Middle TN where to hunt

[Dudley]

Hello All, I live I Lebanon. I grew up hunting, but i am new to TN. i am looking for a place to hunt. At this point, I am thinking public land, but a lease or club would be of interest as well. i am not sure where to even start. things seem different here than south GA where i grew up. any pointers would be appreciated

 

[smyrnagc]

Cedars of Lebanon would be a good start.

 

[tree_ghost]

Cedars of Lebanon would be a good start.

Especially for bow season

 

[bobbuck]

Hello All, I live I Lebanon. I grew up hunting, but i am new to TN. i am looking for a place to hunt. At this point, I am thinking public land, but a lease or club would be of interest as well. i am not sure where to even start. things seem different here than south GA where i grew up. any pointers would be appreciated

Good luck finding a place to hunt. I'm not much help, but if had the choice of hunting in Mid Tn or S Ga I would be headed south for sure. Of course that may not be an option for a number of reasons. There is a guy in the lease forum trying to fill a club in Perry county tn.

 

[Bone Collector]

Most leases will not be in this area. It is tough to find people that will lease their land and then if one does find an owner willing to do so, the finder usually fills it with close friends and family, so it is hard to just get on one. You can look west of here like bobuck mentioned. Most deer leases I see are in Perry, Wayne, or some W TN county.

Just look at the TWRA web page and you can see all the WMAs in the area. Cedars is not listed I don't think as it is not managed by the TWRA, it is a state park. Bow hunting is the best time on public as the crowds are smaller, but you can have success killing a deer or two and the small game is there too.

 

[Rackseeker]

Bear Hollow WMA , there isn't any deer up there but you can get away from the hunters with a mile or so hike.

 

[tree_ghost]

Bear Hollow WMA , there isn't any deer up there but you can get away from the hunters with a mile or so hike.

I'll be there come November. I hear the squirrel hunting is good…

 

[Rackseeker]

I'll be there come November. I hear the squirrel hunting is good…

I have seen years where there isn't any squirrels on the mountain and years where they are thick.

 

[Yotehntr]

Cedar Forest is closest to you. Pull into the parks info center and ask for the map of the hunting area.

 

[RobDooley]

I hunted Perry County for years.

 

[MickThompson]

Every WMA within an hour of you has a moderate to very good population of deer. Pick one out that looks interesting on aerials, read the regs, then go burn boot leather. Naming names is a bad idea on Internet forums unless you like to see a bazillion other hunters sharing the area. Post away with questions about the regs but I wouldn't name spots unnecessarily.

 

[Derek]

The Corp of Engineers land around Percy Priest lake is thick with deer. I believe it is bow or muzzle loader only.
Some of the areas are super thick, but there have been some good ones killed around the lake.

 

[philsanchez76]

https://twra.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=953ef9d3bd044f9d9f0f9d7c0dd6b71cThat's all the public land TWRA manages in TN. Cedars of Lebanon as mentioned is legal to hunt but is not on the map cuz TWRA doesn't manage it. The rest is all scouting my friend!

 

[SwoleyGuacamole]

I'm in Nashville, let me know if you find anything. I'm still up and coming as far as being an extremely new person to this hobby. Still getting wits together, but would like to know spots around the area.

 

[ChrisPeterson81]

Hello All, I live I Lebanon. I grew up hunting, but i am new to TN. i am looking for a place to hunt. At this point, I am thinking public land, but a lease or club would be of interest as well. i am not sure where to even start. things seem different here than south GA where i grew up. any pointers would be appreciated

Get a copy of the hunting guide. Pick a spot and go check it out.

 

[Monk74]

Old Hickory WMA has a lot of land(6000 acres). Just look at the on-line map. I also live in Wilson county. Your getting a late start for this season but, the same old rules apply. Be nice, get to know people. If you hear someone needs an extra hand on the weekend, offer to help. Ask around about leases. Put up flyers at CO-OP , TSC ect. If people get to know you, you'd be surprised. Sometimes fellow hunters feel your pain and will take you a couple times. I've personally happened up on two properties that total 300 acres this summer just through new friendships and creating trust. Not as easy as the good ole days however, if ya want it, it'll happen. Good luck.

 

[Antler Daddy]

Hunt non-quota gun hunts at Catoosa or some other place. Buy a leftover quota permit if available soon.

