Leftover Permits for First Sandhill Crane Hunt Will Be Available on Wednesday, October 16

NASHVILLE --- Leftover permits from Saturday’s drawing to participate in Tennessee’s first sandhill crane hunt will be available on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the four regional offices of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

There are 134 permits available following Saturday’s hand-held permit drawing held at the Birchwood Community Center in north Hamilton County. The remaining permits are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the four TWRA regional offices beginning at 9 a.m. EDT in Region IV and 8.a.m CDT at the three other regional offices.

The regional offices are located in Jackson (I), Nashville (II), Crossville (III), and Morristown (IV).

A total of 400 permits were available for the initial draw. Each permit carries a limit of three birds. Participants must have a Type 001 hunt/fish license plus a Type 005 waterfowl license or equivalent.

All sandhill crane permit holders must pass an internet-based crane identification test before hunting. All permits issued are not valid until a verifiable “Sandhill Test” validation code is written on the permit. The purpose of this test is to improve hunter’s awareness and ability to distinguish between sandhill cranes and protected species which may be encountered while hunting. The test is now available online.

The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission established a limited sandhill crane hunting season for a designated area in East Tennessee. The sandhill crane hunting season begins with the late waterfowl season on Nov. 28 and runs through Jan. 1, 2014.

---TWRA---