Turkey hunting in Tennessee?

[TheBenHoyle]

Hey guys, just looking for some real-world knowledge from anyone who might have it and be willing to share.

It has been a few years since I have had a chance to go turkey hunting with my dad because he has gotten so busy in his retirement. In Illinois you have to apply in December for week-long seasons in April and May, and it is hard for him to commit so far in advance to apply.

Anyway long story short, he called me up to see if I wanted to do something in early April (4/2-4/5) when my mom will be on a quilting bus trip with my sister. Well that is about 3 weeks too early for any Illinois season. As a matter of fact you have to go all the way down to Tennessee (about 7 hour drive for me) to get to an open turkey season.

It's expensive and a lot of driving, but it looks like we could spend a couple days in the Cheatham Wildlife Management Area looking for Toms. Has anyone else been down there? It looks like a huge area (20K acres?) based on what I see on the internet.

Any help would be appreciated. I feel like I am stabbing out in the dark and I would hate to drive all the way down there to discover something crucial about hunting in Tennessee or hunting at Cheatham that spoils things for us.

Thanks.

 

[nhn2a]

I hunt Turkey in TN ever year but not on public. We always hunt private land as there isnt much public around our area. I have a buddy that is a hardcore TN turkey hunter that spends some time on public but most of his time is on private farms that hes gotten permission to hunt on.

However, if you have some flexibility in your dates and some spare funds you could check out the TN Governors One Shot Turkey hunt they put on in Franklin, TN opening weekend (30-31 March I believe). They set you up with a guide and private land to hunt as part of the event. I've done it a couple times in the past and it always a ton of fun with money going to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Foundation to help support TWRA.

 

[Stretcher_Jockey]

I’ve deer hunted Cheatham. Really nice area, I enjoy it a lot. It is fairly “rugged” by Tennessee standards. I usually see turkey sign but haven’t seen many birds. Doesn’t mean they aren’t there, I’ve just never been there looking for them. Can’t speak for what pressure is like during spring turkey. I hunt Natchez Trace State Park quite a bit every year and have had success. It’s a huge piece of public by eastern standards at nearly 50k acres. I’d say 85% or so is mature timber. It used to be chock full of birds but numbers have been down the past couple of years. Still birds to be had for folks willing to put in the work. They get hit hard on weekends but pressure thins out a ton during the week. The birds there get educated quickly, but such is life hunting turks on public. Probably won’t have the whole place to yourself by any means (I’ll probably be there quite a bit that week as well) but shouldn’t have a problem spreading out and still being able to find some birds. Fortunately with my work schedule I get lots of time to hunt during the week so that’s when I usually hunt NT. Campgrounds are available at NT and also motels and other amenities very close by in Lexington. Let me know where you guys decide and I’ll give some more insight if I can.

Also research Catoosa WMA as well. Never hunted there but have heard very good things. It’s about an hour and a half east of Nashville near Crossville.

Lots of turkeys in TN. I don’t think you’ll go wrong with just about any of the WMA’s. With a little boot leather you guys should be able to get into some birds and have a good time.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

Thanks for the replay nhn2a. We are locked in to our dates though as they match up with the trip my mom and sister are taking. The Governors hunt sounds neat though. Maybe I can try that another year.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

Stretcher_Jockey I appreciate the reply. The Tennessee hunting digest doesn't list Natchez Trace State Park as offering Spring turkey hunting. Unless I am reading that wrong. I was looking online to find out more about the areas of Cheatham that you can hunt, but there aren't really any maps online. The state has an interactive map, but I haven't quite figured out how to use it to learn more about the hunting opportunities.

I was looking at the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge today. It is closer to the stateline with Kentucky so that means less drive time. I think I am going to call them tomorrow to get some info about what areas are huntable in the refuge.

We will be hunting midweek and it is very early in the season so I am hoping that leaves the woods wide open for us. Either way it should be an awesome adventure with my dad.

 

[Hatchie Dawg]

Smart move looking at the TN NWR, and even better if you can bring a boat. OnX would also be helpful up and down the river locating additional public lands, ie TVA.
HD

 

[BluegrassBilly]

+1 on TVA land. They have lots of pockets of public land, some even accessible by road. Unless the turkey hunting is drastically different across Walker's Line, you'll be much better off in the western end, and those spots around Kentucky Lake/Tennessee River should hold good numbers of birds.

In case you don't have OnX, here's a link to TVA's map: https://tva.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Em...gallery=true&disable_scroll=false&theme=light

 

[TheBenHoyle]

Hatchie Dawg and Bluegrassbilly thank you so much for the info. I hadn't even thought of TVA land. I think this is going to be a fun adventure with my dad and I really appreciate the knowledge you guys are sharing.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I just realized I forgot to ask the most important question. Where are the good places to eat in the Paris/Dover area? Us boys are gonna have to eat and I want to make sure we get the good stuff that we'll only find down there.

