Animals and Fish - Historical Notes

The following is a listing of acts that at one time affected, but no longer appear to have any effect on, hunting, fishing or animal control in Sequatchie County. They are included herein for reference purposes.

1. Public Acts of 1875, Chapter 114, in which Sequatchie County was among those counties in the act which exempted themselves from a statewide general law regulating fishing which made it unlawful to fish upon the land of another person without first obtaining written permission from the owner, or occupant.
2. Public Acts of 1889, Chapter 171, declared it to be a misdemeanor to hurt, trap, or kill deer but all residents of the State could kill deer for their own use and consumption between August 1 and January 1 of each year. A resident could also kill deer for profit on his own land. The same restrictions applied to quail, or partridges, on which the open season ran from November 1 until March 1 following. Constables and Justices of the Peace were made game wardens to enforce the provisions of this law. Many counties, including Sequatchie, elected not to come under the provisions of this law.
3. Public Acts of 1889, Chapter 179, made it unlawful for any non-resident of the State to hunt, shoot, catch, or kill, or carry away, game of any kind in Sequatchie and several other named counties. A fine of $50 per offense was prescribed for those who violated the terms of this act.
4. Public Acts of 1889, Chapter 244, averred that it was unlawful for a non-resident of Tennessee to hunt, kill, or capture any wild deer, wild turkey, quail, partridge, or any species of game or fish in Bledsoe, Cumberland, Grundy, James, Meigs, Morgan, Overton, Marion, Rhea, Roane, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren and White Counties. Citizens of the county and state could hunt and kill the above at any season of the year for their own use and consumption. This law was required to be charged to the Grand Juries by the Judges and the schedule of fines for violators ran from $25 to $100 per offense.
5. Private Acts of 1917, Chapter 686, set up an open season on some types of game in the counties of Bledsoe, Cumberland, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, and Van Buren as follows: On turkeys, from November 1 through the following January 1; on turkey gobblers, from April 1 until May 1; on quail, from November 1 until the following February 1; and on deer, from November 1 through December 10. There was no closed season established for squirrels which could be killed at any time during the year.
6. Private Acts of 1921, Chapter 405, amended Chapter 61, Public Acts of 1919, which was a rather stringent general dog law for the State, so as to remove about half of the Tennessee counties, Sequatchie among them, from the jurisdiction and prohibitions contained in that act.
7. Private Acts of 1921, Chapter 748, also amended Chapter 61, Public Acts of 1919, mentioned in Item 6, above, so that Sequatchie County would not be bound by the terms of that Act relating to the keeping of dogs.