Woods & Water: Hunter safety course offered
With the weather warming up and hunting season in full swing, it’s about time to start thinking about hunter safety. If you have a son or daughter who will be hunting with you this spring, or if you are planning a hunting trip out of state, now’s the time to register for the first hunting safety course this year.
To take the course you must be at least 9 years of age. Since more and more people are traveling out west each year on hunting trips, we encourage parents to attend the course with their child. Many states require completion of a hunter safety course for all ages, whereas Tennessee only requires it for those hunters born after Jan. 1, 1969.
The course consists of training in areas such as wildlife management, home firearm safety, first aid, and knowledge of firearms and archery, muzzleloaders and other useful information. The course will be held March 4-8 with a live fire exercise on March 9. The course will begin each night from 6-8 at the Warren County Administrative Building (around back). There is no preregistration required but students need to bring a pencil and their social security number to the first night of class. The course is free of charge. If you have a small portable fold-up chair, you may want to bring it, just in case. If you need more information about the class, you can call me at 686-8972 or e-mail at [email protected].
2002 fishing regulations available — with
a new look
The “Tennessee Fishing Regulations 2002” are now available and have a new look. The regulations for 2002 are in a new magazine format with larger print for easier reading. The new regulations also contain a helpful hints section that cover everything from hook, line and sinker, to phone numbers to obtain the latest water release schedules for TVA and Corps of Engineers dams in Tennessee. Major changes for 2002 can be found on page 2 in the “What’s New At A Glance” section.
“Tennessee Fishing Regulations 2002” can be picked up at all TWRA Regional Offices and anywhere hunting and fishing licenses are sold. And speaking of licenses, the new hunting and fishing licenses for 2002 became available from license agents on Monday, Feb. 18.
Licenses can also be purchased over a toll-free telephone number (1-888-814-8972) with a credit card (Visa, Discover, Master Card). Regular license fees plus a $3.95 processing fee will be charged to your credit card.
Trout truck’s a-coming
It’s getting to be the time of year when folks start wondering when the trout truck will be coming to stock their favorite fishing holes. The spring stocking schedule is almost ready to begin and hatchery raceways are full of fish, which will be released into many of Tennessee’s streams.
With the help of federal hatcheries, TWRA releases more than one million trout each year into Tennessee’s lakes, tailwaters, and creeks. Although most of the lake stocking is done in the wintertime, streams stocking for trout begins in late winter or early spring and continues into the summer or early fall. Water temperatures and water flow determine how far into the summer or fall trout can be stocked into a particular stream.
Stocked streams are managed under a put-and-take system. Fish are stocked at catchable size and are normally caught out by fishermen within a few days, although some fish may remain in the stream for months before being harvested. Trout stocked at the beginning of the stocking season are typically 8-to-10 inches in length. As the season progresses, stocked fish are progressively larger.
This year, the first stream stocking for Warren County will begin on March 13. The date listed is the actual day the stocking will take place. Upper Hills Creek – March 13 and April 9; Charles Creek – March 21, April 17 and May 9; North Barren Fork – March 21, April 17 and May 9; Mountain Creek – March 21 and April 17.
The complete stocking schedule for the year will be included in the 2002 Tennessee Fishing Regulations, which are available now. The schedule can already be found on the TWRA Web Page at www.tnwildlife.org.