How bad is it really?

[Shanman]

The WMAs that took away "bonus deer" don't have the crowds they once did. Don't worry about finding deer to hunt, plenty to be found. Now daily traffic, shopping, and housing……..kinda like those "bonus" deer WMA hunts.

 

[kaizen leader]

How bad is it is a great question. Bad meaning lots of hunters, esp on weekends. The good is all that I have met have been great people.

 

[Tn Joe]

I know many will find it hard to believe, but deer hunting on TN public lands between 1985 and 2005 were even more crowded then than now.

This was back when a man still had respect and showed common courtesy to his fellow hunter.

 

[kaizen leader]

This was back when a man still had respect and showed common courtesy to his fellow hunter.

So far everyone Hunter I've come across has been very courteous, friendly, and some very helpful. That's in middle TN.

 

[TheLBLman]

So far everyone Hunter I've come across has been very courteous, friendly, and some very helpful. That's in middle TN.

I'm still finding the majority of TN's public land hunters to be that as well.
But on average, they are getting less courteous with each passing year.
That obnoxious minority of true assholes seems to be growing.

 

[Iglow]

Middle Tennessee would be a great place to live if not for the people.

 

[kaizen leader]

I'm still finding the majority of TN's public land hunters to be that as well.
But on average, they are getting less courteous with each passing year.
That obnoxious minority of true assholes seems to be growing.

Probably some of that young entitled group. Fortunately I haven't met any.

 

[mike243]

1 Day soon all the deer hunting will be by draw, cant put a 10pt in every pot these days so it has to be cut back to make a few happy

 

[kaizen leader]

There are a lot of deer in middle TN and I like 2 for the freezer. Usually 1 decent buck and a big doe. I'm not a trophy hunter and in my 50+ years of deer hunting I've never seen a trophy buck. I guess that shows I'm a lousy hunter. But I'm still having a great time. I can't wait for season to open.
It's hard to believe there are so many deer with the limit we have. No one should be hungry if they deer hunt.

 

[BSK]

But I'm still having a great time. I can't wait for season to open.

The older I get, the more important this is.

 

[MidTennFisher]

I appreciate all the feedback. As for mentioning any WMA names, I was hoping that wouldn't happen. But someone mentioned JPP. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears a lot of that is now a Safety Zone that was huntable when we moved away in 2016. Is that true?

If so, that surely isn't the direction we need to go of crowding more hunters into fewer available acres to hunt.

As for turkeys and ducks, I know that's a whole different ballgame in terms of crowding. I enjoy hunting both of them and hunt my butt off for turkeys especially. While I enjoy turkey hunting more than anything else I hunt, they don't provide the amount of meat that some big, thick does will. So that's ultimately what is most important.

The does in middle TN are larger than SC. Not like upper Midwest deer, but they're definitely bigger. I killed 4 here last year and we'd be out of deer meat if we didn't purposely save some to have over the Summer!

 

[MidTennFisher]

I'm still finding the majority of TN's public land hunters to be that as well.
But on average, they are getting less courteous with each passing year.
That obnoxious minority of true assholes seems to be growing.

I would bet that group is mostly the type that hunts more for social media content than for enjoying the hunt. That's why they get so rude and combative over an area to hunt. They need to keep that social media feed full so they can impress 10s of 1000s of strangers.

 

[BSK]

I would bet that group is mostly the type that hunts more for social media content than for enjoying the hunt. That's why they get so rude and combative over an area to hunt. They need to keep that social media feed full so they can impress 10s of 1000s of strangers.

Makes me glad I use no social media!

 

[CHRIS WILSON]

Some encouraging people above. This turkey season really turned me sour. I feel like over the last 4+/- years, pressure has steadily increased… but this turkey season was INSANE. 4 boats all on a 100 yard stretch of bank, people crossing private, people walking right through your set 1 hour after light. Every access point, a boat or more. Flagging tape EVERYWHERE!!!! You can't walk in far enough, that's where they go… after day break.

If the goal is to see and kill a deer, with some woodsmanship it is possible. If you want to get away from people… in middle tn… it's impossible.

Yeah, opening weekend turkey season can be a bit nutty on certain WMAs. Interestingly enough, by the end of the second week of the season, I rarely encountered another turkey hunter the times I went out. The crowds died off pretty quickly....at least in the areas I hunt. Rifle season for deer usually follows a similar pattern from my experience.

 

[kaizen leader]

Makes me glad I use no social media!

This and GoWild are the only social media I have. The rest is dangerous and a waste of time in my opinion. They are like a tree in the forest that falls and no one is around. Did it make a sound?

 

[Ski]

Yeah, opening weekend turkey season can be a bit nutty on certain WMAs. Interestingly enough, by the end of the second week of the season, I rarely encountered another turkey hunter the times I went out. The crowds died off pretty quickly....at least in the areas I hunt. Rifle season for deer usually follows a similar pattern from my experience.

That's pretty much exactly my experience. I don't encounter other hunters very often.

 

[MidTennFisher]

Makes me glad I use no social media!

Same here. I got rid of Facebook about 3 years ago, dumped Instagram about 6 months ago. I'm so glad to be disconnected from all that nonsense.

Now when I kill or catch stuff I just text family and friends, the way it ought to be.