Sandhill Crane - do I have a chance at one in middle west Tennessee?

[Crosshairy]

Chances you stumble are slim to none. You can hunt in Weakley County, and the only guide up there I know of is Chris Knight. (731) 592-5740. He may already be booked up at this point, but you're approaching about the peak time for them up near Hop In Refuge. His demand has gone up in recent years, so plan to spend $250.


If you're not going to hire the guide to hunt something you've never seen in person, let me be the first to thank you for taking two non-transferrable permits off the table from someone else just so you can decide it's not worth your money to hunt.

As of ~ 2 weeks ago, he was booked up already. He said he'd contact me if he had a cancellation.

I really want the option for a party application. No one I know got drawn, and I just don't care about doing something like that with people I don't know. I have to give up rare opportunities in January to hunt (theoretically) primo duck hunting time with friends & family.

 

[TAFKAP]

The push to online-only EVERYTHING has severely curtailed the "opportunity" for Sandhill crane hunting. Now that it's just a click-to-add option, folks just check the box and get surprised to be awarded a tag for something they've never attempted to hunt before. So instead of being able to draw for hunts and use them, many people are getting sidelined because the system is loaded with coincidental draws that never actually go.

The party system would be a huge help because booking a guide can be more easily spread out among a group of likely hunters that would be more inclined to actually use their tags. Another help would be to use the "NOTICE OF INTENT" system, where unused draw slots can be re-issued, and there's not a big suck on the resources by someone that changes their mind or can't go.