President's Island questions

[DoubleRidge]

Just a quick update on the PI thread:

"So old you may be laying in a hospital bed wanting to die before you draw"

"The island may be sold and eliminated as a WMA"

"Now CWD...just another negative for the island"

Shew....sunshine and cotton candy this morning...lol....

 

[TheLBLman]

"Now CWD...just another negative for the island"

Shew....sunshine and cotton candy this morning...lol....

They are realities related to the future opportunities

There is only a fraction as many bucks on the island currently as there was a decade ago.
Yet the number of buck-hunting days is double?

This may or may not be due to CWD concerns, but with fewer bucks,
the opportunity is also a fraction what it once was?

 

[DoubleRidge]

They are realities related to the future opportunities

There is only a fraction as many bucks on the island currently as there was a decade ago.
Yet the number of buck-hunting days is double?

This may or may not be due to CWD concerns, but with fewer bucks,
the opportunity is also a fraction what it once was?

Correct.....but its still an opportunity......and for those with 10 to 13 points....they just have to make the best out of it....dont go in defeated.....its not all bad....and even with its challenges its still a great opportunity vs other WMAs.

 

[Rackseeker]

^^^ e-bike would likely be a disaster in early December after 4-6" of rain in November on river bottom gumbo mud. Your tires would cake over in an instant and you'd likely want to throw the bike in the MS River. Seriously.

I didn't know how the road system was on the island.

 

[Muy Grande]

For those who have been on the hunt, what time do they typically open it up for scouting on Thursday?

 

[Andy S.]

I didn't know how the road system was on the island.

No official road system, just "field roads" of dirt/clay/mud. Rain instantly turns the roads into a muddy PITA situation that would instantly "cake over" bicycle tires.

 

[muddyboots]

For those who have been on the hunt, what time do they typically open it up for scouting on Thursd

For those who have been on the hunt, what time do they typically open it up for scouting on Thursday?

I think daylight.

 

[Bucket]

I think daylight.

I think that's right, and don't waste a second of the scouting day. In 2007 I saw a dandy drop tine 11 pt on the scout day and set up on a thicket nearby the following day. Wind shifted mid- morning, so I moved spots, and sure enough he steps out at 25 yards around 1 pm. While I'm slowly trying to turn for a shot, he sniffs where I walked past a couple hours earlier, turns, and bounds back into the thicket.

 

[TheLBLman]

I think daylight.

Or close to it.

On my hunt in 2016, due to the prior flooding of the past couple years or so, there was a tremendous acreage of new brushy areas (no trees large enough to climb, no visibility from ground). This was something different compared to prior years when these areas HAD been soybean fields and/or just fallow.

IMO, the appearance of these large acreage brushy areas has contributed to the decline in hunter success, as before this happened, during the first few years, the deer had relatively much less "security" cover.

So here's what I experienced in 2016 ---- the scouting day suddenly has people walking around "scouting" everywhere a man can walk. ATV's are zooming everywhere an ATV can be ridden. So on the scouting day, the deer sought refuge from this "invasion" simply by going into those big brushy areas, and pretty much just staying there until after the hunters left 3 days later.

I personally see no way the PI WMA can ever again approach the hunter success rates it experienced during the 1st few years, in large part because of all the additional security cover, as well as the deer density being dramatically reduced (which was in fact the goal).

Also heard a few rifle shots on the island during my hunt, so assume all the public land hunters really helped push more deer onto the private lands on the island (where they were hunting with rifles under Unit L regs). Have heard they kill some high-scoring mainframe 8-pointers which are not legal for harvest on the PI WMA. Who doesn't consider a mature 140-plus-class mainframe 8 a real trophy buck anywhere in TN?

 

[TheLBLman]

Don't take me wrong.
PI remains the best archery odds per hunting day that exists on public land in TN.

The issue is are those 3 days worth the forfeiture of many other quota hunts for over a dozen years?

For those who are not accomplished bowhunters, I don't think it's worth the wait & the forfeitures.
But if I were still under 50, I'd personally only apply to PI, mainly because the other WMAs are of less appeal (in terms of opportunities for a mature buck with a bow or gun).

 

[DoubleRidge]

Or close to it.

On my hunt in 2016, due to the prior flooding of the past couple years or so, there was a tremendous acreage of new brushy areas (no trees large enough to climb, no visibility from ground). This was something different compared to prior years when these areas HAD been soybean fields and/or just fallow.

IMO, the appearance of these large acreage brushy areas has contributed to the decline in hunter success, as before this happened, during the first few years, the deer had relatively much less "security" cover.

