Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

Unfortunately for most of us, we don't own thousands of acres of prime deer-hunting ground. However, most of us do own a good bow or perhaps a new crossbow these days, and you don't have to own land elsewhere in another state to kill a deer with a bow.

There are prime acres across the state to take a deer with archery equipment and plenty of days to get it done. Bowhunting for whitetail deer is as popular as ever in the Volunteer State. Here's a look at where to take a deer -- and maybe even a trophy -- on public lands in Tennessee.

REGION I
It's no secret that Presidents Island is the top public-land bowhunt destination out there, and that goes not only for Region I, but also for Tennessee as a whole. In fact, Presidents Island draw hunts are among the best public-land trophy hunts in the entire country. Region I TWRA deer biologist Alan Peterson would tell you the same thing.

When it comes to bowhunts, Peterson said there are few opportunities like Presidents Island to kill a deer of a lifetime, but the odds of being drawn are very low. If you just want to take a deer with archery equipment, your best opportunities may just lie in the Unit L counties where harvests are very liberal.

Peterson said that, for sheer quality opportunities, other WMAs that require your attention in Region I obviously include LBL, Fort Campbell and the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge. There are also those WMAs like Natchez Trace and Chickasaw that don't see much pressure from hunters, especially during the archery seasons.

Natchez Trace features 40,000 acres with plenty of forest to hunt and Chickasaw has 13,000 acres. The biggest drawback at these areas is the lack of food plots and fields. Peterson said there are a handful of fields at best but more than enough forest and clearcuts to hunt, terrain that can make things tough, but by no means impossible, for a bowhunter.

LBL and Fort Campbell are just the opposite: They feature bunches of fields and plenty of edges to hunt. The archery season at LBL is open from late September through January; hunters can bowhunt the area anytime a quota deer hunt is not going on. LBL has about three to four quota hunts each deer season. At Fort Campbell, keep in mind hunter access is sometimes difficult depending on soldier training schedules. Hunters have to register and call on the day they wish to hunt to see if they can be selected to hunt there.

Peterson said most WMAs in Region I are managed for waterfowl. These are often overlooked little refuges where deer and bowhunters can meet. Travel routes and corridors to and from fields as well as entrances and exits are opportune places to hang a tree stand. Many of these numerous waterfowl refuges are also closed to hunting beginning on Nov. 1, and that means the deer living there aren't pressured by gun hunts.

These small havens can't handle many hunters, but for those willing to work at it and scout a bit, there may be a good deer awaiting you. Peterson said he knows of two Pope and Young quality deer that were taken off such waterfowl refuges last year. The waterfowl refuges hold plenty of corn and the opportunity to hunt the edges of such fields.

In Region I, archery season is more about opportunity than a harvest tool. It's about more time in the woods for sportsmen. Peterson said if you wanted to kill many deer to control a deer population, you wouldn't do it with a bow.

With regard to numbers of deer being killed by archers, Peterson, like most wildlife managers across the state, feels that the legalization of crossbows have had no significant impact on the archery harvest overall. In 2005, hunters took 19,897 deer with archery equipment. In 2006, bowhunters harvested 21,400 whitetails.

Presidents Island is obviously the top bowhunt around. What specifically makes it that way in Peterson's opinion is the deer found there. They have absolute protection, and the soils are rich and allow the bucks to grow big antlers. He said the island is off-limits to everybody but the farmers that farm it.

"It's like if you had a bowhunt in Cades Cove," explained Peterson about Presidents Island. "It's a deer Eden."

REGION II
Russ Skoglund, a wildlife biologist in Region II, said most of their WMAs would be good in the early seasons, but later on the archery-only WMAs, such as Shelton Ferry, Gallatin Steam Plant and Cedar Hill Swamp, would be the best bets for bowhunters.

When it comes to concentrating on terrain versus food, he said to look for persimmons early. This past spring, the region and much of the state had a devastating late frost that appears to have eliminated any chance of a hard-mast crop of oak, hickory or walnut. It is possible the red oaks will produce since they set their fruit the previous year. Travel routes to limited food sources will be key this fall.

Skoglund said probably the most successful time for a harvest is during the hours from 10 o'clock to noon, when other hunters are coming out of the woods and moving the deer. He said Region II's buck-doe ratio is improving, but hunters still do not harvest the number of does needed to control the deer herd there. He believes the late September to mid-October period is best.

More importantly, Skoglund said archery hunt dates in Region II give archers a chance at harvesting a deer before the onslaught of gun hunters enters the woods.