TWRA reminds boaters to register all watercraft
In anticipation of the warm summer months, many people at this time buy, sell, or trade boats, and two of the most frequently asked questions new boat owners have for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is, ?Do I have to register my boat?? and ?How do I do it??
Tennessee law requires that all mechanically powered vessels (including documented vessels) and all sailboats that are principally used in Tennessee must be registered by the TWRA. Mechanical propulsion includes electronic trolling motors and gas or diesel powered motors, but does not include boats powered by oars or paddles. Boats that require registration must be properly registered before using them on any public waters of Tennessee.
Applications for Boat Certificate of Number (boat registration application) can be obtained from boat dealers, and county clerks. If a boat is purchased from an individual other than a dealer, the County Court Clerk must complete the County Court Clerk?s Certification on the application. Boats which have never been registered before must show certification that their sales tax was paid when purchased. After completing the application, it should be mailed to the Boating Section of the TWRA in Nashville.
For more information on boating and boat registration, visit the agency?s website at www.tnwildlife.org .
Boat owners may now renew their boat registrations over the counter with the new Remote Easy Access License (REAL) system located at TWRA license agents and at all TWRA regional offices.
Boat registration fees are based on the length of the boat. The vessel may be registered for one, two, or three years. After making application for registration, you will receive a pocket-sized certificate of numbers and decals showing the vessel number and expiration date. The pocket-sized card must be on-board any time the vessel is in use. It is the responsibility of the boat owner to paint on or permanently attach the registration numbers to the forward half of the boat.
If the vessel is lost, stolen, and/or recovered, destroyed, abandoned, or transferred to another person, the Certificate of Number issued for the vessel must be surrendered, together with written notification of its change in status, to the TWRA within 15 days of the event. If the change in status is transfer of ownership, the name and address of the new owner must be included in the notification.
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Rules to Keep Turkey Hunting Safe
Due to the tremendous success of Tennessee?s turkey restoration efforts, the interest in turkey hunting is on the increase. As with any hunting, there are certain rules needed to keep turkey hunting safe for the participants, reminds the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Of primary concern is the occasional accident when a turkey hunter does properly identify his or her target. Even one accident is too many. The TWRA encourages all turkey hunters to follow defensive turkey hunting tactics recommended by the National Wild Turkey Federation.
If you plan to hunt wild turkeys in Tennessee this season follow these safety rules:
? Select the largest stump, blow-down, tree trunk or rock that is wider than your shoulders and higher than your head to place your back against when calling; a hunter is more likely to spot another hunter when moving to the front or side than from behind.
? Eliminate the colors white, red, black and blue from your hunting outfit; this includes handkerchiefs, socks, underwear, etc? these are the colors of a turkey gobbler.
? Select your calling spot in open timber rather than thick brush; eliminating movement is the key to success, not concealment.
? Be discreet when imitating the sound of a gobbling turkey.
? A good woodsman can always detect movement in the woods by watching other game or listening for the alarm cries of blue jays, crows, squirrels or woodpeckers. Be alert.
? When songbirds, crows or your turkey shuts up, be alert. There?s a good chance another hunter may be moving in on the same turkey.
? Never move, wave or make turkey sounds to alert another hunter of your presence. Remain still and speak in a loud, clear voice to announce your presence. These tactics are safer than quick movements. Use common sense.
For all the rules and regulations about the 2007 turkey season, pick up a copy of the 2006 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide available wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold or visit the agency?s website at www.tnwildlife.org.
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SPRING BRINGS WARMER WEATHER AND
TROUT HATCHERY TRUCKS TO TENNESSEE
It?s that time of year when spring begins to warm up Tennessee and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency?s hatchery trucks travel to streams across the state in order to release thousands of rainbow trout for the benefit of anglers.
Most trout stocked in Region III on the Cumberland Plateau are reared in the Dale Hollow National Fish Hatchery, Buffalo Springs Hatchery, Flintville Hatchery, and Tellico Rearing Station where crews of TWRA professionals have efficiently filled trout release requests for decades.
Anglers can obtain information about which streams are stocked, which counties those streams are in, and the week trout are scheduled to be stocked by reading the 2001 edition of TWRA?s Tennessee Fishing Regulations brochure. Warren County will receive its next stocking of rainbow trout during the week of April 8th and then again during the week of April 22nd at Charles Creek, Barren Fork and Mountain Creek. In order to fish for trout you will need a type 001 Hunting and Fishing license plus a type 022 Annual trout License.
Pages 20-23 of the 2007 Fishing Guide list the regulations pertaining to trout fishing in Tennessee along with a trout stocking schedule. Fishing guides have been sent to businesses that sell fishing licenses and should now be available across the state.