Like the spoiled little kid who sits in the middle of a pile of toys and says, "I'm bored and don't have nobody to play with," there is probably a would-be hunter somewhere in Tennessee who grumbles about not having a place to hunt. If so, Brother, you have not looked. There are almost 100 wildlife management areas (WMAs) across the state ranging from 53 acres to a whopping 625,000 acres in size. Toss in almost 63,000 acres of privately owned public-hunting lands and the idea that you're stuck in front of the boob tube instead of walking to the woods draws a collective "Ho-hum" from most Volunteer State sportsmen. There are very few locations in Tennessee that are more than a half-hour's drive from a place to hunt.

For the small-game fancier there is a downside. On most WMAs, management focus is on deer, waterfowl and wild turkeys in their respective seasons. Rabbit, squirrel and quail hunters who prefer to do their hunting with dogs are pretty much up against it, especially during deer season, although regulations and restrictions vary from place to place.

On the positive side, during those periods when small-game hunting is allowed on public land, the hunting can be relatively good. While much of the best deer hunting nowadays is on private land, truly excellent squirrel hunting is widely available on public land, and hunting pressure is typically very light.

Rabbit hunting quality varies with the type of habitat on a given unit of public land, but rabbits are also widespread and public-land hunting can be good.

Quail on public land are much harder to find. Sadly, the general decline in quail populations includes birds on public land. But there are some places where hunters and dogs can stretch their legs and with some luck still partake in the magic of a rising covey of quail erupting out of cover.

Finding out what the nearest public hunting lands allow is as simple as picking up your telephone and calling for details. Every WMA manager's office is listed in the Tennessee Hunting & Trapping Guide. The personnel there can give you accurate and timely information on small-game numbers, mast production and a host of other tidbits that will increase your odds of success. Think about it: You wouldn't go hunting on Uncle Bob's farm without asking him where to start looking for furred and feathered game. The same applies here, and asking the people who are there every day just makes sense.

This is also a better way to start than simply going by last year's published small-game harvest figures. Jim Hamlington of TWRA's Region I office in Jackson put that in perspective by saying, "The simple fact is, our management areas are woefully underhunted, especially when it comes to small game. It's hard to get accurate figures in terms of the harvest when few, if any, people are hunting there to start with. On top of that, a change in mast production or other food source can move squirrels drastically. If a spot had lots of white oak acorns last year but the red oaks across the ridge are more productive this year, your old hotspot can be empty, the hunter goes home empty-handed, and not far away the woods can be full of squirrels. The harvest figures for that day sure don't reflect the actual populations. It's that simple."