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Thank you for your service! Lots of decent WMAs around if all you want is meat. Should be pretty easy assuming you know how to hunt. Weekend traffic is going to be much higher vs. the weekdays. Best days are T-TH. Some WMAs have restrictions on what you use (i.e. Percy Priest). Deer get skittish pretty quickly out there, but you should have some good hunts through November. Then you have to adjust to thicker stuff to avoid people and go where the deer are hiding.

Having a boat is a plus. Kayaks work too.
 
Iglow said:
If middle Tn is a better place it sure must have sucked bad where you left from.
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Yeah I meant TN, the state itself. I made an excel spreadsheet to compare all of the states prior to my departure from the service. TN is very accommodating towards Veterans, and it's red.

I was right outside of New Orleans prior to this. That should give you an idea of what I was dealing with.
 
Bone Collector said:
Thank you for your service! Lots of decent WMAs around if all you want is meat. Should be pretty easy assuming you know how to hunt. Weekend traffic is going to be much higher vs. the weekdays. Best days are T-TH. Some WMAs have restrictions on what you use (i.e. Percy Priest). Deer get skittish pretty quickly out there, but you should have some good hunts through November. Then you have to adjust to thicker stuff to avoid people and go where the deer are hiding.

Having a boat is a plus. Kayaks work too.
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That's good word, thank you. I'm leaning towards heading out towards Lebanon state forest for weekdays and on the weekends towards Cookeville atm. I don't have a boat and I suck with a bow (way too many recent shoulder and wrist surgeries)
 
Trnr said:
Welcome Phil! I hunt Percy Priest Unit 2 90% of the season. As others have said it is archery, muzzleloader, shotgun only. Hunting pressure is a roller coaster and different each year. I've got some friends that are Mainers and I've bear hunted with them over the years down east. You'll see Percy is thick like the Maine woods just a different kind of thick. Shoot me a PM when you're available and I'd be happy to meet up and help the best I can.

Keep in mind, if you're not getting a sportsman license you'll have to get a type 094 as well to hunt the WMAs.
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I'm actually going this week to get my kids lifetime licenses, such an awesome deal. I'm eligible for the disabled Veteran one, do you know if I would still need the WMA license?
 

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Iglow said:
If middle Tn is a better place it sure must have sucked bad where you left from.
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lglow we will be running from TN soon enough. Or somewhere else in TN if a place exists anymore that's not overpriced and roads not overcrowded. The laid back cheap living we knew only a few years ago has come and gone. But anyway welcome to TN the new north. Hope you get the meat your after.good folks on here with lots of good info.
 
Welcome Phil to the best campfire on the web !!! I send greetings from LA ( not Los Angeles) lower Alabama 😀
No help in the hunting dept but thank you for your service and not getting jabbed .
 
Phil said:
Hey everyone.

I'm originally from Maine but TN looked like the better place to raise a family. Spent over a decade in the military and just left because I didn't take the jab. Moved to Smyrna to attend MTSU. I'm looking to make friends to hunt with or to get any good info about the area. I'm not from around here and my time is limited between family/work/school so any advice is welcomed.

I mostly plan to hunt for the meat, I don't care about trophy bucks. Food prices are too high to be picky right now. I have a license, a gun, and a good attitude but I don't have a good back, knees, or shoulders. Any bones you can throw me that will reduce the amount of bush whacking I'll be doing will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Phil
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Great Post Phil. I'm in the same boat as you, just separated from the military and moved to Lebanon. Im also in the process of transferring to MTSU. I've been looking for spots to rifle hunt this year and next year Im planning on getting a bow. I'm not sure how rich Pea Ridge is in deer but from what I have read it seems to be pretty steep in certain areas. I feel like that may deter some people but I'm also new to TN and I don't know how driven the hunters are here. Good Luck this season!
 
BamBam77 said:
Being that close to Nashville, a bow would be helpful to hunt Percy Priest.

However, you're ~15 miles to Cedars of Lebanon State Forest that is open to gun.
Old Hickory WMA to the north, but access is limited without a boat, still some doable spots.
Cheatham WMA is likely a waste this year for you as it's either a quota hunt or limited to 1 antlerless starting after Thanksgiving.
You have Yanahli WMA an hour SW and Cordell Hull WMA an hour to the NE, both would be good options.

The layers on HuntStand helped me a lot. Free trial at sign up, then mil discount after. And lmk how else I can help or if you want more info on these. I also left the military due to a changing climate and found myself back in TN trying to hunt, so the info is fresh
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I just moved to Lebanon almost a year ago. I didn't realize Cedars of Lebanon State Forest was huntable. Do you happen to have a link or know where I can look into it?
Thanks,
Austin
 
Go by Walmart or a Sporting Goods Store and you can pick up a copy of The Regs. Seems like things are always changing. More changes in the wind for next year.

General Hunting & Trapping Regulations

General Tennessee Hunting & Trapping Regulations
www.tn.gov www.tn.gov
I used to hunt all around Nashville and Smyrna . A little less pressure later in the season when it gets cold and miserable.
Yahnali , Cheatam, Old Hickory, and Percy Priest I've used a Canoe and a Jon Boat to get into area's not easily accessible by other means.

Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Maps

Wildlife Management Area (WMA) Maps
www.tn.gov www.tn.gov
 
Lots of WICKED GOOD guys on this site. Stay with it, and you will find help and places to hunt. A few PATS but they are few and far between like the 200# bucks you are used to seeing if you ever hunted Parmachenee & Rangley.
 
A Crossbow would be a good option for you since you have some health issues. They are pretty bad ass and qualify for archery, good luck.
 
Phil said:
Hey everyone.

I'm originally from Maine but TN looked like the better place to raise a family. Spent over a decade in the military and just left because I didn't take the jab. Moved to Smyrna to attend MTSU. I'm looking to make friends to hunt with or to get any good info about the area. I'm not from around here and my time is limited between family/work/school so any advice is welcomed.

I mostly plan to hunt for the meat, I don't care about trophy bucks. Food prices are too high to be picky right now. I have a license, a gun, and a good attitude but I don't have a good back, knees, or shoulders. Any bones you can throw me that will reduce the amount of bush whacking I'll be doing will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Phil
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They probably didn't know this in Maine, but you'll find out MTSU isn't in Smyrna. Just regular folks here in Murfreesboro, Smyrna is the uppity class. Thanks for your service.


Just kidding about the "uppity" part. But we do try to keep them up there where they belong. 🤣
 

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