TN WMA hunting

A

Alton

New member
Hello all,

Forgive me if I am repeating questions already answered. I am new to the board and coyote hunting. I went for a little while today and met the first fellow coyote hunter from my area. We were on TVA public land but were considering hunting nearby Tellico WMA.

He said he didn't think he was allowed hunt public land in TN for coyotes after Feb 28 because small game season ends then. Also, that you wasn't allowed to use center-fire on any public hunting lands.

I've poured over the hunting guide and quite a bit of the net and I can't find anything that gives a regulation on coyotes on either count.

Can you use center-fire and can you hunt public land (including but not limited to WMAs) all year?

Again I apologize if this has already been answered.

TIA
 
BTW, I saw my first dead coyote tody. However, it was one someone left shot over a discarded deer carcass. I'm pretty sure that was a illegal and careless act. The coyote was a nice one but just left to rot.

Just the same, it did serve to confirm that I had been looking in the right area.

We left there and tried a spot nearby and he was able to get some distant dogs to respond, but they did not come in.

I'm going to give it a try tomorrow in a spot I've thought of and use all of my own equipment and see if I can finally get my first dog on my own efforts.

That might take a few tries though.
 
It is best to call the TWRA officer who manages the WMA you are looking to hunt on. There contact number is in the hunting guide with the Specific WMA information area.

Some WMAs "close". Coyote season is open year round. Centerfire rules are weird (why I don't use one), usually they are a no go if it isn't a big game season.

Again, it is best to find out straight from the guy who would be enforcing the game laws before hand.
 
Straight from the hunting guide page 37 first listing under Small Game Hunting on WMAs
On WMAs open with statewide seasons, the
season dates, bag limits, weapon types, and ammunition
types that pertain to the county where
the WMA is located apply to that WMA except
special regulations listed specifically for those
WMAs still apply.
If the WMA specifies small game seasons, like rabbit or squirrel then you are limited to rimfire during open seasons but if it lists small game as a whole open with statewide and there isnt any exceptions listed then it is open with centerfire. Good luck trying to get an answer from a warden around here. Ive never got the same answer twice. Good luck!
 
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I think that is where the confusion comes from. Coyotes fall under small game and the season is all year for coyotes. It is also in the hunting guide that any weapon is legal to kill them except during deer season.

During archer and freeloader you must use rimfire. During gun season you must use centerfire or whatever is legal for Big Game. Other than that, I can't find any mention of restrictions to weapons or hunting seasons anywhere in the guide.

I did try to call the regional office yesterday, but no answer, probably because of the holiday.

Thanks for the replies.
 
I'm going to answer my own question.

For those who do not live in TN, getting in touch with TWRA can be more difficult than it seems. I had tried calling the regional office this week without getting to talk to anyone. It might have been because of the holiday. But I didn't connect for whatever reason.

Simply by chance I ran into a game warden driving through a parking lot at the shopping center. I had to flag him down. His answers confirmed what I thought, but I had to keep nailing him down on the specifics. Hopefully this will lead to more clarity in the guide in the future.

According to that particular game warden, you can use a center-fire all year long with the exception of Archery & Archery/Muzzleloader deer season. During this time you can use rim-fire (or archery/muzzle loader) though. During Gun Deer season you must use what is legal for Big Game and possess a Big Game license.

Unless otherwise specified by the particular WMA the same centerfire/rimfire regulations apply. This also includes Public lands such as TVA.
 
Yeah, hunting down a TWRA officer is harder than getting coyotes to come in. I found a couple at Five Guys one day.

Thanks, I hope they do clarify the rules in the guide next year.
 


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