Elaine and I just returned from a memorable, first-time-ever, visit with some good friends, who live in a tiny dot on the map known as Dellrose, Tenn.
When we got to Tennessee, we quickly discovered that place is so small that you can find Dellrose on the map but don't expect to find it on any highway signs.
Nada! Nil! Zip! Nothing!
Thank God that we had been talked out of renting a car at the airport. Our friends' parents met us at the Nashville airport and drove us to their home, or we would still be thrashing around in the backcountry of that part of Tennessee.
Those good friends, Jerry and Mary Ellen Herbison, live on 100 acres in a rural portion of that southern state, and the many contrasts between where they live and we live were dramatic:
Weather:
Our weather at this time of the year is normally cool-to-cold and usually clear in the daytime, with low humidity and frost at night.
Their weather was mostly cloudy with the connstant threat of rain each and every day.
Their temperatures were in the very high 80's and the stifling humidity was also in the high 80's, with nighttime temps in the high 40's and low 50's.
That translates into: Very hot and humid every day.
My short-sleeve shirt was soaking wet with sweat, while we were leisurely walking down a country lane, one afternoon, taking pictures.
In the Winter, in that part of Tennessee, they might occasionally get a light dusting of snow.
When shown the pictures and told of our heavy snowfall in Carson City, late last December, they just stared and shook their heads in stunned amazement.
Geography:
Our highest point in Nevada is Boundary Peak at 13,140 feet.
The highest point in Tennessee is Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet.
Our lowest point is 479 feet at the Colorado River.
Their lowest point is 178 feet at the Mississippi River.
Our countryside is basically wide open and mostly barren and stark-looking.
Their countryside is a lush green in color, with lots of open fields and very dense groves of trees and bushes.
Driving:
We have heavy, non-stop traffic, speeding in both directions, running red lights, weaving in and out of traffic, no matter where you go in this area.
In that part of the world, two on-coming vehicles will stop when they encounter one another, roll down their windows and visit.
And, if they don't stop, they always smile and wave.
Geez, when was the last time someone waved at you (with all five fingers!), here in Nevada?
deer hunting:
In Nevada, I have been applying for years and years to finally, this year, be able to draw a rifle buck mule deer hunting tag for the area between Carson City and Lake Tahoe. I now have: One tag for one buck in one big game management area in one season.
By contrast, Jerry, as a land owner, does not need a hunting license or a deer tag to be able to hunt whitetail deer on his own property. Nor, do the members of his family who also live there.
They can, each, take up to three bucks during three different hunting seasons (one in archery, one in muzzleloader and one in rifle).
And, you better sit down before you read the rest of this:
If you're seated, those folks can take up to three does every day during the entire three hunting seasons.
Three does per day! Wow!
Oh, and before I forget, if I want to purchase a deer tag in Tennessee, I can do so by just buying it over the counter at a store.
Wild turkey:
Another main game critter in that statge is the wild turkey.
A resident turkey hunter can take up to four bearded turkeys during the Spring hunting season and one (either sex) during the Fall.
Legal hunting equipment is shotguns and muzzleloader shotguns, 20 gauge or larger, loaded with No. 4 shot or smaller, or long bows, compound bows and crossbow using legal hunting arrows.
Finally:
The State of Tennessee offers among other hunts: Woodcock (3 daily), Bullfrog (20 per person per night), Squirrel (10 daily), Raccoon (2 per person per night), Opossum (no limit), Feral Hog (no limit) and Black Bear (1 per calendar year).
That state has elk, but it does not currently have any elk hunts.
• Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon he can't tell you what a Tennessee Lifetime Sportsman License for a resident (valid for hunting, trapping and fishing for your entire life) costs.
If he grins and says, "It is based on your age, and as an example, it costs $200 for someone under three, $540 for someone ages 3-6, $810 for someone ages 7-12, etc.," he has been reading the Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide.
