Would like to raise my chances of harvesting a deer and just called the TWRA to get a permit to hunt Gallatin steam plant. Is there a lot of hunters out there? Is it a good place to hunt?
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Gallatin Steam Plant
- Thread starter UTGrad
- Start date
Buccaneer
Well-Known Member
Did you get a permit?
Nobobdy hunts there anymore, its too crowded. LOL sorry for the Yogi Berra routine but it may be true. When I first moved here in 1998 I hunted it when the TVA managed the property by giving out 2-day weekend hunt permits for four designated hunting weekends. The permits were limited to 50 hunters for each 2-day hunt and at times that seemed like too many people in the woods. However I never had a problem getting permits for all 4 hunts every year and I killed some very nice deer.
Then, one year I believe maybe 2003, the Tennessee Outdoors magazine wrote an article about how great the place was and the TVA was overwhelmed with hunt applications the next year. I think the year after that they threw in the towel and let the TWRA manage the permit process as a WMA and that is all she wrote.
Now don't get me wrong, the place was and likely still is infested with deer and turkeys. However it does not appear that the TWRA limits the permits they issue so clearly the week days are when you need to be there. I won't give you any tips on the open forum, but its worth your while to give this place a try. Note that there is a shooting range within the gated boundaries of the steam plant itself and this is an off limits area. The deer absolutely swarm the range during the hunting season, sometimes to the extent you have to stop shooting since they are protected in that area.
Nobobdy hunts there anymore, its too crowded. LOL sorry for the Yogi Berra routine but it may be true. When I first moved here in 1998 I hunted it when the TVA managed the property by giving out 2-day weekend hunt permits for four designated hunting weekends. The permits were limited to 50 hunters for each 2-day hunt and at times that seemed like too many people in the woods. However I never had a problem getting permits for all 4 hunts every year and I killed some very nice deer.
Then, one year I believe maybe 2003, the Tennessee Outdoors magazine wrote an article about how great the place was and the TVA was overwhelmed with hunt applications the next year. I think the year after that they threw in the towel and let the TWRA manage the permit process as a WMA and that is all she wrote.
Now don't get me wrong, the place was and likely still is infested with deer and turkeys. However it does not appear that the TWRA limits the permits they issue so clearly the week days are when you need to be there. I won't give you any tips on the open forum, but its worth your while to give this place a try. Note that there is a shooting range within the gated boundaries of the steam plant itself and this is an off limits area. The deer absolutely swarm the range during the hunting season, sometimes to the extent you have to stop shooting since they are protected in that area.
Unicam
Well-Known Member
Always see deer and turkey across the street from the plant entrance at some guys house!!
fourwheeler431
Well-Known Member
We hunted it for years before it was a draw hunt(it was later changed back to open hunts). Then it became a madhouse on the weekends. I haven't hunted there in a few years myself,but I could see the parking lot from my stand. Most of the people always wanted to walk to the back of the property to hunt so, I stayed up front and killed the deer. lol
UTGrad said:
There were a lot of hunters out there today. It didn't stop me from sticking one this evening, though.
I called TWRA and a map and permit is on the way. I might try it during a weekday.
Buccaneer
Well-Known Member
I suggest a little time on Google Earth or Bing Maps, aerial views (bing maps 3D is pretty cool) in concert with this - http://www.state.tn.us/twra/gis/wmapdf/ ... mPlant.pdf
If you use Bing Maps notice in the bottom right corner Lat & Long coordinates to transfer to your GPS.
Using hunting days as a scouting opportunity at that WMA is dicey in terms of bumping into people.
If you use Bing Maps notice in the bottom right corner Lat & Long coordinates to transfer to your GPS.
Using hunting days as a scouting opportunity at that WMA is dicey in terms of bumping into people.
If you want to be able to toggle btwn topos and aerials you can downloand USAPhotoMaps from www.jdmcox.com for free. It's a handy product. You can also create routes and waypoints in the software and transfer them to a GPS.
fourwheeler431
Well-Known Member
PM me and I will let you know where my spot is down there where I consistently took deer at for several years running. It didn't matter how many people were hunting the place,actually the more the better for my spot.
It's just a place to start looking when you get down there. Who knows it may not be any good now.
It's just a place to start looking when you get down there. Who knows it may not be any good now.
jakeway
Well-Known Member
I took Joe there when he was 13 and almost lost him. He fell asleep on the ground in full camo, and I couldn't find him after dark and he couldn't hear me calling. After about 5 minutes of yelling he popped up about 5 yards from me; I almost walked right by him.
I don't think I ever went back.
I don't think I ever went back.
CBT HOYT HUNTER
Well-Known Member
I saw deer in the non-shooting areas was a bummer 
Buccaneer
Well-Known Member
UT - Tried to send you a PM, it says you are over your limit. Clear out your PM inbox.
Buccaneer said:
Thanks...cleaned it out.
