state land question

[Artemas]

We have several parcels of land that are owned by the state and have yellow markings on the trees with twra tags. None of these are wma's. Are you allowed to hunt these pieces of land and if so are there any special regulations to them.

 

[RecurveShooter]

These are wetland areas. They are open with statewide seasons and bag limits. TWRA has several along the wolf river. You can see the boundaries in google earth if you download the ".kml" boundary file from the TWRA website.

 

[Artemas]

That's exactly where I'm talking about. Thanks

 

[TAFKAP]

I emailed back and forth with a lady in Region 1, and she sent a number of PDF's detailing some of these areas. They're pretty nice spots that don't see a ton of activity.

 

[Artemas]

Agreed. A lease we had was directly across the river from one big parcel and my buddy has a lease that is across the river from another. That and getting a boat and going down the river is the only way I've found to get to them.

 

[user 972]

I have downloaded the kml file 3 times and it only showed the boundaries once, the first download. when I opened GE the 2nd and 3rd time, the boundaries no longer showed. is there a certain way to do it?

 

[Diehard Hunter]

Check your setting in google earth. You probably have them turned off. It would be under the "layers" tab.

 

[user 972]

I may need to re-install GE. I click the layers tab and it shuts down.

 

[TAFKAP]

Now that I'm at work and in front of my email, I was talking with Arlene Loudermilk. There's the "Briggs Tract" a little east of Rossville, "Wolf River 2" just north of Piperton, and the "Fort Ridge" tract just outside of Brownsville.

 

[user 972]

I'm doing this on my phone. first open and loaded it works. close the app and reopen, it does not show the state land boundaries.

 

[Diehard Hunter]

I'm doing this on my phone. first open and loaded it works. close the app and reopen, it does not show the state land boundaries.

Will not work properly on your phone because it does not access the boundary file every time. It essentially forgets it every time you close it out. Sometimes smart phones aren't very smart.

 

[user 972]

ok. be nice if it did.

I also noticed it didn't show one tract of wetland, unless they sold it. it's been a couple of years since I visited it. is the file complete?

 

[DaveB]

There is no real access to the Fayette County tract north of 57, east of the conservation land, and west of the 700 acre tract. You can say boat all day long but I would suggest you try it first. The is no restricted access/easement like the path to the 700 acre tract.

If you walk the train tracks the land is not clearly marked so you are into a guessing game and one of the landowners gets a bit ticked should he see you on the train tracks. None of the closesst landowners will extend permission to pass. I asked the conservation people they said no pretty loud.

 

[DaveB]

FYI, I believe I was the first (behind a fellow TNDeer member) to ever walk that land with a gun. When I first asked the GW answer was no but I persevered and got the correct answer from Nashville. And, interesting, the GW called me up and apologized which I thought was very nice. I sure hope license money isn't being used for land we can't get to. Please don;t say boat, you might as well say helicopter

 

[TAFKAP]

Which one are you referring to?

 

[Artemas]

Yea we used a canoe to cross. That river is littered with trees. Would be dangerous with a boat. Is it illegal to ride/walk the train tracks? Not something I put much thought into.

 

[user 972]

Is it illegal to ride/walk the train tracks? Not something I put much thought into.

BSK will have the answer to this one.

 

[DaveB]

My boys and I walked the tracks and hunted the place very hard. Area is physically pretty and the West boundary at the river has a Big white marker (says KEEP OUT) IIRC. I walked the riverbank for the entire tract and just could not conceive how you could get a boat to the place. Lots of downed trees. Surprised at how the Wolf was flowing-moving pretty good. No flooding but PLENTY of water. There were two men in tree stands and I believe they were locals.

Again, requests to pass denied or no response. Its the tracks or a chopper, there's a nice place to land. BTW, I had a deer cart with us. We gave it up, there is no place to walk but the tracks without tresspassing. Yeah, i know, the tracks are not public and the trains that passed waved at me in a not friendly way. As a piece of huntng ground it is off my list.

and another BTW. The 700 acres got hit by a tornado and there will be nothing done to rehabilitate the property. Plus, locals are poaching like mad, caught two of them on the NW swamp area, hunting during Juvi. Claimed they wer squirrel hunting with Handi rifles. Another place off my list.

 

[WMAn]

The 700 acres got hit by a tornado and there will be nothing done to rehabilitate the property.

Rehabilitation? Tornadoes and ice storms are God-given wildlife habitat improvements.

 

[DaveB]

Sorry Wman, ya gotta be there and see the damage. Maybe down the road 30 years, okay, but now, nope.

 

[BigGameGuy]

Like WMAn said, batural disturbance is one of the greatest benefits to wildlife. It may not be immediate but it is sure welcome.