I was extremely blessed to draw the coveted TN elk tag this year. I have hunted elk out west for six years and was very excited to be able to have the opportunity to chase elk in my home state. I spent all spring and summer looking forward to this trip. I want to start by giving a huge shout out to Brad Miller, the TWRA elk program coordinator.

I thought there was a very real chance that this fool standing next to me was going to get one or both of us killed, or at least seriously injured, and probably our families too. This was in Alaska, in a city park in Anchorage, and I had just pulled off the park road so my wife and small son and I could watch a big bull moose taking it easy back in the tree line. He was quite a sight; you hear how massive and powerful they are in person, and how a picture or video doesn’t do them justice, and it’s true, there is nothing like just being near one.

The trip began with a phone call to my good buddy Brandon Masters who lives in Spring City and operates Watts Bar Bait Company. After a fun-filled day with the family in downtown Chattanooga., We checked the weather and current using the TVA app and decided to fish Nickajack.

As simple as it may sound, seeing turkeys is a significant part of managing the state’s wild turkey resource. Every summer, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) staff, along with a few natural resource professionals from other agencies, record observations of wild turkeys and their young made during their regular field work activities.

During the spring of 2020, thanks to Covid-19 and work from home policies, I had the opportunity to take many mid-day walks around the neighborhood with my wife. These daily outings were, for the most part, enjoyable times together, talking, reflecting, and getting some exercise. But they also led to a troublesome “honey-do” for me. See, my wife saw several neighbors who had beautiful, manicured lawns and decided she wanted a lovely lawn like that, too.

The Peregrine Falcon is swift, fearless, and powerful. From ledges high on rocky cliffs, the falcon sits motionless, surveying its surroundings. When it spies its quarry — an unwary ground squirrel or pigeon — the falcon launches into the air. In seconds it accelerates from a stand-still to a blur of speed; it strikes with one talon foot before the prey has time to react. When a small bird flushes ahead of a peregrine, it shifts into high gear delivering a head on kill. The falcon streaks forward like an arrow, with great agility then twisting and turning in zigzag pursuit. It easily outmaneuvers even the swiftest of smaller birds.

1. Purchasing a license directly provides for future generations of hunters, anglers and all those that enjoy wildlife.

This year the Conservation Raffle consist of 7 great prize packages that 7 winners will have a chance to choose from.

Top Five Reasons to Duck Hunt in Tennessee

Presidents Island is Tennessee’s most highly sought-after deer bow hunt. The 6,800 acres was opened to hunting in 2000 and quickly became known as a place to harvest a large mature buck in Tennessee.

The only way you can hunt elk in Tennessee is to win a quota hunt or the TN Conservation Raffle and both opportunities are now available for entry! There’s lots of great reasons to want to hunt elk in Tennessee, but here’s a few that we wanted to highlight.

Tennessee is in the top ten states with the largest estimated wild turkey populations and the most annual birds harvested