Duck River Bottom Quota Hunt

[Jharoah]

I won a quota hunt in the Duck River Bottom and I'm inquiring with my fellow hunters for info about it. Does anyone have any information, knowledge, details about the DRB they would like to share?

 

[SKFOOTER]

Due to the Earn-A -Buck program on the refuges, the deer herd has been decimated particularly on that portion of the Tennessee NWR. Good luck!

 

[fairchaser]

Look for places inaccessible by others such as islands in the river and escape routes when the hoards show up. The better season is the primitive weapons hunt. No draw is required just an old muzzleloader. Good luck.

 

[TheLBLman]

Due to the Earn-A -Buck program on the refuges, the deer herd has been decimated particularly on that portion of the Tennessee NWR.

I can't say it's been decimated much worse in the Duck River Bottoms than on the Big Sandy Unit. You'll need lots of luck to see a doe in either place (on this weekend hunt), and you probably cannot legally kill a buck should you see one.

The requirement to "earn-a-buck" tag is for you to kill an "antlerless" deer first, which earns you your buck tag.
Most of the "antlerless" deer being killed are fawns, with more of them being the more inquisitive male fawns (button bucks). So if you're willing to shoot a fawn, that about triples your low chance of killing an "antlerless" deer. Note: I'm not sure the harvest data will reflect that most of the "antlerless" deer killed on these hunts are fawns, but it's been my observation, in part because many hunters erroneously record a fawn as a "doe". Not to mention, there are hunters who illegally "check in" (via phone, internet, or the typical check station which doesn't verify the kills) fictitious deer kills simply to illegally "earn" those buck tags. This system has a long history now of effectively punishing the most honest hunters while rewarding the most dishonest.

Initially, maybe for one to three years, there was at least some merit to the program (as the deer herd was deemed to be too dense). But a decade later, the surviving deer have evolved to be much more nocturnal, particularly the adult doe. While legally hunting, you're actually more likely to see an adult buck there. It is what it is, and that's the circumstance under which you have "won" this hunt for futility. :)

 

[Jharoah]

How long has this program been in place? I figured it would be like most wma's in reference to increasing my chances by accessing areas least frequented by other hunters. Great info!

 

[Deer Assassin]

been in place for at least 7 years i know of

 

[treefarmer]

I've hunted TNWR for years near I-40 on the East side and we have only a few does to show for our efforts. I saw a 6 point once but hadn't taken a doe yet. The hunting is not very good but we go just for the fun of an early hunt. The forest is old so it doesn't hold many deer. The draw system isn't working well yet. Two years ago they issued us a permit for the wrong area at a different time. Last year we weren't drawn. This year we weren't drawn but should have because we had a preference from last year. Maybe next year.