Haynes Bottom WMA
Site Directions: From Clarksville, at the junction of Hwy 41A and Hwy 79 on the west side of town, take Hwy 79 (Dover Road) 2.5 miles to Dotsonville Road. Turn left onto Dotsonville Road and go seven miles to the end of Dotsonville Road. Turn left, go 100 yards and turn left onto Chester Harris Road. Go 2.5 miles and bare left onto Woodrow and the WMA entrance is just up the road on your right. The WMA boundary is marked with yellow plastic posts. There is a TWRA storage barn at the entrance.
Lat: 36.46098°N Long: -87.48144°W
Hours: daylight hours
Seasonality: year round, but gates are closed at times. Park outside gate (do NOT block gate) and walk into the WMA
Fees: none
Site Description: The 971 acre WMA consists, in part, of river bottoms that are managed for waterfowl via moist soil units. These areas are hunted during waterfowl season. The bottoms also have warm season grasses and scrub that extends up on the hillsides. Smaller tracts of mature upland forest are present, along with various treelines. Gravel roads and ATV trails are available.
Grassland habitat and floodplains found at Haynes Bottoms WMA.
Wildlife to Watch: In winter, waterfowl are common to abundant. The grass fields and brushy edges are great places for sparrows in winter, incl. White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow. In summer, Dickcissels and Red-winged Blackbirds are very common, Blue Grosbeak are regular, as are Northern Bobwhite, Summer Tanager, Field Sparrow, and White-eyed Vireo. There's a sizable pond at the "bottom" which is ringed by willows offering nice habitat worth checking out. Nearby are wet grassy areas, which may attract Marsh or Sedge Wrens during migration. The bottoms likely have American Bitterns in spring and fall and possibly Henslow's Sparrows in spring/summer. An old barn on the highest spot may be a place to look for Barn Owls.
NOTE: Please refer to TWRA Hunting Guide about hunting seasons and public access dates. Access dates vary by site.
For more information:
Haynes Bottom WMA
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Site information generously contributed by Tony Lance.
Be sure to check out our Safety Tips page for important information regarding viewing wildlife in these areas.