AEDC has long been noted as a place that hunters can go to see plenty of deer and maybe get a shot with a bow. Skoglund said even though these hunts are drawn out, they are generally very poorly participated in. He believes this allows a hunter a good chance at harvesting a quality deer. AEDC has a non-quota archery hunt in October that follows a quota archery hunt. Deer numbers are down somewhat on this area, but size and quality have increased.

Cheatham WMA probably offers one of the best opportunities for a bowhunter to harvest a deer because its seasons are open with statewide Unit L deer season through mid-December. Deer numbers on this area appear to be down from prior years, however. Hunters may have a long time to bowhunt there, but that advantage may be balanced or partially canceled by lower deer numbers.

George Buttrey, another deer biologist in Region II, said that because they are open with the statewide seasons, Cheatham and Yanahli WMAs provide more days of bowhunting, but Eagle Creek and Laurel Hill WMAs offer 21 and 16 days of archery hunting, respectively. He said you stand to kill a good buck on either area and a more mature buck with 9 points or better on Laurel Hill.

Buttrey also said the AEDC bowhunts are definitely worthy of pursuing. He said the first hunt on AEDC, which is non-quota for the first time in a long time, opens the day before the statewide archery season opens. Your chance of harvesting a deer is good. Bag limit is two deer, either sex on the archery hunts, but only one can be an antlered deer. The regulation allows you to go ahead, shoot that doe the first day, and still have two more days to shoot a buck.

REGION III
Ben Layton, a wildlife biologist well known for his whitetail knowledge across Tennessee, said if a bowhunter is seeking just an opportunity to harvest a deer each year without going through a drawing process, he would recommend Fall Creek Falls WMA.

Fall Creek Falls has a non-quota archery hunt in November that follows its three-day quota hunt. Each year, several older age-class bucks are harvested there. The area averages about one Pope and Young deer each year. The hunts are timed for the rut, but the hunts are the same time as the first muzzleloader segment of the statewide season, so this keeps hunter numbers down somewhat.

Catoosa WMA has nine days of non-quota archery hunting in October. Layton said this area provides bowhunters an opportunity to bowhunt without going through a drawing process and offers them a good chance at an older buck. At Catoosa, Layton said the biggest advantage for archers is the fact that they can hunt there without going through a drawing process. Hunters have a good chance at a quality buck there. In addition, archery hunters have a bonus of being able to take wild boar during the archery hunts.

Layton said other WMAs in Region III where hunters have to be randomly drawn, but are areas that produce good bucks and have good deer herds, include Oak Ridge, Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant and Yuchi Refuge.

Oak Ridge WMA produces some good bucks and the archery areas have relatively high deer density. Those characteristics make this WMA a strong choice for hunters who want to take a deer with a bow, but don't want to completely give up on the possibility that they will have a chance at an older buck.

Layton points out that at Oak Ridge, even though hunters have to be drawn for the area, they stand a good chance of being drawn every other year. In fact, some hunts each year do not fill their quotas in the priority drawing, so some hunters may be drawn for a hunt without being on priority status. However, most of these openings are during the December hunts when it is more difficult to archery hunt because of leaf fall and reduced deer movement.

Layton said Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant has a healthy deer herd, including some nice bucks. It, like Oak Ridge, is a good area for hunters wanting to take a deer but still have a reasonable opportunity to harvest an older age-class buck. Presently, hunters have a good chance of being drawn for a hunt here at least every other year.

He feels Yuchi Refuge has relatively high deer numbers, but the overall quality of bucks harvested here is not as great as other areas. This may be due in part to low hunter quota numbers on the area. Bowhunters may have to apply for two years or more before they are drawn for a hunt there.

Of course, to a great extent, the experience you have hunting any of these public lands depends a good deal on how you hunt.

Layton believes bowhunters ought to approach hunting a WMA's food sources and terrain by taking into account what they, as hunters, are looking for in their hunting experience.

If they want quality bucks, they should concentrate on areas that have abundant food resources and regulations that prevent the harvest of younger bucks. However, this being said, areas with difficult terrain will often produce good bucks simply because areas that are hard to access tend to be the places older experienced bucks go in the face of hunting pressure.