But some of them occur in areas where no matter what that just isn't possible

Out west there is plenty of public land to support trophy management areas with out taking away opportunities from the common hunter.

TN does not have enough public lands (other than Presidents Island and a few other locations) to support this.

Was thinking that if there was the support from land owners TMAs could be created in TN.

Proceeds from the drawings would go to participating landowners, much like a lease.

I'm not aware of many public areas managed under trophy management in any state. Anyone have a list?
Most of this you will see around the elk hunting. Montana has areas that I believe are called "trophy management areas" or at least that is what we called them...5 (10) point or larger.

I was also under the assumption TN has more public hunting land than most states. Anyone have a comparitive list of public acreage by state?
Your western states would by far exceed what TN has simply due to the BLM, State and federal forest lands. Eastern states, I would have to say that TN has allot, but my knowledge is limited.




I really don't think it's a lack of acreage, but a lack of acreage in habitat that will produced success with trophy management. TN already has areas that hold a fair number of mature bucks. Yet those areas don't produce many "trophy" bucks simply because of limitations in habitat quality.
Does this become mute when you go to a "antler restricted" instead of trophy?




We do have one of these currently, although it is not public. It's called Aimes Plantation. You can look at their website to see the type of results they are producing.




But could enough money be collected through applications--once split among all the landowners that would be necessary to produce a large TMA--compensate for what each landowner could make from a straight lease of of their property? I bet not, considering how high leases are going for these days (and will become in the near future).
[That was my concern, could enough revenue be generated to make this appealable to the landowner. I know that if I were a landowner, I would want somebody that I know and can rely upon to do the right thing hunting my land. On a draw hunt, you do not know who you are going to get year to year.

Like where? I'm not saying that all of TN has a 150"er behind every tree, but letting young bucks walk will certainly increase the number of mature bucks available to hunters.

Oh and as to soils, we grew 5' high soybeans with 30% crude protien, and had native vegetation that we sampled over 20%.

When your buck harvest is close to 70% yearlings, you aren't going to produce many good deer.

We ATTEMPTED a camera survey out there. Out of 8 cameras and over 1000 pics, we had 6 bucks. we couldn't even use the data for sex ratios, age structure, etc.

TWRA calls it a place to go if you've got no where else to hunt. My opinion fwiw: If I have to get drawn for a hunt, it better be worth getting drawn for. There are 100's of thousands of acres of public land in E TN especially, where someone can go to just kill a deer.

Have you not been reading what all the experts have previously said " TN does not have the correct soils to grow big antlers"

I've not seen any expert say that.

Okay, you got me on Foothills. What's a trophy? 3 1/2+? 120"?
Or better yet, what about a "Quality" hunting experience (QDM)?

Let's take Chuck Swan.

24,000 acres,deer herd at or below CC, controlled access, mandatory check-in and check-out, active forest management, and food plotting. Don't anyone try and convince me it couldn't happen because of soils, either. AGE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SOIL QUALITY.

I've spent the last 4 years doing habitat research out there.Every year, they kill one or two nice ones. When your buck harvest is close to 70% yearlings, you aren't going to produce many good deer.

We ATTEMPTED a camera survey out there. Out of 8 cameras and over 1000 pics, we had 6 bucks. we couldn't even use the data for sex ratios, age structure, etc.

TWRA calls it a place to go if you've got no where else to hunt. My opinion fwiw: If I have to get drawn for a hunt, it better be worth getting drawn for. There are 100's of thousands of acres of public land in E TN especially, where someone can go to just kill a deer.

I spent yesterday at CS and saw plenty of deer, the problem I see with CS is the lack of natural food and based on the tiny body size of those deer something is wrong. Either it is food sources, or there are too many of them, but I saw mature does that might weigh 60 lbs. If the overall deer size is that small, then nothing will change to allow them to all be monsters.

As to the % of yearlings, that was from a guy that worked there. That's what he told me, just passing it along. It's the lack of early successional habitat up there. The Div of Forestry could get in high gear and do some serious timber cutting, but the hunters don't want that.

I agree, the body size at CS is laughable, but I've seen a couple of deer up there sporting some really nice headgear, deer that anyone would put on the wall.

Isn't Catoosa in about year 5 of antler restrictions? Seriously, How has that worked out? Good or Bad. Catoosa has always produced some big bodied and big antlered bucks. Are they seeing an increase in these numbers since the AR's were put in place?

Apparently you know way more about it than I do from a quick drive through. Maybe I should consider another career path.

It's not that I don't think that those guys aren't doing a good job, I just see a whole lot of untapped potential in that place. If you could show Tn hunters that QDM can there with its "inferior genetics" why couldn't it work anywhere in the state.

Just a question- Why do you think you saw so many deer this time of year?

Oh and as to soils, we grew 5' high soybeans with 30% crude protien, and had native vegetation that we sampled over 20%.

I think what everyone forgets is,what about the browse in the woods,far away from ag/food plot fields,that dont get lime,fertilizer,that make up far more of the deers diet than food plots,or native vegetation on the edge of ag fields.

Whose gonna lime and fert those areas that are poorer soils.?

Ill garuntee my food plots are putting out the best they can,but how much difference does that make when Im surrounded by a couple thousand acres of hardwoods?

who/where will test my clover to see how much protein its putting out?What else would you wanna see in a crop test?

BSK...Ames is talking about going to a 125" minimum this year. I can live with that but if they do I look for quite a few "mistakes". We take quite a few upper 120's and 130's so I don't think that's an unrealistic move overall. I don't see moving above that.