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OPENING DAY OF REGULAR GUN SEASON STILL SPECIAL FOR DEER HUNTERS
Although Tennessee’s deer season has been underway for quite some
time, most folks refer to the start of the regular gun season as the
real opening day. Unofficial though it may be, it’s the most popular day
of the long and winding season where archery segments mesh with
muzzleloader seasons and quota hunts are in there too.
One of the Tennessee’s traditions is the annual opening of regular gun
season for deer which falls on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
However, sportsmen will find a major change this year with a continuous
gun season which will run from Nov. 19 through Jan. 1, 2012.
The one continuous season replaces the previously two segmented hunting
seasons. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission established the
season upon recommendation from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
Tennessee is divided into three deer hunting units, A, B and & L.
Hunters may harvest one antlered buck per day until the statewide bag
limit of three is reached, including those deer harvested during archery
and muzzleloader seasons. An antlered buck is a buck with an antler at
least three inches long.
Montgomery County is now leading the state’s 95 counties as hunters
there had taken 1,586. Henry County hunters have moved up since last
week as to the statewide ranking on total harvest. Hunters there had
checked in 1,416 at midweek, which moves Henry County up to second place.
For antlerless deer hunting in Units A and B during this season, refer
to the list of hunts on page 30 of the 2011 Tennessee Hunting and
Trapping Guide. All hunts listed are now non-quota. Each county listed
on page 30 has its own bag limit. A hunter may harvest the bag limit of
antlerless deer in any open Unit A or B county and then go to any other
counties listed and take the antlerless bag limit there, also. The bag
limit for antlerless deer in Unit L is three per day.
A Type 94 permit is required to harvest antlerless deer during this
season on all non-quota hunts in Units A, B, & L, except for holders of
an Annual Sportsman, Lifetime Sportsman, or Senior Citizen License Type
167 Permit.
TWRA personnel will be collecting data at various check-in stations
across the state on Saturday. Antlered bucks will be measured and aged
for management purposes.
The second Young Sportsman Hunt will be held the weekend of Jan. 7-8,
2012.
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1969 is required to carry proof of
satisfactory completion of a hunter education class or be in possession
of the Apprentice Hunting License (along with other required licenses)
while hunting any species in Tennessee.
For more information about Tennessee’s 2011-12 deer hunting seasons,
refer to the 2011 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide available at all
license agents and also online at www.tnwildlife.org.
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