Ahhhh yeah, I remember this dilemma from years ago. Extensive study took place partnering with TWRA, City Citizens etc. etc. only to dismiss the options presented. I think they landed on adding more Deer crossing signs...
Too many deer
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Wooden Arrow
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some places allow limited gun hunts in populated areas, but all shooting must be done from elevated stands for safety reasons. suppressors on the rifles make it even quieter, as do sub-sonic ammunition. got a few places here where land owners refuse to allow bowhunters access, and they have 8' chainlink fences around their gardens. whatever...
44 mag suppressed
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I agree. That's the way I hunt narrow urban green belts. Elevated stands for safety and a quiet 12 ga with handloaded subsonic wadcutter slugs that always knocks them off their feet . They go down immediately in their tracks. They go absolutely nowhere.
lol
Well-Known Member
Load em up and drop them off in Cherokee National Forest.
I have killed several deer in sub divisions in the past 5 years (Without looking at my records I'm pretty sure 20 is about right). I call it killing because it isn't hunting. At least where I'm doing it. It has been some of the most stressful hunting I have ever done. All bow obviously, so shots have to be perfect, the deer MUST fall on homeowners property, and must be removed off the property before gutting. And ALL of this without detection from the "Karens". Nothing illegal, but I just don't have the time, or desire to deal with upset people because someone killed Bambi.
Funny story...couple years ago I made a double lung shot on a huge azalea eater. She ran around the side yard headed for the front. I sat there about 15 minutes until I heard a back up alarm and noticed yellow lights flashing and reflecting off the foliage toward the direction I last saw her.
Very quickly I climbed down my tree, Took of my outer camo shell, revealing "yard man" clothes, and headed towards the front.
As I peeked around the corner I saw 2 city employees loading up my doe in the back of a dump truck.
I quickly hopped into my truck and pulled up alongside the 2 workers as they began to leave.
I said "excuse me guys, I actually saw that doe get hit and know it is fresh, would they mind if I took it off their hand and donated it to Tennessee Hunters for the Hungry?"
The fellas actually loaded it on my truck for me.
In all honesty...I did see it get hit. By my broadhead!
Nice guys. ( I think they actually knew somehow?)
BY THE WAY, she dressed 140!
Funny story...couple years ago I made a double lung shot on a huge azalea eater. She ran around the side yard headed for the front. I sat there about 15 minutes until I heard a back up alarm and noticed yellow lights flashing and reflecting off the foliage toward the direction I last saw her.
Very quickly I climbed down my tree, Took of my outer camo shell, revealing "yard man" clothes, and headed towards the front.
As I peeked around the corner I saw 2 city employees loading up my doe in the back of a dump truck.
I quickly hopped into my truck and pulled up alongside the 2 workers as they began to leave.
I said "excuse me guys, I actually saw that doe get hit and know it is fresh, would they mind if I took it off their hand and donated it to Tennessee Hunters for the Hungry?"
The fellas actually loaded it on my truck for me.
In all honesty...I did see it get hit. By my broadhead!
Nice guys. ( I think they actually knew somehow?)
BY THE WAY, she dressed 140!
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Some urban adjacent hunting areas work very well. Easy access, known deer trails, and permanent stands. Other areas - not so much. I once hunted the side lots of someone that wanted "all the deer killed" because they were eating all her expensive shrubbery. She had placed electrical fence around her flowers and sprayed them with soap but they still came up on their back patio at night and ate everything. We even got a TWRA depredation (?) permit that allowed me to shoot anything day or night and use bait. I took a couple of deer (daytime/archery) there but it was a royal pain. 1) You can forget using a gun anywhere near where people are living after dark or they will go ballistic. It was archery only. 2) She would walk her yappy dog within 30 yards of my stand despite knowing I was there. 3) The two guys that lived next door had secretly hunted that property before I started hunting there and hated that I was there so they put a ground blind up within 20 yards of one of the stands that I put up. And obviously shot into the property when I was not there. They also used corn so that was pointless. The last straw was when I squeezed off an arrow that connected with a small buck and as I was going to wait quietly for a few minutes to retrieve the deer that had run along the property line a little out of sight a guy next door started yelling repeatedly "Did you get one?" and disappeared. When I went to retrieve the deer it was already gone. So I gave up trying to hunt there. Some things just aren't worth the trouble.
I actually reached out to Alan Peterson many years ago to discuss the potential for an urban bow hunters association to work with HOA's and landowners about reducing some herds and maintaining socially acceptable numbers across the state. At the time, there was a large opportunity to do that….i just did not have the energy at the time. Might still be worth investigating for a younger more energetic person.
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A very important aspect (for me) of urban-adjacent hunting that I have implemented is - the survivalist's "gray man principle". (Not the movie!) "The "gray man" survivalist principle refers to the concept of blending seamlessly into your surroundings, avoiding attention, and remaining inconspicuous in order to stay safe and undetected ... " Arriving in head-to-toe camo with a visible gun or bow and a big 4 wheel drive truck is an invitation to "inspection and observation." I drive something inconspicuous like a family van or other car if possible. I make sure I have permission documents to hunt a place, have talked with any relevant neighbors ahead of time when possible, and try to go in and out at low traffic times, like before or after dark if possible. One thing I've found true throughout my life, in business or my private life, is that if people don't know what you're doing – they are a lot less likely to try to interfere with it!
I would gladly dart the many that walk through my yard. Shoot I would even drive them up to prentice cooper and drop them off
They are definitely getting to be a nuisance on big ridge Hixson
They are definitely getting to be a nuisance on big ridge Hixson
For proof of this watch any of the videos of idiots getting attacked by bison, bear, even beavers while trying to get a selfie.
Not really surburban, but getting that way, where I have access to a small swampy area (13 acres) behind our subdivision, adjacent to the river because the landowner was complaining about the deer eating his landscaping. Lots of deer move through there given the location of subdivisions and it being the path between fields and bedding areas. Only way in or out is through the subdivision. I connected with a decent buck Christmas eve and was taking it to the processor. Guy behind my jeep flipped me off, presumably because of the buck on the cargo rack. Looked like he had kids in the car, they probably thought I had killed one of Santa's reindeer.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
This is a actually a good idea...two birds with one stone...move them from the most over populated suburban areas to the most under populated WMAs...maybe a university could create a program and study the effectiveness...students could assist in trapping and transport...possibly offset some of the cost.
MidTennFisher
Well-Known Member
Actually 3 birds, because this keeps Seek One out of Tennessee.
Wooden Arrow
Well-Known Member
those WMAs have a lower deer population for a good reason, normally. low quality/quantity food, lack of secure bedding, poaching, free-ranging dogs, whatever.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
Ok...then there's more oppurtunity for improvement...open the canopy and schedule prescribed fire on more WMAs...manage the WMA better for wildlife...improve carrying capacity in a very cost effective way....but either way, one would think it would be better habitat than eating azaleas and boxwood shrubs in a crowded suburban area.
MickThompson
Well-Known Member
The move would kill a lot of them but the city folk would feel better about this than the deer being quickly killed and used. Be a really expensive version of trout stocking.
And what if such a program inadvertently moved CWD or some other disease…
Nailed it. Gotta address the reasons for the low density of you want more.
DoubleRidge
Well-Known Member
See post #36...manage the WMA correctly to increase carrying capacity...should be doing that anyway.
But good point on CWD...could be risk.
When they changed the mission statement to managing for tweety birds it all went down hill
Anywhere in East Tennessee if they come from an area where CWD don't exist would be welcomed by hunters. Drop em off in my area 
