What is wrong with East Tennessee?

[GoldenEagle09]

IMO

1.) Habitat
2.) Terrain is tougher to locate deer and their travel patterns
3.) Lack of Deer Density
4.) Lack of Deer Density means when deer are taken, hunters are less likely to consider passing bucks. (Like Me!)
5.) Lack of Time you are able to spend in the woods.

Example: I only get to hunt the One Week of Thanksgiving in McMinn Co., which is one of the better E. Tennessee counties. In 6 hunts I had seen a total of 11 deer. 9 does and 2 bucks... a cow horn and a 6pt. On the third hunt I saw the cow horn dogging a doe, and you know what??? I shot the cow horn! Then my last hunt on Saturday morning the 6pt came flying down the ridge and there was no way I could take a shot at him.

I am still new to hunting (4 years) so my selectivity isn't there yet... Low deer pop. + little time... = Trigger Happy

Hunting isn't terrible in E. Tennessee, but you have to consider the various factors like many people on here have stated. :2c:

 

[TheLBLman]

There is no single answer to the question of why are deer densities so relatively low in East TN vs. the rest of TN.

But the reasons include ("generalizing" here, as localized exceptions abound) in order of significance:

1) Poorer habitat that cannot support as many deer
2) More deer hunters
3) More poachers (my opinion, may not be fact)

4) Different attitudes among East TN hunters vs other hunters (not saying this is good or bad, just part of why there are fewer deer).
. . . . . . . .

What do you mean by #4 ?????????
I hunt deer. Don't know why my location makes my attitude different?

In YOUR personal case, your location may make no difference at all.
Remember I said "generally speaking" and exceptions abound.

Among some different attitudes of those hunting in East TN vs. West TN, I have observed less willingness to pass on a deer, any deer. Just an observation, and a somewhat understandable one. For all of those other factors mentioned, the average East TN hunter simply doesn't have as much opportunity to kill a deer as the average West TN hunter. So when he has one, he's more likely to take advantage of it.

GoldenEagle09 said something similar with his Item #4:

IMO

1.) Habitat
2.) Terrain is tougher to locate deer and their travel patterns
3.) Lack of Deer Density
4.) Lack of Deer Density means when deer are taken, hunters are less likely to consider passing bucks. (Like Me!)

Example: I only get to hunt the One Week of Thanksgiving in McMinn Co., which is one of the better E. Tennessee counties. In 6 hunts I had seen a total of 11 deer. 9 does and 2 bucks... a cow horn and a 6pt. On the third hunt I saw the cow horn dogging a doe, and you know what??? I shot the cow horn!
. . . . . . . .
Hunting isn't terrible in E. Tennessee, but you have to consider the various factors like many people on here have stated. :2c:

Just generally speaking, but a spike buck is generally less likely to be shot by the average hunter hunting in West TN vs the average hunter hunting in East TN. This observation is not any kind of condemnation of anyone, just an observation in different hunter attitudes, which are somewhat shaped by different factors for those who hunt East TN vs West TN.

There is no one thing, but the biggest difference remains the habitat.

 

[catman529]

Those east tn people who took offense to my comments, I'm sorry, they weren't directed at you or anyone personally. Sure most of the guys I see on public land aren't the head cutting type, there are prob just a few bad eggs in the group as with anywhere.

The way middle/west tn lands get crowded with east tn hunters, I think the state of Tennessee would look like with out-of-state hunters if we made the status of Kentucky, Ohio or one of the Midwest states. Kind of changing the subject I know but that's why I'm happy tn is the way it is. Won't go any further not trying to open a new can heh....


Sent from the talk of tap

 

[Bowhunter23]

Habitat.

 

[Stumpy74]

Dang, kinda makes me a little nervous about visiting now.

Hey MUP you need to study the hillbilly handbook.It plainly says when hunting a foreign county always stop at nearest 7-11 and steal a car tag of said county so as not to draw attention.Hide the women and deer here come the Hillbillys.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[archer19]

There is no single answer to the question of why are deer densities so relatively low in East TN vs. the rest of TN.

But the reasons include ("generalizing" here, as localized exceptions abound) in order of significance:

1) Poorer habitat that cannot support as many deer
2) More deer hunters
3) More poachers (my opinion, may not be fact)

4) Different attitudes among East TN hunters vs other hunters (not saying this is good or bad, just part of why there are fewer deer).
. . . . . . . .

What do you mean by #4 ?????????
I hunt deer. Don't know why my location makes my attitude different?

In YOUR personal case, your location may make no difference at all.
Remember I said "generally speaking" and exceptions abound.

Among some different attitudes of those hunting in East TN vs. West TN, I have observed less willingness to pass on a deer, any deer. Just an observation, and a somewhat understandable one. For all of those other factors mentioned, the average East TN hunter simply doesn't have as much opportunity to kill a deer as the average West TN hunter. So when he has one, he's more likely to take advantage of it.

