Public Land Access

[buckbstr_1]

For the younger crowd back in the 80s/90s hunters had access to ~300,000 acres Westvaco owned across the state. The westvaco permit was $5 in the mid 80s and I if my memory serves me correct in 2000 it was $15 or $16. Westvaco selling their properties in 2001 changed the face of hunting for me and many others in the West Tn area, dramatically. I grew up in Big Sandy and remember when opening day was like Las Vegas in this small town. The small restaurants were open, busy and money was flowing. The deer stories were plentiful and deer hunting was fun. A spike on the front of an old Willys Jeep would be the talk of the town. I do not remember any antler shaming. I would hear a shot in the distance and imagine a group of guys congratulating the hunter on the kill. Everyone in the town talked about eating their deer backstraps with biscuits and gravy.
Fast forward to today and it is all about the kill, camo, manufacturers, land, and antler score. The new crowd of hunters have no idea how to enjoy a hunt. We enjoyed the campfire and tall tells. The comradery is gone. Alot of us, did not see a deer for weeks, but we hung in there. I sure do miss pulling out the old westvaco map and deciding on a location to hunt. Nowadays, I have very limited access to public land and <90acres private. I do not think the old guys I hunted with would enjoy our new hunting arrangements. I agree our deer herds are better, but there is little to no enjoyment in hunting. Everyone is scared of someone killing their deer. Antler score shaming is rampant. I am going to give myself another year to attempt to enjoy my sport. This may be my last year, only time will tell. In my opinion, the best hunting days in TN have been long gone.

 

[Hduke86]

Funny you mention that cause I was just telling my buddy that met you about how hunting was 20 or so years ago. I also told him how there was thousands upon thousands of acres that you could hunt for just a $20 permit. Around here it was a bunch of Bowater property. I'm all for people killing big bucks but if you hunt with me. Don't be surprised if I shoot the first doe or spike. I'm out there to enjoy the woods and deer hunting. I enjoy the whole process of sitting, shooting, tracking, gutting, dragging and hanging them in a tree at the campsite and cutting them up. I take my little pop up camper to places within 30mins-1 hr from my house just for the atmosphere of "deer camp" with a buddy of two.

 

[Acorn]

I always enjoyed as a kid going to the local store (checking station). Get a biscuit and stand around just looking at everybody's deer and listening to the stories. Those days are long gone but I miss them.

 

[Mud Creek]

Funny you mention that cause I was just telling my buddy that met you about how hunting was 20 or so years ago. I also told him how there was thousands upon thousands of acres that you could hunt for just a $20 permit. Around here it was a bunch of Bowater property. I'm all for people killing big bucks but if you hunt with me. Don't be surprised if I shoot the first doe or spike. I'm out there to enjoy the woods and deer hunting. I enjoy the whole process of sitting, shooting, tracking, gutting, dragging and hanging them in a tree at the campsite and cutting them up. I take my little pop up camper to places within 30mins-1 hr from my house just for the atmosphere of "deer camp" with a buddy of two.

Agreed 100%. Kudos to the guys who dedicate their time in the field to chasing a trophy I wish you lots of luck but I aint doing it anymore lol. They're all trophies to me these days. I'd rather be duck hunting or rabbit hunting with my dogs making a little racket anyway lol. Time in the deer woods is different for me now, I enjoy the quiet time by myself, whatever walks out is a bonus. I'm killing them all

Last year I shot a little 4 pointer behind the house and my daughter acted like it was a world record. There is no way anybody holding a giant buck in their hands felt better than I did that day. They might have felt as good, but not better!

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

Media and Marketing have without a doubt Changed what is considered Deer Hunting. I remember reading on TnDeer how Trophy Hunting exclusively would Ruin Deer hunting as we know it.
Those were definitely the Good Old days.

 

[Bagg-it Tag-it]

We had a cabin near Leatherwood growing up and I remember those Westvaco days. I wish that was still a thing.

