Anyone have any info on deer hunting this refuge?

http://www.fws.gov/crosscreeks/

Can be relatively dangerous, as it's mostly flat marshland similar to the Duck River Bottoms.

The rule that you must kill a doe to earn a buck tag causes (maybe I should encourages) many to take unsafe shots they otherwise wouldn't. IMO, this is not only a terrible rule for a weekend rifle hunt, but at this point totally unnecessary.
So you hunted it last year ? Would you hunt it again
Last year, most hunters on the gun hunts not only didn't kill a doe, but they didn't even see one. The earn-a-buck-tag deal has been in effect for so many years now that not only have the antlerless deer become more nocturnal compared to most places, but the deer population is a fraction what it was a few years ago. Of course, the goal was to reduce the deer population. Since that goal has long been achieved, it would now seem far better to have a system in place that doesn't severely penalize the honest hunters while it rewards the dishonest ones.

I'm not opposed to "earn-a-buck" programs when necessary, just no longer needed at Cross Creeks (nor the Duck River Bottoms), and is a very questionable practice anywhere on a public-land weekend quota hunt due to safety concerns.

Wes you say you hunted it last year, do you plan to hunt it again?

Well I don't know what part of Cross Creeks yall are hunting but the place we always hunt has plenty of does and bucks.

I have hunted this peice of Cross Creeks for 8 years now and have seen no real effect of 1 weekend gun hunt on the population of deer . . . . But I do agree that the earn a buck program has made hunters more trigger happy.

I agreee about FORT C , i hate to pass it up. I just knew i wasnt going to get drawn for LBL this year and thought i might try something new. Again thanks

Not sure if its the same manager at Cross Creek as Tenn. National but with that type of restrictions I would bet it is. Take for instance the muzzle loader hunt on Tn Nat. Open sights only. Maybe this manager does not realize older people and sight impaired people cannot hunt due such a rule. I suspect this manager likes to manage people rather than his resource and I bet he hunts with a flintlock and wears buckskins.

Take for instance the muzzle loader hunt on Tn Nat. Open sights only. Maybe this manager does not realize older people and sight impaired people cannot hunt due such a rule.

I suspect this manager likes to manage people rather than his resource . . . . .

Just because public land belongs to the public doesn't mean we have all rights to the land. . . . . Deer hunting is not the only thing that public land is about.

I guess I see it as hunters are as much to blame as the ones making the rules. If hunters had shot more does when it was opened rather than hunting big bucks it might not have ended like it did. these guys who only shoot big bucks are thier own worst enemies.

Wes, I think Tn refuge, unless they changed it this year, no inlines are allowed on the primitive hunt. Side hammer open sights, long bow or recurve.

Can't remember when the gun hunts started at Cross Creek, but bow hunting has been going on for 15 years +

Cross creek was a great place to hunt until the rifle hunts and the dang hogs. the hogs have destroyed that place.

Wes, I think Tn refuge, unless they changed it this year, no inlines are allowed on the primitive hunt. Side hammer open sights, long bow or recurve.

A/M/G, my bad. I think it has always been side hammer open sights (never allowing inlines). Just has seemed contridictory that on one hand they want to decimate the does by forcing rifle hunters to hunt "antlerless only", while on the other hand they allow a weekend of muzzleloader hunting (for which most hunters don't own a muzzleloader to the refuge manager's specific specifications, yet many could participate with a compound bow, also not allowed). Perhaps Hawk is correct.


The gun hunting (at Cross Creeks) hasn't been going on but about half that long. However, I believe the bowhunting prior to the gun hunting was limited to a very small part of the refuge.


When I was there last year scouting/hunting, I didn't see any sign of hogs myself, but have heard they've done some damage in certain areas. Actually think the feral hogs may have all been killed.

That's a long way to drive from Bradley County.
Have you considered some of the WMA's in eastern Middle TN (some of which are "same as statewide" regs, and some have several non-quota rifle hunts)?

The ones I'm thinking about in particular are Royal Blue, Big South Fork, and Catoosa. I'm hearing from more and more hunters that the quality of the hunting on some of these WMA's is much better than it used to be. Of course, in some ways you're blessed to have the vast Cherokee National Forest in your backyard. I know the deer population isn't very high there, but it's a unique experience where if you're willing and able to walk a little distance, you can have thousands of acres all to yourself. If it were in my backyard, it would get my presense for at least a weekend of deer hunting each year.

Are you assuming everyone who walks around trying to kill a doe is irresponsible?

. . . . i dont remember any "idiot" situations last year in the entire season i hunted which is almost daily. . . . . .

I fail to understand this statement that it cause hunters to be dangerous or act irresponsible?