GoldenEagle09 said something similar with his Item #4:

IMO

1.) Habitat
2.) Terrain is tougher to locate deer and their travel patterns
3.) Lack of Deer Density
4.) Lack of Deer Density means when deer are taken, hunters are less likely to consider passing bucks. (Like Me!)

Example: I only get to hunt the One Week of Thanksgiving in McMinn Co., which is one of the better E. Tennessee counties. In 6 hunts I had seen a total of 11 deer. 9 does and 2 bucks... a cow horn and a 6pt. On the third hunt I saw the cow horn dogging a doe, and you know what??? I shot the cow horn!
. . . . . . . .
Hunting isn't terrible in E. Tennessee, but you have to consider the various factors like many people on here have stated. :2c:

Just generally speaking, but a spike buck is generally less likely to be shot by the average hunter hunting in West TN vs the average hunter hunting in East TN. This observation is not any kind of condemnation of anyone, just an observation in different hunter attitudes, which are somewhat shaped by different factors for those who hunt East TN vs West TN.

There is no one thing, but the biggest difference remains the habitat.

10-4, I hear ya.
If I don't have meat. Any deer is in danger. I hunt for meat 1st.
The hardest part of hunting here is the mountains.
We have deer.... But they are hard to pattern and find. Everywhere is a bedding area.
They can eat wherever and travel how they choose.
Topography of the land just makes it very difficult to hunt and consistently see numbers of deer.
East Tn is just not suited to carry the same density as middle and west.

 

[IceMann]

Nope, no deer in East Tn,,Ha,I can kill my limit any day of the year, .By the way,..McMinn Co..Oh yeah,Their are no hogs here either..

 

[ktlove1978]

I must say this thread has been worn out over the years but I couldn't help to chime in once again. Besides the extreme eastern portions of the following east Tennessee mountain counties including cocke, polk, seveir, blount, johnston, carter ,Monroe and Unicoi deer hunting in east Tennessee is healthy and provides plenty of opportunities to kill mature deer. I enjoy hunting West Tennessee but I also love hunting East Tennessee and have no issues with seeing deer and killing nice bucks each year. The counties listed above are probably the most difficult in state to hunt. However that would only include the most extremes portions of those counties. Majority of people on this site that live and hunt in those counties would tell you the same. If you go towards the western portions of the individual counties , away from the moutains, in any of those counties listed above the landscape becomes more suitable for great deer hunting. The problem is that many middle and west Tennessee hunters that haven't ever traveled to east Tennessee assume that the eastern part of the state is covered in 10,000 foot mountains with mature hardwoods covering this portion of the state till you get to the other side of Putnam county! lol!! The Tennessee valley offers great deer hunting habitat with the rivers bottoms, lakes, hardwoods etc. The fact is the East Tennessee offers some ample opportunities for deer hunting. I hunt in Anderson county have no complaints about deer sightings and kills!

 

[gator-n-buck]

Soil, Terrain, and willing hunters....... I hunt E. TN 95% of the time....

 

[WORM82]

I must say this thread has been worn out over the years but I couldn't help to chime in once again. Besides the extreme eastern portions of the following east Tennessee mountain counties including cocke, polk, seveir, blount, johnston, carter ,Monroe and Unicoi deer hunting in east Tennessee is healthy and provides plenty of opportunities to kill mature deer. I enjoy hunting West Tennessee but I also love hunting East Tennessee and have no issues with seeing deer and killing nice bucks each year. The counties listed above are probably the most difficult in state to hunt. However that would only include the most extremes portions of those counties. Majority of people on this site that live and hunt in those counties would tell you the same. If you go towards the western portions of the individual counties , away from the moutains, in any of those counties listed above the landscape becomes more suitable for great deer hunting. The problem is that many middle and west Tennessee hunters that haven't ever traveled to east Tennessee assume that the eastern part of the state is covered in 10,000 foot mountains with mature hardwoods covering this portion of the state till you get to the other side of Putnam county! lol!! The Tennessee valley offers great deer hunting habitat with the rivers bottoms, lakes, hardwoods etc. The fact is the East Tennessee offers some ample opportunities for deer hunting. I hunt in Anderson county have no complaints about deer sightings and kills!

But once you get away from the western portions of those counties it's all private land with very limited access. I have tried to find a tract of land to lease in Washington,Sullivan,Hawkins,green, and Unicoi for the past 10 years until I finally found a 48 acre piece of land that a guy I worked with had and it wasn't worth half of what he wanted for a year which was $400 for 48 acres.

 

[high country]

Some counties in East Tennessee are definitely trending in the right direction like Washington County.

While others like the one Archer 19 and I live in are definitely trending in the opposite direction!!!

Soil, habitat, hunting pressure, access, predator predation are just a few of the problems we face here in the mountains of East Tennessee.

 

[MUP]

Dang, kinda makes me a little nervous about visiting now.

Hey MUP you need to study the hillbilly handbook.It plainly says when hunting a foreign county always stop at nearest 7-11 and steal a car tag of said county so as not to draw attention.Hide the women and deer here come the Hillbillys.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What's a 7-11?