 

[StalkingWolf]

That sure brings back good memories. I cut my teeth hunting Westvaco property near Hollow Rock TN. It felt like we were in the wilderness. In bow season it felt like we just about had the whole place to ourselves. When we would see any buck back then it was pure excitement. And we were always excited to draw doe tags back then. I really miss hunting those rolling beautiful hardwood ridges and pine thickets.

 

[themanpcl]

I hunted the Hickman Co paper company tracts back in the day with my neighbor. Drive to the shack and get the permit (I remember when they were free and when they began charging $2). So cool to put truck in 4 wheel and drive as far back as you could without getting stuck, jump out and find a tree to use the ole Baker in. If I knew then what I know now...It was so fun. And the serenade at daybreak opening day of gun...lol..like a scene from war movie. I remember getting in before daylight, climbing the tree in my Ammaker with the hand climber (upgrade after the Baker lol), all set up to get me a big un. I hear clank, clank, clank, sticks breaking, brush moving. Then 50 yds from me, "Earl" commences to attaching his climber to a tree and climbing up. Light enough to see the orange but I guess not for him to care. Then and there I learned the downside of "public"...lol.. Always had a great time even if we didn't kill anything. Those days are gone but not forgotten.

 

[killingtime 41]

I do have to agree more deer these days yes. But it isn't as fun as it use to be. I still try to get quota hunts just to try to re live the days of check stations and camp fun. Being pumped for the afternoon hunt seeing what someone else killed. I still enjoy to hunt but the camp experience was always nothing but jokes and laughing. Most of the time we didn't kill anything.

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

It's sad the Chinese own a lot of that land now. My neighbor is with a group that leases some of the Land above Big Sandy from them.

 

[buckbstr_1]

It's sad the Chinese own a lot of that land now. My neighbor is with a group that leases some of the Land above Big Sandy from them.

The locals told me the Chinese bought large tracts we all hunted around Sulphur Creek Rd and Faxon. This was 15yrs ago. We all found it alarming.

 

[Displaced_Vol]

They had big tracts in west KY too from what I've heard & read on the interwebs. Good duck hunting on a lot of it & thankfully KDFWR was able to acquire some of that ground. Course it's not the same but I never knew it personally so I can't comment. The more things change the more they stay the same.

 

[Lost Lake]

For the younger crowd back in the 80s/90s hunters had access to ~300,000 acres Westvaco owned across the state. The westvaco permit was $5 in the mid 80s and I if my memory serves me correct in 2000 it was $15 or $16. Westvaco selling their properties in 2001 changed the face of hunting for me and many others in the West Tn area, dramatically. I grew up in Big Sandy and remember when opening day was like Las Vegas in this small town. The small restaurants were open, busy and money was flowing. The deer stories were plentiful and deer hunting was fun. A spike on the front of an old Willys Jeep would be the talk of the town. I do not remember any antler shaming. I would hear a shot in the distance and imagine a group of guys congratulating the hunter on the kill. Everyone in the town talked about eating their deer backstraps with biscuits and gravy.
Fast forward to today and it is all about the kill, camo, manufacturers, land, and antler score. The new crowd of hunters have no idea how to enjoy a hunt. We enjoyed the campfire and tall tells. The comradery is gone. Alot of us, did not see a deer for weeks, but we hung in there. I sure do miss pulling out the old westvaco map and deciding on a location to hunt. Nowadays, I have very limited access to public land and <90acres private. I do not think the old guys I hunted with would enjoy our new hunting arrangements. I agree our deer herds are better, but there is little to no enjoyment in hunting. Everyone is scared of someone killing their deer. Antler score shaming is rampant. I am going to give myself another year to attempt to enjoy my sport. This may be my last year, only time will tell. In my opinion, the best hunting days in TN have been long gone.

I'm almost there with you Brother. There's some great hunting now, but the fun is missing for me. It's more job-like. Time to let it go I think.

