Tell the truth -- you lie in bed at night thinking about it. And when sleep comes, you dream about your draw hunt. It's been a full year since you placed your name in the hat for your shot at Tennessee's highly sought-after deer draw hunts.

The decision on which hunt code to put on the application shouldn't be this hard, so we just made it a little simpler for you. For many Tennessee sportsmen, the state's draw hunts offer their best harvest opportunities of the year. Here is how to make the most of your annual chance at a public-land deer.

A NEW ERA IN WHITETAIL RECORD KEEPING
The electronic age hasn't leapfrogged deer management; instead, it's caught it up to the rest of the world. Last season was the first the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) counted entirely on keeping whitetail harvest records electronically. Through the R.E.A.L. system, successful hunters checked their harvests in electronically instead of using the old paper method at big-game checking stations. And what a difference it has made, not only for tracking WMA and draw hunt harvests, but for tallying the statewide totals.

"We're talking clean data," said Daryl Ratajczak, TWRA's big-game coordinator. Of the over 166,000 deer harvest records entered, mistakes were only found with 46 of them. In the past, harvest data wasn't available until mid-March. Now, hunters and biologists alike can expect complete harvest information by the first of February each year. What that also means is instead of relying on WMA harvest records from the prior year for our look at the best draw hunts, we now have the 2005 harvests readily available to help us with this look at where the best draw hunts await you.

The electronic harvest record tracking also means the process of setting the deer season will be moved up, allowing hunters more time to plan. Changing the season setting process or deadlines will be at the discretion of wildlife commissioners after they determine just how accurate the new process is, but it appears so far to be solid.

NEW ONLINE APPLICATIONS
One change for hunters is that they will be required to either submit their annual quota hunt applications online or at a licensing agent.

Hunters applying for a quota hunt need to be aware of major changes in the quota hunt application process beginning with the 2006 season. There will no longer be a mail-in quota hunt application. The 2006 Spring Turkey Quota Hunt application was the first fully automated quota hunt process ever administered by the TWRA.

A list of available quota hunts will be at license agents and online. Hunters may walk into any license agent (including TWRA regional offices) and apply. You will need your TWRA number and required fees, if any. Annual Sportsman and Lifetime Sportsman license holders and seniors with a type 167 permit are not required to pay the fee.

Using the 2006 Quota Hunt instruction sheet, select the hunt choices for the areas you wish to apply. After applying, the license agent will give the applicant a receipt listing name, address, hunt choices and fees. Be sure to verify all information (including address) on the application receipt to ensure you will receive quota hunt information after the drawing.