So here's what I experienced in 2016 ---- the scouting day suddenly has people walking around "scouting" everywhere a man can walk. ATV's are zooming everywhere an ATV can be ridden. So on the scouting day, the deer sought refuge from this "invasion" simply by going into those big brushy areas, and pretty much just staying there until after the hunters left 3 days later.

I personally see no way the PI WMA can ever again approach the hunter success rates it experienced during the 1st few years, in large part because of all the additional security cover, as well as the deer density being dramatically reduced (which was in fact the goal).

Also heard a few rifle shots on the island during my hunt, so assume all the public land hunters really helped push more deer onto the private lands on the island (where they were hunting with rifles under Unit L regs). Have heard they kill some high-scoring mainframe 8-pointers which are not legal for harvest on the PI WMA. Who doesn't consider a mature 140-plus-class mainframe 8 a real trophy buck anywhere in TN?

Are the large open fields still thick and brushy? Or has any Ag returned in recent years?

Or...other than scout day...is there any way to get this type of information?

 

[Bagg-it Tag-it]

I am pretty certain that if you kill one buck in a zone other than CWD and then kill one in unit CWD (your second buck). Your buck season is over in the non CWD units. Of course in unit CWD you can kill a third.

 

[Andy S.]

^^^ Verbiage below is straight from TWRA:

"Units A, B, C, D, L bag limit: 2 antlered deer (No more than 1 per day). Unit CWD bag limit: 3 antlered deer (No more than 1 per day; with all taken solely in Unit CWD or in combination with no more than two (2) deer taken outside Unit CWD). See the Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide for deer units and county listings. The only way to exceed the statewide bag limit of 2 Antlered deer is to harvest one in Unit CWD."

 

[Buzzard Breath]

They really need to clear this up in the Proclamation.

https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/pub/proclamations/05-13-23.pdf

Page 2 makes no mention that the 2 buck limit may be exceeded if one is killed in Unit CWD.

"The statewide bag limit for antlered deer in Tennessee is two (2). No more than one (1) antlered deer may be taken per day. The statewide bag limit of two (2) antlered deer may be exceeded only if deer are taken on a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency or National Wildlife Refuge managed hunt and the antlered deer are noted as "bonus deer" in the Wildlife Management Areas, Public Hunting Areas, and Refuges Hunting Seasons, Limits and Miscellaneous Regulations Proclamation or the Hunting Seasons and Bag Limits on Select National Wildlife Refuges and Other Federal Areas Proclamation. Deer taken on Ft. Campbell are bonus deer."

Then they explain how to get an additional antlered buck through Earn a Buck and Replacement Buck.

Then Page 5 matches what Andy posted with a 3 buck limit. They call it a Statewide limit in the graph, but I'm sure they mean Unit CWD.

 

[Andy S.]

Here is points

Per the TWRA graphic you shared, I noticed 19 potential applicants have either 14 and 15 points right now, yet the quota hunt instructions state this:

"Priority drawing: TWRA's priority drawing system gives one priority point (maximum of 13 points) to applicants each year they apply and are not successful for any hunt."

 

[Antler Daddy]

Per the TWRA graphic you shared, I noticed 19 potential applicants have either 14 and 15 points right now, yet the quota hunt instructions state this:

"Priority drawing: TWRA's priority drawing system gives one priority point (maximum of 13 points) to applicants each year they apply and are not successful for any hunt."

I would interpret that as 19 potential applicants will have the same odds as the others with 13 points.

 

[muddyboots]

Per the TWRA graphic you shared, I noticed 19 potential applicants have either 14 and 15 points right now, yet the quota hunt instructions state this:

"Priority drawing: TWRA's priority drawing system gives one priority point (maximum of 13 points) to applicants each year they apply and are not successful for any hunt."

Yea I hadn't noticed that. I just assumed max is the amount of years one has been putting in. I guess they are saying everyone that has 14 or 15 could have drawn already.

 

[sneakybow]

Technically you could kill a buck every time you step in the woods...we'll just get to read about you online when they catch you lol

 

[Oked]

For those who have been on the hunt, what time do they typically open it up for scouting on Thursday?

When I was there last year they got there about 7:00 am . There were about 8 trucks in line already.

 

[DoubleRidge]

When I was there last year they got there about 7:00 am . There were about 8 trucks in line already.

When you were there last year were the fields still grown up and brushy? Or has any Ag returned? Any beans or corn? Just curious. We put in for a preference point this year but should, or could, possibly get drawn next year.