It's important that you note changes this year in reporting big game harvests.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) said an important part of big game management is the reporting of harvested bear, deer, wild boar and wild turkey.

For many years, TWRA has utilized a network of big game checking stations. These are local businesses located throughout the state that record harvest information from big game harvested.

Recently, there have been some changes made to the reporting system that makes checking big game more convenient for hunters. Hunters are required to punch or mark the date of harvest on the temporary harvest tag, but they are no longer required to attach the tag to the animal. The hunter simply punches the tag and puts the tag in his pocket until time to check in the animal.

The Agency said hunters now have up to 36 hours to report harvested big game. However, they may not hunt the next day until the harvest has been reported. Hunters may also report big game harvest from the convenience of their home over the Internet. Simply go to www.tnwildlife.org and click on Online Big Game Check In, located down the right side of the page. The hunter may report his harvest and print off a new temporary harvest tag and permanent harvest tag.

The TWRA encourages hunters to use the big game checking stations as much as possible and particularly on opening day of muzzleloader season and gun season when TWRA personnel will be at many checking stations collecting data from harvested deer.

A listing of checking stations can be found at the Online Big Game Check In site. Click the drop down arrow and select a county. The listing will include the name, address, and phone number of each checking station. In addition, a hunter may get directions for any location to the checking station by clicking on Get Directions.

So before leaving home, hunters can print off a list of the checking stations for the county that will be hunted and have that information in hand when looking for a place to take that trophy.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission (TWRC) approved the 2010 sportfishing regulations during its October meeting held at the Holiday Inn Cedar Bluff. The TWRC serves as the governing body of the TWRA.

The TWRA changes by region and statewide for 2010: The new regulations will become effective, March 1, 2010.

Changes-Region III:

* Dale Hollow Reservoir

Increase muskellunge minimum size limit to 50 inches, one fish per day creel

* Fall Creek Lake, Fall Creek Falls State Park

Remove black bass minimum size limit

Establish 20 fish aggregate creel limit for redear and bluegill

* Falling Water Lake, Burgess Falls SP

Remove all fisheries regulations- statewide regulations apply

* Cordell Hull

Largemouth Bass-17-23 inches Protected Length Range (PLR), one fish over 23 inches, two fish under 17 inches

* Caney Fork River

Rainbow and brook trout-14-20 inches PLR with one fish of each species over 20 inches

Brown Trout-24 inches Minimum Length Limit (MLL) with one fish over,

(changed from 18-inches MLL with two over)

Also, on the Caney Fork, the daily creel limit has been changed from seven to five trout per day, per person

Changes-Region IV:

* Cherokee Reservoir

Remove paddlefish size limit. Replace wording: "Culling, the releasing of harvested fish, is prohibited" with "Paddlefish: one per day. Season is open from March 1-15. Fish may not be released when caught."

* Melton Hill Reservoir

Increase the muskellunge minimum length limit from 44 to 50 inches, one fish per day creel

Extend the striped bass PLR (32-42 inches, one over) to Hwy. 61 Bridge at Clinton

* South Holston Reservoir

Remove the closed trout season (Dec. 1 to Feb. 28)

* Norris Reservoir

Change smallmouth bass size limit from 18 inch minimum length limit to a 17 to 22 inches PLR-one fish under and one fish over the PLR

Other changes-Statewide:

Sport trotlines, limblines, and jugs: To read - "Sport fishing trotlines, limblines, and jugs must be tagged and/or marked with the angler's name or current TWRA identification number.

Bait Proclamations- Live Bait, Commercial and Sportfishing:

The regulation changes include: 1) adoption of the Live Bait Proclamation 09-20 will regulate the sale and use of live bait for fishing; 2) Proclamation 09-21 which amends Commercial Fishing Proclamation 08-01 to allow commercial fishers to use live bait and provides guidelines for bait dealers who harvest live bait from the wild for the purpose of sale; and 3) an addition to the previously proposed Sport Fishing Proclamation 09-22 which would remove live bait regulations from the Sport Fishing Proclamation (because they will now be in the Live Bait Proclamation).

The live bait proclamation includes an amendment that allows bait dealers to sale and anglers to use goldfish for bait. Bait dealers will be allowed to harvest inland and brook silversides and sell these species as dead bait.

In other business at the October meeting, the TWRA presented its awards for the 2009 wildlife biologist and fisheries biologist of the year. Chris Simpson, from TWRA Region III was honored as the Wildlife Biologist of the Year. Jim Habera, from Region IV, was tabbed as the TWRA Fisheries Biologist of the Year.

The TWRC also heard from Charles "Chuck" Flynn from Rockford. Flynn was the first hunter to harvest an elk in Tennessee's first-ever managed elk hunt which came on Oct. 19.

Doug Peckam of the Volunteer Muskie Hunters Club presented a donation for Melton Hill Reservoir and other Tennessee waters.

The Agency said the TWRC will next meet Dec. 3-4 in Nashville. The first meeting of the 2010 calendar year was scheduled during the October meeting and will be held Jan. 20-21 at Reelfoot Lake State Park.

On Friday, Nov. 13, the TWRA will host a free sight-in day for big game hunters at the John Sevier Hunter Education Center at 2327 Rifle Range Road in Knoxville.

Big game hunters wanting to sight-in a pistol, rifle, shotgun or muzzleloader can do it for free between 1 and 5 p.m. on that afternoon. Targets, sand bags and scope adjustment tools will be provided.

TWRA personnel and volunteer Hunter Education instructors will assist and provide range safety. Participants must check in at the Range Office and possess a valid hunting license for hunting big game with a firearm or muzzleloader in Tennessee.

The shooting facility at John Sevier is open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 6 p.m. Handguns/rifles/shotguns and muzzleloaders can be shot on the 100 yard range.

Additionally, pistol and clay target programs are available. An entrance fee of $5.50 for adults and $1.50 for youth under 16 is required on public days, but all range fees will be waived during the sight-in period.

All TWRA licenses, WMA permits, hunting guides and regulations are available at this facility. For more information, contact the range office at 865-594-6279.

Duck season is quickly approaching and several TWRA waterfowl refuges in Region IV (East Tennessee) will close to public access this winter to provide migrating waterfowl a place to feed and rest, undisturbed by human activities, reminds the TWRA.

These refuges are closed to public access, except in designated observation areas, each year during the peak of the migrations.

The following areas are closed as designated:

* Henderson Island Refuge (Jefferson County) closed Nov. 15 - Feb. 28.

* Kyker Bottoms Refuge (Blount County) closed Nov. 15 - Feb. 28.

* Joachim Bible Refuge Unit of Lick Creek Bottoms WMA (Greene County) closed Nov. 15 - Feb. 28.

* Chota Refuge Unit of Tellico Lake WMA (Monroe County) closed Nov. 15 - Feb. 28.

* Whites Mill Refuge (Blount County) closed Nov. 15 - Feb. 28.