JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission approved new elk hunt permits and hunting zones recommended by the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA) on Friday as it set up next year’s hunting guidelines.
According to a release from the TWRA, the commission approved four elk permits and two additional elk hunting zones:
Since the reintroduction of elk throughout the state in 2000 and hunts began in 2009, the TWRA said 96 bull elk have been collected by hunters. In total, the state now has 19 permits for elk hunting and 10 available zones. Half of the new permits are now dedicated to gun hunts, and half are archery permits.
In addition to elk hunt votes, the commission also opted to establish two new refuges in the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area near the newly-approved hunt zones:
- Otey Mills Refuge
- Crooked Creek Refuge
No changes were added to 2024’s deer, bear, turkey or small game seasons aside from calendar dates, the release said. A 30-mile stretch of the Mississippi River was also opened by the commission for silver carp and paddlefish commercial fishing, and gear allowances for invasive carp fishing in the Pickwick Reservoir were specified as well.
