Moment: Hunting wildlife

Mike Watson faced north as he sat under an enormous elm tree at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge doing what he loves best - hunting.

"Some of them shoot at 'em a mile high," Watson said as the sound of shotguns echoed in the distance.

"I just get peace of mind coming out here. I know a lot of older people who enjoy eating wild game, and I like it myself," Watson said while dove hunting nine days ago.

It is an annual ritual for some of the area's bird hunters at the Hiwassee Wildlife Management Area in Meigs County, Tenn.

But this was not opening day for dove at the Wildlife Management Area, according to Tennessee Wildlife Management officer Jason Jackson.

On Sept. 13, there were probably 45 to 50 hunters for the afternoon hunt, the manager said of the refuge as he talked near his hunter-green pickup.

"We got more sunflowers this year. And we bought enough fencing so we can fence them off because the deer keep eating them," said Jackson as he pointed to the remaining fence insulators on a nearby tree.

Of the 60 acres, the agency planted about 25 acres in sunflowers, 15-20 acres of millet and the rest in corn.

And this year there was a bounty of dove.

On opening day, Sept. 1, there were between 120 to 130 hunters, according to Jackson.

The manager recorded 516 birds on his log after checking 93 hunters that day.

"And they probably killed close to 700, or more. So we're having a great year," he said.

"This past Saturday, we had a youth hunt and they killed upward of 200 birds," Jackson said.

The youth hunt is sponsored by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Safari Club. It is for youth 10 to 15 years old, and has been very successful for the last seven years, Jackson said.

"We feed barbecue, give them a shirt and box of shells, and then they go out for an afternoon hunt," he said.

The special hunt at the wildlife refuge requires more than the usual hunting and fishing license for legal participation. Steel shot must be used, as the refuge is replete with waterfowl. The use of lead shot is prohibited because of the habitation of waterfowl. It is important to check the TWRA website before hunting, according to Jackson.

The TWRA has a handle on the ecosystem at Hiwassee Refuge.

"They are doing the conservation," Watson said. "They're putting enough feed out here for the herds and flock."

Moment is a weekly column by the Times Free Press photo staff that explores the seldom-told stories of our region.

photo Mike Watson, 58, of Chattanooga, sits atop a cooler last week during a scheduled dove hunt at the Hiwasse Wildlife Refuge in Meigs County.

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