 

[Kevin]

I'm almost there with you Brother. There's some great hunting now, but the fun is missing for me. It's more job-like. Time to let it go I think.

I'll never understand grown men complaining about what other people think of them.

Go hunt. Shoot deer. If you kill deer and want to post pictures, great. If you do, awesome. If you don't so freaking what.

You don't need approval from anyone to be proud of whatever animal you harvested.

If you want to go camp and have a camp fire, then find a couple buddies and go have a dandy old time.

The only person making hunting not fun for you is you.

Quit worrying about what other people think or do.

 

[Lost Lake]

I'll never understand grown men complaining about what other people think of them.

Go hunt. Shoot deer. If you kill deer and want to post pictures, great. If you do, awesome. If you don't so freaking what.

You don't need approval from anyone to be proud of whatever animal you harvested.

If you want to go camp and have a camp fire, then find a couple buddies and go have a dandy old time.

The only person making hunting not fun for you is you.

Quit worrying about what other people think or do.

Oh, I didn't mean to portray that. I'm not worried in the slightest about that. I've never worried about what someone thinks of my deer.

Hunting for me has gotten job like. It's time to lay off for awhile.

 

[WestTn Huntin man]

The locals told me the Chinese bought large tracts we all hunted around Sulphur Creek Rd and Faxon. This was 15yrs ago. We all found it alarming.

Probably Some of the same land. The Guy managing it has lived out there his whole life.

 

[megalomaniac]

Biggest difference is that it was actually a challenge to kill any deer back in the 70s and early 80s... simply because there weren't many.

Now that population is 10x higher, it became more of a challenge not to tag out in the first week of season.

 

[larry ipock]

For the younger crowd back in the 80s/90s hunters had access to ~300,000 acres Westvaco owned across the state. The westvaco permit was $5 in the mid 80s and I if my memory serves me correct in 2000 it was $15 or $16. Westvaco selling their properties in 2001 changed the face of hunting for me and many others in the West Tn area, dramatically. I grew up in Big Sandy and remember when opening day was like Las Vegas in this small town. The small restaurants were open, busy and money was flowing. The deer stories were plentiful and deer hunting was fun. A spike on the front of an old Willys Jeep would be the talk of the town. I do not remember any antler shaming. I would hear a shot in the distance and imagine a group of guys congratulating the hunter on the kill. Everyone in the town talked about eating their deer backstraps with biscuits and gravy.
Fast forward to today and it is all about the kill, camo, manufacturers, land, and antler score. The new crowd of hunters have no idea how to enjoy a hunt. We enjoyed the campfire and tall tells. The comradery is gone. Alot of us, did not see a deer for weeks, but we hung in there. I sure do miss pulling out the old westvaco map and deciding on a location to hunt. Nowadays, I have very limited access to public land and <90acres private. I do not think the old guys I hunted with would enjoy our new hunting arrangements. I agree our deer herds are better, but there is little to no enjoyment in hunting. Everyone is scared of someone killing their deer. Antler score shaming is rampant. I am going to give myself another year to attempt to enjoy my sport. This may be my last year, only time will tell. In my opinion, the best hunting days in TN have been long gone.

I can remember in the 80s and 90s buying a permit for $5 on the Hiawassee lands. It was scattered property, but it covered large parts of Scott, Morgan, and Fentress counties. Now it's been bought up and leased by various clubs. Sad what hunting has become.

 

[Antler Daddy]

Yes, the opportunity was there.

Shame on somebody in TWRA for not having enough sense to buy land for 250 an acre and offering a land stamp to help fund it.

 

[Coker]

AND, don't forget every gas station, restaurant, local hang out had a picture board. You could see all the kills that were checked in at that place and the person behind the counter or waitress would tell you the story of the kill. I cant tell you when was the last time I saw a picture board in a local hang out. Kind of depressing.