Buy a KY license and drive 2 hours north for some great hunting at Peabody and put in for a quota hunt starting Sept. 1.

Don't buy a bunch of gear. I was looking through the Cabelas master catalog yesterday and it is amazing how much stuff costs and just how much I don't own and don't need! Blinds, tree stands, calls, and camo are overacted.

Hunt near cover and food or between the two. Hunt in pinch points. Hunt the wind.

 

[DRSJ35]

Everything is super crowded these days as more and more people move to Tn. The good old days of about 10 years ago are over. Lol

 

[DRSJ35]

The wma's are super crowded these days. Only 7 or 8.years ago I'd go and not hardly be anyone to speak of. But as more and more people flood Tn. Well those days are long gone. And you'd be lucky now to see deer at all unless you go miles back. Sorry but I have no idea where to tell you to go. But good luck

 

[redblood]

Id focus on bow only areas. Much less pressure

 

[dpmiller613]

Dudley and SwoleyGuacamole, I'm the guy with the club in Perry County. Looks like it's a good hike from Lebanon, closer from Antioch, but there are RV hookups and some RVs for rent. If you're interested or want more info call me at (518)258-3900 after 4PM your time. Thanks

 

[Dudley]

Dudley and SwoleyGuacamole, I'm the guy with the club in Perry County. Looks like it's a good hike from Lebanon, closer from Antioch, but there are RV hookups and some RVs for rent. If you're interested or want more info call me at (518)258-3900 after 4PM your time. Thanks

I will do my best to call you this evening... thanks

 

[dpmiller613]

Sounds good.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

The Corp of Engineers land around Percy Priest lake is thick with deer. I believe it is bow or muzzle loader only.
Some of the areas are super thick, but there have been some good ones killed around the lake.

Not even remotely close to how it used to be!!!!! It's far-thicker with people!!! I have been hunting PP since I moved here in the early 90's and I have never seen the amount of people like I have the last 3 years, but when you have 12,000 acres within a 30 minute drive for 1.2 million people, and growing every day, you better expect it that level of activity—it is in the Top 3 of the most hunted WMA's in the state. I was talking to one of the Wildlife Officers the other day and we were talking that we just hope and pray that no one gets hurt because it is that over-hunted right now.

 

[REN]

Hello All, I live I Lebanon. I grew up hunting, but i am new to TN. i am looking for a place to hunt. At this point, I am thinking public land, but a lease or club would be of interest as well. i am not sure where to even start. things seem different here than south GA where i grew up. any pointers would be appreciated

I also live in Lebanon. If you have a boat or access to one there are lots of options on the river. Outside of that you just have to be willing to travel unfortunately

 

[timberjack86]

If it was me, I'd pick a close wma. Start scouting the heck out of it, make sure there's a huntable population of deer and try to strike early during the bow season before the pressure gets too great. If I found a nice buck I would take two weeks off during the muzzleloader when buck movement is as good as it gets during the day and hunt all day every day during those two weeks. If it don't happen then the odds are against you with all the pressure the wma is sure to receive.

 

[Specializedjon]

First of all, welcome to TN and welcome to the fire. Like many have said, we've got some good public land here in Middle TN. If you do end up on public, get a good pair of boots and GET IN THERE, meaning...hike about 20-30 min. past where you think you're in the clear. In my experience, most hunters will be within a 1/2 mile or so from there truck. Just my $.02. But don't listen to a guy with a B-1 bomber for a avatar hit up one of the guys with deer pics.

 

[philsanchez76]

If it was me, I'd pick a close wma. Start scouting the heck out of it, make sure there's a huntable population of deer and try to strike early during the bow season before the pressure gets too great. If I found a nice buck I would take two weeks off during the muzzleloader when buck movement is as good as it gets during the day and hunt all day every day during those two weeks. If it don't happen then the odds are against you with all the pressure the wma is sure to receive.

^This is great advice!

 

[Brandon87]

Cedar Forest is closest to you. Pull into the parks info center and ask for the map of the hunting area.

At Cedars of Lebanon don't forget to get ur permit at the office.

 

[UTGrad]

Just be aware the Hmong population in Nashville like to squirrel hunt the Percy Priest WMA during bow season.