kettlefoot Bear Reserve that lies within Johnson County.

   

• Add 12 counties to the fall turkey hunting seasons (Benton, Carroll, Carter, Hamblen, Henderson, Jackson, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Perry, Sullivan, and Weakley). Several Middle Tennessee counties allow the harvest of 2 turkeys per permit and will be open Nov. 15 - 21 and Dec. 15 - 19.

  More detailed information and draft copies of the individual proclamations can be found here: Proposed Draft of 2003-2004 Hunting Seasons.

  The public is invited to attend all Commission Meetings and voice their concerns.