 

[BluegrassBilly]

On your way in/out Knoth's BBQ on US 62 near the Barkley Dam is a good local joint as is Belew's Diary Bar on US 68 near Aurora. Once you get into Tennessee, Paris Landing will have the most options.

If you get too far from home and realize you forgot something, Kentucky Lake Outdoors is just off I-69 at US 62.

While you're in the area, you should also drive up through Land Between the Lakes and take a quick spin around the elk and bison prairie - they did a really good job with it, and it was a bit of a testing ground for the free-ranging herd we now have.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

On your way in/out Knoth's BBQ on US 62 near the Barkley Dam is a good local joint as is Belew's Diary Bar on US 68 near Aurora. Once you get into Tennessee, Paris Landing will have the most options.

If you get too far from home and realize you forgot something, Kentucky Lake Outdoors is just off I-69 at US 62.

While you're in the area, you should also drive up through Land Between the Lakes and take a quick spin around the elk and bison prairie - they did a really good job with it, and it was a bit of a testing ground for the free-ranging herd we now have.

Thanks. I will try to check out all of those suggestions.

 

[JadamG21]

I live close to Cheatham WMA.. as does most everyone in Nashville. There are a lot of birds in the area but they get a ton of pressure. I hunt mostly private ground.

Good luck at the NWR. That sounds like a fun hunt. Let us know how you do.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I'm pretty excited about this hunt. I rented a cabin on Kentucky Lake about 20 minutes west of Cross Creeks NWR and it is close to some TVA land as well. I'm going to get some early spring which is needed as I have been shoveling snow every other day and pretty sick of it. I'll do a post with pictures and stories when it is all wrapped up. Might post as it goes on, if I can get internet service. Thanks everyone for the advice.

 

[blackdawg]

LBL has a turkey hunt also, part of it is draw only, part of the season is general tag, decent numbers of birds, but as a big NWTF local director tells everyone, the hardest birds to kill in the U.S. The boat tip is a good one, make sure to have good lake maps, anchors and hip waders that time of year, water levels are typically low until late April and you will be forced to beach your boat quite a distance from the shore many times. Turkey hunting is very popular in this area and most public land has heavy pressure, be flexible and don''t get upset if another hunter finds the bird your working, move on and locate another one.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

One question I just realized I should ask. Do I need to be concerned with rattlers or other poisonous snakes? We'll be there in early April (2nd - 5th). Up in Northern Illinois there is no concern with poisonous snakes, so this is completely uncharted territory for me.

 

[BluegrassBilly]

Worried, not particularly. Watchful, definitely. You have potential to encounter cottonmouths, timber rattlers, pygmy rattlers, and copperheads. The first three will generally let you know they're there. Copperheads are the ones to watch out for. They're defense is to stay hidden, which their pattern does amazingly well in dry leaves. Many turkey hunters have nearly sat on them, and some have. Especially if you're slipping in before daylight, use a light to watch your step and sit.

If you go the boat route, and you see something swimming, don't panic. Most are harmless water snakes. If it's holding it's head out of the water, though, steer clear as that'll be a cottonmouth.

A guy I was with out west taught me to always back in at the trailhead - you want the nose facing towards the hospital just in case minutes count when you're leaving.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

BluegrassBilly I appreciate the advice. It's good to be forewarned about the hazards. Up here in Illinois I've never had to consider I might sit on anything more dangerous than a fresh cow patty.

 

[blackdawg]

I always wear snake gaiters during turkey season, most everyone I know wears snake boots, plenty of timber rattlers, copperheads and cottonmouths in areas that turkey's frequent on Tennessee public land. Watch where you put your hands! The public land here is the bottom of barrel left over garbage dump that couldn't be given away for the most part, which translates into land that it is crawling with an assortment of critters that will cause you grief. The ticks and chiggers can be ferocious in the spring, spray your gear down!

 

[TheBenHoyle]

Blackdawg thanks for the input. I'm planning on getting gaiters or snake boots. I'll get some strong spray too. Hadn't thought of the ticks and chiggers.

 

[TheBenHoyle]

Just a quick update now that I am back from my trip to the great state of Tennessee. My dad and I had a great time and saw some pretty country. But ultimately we came home without so much as injuring any turkeys. We opted to hunt Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge and I must say the people who work there are very nice and helpful. Unfortunately a lot of the refuge is bottomland that until very recently had been very, very flooded. The one area that we encountered some turkeys was right up against private property that was the high ground. I had a gobbler coming off the ridge toward us but I had a hen and jake decoy set up and when he saw the jake he backed off and wouldn't come closer. It was toward roosting time so we backed out and came back in there the next morning. We heard him gobbling, but not long after he came off the roost we heard a BOOM and no more gobbling. Someone had roosted him on the private property the night before and had access to get right under him.

But the real point of the trip was to spend time with my dad and I was able to do that. We had a lot of fun and I want to thank all the posters who offered advice above. It was much appreciated.