"Cordell Hull is a more open-water hunt than Chickamauga," said Layton. "The hunt area is adjacent to the Cordell Hull refuge and hunters are trying to work birds coming to and from the refuge. The bag is usually a mix of puddle ducks -- mallards, wood ducks, gadwalls -- with a few divers mixed in and the occasional resident Canada goose."

Access to Cordell Hull is available through public boat launches around the Army Corps of Engineers lake. For more information on duck hunting in Region 3, contact the Crossville office at (931) 484-9571.

Region IV
Many hunters consider eastern Tennessee's Region IV the "least duck hunter friendly" part of the state. According to wildlife manager Dan Gibbs, most of the duck hunting in the area is either done from the shoreline around open water public lakes or on private lands. He indicates that the hottest waterfowl hunting typically occurs during the early September season for resident populations of Canada geese on the Chota Unit at Tellico Lake in Monroe County.

"That's where we transplant a lot of our nuisance geese that we trap in other locations," explained Gibbs. "Chota is a refuge during the main waterfowl seasons, but there may be some increased goose populations that spill over to the lake at Tellico."

He goes on to explain that the TWRA has not managed any area in Region IV for waterfowl hunting in the past but has plans to begin management of the Lick Creek Bottoms WMA in Greene County in the next couple of years.

"Lick Creek has a lot of flat land that is a couple of miles removed from the local refuge rather than right next to it like some properties. Plans are to plant crops attractive to waterfowl and even provide some water-control devices to manipulate water levels once the season is in," he said.

Until then, the majority of public waterfowl hunting takes place along Norris Reservoir, the Clinch River and Tellico Lake. Hunters can expect to see mostly resident goose populations unless winter weather conditions force migrating birds across the eastern part of the state later in the season. Gibbs indicates those situation can often heat up the duck hunting for several days for those who time the migrations right.

Before You Go

All waterfowl hunters are required to have the following in order to hunt waterfowl in Tennessee: the appropriate license(s) -- hunting/fishing combo and a waterfowl license or a sportsman's license, a federal duck stamp, and a Tennessee Migratory Bird Permit (HIP permit). Non-residents must have adequate non-resident licenses. A WMA permit may also be required. For legal hunting dates this year, check the regulations before your hunt.