The gun, muzzleloader, and archery season for deer season in East Tennessee starts today and goes through Nov. 30. It will pick up again on Dec. 20 and last though Jan. 7. No more than one antlered buck may be taken per day. The statewide bag limit for antlered bucks is three, except in East Tenn., where the limit is two antlered bucks.
In Lee County, Va., either-sex deer hunting will take place for today only, then happen again on Nov. 28-29. On National Forest Lands in Lee Co., only antlered deer (not either-sex) hunting is allowed.
Personnel from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) will be working deer checking stations throughout East Tennessee on the opening day of the deer gun season to collect data.
The survey will provide the agency wildlife biologists important information on the status of the deer herds in Tenn. The measurements of the deer will assist in the proposal of future deer hunting seasons.
The checking station in Claiborne County will be at Southern Outdoors in Tazewell.
Tennessee law requires that anyone born on or after January 1, 1969, beginning at age 10 must have completed an approved hunter education course before hunting any species in Tenn.
Students must be at least nine-years-old to enroll. To find a class, call the John Sevier Range at (865)594-6280.
A fun alternative to deer hunting
LEE COUNTY, Va. — If you’re thinking of going hunting this year, deer don’t necessarily have to be taking all the heat. There are plenty of game with seasons that last much longer, and are potentially as fun to hunt.
Jonesville resident Eddie Woodward prefers grouse hunting, a season which lasts in western Virginia from Oct. 25 through Feb. 14. But to hit the low flying birds, you have to be quick.
“When ruffed grouse flush, you never know which way they will fly,” said Woodward, who works as a banker in Pennington Gap, Va., “and they’re gone in an instant so you have to shoot quickly.”
Woodward had advice for anyone hunting the bird. “One young hunter asked an old timer how you could ever hit one of those birds and his answer was, ‘shoot where you think they are, sometimes they be.’”
The trick for hunting grouse can come down to when and from what angle they flush. Sometimes its good to have man’s best friend along for the trek.
“You can hunt them with or without dogs,” said Woodward, who’s dog “Sweetie” prefers not to go on the hunts. “It’s fun both ways. Only certain bird dogs make good grouse dogs. They have to be slow, close hunters. If a dog works too fast or too far away from the hunter they cause the birds to flush wild and you have no chance for a shot.”
Woodward remembered one of his best grouse hunts on his farm between Flatwoods and Jonesville.
“The best hunt I ever had was once when I got a double, two birds on one rise,” said Woodward. “Three birds actually came up and I should have gotten all three — that would have been the daily limit — but I missed the easiest shot.“
Stephen Woodward is a Staff Writer for the Daily News. He may be contacted at swoodward@middlesborodailynews.com.
Eddie Woodward prepares to go grouse hunting on his farm near Flatwoods, Va. (STEPHEN WOODWARD/ Middlesboro Daily News)
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