Fish & Field
The Eagle’s Nest • Halloween Edition • October 2006
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Elk hunting in Tennessee a possibility By JIMMY KELTCH JIMMY@RHEACOUNTYEAGLESNEST.ORG
Currently, we cannot hunt elk in Tennessee. In fact, anyone who fires on an elk could face imprisonment. However, things many no be this way for long. Could Tennesseeans hunt elk legally— though under strict conditions—over the next year or so? At its September meeting in Nashville, the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Commission heard a preliminary report on the possibility of establishing an elk hunt in Tennessee. The report, prepared following a request last May from the commission, suggested the possibility of establishing a hunting season for elk as early as 2007. “This is a very preliminary report,” TWRA Chief of Wildlife Greg Wather
warned. “Whether or not the agency will recommend an elk season will depend on the results of a more intensive study of the status of Tennessee’s elk herd and its survival and reproduction rates, which will be conducted this winter. Recommendation on how to set up the hunt will be made to the commission at its December meeting, after the agency has had an opportunity to take public comments.” Wather said that any proposed hunting season would be strictly limited, and take place only on public lands. “And there are several alternatives that the agency is considering, including quota hunts similar to Tennessee’s current big game quota hunt system, quota hunts with an application fee, and issuing a permit.” Funds raised from issuing elk-hunting permits would be channeled back into the state’s elk management program.
PHOTO BY TIJMEN VAN DOBBENBURGH
Once-extinct elk have made enough of a comeback in Tennessee for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to consider allowing limited hunts.
Load up your black powder By JIMMY KELTCH JIMMY@RHEACOUNTYEAGLESNEST.ORG
Archery season is rounding off and muzzleloading is here. A week of muzzleloading and archery opens November 4th and runs through the 10th. A limit of one antlerd and four non-antlered is required for this hunt. After that, archery opens up for another week, running through the November 17th, followed by rifle, muzzleloader, and archery with an antlered limit of two starting on November 18th and running through December 3rd. For a complete column, please check out the TWRA hunting and trapping guide. Rabbit season opens November 11th and closes February 28th with a daily bag limit of five. Of course, for all of you who prefer to enjoy the outdoors with a good hunting dog or two, remember to get your dogs in shape before you take them hunting. If you take an out-of-shape dog on a two-day hunt without running him normally, there is a real chance that a heart attack may occur—no joke. Dogs have been known to keep running rabbits no matter what, so be responsible for them. Your dog should be run a recommended two to three times a week prior to hunting.
PHOTOS BY JIMMY KELTCH
Right before your very eyes, Mr. Derlak ties up a humdinger of a fishing lure!
‘Lak’s Lures: By JIMMY KELTCH JIMMY@RHEACOUNTYEAGLESNEST.ORG
He is one of our own: Mr. Derlak, lure maker extrordinaire. I bet you did not know that Mr. Derlak made his own fishing lures. He started way back during his freshman year in high school. First, it was a hobby, but later it became a passion. When asked what motivated him to create his own lures, he replied, “My grandpa used to make them so I thought it would be cool.” He currently is able to earn a profit off his lures, which average $2.00 a piece. But
Has Mr. Derlak found the perfect hobby?
the money is not what keeps him interested. “It goes deeper than money. There is a feeling you get when you catch a fish with a lure that you made yourself—a feeling of satisfaction.” Those of you interested in making your own lures are in luck—it doesn’t cost much! You can buy the supplies in bulk so they’re cheaper; the hook, according to Mr. Derlak, is the costliest part of the lure, and they are only about 11 cents apiece. To make a simple lure, Mr. Derlak first cuts out a piece of buck jig hair,
choosing from colors ranging from charcoal black to lime green. Mr. Derlak chooses these colors because they are the least affected by water clarity and resemble a life like color pattern. Then, he molds a jig head and ties it on. This is a simple hobby that anyone can do, and that gives the avid fisherman a great sense of satisfaction. Anyone with questions about or an interest in this hobby, feel free to get in touch with Mr. Derlak.
Crappie creel legal catch limits significantly lowered By JIMMY KELTCH JIMMY@RHEACOUNTYEAGLESNEST.ORG
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency voted last week to reduce the Crappie creel limits from the original 30-a-day limit to 15-a-day at the same size of 10 inches. This new law takes effect March 1, 2007. People who break this law will receive severe penalties to be announced later. Since the mid 1990s, TWRA biologists have documented a steady decrease in catch and harvest of white crappie from what were historically some of the best crappie producing reservoirs in Middle
and East Tennessee. “There are numerous reasons for concern pertaining to crappie populations in our more productive reservoirs such as Chickamauga and Watts Bar. In addition, our smaller, less productive reservoirs, are experiencing problems as well. We are faced with less habitat, lower fertility, poor years of spawning success, unstable water levels in the springtime, and other environmental factors. Also, fishing pressure is higher and anglers are more effective due to innovations in technology and communication,” Mike Jolley, Region III Fisheries Biologist said. “Also, we must take into consideration the new Tennes-
see Valley Authority’s Reservoir Operation Study that calls for main stem reservoirs such as Watts Bar and Chickamauga, to be filled one month later than normal, May 15 instead of April 15. This is important to our crappie anglers because much of the preferred spawning habitat is not under water during the peak of the crappie spawn in April. Stable, full pool water levels in the springtime are essential to successful crappie reproduction, as well as other game fish.” TWRA has received numerous requests from anglers to reduce the crappie creel limit. Because of these requests, for the last
two years in Region III, TWRA creel clerks have been asking crappie anglers on Chickamauga and Watts Bar reservoirs if they would support going to a 15 crappie per day creel limit. “2,204 crappie anglers were interviewed with 90% in support of a 15 per day creel limit,” Jolley said. Additional TWRA surveys conducted during this same timeframe on Tims 1/0 Ford, Woods, and Normandy reservoirs had similarly high support (66-77%) for a creel limit reduction. Crappie anglers, beware this coming spring. Get your fishing guide and check into all the details early next year.