Bowhunting Cheatham

[rusty1043]

Hey y'all. New to this forum but have been following it for months.

I bought a bow last year and intend to start hunting this year. Im putting in my reps daily and want to start procurring my own food.

I live in Nashville and have been researching Cheatham. Ive read multiple posts on the pros and cons of this place and wanted to start hunting it this year.

Has anyone had recent success bow hunting here? Whats yalls thoughts on hunting it opening archery season vs in Nov during the rut?

 

[BigRed1080]

Read up on your regulations in the TWRA hunting and trapping guide. There are many days that are quota only hunts and others that are only antlerless as you get into the season. Don't let anyone tell you not to go, but make sure you have some hiking boots because there is a lot of ground to cover there. I wouldn't put all your eggs in one basket I would also research other middle TN WMAs like Percy Priest, Old Hickory, Haley-Jaqueth, Haynes Bottom, Headwaters, Laurel Hill, AEDC, and Yanahli. This forum is great for connecting with others and asking for advice, but there will not be any better advice than walking it yourself. Keep up the practice with the bow and let us know how your doing. I am looking forward to your thread about how you harvest your first whitetail with a bow. Let me know anyway I can help.

 

[tahtah]

As BigRed alluded to Cheatham no longer follows the statewide season dates. Be sure to check the regulations. "Archery only" at Cheatham was Sept 30-Oct 15 last year. Per harvest reports, only 2 deer were harvested during that time period. That's 2 deer on 22,000 acres. Cheatham is great place to hunt and there are some good deer there, but if you're hunting for groceries, you might want to explore some of the other WMAs suggested above.

 

[HoytDawg]

Not to discourage you, cheatham is good and it is where i primarily public hunt. That said it isn't where I would have someone just starting out bowhunting go. There's other wma's within driving distance that you'll have a much easier time getting some kills under your belt with the bow. It is a much easier place to rut/gun hunt when you're starting out IMO.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

As BigRed alluded to Cheatham no longer follows the statewide season dates. Be sure to check the regulations. "Archery only" at Cheatham was Sept 30-Oct 15 last year. Per harvest reports, only 2 deer were harvested during that time period. That's 2 deer on 22,000 acres. Cheatham is great place to hunt and there are some good deer there, but if you're hunting for groceries, you might want to explore some of the other WMAs suggested above.

Wow - that's a shockingly low number…2 in a 2 week period

 

[philsanchez76]

Cheatham is tough like all these other guys have said. I think what makes it tough is that all the food plots are set up on the tops of ridges that are all right off the main road. If a hunter who is just starting out goes and walked all of these fields, you'll see tons of deer sign! Scat, field edge scrapes etc. So you'll try to setup somewhere around the field. Even if you are 50 yards or even 100 yards into the woods, you still prob won't see a deer. After the first day of open season, every deer in the area learns to only visit the fields at night time. This is pretty standard across almost all public land ive hunted. But what makes Chatham challenging is that the deer go bed in the bottoms where its difficult to access, set up and the wind swirls badly. You have to hunt them where they are in the daylight, so figuring out a way to get down there with them is the ticket. Ive know guys who take some nice deer there but its tough hunting! GL man!

 

[HoytDawg]

Cheatham is tough like all these other guys have said. I think what makes it tough is that all the food plots are set up on the tops of ridges that are all right off the main road. If a hunter who is just starting out goes and walked all of these fields, you'll see tons of deer sign! Scat, field edge scrapes etc. So you'll try to setup somewhere around the field. Even if you are 50 yards or even 100 yards into the woods, you still prob won't see a deer. After the first day of open season, every deer in the area learns to only visit the fields at night time. This is pretty standard across almost all public land ive hunted. But what makes Chatham challenging is that the deer go bed in the bottoms where its difficult to access, set up and the wind swirls badly. You have to hunt them where they are in the daylight, so figuring out a way to get down there with them is the ticket. Ive know guys who take some nice deer there but its tough hunting! GL man!

I've seen this too and been busted many times trying to get down there with them with the bow.

 

[philsanchez76]

I've seen this too and been busted many times trying to get down there with them with the bow.

Same! Even tried with the muzzleloader quota hunt thinking the extra yardage would help me get it done. Nope, still got busted. Its fun though for sure trying to figure It out.

 

[rusty1043]

Thanks for all the replies gents! Yes, ive heard its a tough spot. Excited to get up there and poke around. I have a buddy who know a guy that gets a buck every year up there. Im trying to find out where his spot is haha. End of a road he said where very few hunters go. Deep into the place.

@HoytDawg what other wma's do you recommend for easier bow hunts?

 

[HoytDawg]

Thanks for all the replies gents! Yes, ive heard its a tough spot. Excited to get up there and poke around. I have a buddy who know a guy that gets a buck every year up there. Im trying to find out where his spot is haha. End of a road he said where very few hunters go. Deep into the place.

@HoytDawg what other wma's do you recommend for easier bow hunts?

Don't want to say specific names on the internet out of respect for other members who hunt them here. Use this link and look around at the public land around lakes/bodies of water. They pretty much all have higher deer densities than cheatham.

ArcGIS Web Application

twra.maps.arcgis.com

 

[Lost Lake]

It's been at least 17-18 years since I've set foot on Cheatham, but during archery season, I never had to get far off of roads to have deer in bow range. In most places it was easy to see vehicles drive by.

It might be different now.

 

[knightrider]

I wont be bow hunting it, but will be there with orange on come November

 

[killingtime 41]

No public land seems to be as good as it use to. It's either more people living in areas around these WMA's so it gets way more pressure.Seems impossible deer density would be way down and a 5 different WMA's. But it seems it use to be no problem to at least kill and see doe's at least. Those days have come and gone it seems. Hard to know the answer

 

[Wooden Arrow]

of the places BigRed1080 mentioned, i've only been to AEDC. lots of it are really thick, but there are some big deer there. around the perimeter of the base seems to be popular with the locals, as many deer ease into surrounding private property. much of the outer perimeter had low/no fences last time i was there.

 

[BSK]

Most of Cheatham is ridge-and-hollow hardwoods. As someone who hunts the same thing exclusively, get ready to be educated. That is some really tough hunting. Not East TN mountain hunting tough, or Deep South swamp tough, but pretty darn tough. In ridge-and-hollow hardwoods, terrain features and subtle changes in habitat are key.