Knoxille to Chattanooga - hunting upgrade?

[Vermin93]

Well, next week my mom is moving from her house on Tellico Lake in Loudon down to a retirement community on Signal Mountain outside of Chattanooga. I am flying up to Knoxville on Thursday to get in my final hunt this weekend and to help her move down South. It's a little bittersweet for me because this will probably be the last time I hunt the East side of Tellico Lake and Wears Bend out of my trusty motorized canoe, but I am also looking forward to not having to come up every month or two to fix all the things that have broken on mom's house. I have put a tremendous amount of time, effort, heart and soul into learning and hunting the TVA land that I will be leaving, and I know that the challenge of hunting this public land has made me a better deer hunter than I ever thought I could be. I have put my fair share of venison in the freezer from this TVA land, but I am still waiting for my first turkey and I hope I will get it this weekend. I would like to think that the private landowners who border this public land are happy that I won't be back, especially the landowning jackwagon who intentionally ruined my hunt on 12/30/12 after he saw me in my climbing stand on the public land that borders his property. Yes, I am still bitter about that and I hope he never puts another deer in the freezer again because of his deplorable actions on that day, but I digress...

stik probably does not remember this, but when I was totally clueless and first started hunting this TVA land a few years ago he PM'd me with some good advice from his personal experiences in this area and it helped me get my first Tennessee deer. I also got a deer near the clear cut that you told me about at Mt Roosevelt a few years ago, so thank you stik. You know what you are talking about. The bad news is that you got me interested in Yuchi, so I hope I don't take your tag in the draw this year now that I have two points thanks to some crazy nun at Oak Ridge.

Now, back to the subject of my post....as far as deer and turkey hunting on public land goes, am I getting an upgrade or downgrade by the mothership moving from the Loudon area to the Signal Mountain / Chattanooga area? Good news only, please.

 

[stik]

i'm happy to have been of some help. as far as yuchi, well it's luck of the draw and i can point out a few spots there too. IF i don't get a draw
no clue on chatt area hunting.

 

[Beekeeper]

Hiwassee Refuge for Turkey is the same as statewide.

 

[stik]

Hiwassee Refuge for Turkey is the same as statewide.

check out chickamauga wma. it is broken up into several areas.

 

[EastTNHunter]

There is still TVA land to hunt in Chatt. area, as well as several small WMAs (see above). If you bow hunt, some of these WMAs should give you good opportunity in a semi-urban environmment. I hunt mainly public land, but I am almost halfway between Chatt. and Loudon. Loudon really isn't too far from Signal Mtn., prolly about an hour(ish).

There is always Prentice Cooper, which can be hard hunting, and is a quota/non-quota hunt, but it is only one mountain over from Signal, and many people have had good success there.

PM me once you get settled in and I will try to point you in the right direction on some available public land, although I don't think that I will have as much specific intel as stik.

 

[laserman]

Tell your mom welcome to signal. Is she going to Alexian village? If so, she will love it. Also within 1/4 mile of Alexian is prentice cooper state forest. It's not the wma. Open for deer, turkey and anything else during statewide season.

 

[laserman]

With binoculars your mom could actually watch you hunt from her windows. That's how close the state forest is?

 

[HDUKE1986]

Hey vermin pm me sometime before hunting season and i can show you plenty of public land to hunt I live in soddy and theres a good bit around by the house and i usually hunt alone on private land of my grandparents and im sure I can get you out in a stand a time or two with me and for the public land goes around soddy I hardly ever see another hunter out on them

 

[plinker22]

Vermin, what a great response you have received. The dudes/dudettes of TnDeer continue to be incredible, just one huge campfire.

as far as yuchi, well it's luck of the draw

I respectfully beg to differ! :grin: :grin:

Hope you enjoy hunting in and around Chattanooga. Two of my most memorable hunts were on the old VAAP WMA (after receiving help from a TnDeer member).

 

[stik]

as far as yuchi, well it's luck of the draw

I respectfully beg to differ! :grin: :grin:

 

[Bowdacious]

Vermin, what a great response you have received. The dudes/dudettes of TnDeer continue to be incredible, just one huge campfire.

as far as yuchi, well it's luck of the draw

I respectfully beg to differ! :grin: :grin:

Hope you enjoy hunting in and around Chattanooga. Two of my most memorable hunts were on the old VAAP WMA (after receiving help from a TnDeer member).

After your little bout of forgetfulness, we know who is bribing the TWRA.

 

[Vermin93]

Thanks for the suggestions and offers. I will definitely connect with some of you when I'm there.

laserman - yes she is moving to Alexian Village. She has visited several times and she's really looking forward to it.