Hunting Regs For Tennessee, Cross Creeks Refuges Available

The US Fish and Wildlife Service announces hunt program information for Tennessee and Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge in West Tennessee.  The new hunt brochures for each refuge are now available online and at refuge offices, kiosks and area sporting goods stores.  Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge provides hunting opportunities on all three of its units for white-tailed deer, raccoon, wild turkey, squirrel and resident Canada goose.  Cross Creeks provides hunts for all the above species except raccoon.

Hunt brochures have been distributed to sporting goods shops, refuge information kiosks, and are available to download online at the refuge websites for Tennessee at  http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Tennessee or Cross Creeks NWR at http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Cross_Creeks.  Refuge hunt brochures may also be picked up at the Tennessee refuge headquarters at 1371 Wildlife Drive in Springville, TN or at the Cross Creeks refuge headquarters at 643 Wildlife Road in Dover, TN, or can be sent to you by mail by calling 731-642-2091 and leaving your name and address.

All hunters must apply for quota hunts online at the individual refuge websites. Tennessee and Cross Creeks quota hunts are two separate lottery draws. A company named RecAccess is being used to conduct these lottery quota hunt draws for each refuge.  Hunters must initially sign-up for an account with RecAccess and be assigned a RecAccess Identification (or RAID) Number before applying the first time. The Tennessee NWR sign-up web address is: http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Tennessee The Cross Creeks NWR sign-up web address is: http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Cross_Creeks. Hunters will only have to do this once and can use their account numbers for successive years or at other refuges that use RecAccess. Hunters can immediately sign-up for this free account number by going to the refuge websites. The quota hunt application period now open through August 1st. When applying for the individual refuge quota hunts, hunters will be charged a $5.00 application fee collected by RecAccess for administering the drawing. There are no refunds on application fees.

The refuge quota hunt draw will continue to be a weighted draw that uses preference points. Hunters can also apply as a party hunt for up to 5 hunters. One hunter will need to apply for each party.  You will need the name and RAID number for each hunter in the party.  The applying hunter will be charged for all the hunt party’s application fees of $5.00 per hunter. Hunters will NOT be able to go back and add additional hunters to their party after applying.  Hunters will be notified of the hunt draw results by email on August 10^th.

All quota and non-quota hunters, age 17 and older, must purchase a Refuge Annual Hunting Permit at a fee of $15.00.   This permit allows you to hunt on both Cross Creeks and Tennessee NWR.  Once again hunters can purchase these permits through TWRA licensing agents, online at gooutdoorstennessee.com, or on the TWRA mobile app. To purchase a permit through a licensing agent, it might be helpful to know the permit code of “064” for a TNWR/Cross Creeks permit.  Youth hunters age 16 and under do not need an Annual Hunting Permit, however the adult supervising them during the hunt is required to have one.

For more information on the refuge hunt program, please contact the Paris refuge headquarters at 731-642-2091.