GET IT RIGHT
Ratajczak said you want to make sure you get your application done correctly and submitted on time. Mail-in quota hunt applications are no longer an option. A list of quota hunts is available at license agents and online. Hunters may also 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 2007 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.

Hunters with Internet access may go online to www.state.tn.us/twra/ and apply for a quota hunt. Click on “On-Line Hunting/Fishing Licenses & Boat Renewals” and follow the on-screen directions. The beauty of the system is that you can check your application status later through a link on the same page.

The deadline for applying for the TWRA’s quota hunts has for years been set in stone as the third Wednesday in July. The best news for applicants is many of the mistakes made on their annual applications can now be avoided thanks to the online form. Mistakes may be noted immediately as required fields have to be filled in.

On the WMA Quota Draw Hunts, you either have priority or you don’t. Getting priority is easy; keeping it is tough. To obtain priority status, you had to have been unsuccessful in the draw the prior year. If you are drawn for any of your choices, the next year you would have no priority status.

Many hunters want to know how long it takes to be drawn on a desired hunt once they obtain priority status. If you have a specific WMA that you want to be drawn for, it’s best to only list that WMA on your application. Once you have priority status, you should submit an application each year.

Ratajczak said he expects the quota hunt priority status to change from a one-year priority to a two-year priority this year and wants to see the status taken out to five years in the near future. What this means is that your chances of being drawn at a premier spot like Presidents Island will be increased greatly.

Finally, if you are drawn for a quota hunt, plan to hunt on an area’s non-quota dates. If you need hunt information, or want to inquire about future hunts, here are some links and phone numbers for details.

TWRA Quota Draw Hunts -- www.tnwildlife.org or consult the TWRA’s 2006 Tennessee Hunting & Trapping Guide.

Milan Army Ammunition Plant -- www.milanarsenalhunting.com/ -- Plenty of information about hunt dates, regulations on the site’s Hunting Notice Page.

Oak Ridge -- To see the 2004 harvest figures and to research this year’s hunts, go online to www.ornl.gov/rmal/huntinfo.htm/.

Fort Campbell -- For more information about Fort Campbell’s hunts call (270) 798-2175. You are required to have a hunter’s safety certificate to hunt Fort Campbell.

LBL -- You can call the main office for hunt information at (270) 924-2065 or get details on the draw hunt at http://www.lbl.org/RecreationLinks.html/.

Holston Army Ammunition Plant -- The Hunt Information Line for Holston Defense is (423) 578-6291.

Find more about Tennessee fishing and hunting at: TennesseeSportsmanMag.com