Fred Walker, a Maryville resident who owns property in the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area, urged the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission during public comment to consider establishing a Flintlock hunting season and to promote historical education tied to muzzleloading traditions.

Walker said he provided commissioners with materials from Pennsylvania, where a Flintlock season has operated for decades, and offered paper copies to commissioners. He proposed a three-week January Flintlock season for North Cumberland WMA and invited commissioners and state and local representatives to a Campbell County Outdoor Recreation Association meeting on Sept. 2 in Jacksboro to discuss the proposal. Walker said his goal is education about Tennessee history and that a focused season or event could promote that education.

Several commissioners responded during the discussion. Vice Chairman Greg Davenport (as identified in the meeting) and other commissioners encouraged using existing season structures and marketing to promote Flintlock-style events, noting that hunters can already use muzzleloaders during certain seasons and that the commission recently preserved the traditional muzzleloader season during spring season setting. Commissioners also cautioned that eliminating blaze-orange requirements to replicate a purely traditional look would likely require legislative approval and could raise safety concerns, which the commission does not have the authority to waive unilaterally.

Separately, a commissioner raised concerns about deer depredation and asked the commission and director to consider establishing a committee or task force to examine depredation permits, enforcement and safety. That speaker described recent incidents in West Tennessee involving high-volume nighttime shooting associated with depredation permits and said farmers are concerned about crop damage and the inconsistent local enforcement response. The speaker said many hunters and landowners are upset about perceived impacts on smaller landowners adjacent to large tracts where deer are being removed.

Walker said he was available to meet with commissioners after the meeting to discuss details and to share his historical materials; commissioners thanked him for traveling to the meeting. No formal action was taken on the Flintlock proposal or on the request to form a depredation task force during the meeting.