Outdoor Recreation

Black bears have long been a symbol of East Tennessee. These days they are also a symbol of successful wildlife management.

Bear hunters once harvested a handful a season and talked about the days when their grandpas were kids and the mountains were supposedly full of bears.

For bear hunters these were the good old days.

Just like the state's deer and turkey hunters, bear hunters continually watch their annual harvest totals rise. This year, hunters bagged 308 bears, tying 2005 as the second-best year on record.

Fishers in East Tennessee have long been used to world-class trout and bass fisheries. These days, they are learning how to catch musky, too.

Muskellunges are native to Tennessee but are found in only a few rivers, mostly on the Cumberland Plateau. Six years ago, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency stocked 5,000 musky from Pennsylvania in an attempt to jump-start a new fishery on Melton Hill.

Melton Hill Call it a success.

If you're a newcomer to Knoxville, you've probably noticed how half the cars seem to have kayaks and canoes strapped to the roof racks.

Sooner or later, you'll discover what the fuss is all about. Knoxville is surrounded by whitewater rivers, some of them dam controlled, others free flowing.

The Tennessee Valley Authority operates these dams for hydropower generation. Unlike free flowing rivers, which dry up in the summer and fall, these rivers provide guaranteed water releases throughout the summer and early fall.