Eakes added Wolf Creek is the sleeper area in his district. It's overlooked because it is fragmented, you've got to pay attention to boundaries and learn the area to successfully hunt it.

Last year, archers put in 365 man-days and took 24 deer on Wolf Creek.

"It's not terribly large, but it's a good area," Eakes said in describing the 10,240-acre WMA.

Hunters on the 18,190 acres of the Lauderdale area expended 180 days of effort and took 13 deer last season. Still, Eakes said the opportunity is there.

"This area is close to the Tennessee River, so the terrain is very steep," he said. "A lot of timber management has been done on the area, so it's really thick."

He recommended finding corners where thickets meet hardwoods as a good place to target deer on Lauderdale.

The Sam R. Murphy WMA is one of the better ones in this district. Last year, archers spent 475 days hunting the area and took 50 deer.

"It's another of those places where a little prior knowledge will go a long way," Eakes offered.

Like the northeast corner, this northwest portion of the state has a couple of waterfowl/small-game units with special bowhunting opportunities.

Swan Creek WMA near Decatur offers a one-month season from Oct. 15 to mid-November. Archers expended 835 days of effort here and took 48 deer last season.

Seven Mile Island WMA has a hunt from the day after Christmas until the end of the season on Jan. 31. Archers spent 160 days hunting the area and took 22 deer last year.

"Both these areas are small, right against the river and the habitat is very limited," Eakes described.

But they still provide an opportunity. Both areas have some agriculture, so the deer are likely to have good groceries to put on fat.

The Riverton Community Hunting Area also provides some opportunity. It's another steep area just off the river. Bowhunters spent 699 days here last year and took 17 deer.

GOING DEEP
One way to separate yourself from the masses on the public land bowhunts is to "go deep." That's getting back off the roads and deep into the interior of the tracts. It's one tactic my pal, Andy Beasley, uses. But the gear is a little specialized.

The deep woods, public-land hunter needs a light stand. You don't want to pack in a 23-pound climber if you're going to walk 1 1/2 miles.

Beasley bowhunts out of a Lone Wolf lock-on that weighs less than 10 pounds or a Guido's Web sling harness that tips the scales at about 7 pounds.

You also want the lightest clothing you can find, such as some of the new wind-resistant fleeces. Still, Beasley swears by the old King of the Mountain wool.

He finds his way around these big areas with a nifty GPS unit that includes satellite imagery and maps downloaded from a home computer.

You may also want to rethink how you bring your game out of the woods, in case you're successful. It's not too tough to drag a deer 200 or 300 yards to the truck, but more than a mile is a little different!

Beasley has gone to quartering his deer in the field when he's deep, just like they do out West. He then brings the deboned deer out in a large Army surplus Alice pack.

That's not to say all great public spots are a mile or more into the woods, but it pays to have the gear for a deep hunt in your repertoire if you plan to get serious about this public-land bowhunting.