Fourth Sunday in August brings hunting season
By Tom Wiest | (sports@thedailytimes.com)
The fourth Saturday of August is the traditional opening of hunting season, with squirrel beginning on Aug. 25 and ending on Feb. 28. There are three hunted species of squirrels: Gray (most plentiful), fox (largest) and red (smallest, called “boomer”). The daily bag limit for all species combined is ten.
Don’t forget that Aug. 25 is also Free Hunting Day in Tennessee. Go to http://www.tnwildlife.org for more details.
• The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is seeking fields to lease for public use for the upcoming 2012 dove season. The first phase of dove season begins at noon on Sept. 1 and closes on Sept. 26.
Landowners with a harvested grain field or millet hay field, or a partially harvested one, should promptly contact their TWRA regional office for consideration. Our Region IV’s phone number is 800-332-0900. Other contact information is at http://www.tnwildlife.org or contact Tim White, TWRA Migratory Game Bird Program Coordinator at 615-781-6610.
At least three dates for public use are required, Sept. 1 and two succeeding weekend days. Rates paid to landowners will be $75 per acre for a maximum field size of 40 acres for a total contract of $3,000 per field.
Dove hunters can find the fields leased by TWRA at the above website at least one week before the season opens.
• The winner of the first Tennessee youth elk hunt is 14-year-old Jessica Parkins of Greeneville. Besides receiving the elk permit, the ninth-grader Parkins was awarded a new rifle from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and an assortment of gifts from the Quality Deer Management Association.
There were almost 300 entries in the computer drawing for hunters ages 13-16 years. The hunt dates for this elk hunt are Oct. 19-20, the weekend following the adult elk hunt in the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area.
In related news, this year’s elk ticket that was auctioned on eBay brought $6,800 to the Tennessee elk restoration program. Last year the winner paid $9,200.
Tom Wiest welcomes news, questions and comments from readers. Contact him via e-mail at his new address, (wiest.tom@gmail.com)
