Old Hickory WMA
Site Directions: Access is primarily via water, but a couple of good areas can be accessed by vehicle. Barton Creek can be accessed from Denny Rd. The Headquarters area can be accessed via Canoe Branch Rd.
Headquarters via Canoe Branch Rd- Lat-Long: 36.34462, -86.28169
Barton Creek via Denny Rd - Lat-Long: 36.29860, -86.35861
Hours: daylight hours
Seasonality: year-round
Fees: none
Areas consist of 6,000 huntable acres in narrow strips of land along the 21,700 acres of water on Old Hickory Lake.
Of the 6,000 acres, only 1,000 acres have public land access. The remaining 5,000 acres are primarily accessible by water.
Unit I
Highway 109 upstream to River Mile 267, Excluding Lock 5 Refuge
Big Game, Small Game, and Trapping - Same as statewide seasons, except as noted.
Dove - Sept. 2, 2023, on Barton’s Creek. Youth only (6-16), must be accompanied by a licensed non-hunting adult. Hunting begins at 6 a.m (CST).
Dove - Sept. 4, 2023, and every Wednesday and Friday-Sunday thereafter during the first segment of the statewide season.
Turkey - Same as statewide spring season.
Waterfowl - Hunting is permitted only from registered blind sites and staked temporary blind sites during the duck/goose season occurring in Nov. - Feb. Same as statewide season, except waterfowl hunting, shall cease at 3 p.m. (CST) during the late duck season, except hours same as statewide on the last day of each segment of the duck/goose season occurring in Nov., 2023 - Feb., 2024
Waterfowl (wheelchair-bound only blind site) - Applications must be received by the TWRA Region II Office by noon on the fourth. Friday in October, 2023. Persons holding a permit for another blind are not eligible. Old Hickory Wheelchair Blind Application must be received at the Region II office, (615) 781-6622.
Dog training - Sept. 1, 2023 - March 15, 2024, except closed during duck seasons.
Quail - Nov. 4, 2023 - Jan. 15, 2024
Unit II
Hwy. 109 downstream to Old Hickory Dam
Big Game, Small Game, and Trapping - Same as statewide seasons, except as noted.
Quail - Nov. 4, 2023 - Jan. 15, 2024.
Turkey - Same as statewide spring season.
Waterfowl Hunting same as statewide seasons, except as noted.
Hunting from registered blind sites only, except during the early duck season.
All goose hunting is from registered blinds only.
Unit III
From River Mile 267 upstream to the old Lock 6 site at River Mile 281
Big Game, Small Game, and Trapping - Same as statewide seasons, except as noted.
Turkey - Same as statewide spring season.
Quail - Nov. 4, 2023 - Jan. 15, 2024
Waterfowl Hunting same as statewide seasons, except as noted.
Hunting from registered blind sites only, except during the early duck season.
All goose hunting is from registered blinds only.
Site Description: Of the 6,000 acres of Old Hickory WMA, only 1,000 acres are accessible from public access locations. The remainder is accessible only by boat.
There are patches of hardwood forest of oak, hickory, and maple, and riparian forest of Black Willow and sycamore along the shoreline of parts of the lake. These forested areas are mixed with cropland that is flooded for waterfowl in winter.
There is public access via gravel roads, which can be driven or walked.
Old Hickory WMA is part of The Cordell Hull Conservation Opportunity Area
Wildlife to Watch: Waterfowl are abundant in winter.
Early successional birds are common in summer, including Indigo Bunting, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Towhee, and Yellow-breasted Chat.
Sparrows of various species may be seen throughout the winter.
There are approximately a dozen heron rookeries around Old Hickory Lake.
Contact Information
Region 2 Office: 615-781-6622
Toll-Free: 1-800-624-7406
E-mail the office
Area Manager: Michael Bobel (615) 444-6673
Old Hickory blind 27
Old Hickory blind 28
Old Hickory blind 29
Old Hickory Wildlife Management Area
TWRA at Work
Officer Hunter Daniels Named Mississippi Flyway Waterfowl Enforcement Officer of the Year
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Wildlife Officer Hunter Daniels has received the honor of being named Mississippi Flyway Waterfowl Enforcement Officer of the Year. The Mississippi Flyway Council annually recognizes full-time law enforcement officers who make outstanding contributions to the protection of waterfowl in the flyway states.
Daniels’s assigned work area is Wilson County which is one of the top waterfowl hunting destinations in Middle Tennessee. Currently, there are 134 public duck blinds on Old Hickory Wildlife Management Area. Parts of Old Hickory WMA are located within Wilson County and are managed primarily for waterfowl hunting. Officer Daniels routinely assists other officers on Percy Priest Lake and Cheatham Reservoir with law enforcement efforts. In addition to waterfowl enforcement efforts, he patrols Old Hickory Lake during the summer, one of the top visited lakes in Tennessee.
Photo: Hunter Daniels holds his award for being named Mississippi Flyway Waterfowl Enforcement Officer of the Year. He is flanked by Region I Major Brian Elkins (left) and Col. Darren Rider, and Region II Major Jeff Skelton.
Old Hickory Lake Fish Habitat Improvement Work Continues
Fisheries crews are working hard on Old Hickory Lake to deploy fish habitat structures to enhance the aging natural habitat in the lake.
Using a large pontoon and conveyor rollers to offload the payload, a variety of different structures are being placed at predetermined locations for optimal impact to fish habitat. Structures vary in size and are designed to resemble bushes and trees in the underwater landscape.
This habitat work is a combination of the Bill Dance Signature Lakes project and the Bass Pro Shops Habitat Grant awarded to TWRA for the enhancement of Habitat on Old Hickory Lake. Crews will continue to add habitat structures throughout the summer and work will conclude in the fall of 2023 with the deployment of several large rock reefs.
Structures known as “jacks” are thrown individually into Old Hickory Lake. Conveyor rollers allow the crew to deploy “spider” structures at one time to create a large brush-like mass on the lake floor. The Tennessee Towers are 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide and are designed to resemble standing timber.