Changes for 18-19 season, TN early velvet hunt

[wtnhunt]

Looks like the chances at tagging a velvet buck in Tennessee just became very good with an end of August 3 day archery private grounds only antlered hunt.  Interesting, will have to see as it draws closer if there is a decent buck around, may get me in a stand with crossbow.  

Have not gotten the new handbook in my hands yet to verify, but heard that the use of airbows has also become legal.  

[Rhino]

WOW...2 big changes in store for you.  Hope the temp cools off for your early August hunt.

[wtnhunt]

On 7/4/2018 at 4:13 PM, Rhino said:

WOW...2 big changes in store for you.  Hope the temp cools off for your early August hunt.

Yeah Al, hope it is not crazy hot.  If we get something decent enough to get me interested on cams, I may get out for one of the mornings.   We had two mature bucks last season that made it through our lengthy gun season then disappeared.  The one that was all busted up was very regular back here with sightings often and getting pics made on 4 different cams and he just vanished.

Airbow would not apply here, only allowed for disabled hunters for archery season but allowed for all during the general gun seasons, and there is no advantage to using one for the gun seasons.  I know there were proposals on "primitive" weapons and changing up our muzzleloader season, I gave my 2 cents to the commission.  Looking like our muzzleloader season may also see changes with allowing single shots.  I did not support that change.  

Supposedly theses changes are to promote getting more hunters in the woods and to increase harvest numbers.  Harvest numbers were down again, don't think it is sinking in to the powers that be that the liberal limits have made for less available deer which is reflected in the lesser number of deer being killed.  Hear the same old excuses, that there were too many acorns or the opener was too hot.  One of my favorites was a guy on tndeer, bashing another member there saying the guy was not seeing does because he was a lousy hunter.   

I have confirmed the early hunt and the airbow reg on the twra site, I tried downloading the new hunter handbook and it would not load, they are usually in walmart stores by the end of July so will be able to clarify other changes. 

[Rhino]

Yep...bummer to hear about your PW season.  That's the way it started here.  1st it was pre 1900 single shot rifles or replicas that were .38 cal or larger, then single shot any model that was .38 caliber or larger (imagine a .378 Wby Mag being primitive...yea right), then to where we are now...your weapon of choice on private land during PW season but we still have to buy the PW season permit.  Go figure!  All that was for the same reasons your DNR is giving now.

[wtnhunt]

On 7/7/2018 at 3:52 PM, Rhino said:

Yep...bummer to hear about your PW season.  That's the way it started here.  1st it was pre 1900 single shot rifles or replicas that were .38 cal or larger, then single shot any model that was .38 caliber or larger (imagine a .378 Wby Mag being primitive...yea right), then to where we are now...your weapon of choice on private land during PW season but we still have to buy the PW season permit.  Go figure!  All that was for the same reasons your DNR is giving now.

The single shot reg change might get a few more hunters out during muzzleloader,  but doubt it will increase harvest numbers.  Most those guys who would have to buy another gun just to meet the changes for "primitive weapons" likely already have a muzzleloader.  Figure a "newness" type deal will just give guys that already hunt the muzzleloader season an excuse to buy another gun.  Geez, with the modern day muzzleloader accuracy and long range abilities I have hunted during the rifle season here with my accura many times.  

Handbook still not out yet, but reg changes are able to be found online. 

Another one of those that makes you go huhmmm and wonder about is the new reg on air rifles.  Game commission will not approve night time coyote hunting for concerns of increased poaching of deer, yet the TN.gov site if I am reading right has shown the commission has approved and adopted new regs to include the use of nearly silent air rifles above .35 caliber for hunting all big game species in our general gun season.  So now it is legal to use the air gun which is super quiet, seems to me like promoting sneaky activity.  Gotta wonder what kind of hunter out there is gonna drop $750 on an entry level crosman air gun.  I still see in my mind the cheap bb guns crosman makes and think yeah, right???   Guess for those who are all about whacking as many does as possible where you can kill 3 a day, a quiet rifle might make it a bit easier for them, although there have been too many times to count that I have shot with a rifle and had does/deer just stand there looking around like what just happened. 

In my opinion decreasing harvest numbers have everything to do with the state's continued liberal limits.  Maybe they will eventually figure it out.    

 

[Rhino]

3 hours ago, wtnhunt said:

Most those guys who would have to buy another gun just to meet the changes for "primitive weapons" likely already have a muzzleloader.  Figure a "newness" type deal will just give guys that already hunt the muzzleloader season an excuse to buy another gun.  Geez, with the modern day muzzleloader accuracy and long range abilities I have hunted during the rifle season here with my accura many times.  

That's exactly what happened here.  First it was replica 45-70 single shots, then it was modern single shot rifles like the Encore in 35 Whelen.  I initially bought a Uberti replica in 45-70 to join the crew.  It was so accurate, I never had a desire to upgrade when the rules changed again to modern single shot rifles.  I know of some guys that bought up to 3 different single shot rifles to hunt PW season during the several years of changes.  Once the law changed the last time to weapon of choice during PW season, I just kept using my Remington Model 7 in .308.