What does a juvenile without a license use to check in big game if he or she does not purchase type 094? SSN? The reason I stress this is SO MANY young hunters with no hunting license have parents/guardians/mentors taking them hunting that have no clue how to identify their kid when they get to the check station with their deer/turkey. I have witnessed this repeatedly over the last five years. The checking agent at the counter is just as lost as the parents/guardians/mentors. Furthermore, I have not been able to find this explicit verbiage in the H&T Guide. I may have missed it, but I do not think it is clearly stated, at least not that I could find.

I would think one with landowner exemption would use his or her SSN to check in big game as well. Is this true?

Suggestion: if what I have outlined here is true, it would be nice to incorporate this SSN verbiage into next years H&T Guide in an effort to reduce this confusion among the public, especially young hunters who we are trying to recruit.

To check in big game the hunter has to have a TWRA ID/profile created in the computer system. When they buy their first license or get hunter safety certified then they are "in the system". Before that, the system will creat their profile on checking in their first big game animal. Their social Security # is required to create that profile.

Once they create their profile and get their TWRA ID #, they are good to go from that point on.

I'll give your suggestion on some better info on the SS# to our I&E folks. Thanks!

My son will be getting his safety certificate in Michigan next weekend. Will that apply to getting in the system in Tennessee. Glad you guys are out there steering me in the right direction.