The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission (TWRC) will hold its next regularly scheduled meeting Nov. 19-20 at the Region II Ray Bell Office Building at the Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville.

TWRC committee meetings will be held on Nov. 19 beginning at 1 p.m. The TWRC Commission meeting will start at 9 a.m. on Nov. 20.

Among this month's agenda items are rule amendments concerning the registration of permanent waterfowl blinds at Reelfoot Lake, rules and regulations of quota hunts pertaining to deer and turkey, and the establishment of procedures for conducting Tennessee's first elk hunt tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2009.

Also, rule amendments will pertain to the clarification of regulations for the importation of cervid (deer, elk, moose, etc.) carcasses and for wildlife preserves which would prohibit the issuance of a big game preserve permit for new facilities after July 1, 2009.

The 2008 Shikar-Safari Wildlife Officer Award will be presented along with awards to the 2008 Wildlife Biologist of the Year and the 2008 Fisheries Biologist of the Year. The TWRC will also hear updates on the Humboldt Hatchery, commercial fishing, and the Montgomery County Shooting Complex among its committee business. The meetings are open to the public. The TWRC serves as the governing body for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) reminds everyone that Tennessee's 2008-2009 statewide duck season will open Friday, Nov. 28, one-half hour before sunrise. The season will run from Nov. 28 through January 25, 2009. The statewide zone season for Canada geese is Nov. 28 - Jan. 30, 2009, with a bag limit of two per day.

TWRA wildlife officers would like to remind all waterfowl hunters that now is a good time to inspect their boats to make sure all of their safety equipment is in order. Two areas of primary concern are running lights and personal flotation devices (PFD's). All boats operating between sunset and sunrise are required to display the appropriate lights. Boaters should have properly fitting wearable PFD's on board.

Waterfowl hunters also need to review the Federal Regulations Summary in the 2008-2009 Tennessee Waterfowl Hunting Guide. This guide is available wherever licenses are sold and on the TWRA web page at www.tnwildlife.org.

Duck hunters need to be aware that Federal law states: No person shall give, put or leave any migratory game birds at any place or in the custody of another person unless the birds are tagged by the hunter with the following information: The hunter's signature, address, the total number of birds involved by species and the dates the birds were killed.

Also, no person or business shall receive or have in custody any migratory game birds belonging to another unless such birds are properly tagged. This means a waterfowl hunter who gives his or her ducks, geese, and other waterfowl to another person and does not follow this procedure is putting themselves and the other person in violation of the law.

The daily bag limit for the 2008-2009 season is six ducks. These six cannot contain more than four mallards (no more than one may be female), one black duck, three wood ducks, one scaup, two redheads and one pintail. Canvasback is closed this year. For mergansers, the daily bag limit is five (only two of which may be hooded mergansers).

Waterfowl hunters should remember that when hunting on public land or public water, you cannot hunt within 100 yards of a visible dwelling without the owner's permission.

The TWRA said successful big game hunters must take harvested bear, deer, wild boar, and wild turkeys to a big game checking station where a permanent record of the harvest is made.

Because big game hunters may hunt several different counties across Tennessee during the spring and fall big game seasons, TWRA has a link on the web site where a list of big game checking stations can be found for each county.

To find the list, go to www.tnwildlife.org. When the page opens, look down the left side of the page and click on sitemap, then look under For Hunters and click on Big Game Checking Stations. Click the drop down arrow and select a county. The listing will include the name, address, and phone number of each checking station. In addition, a hunter may get directions for any location to the checking station by clicking on Get Directions.

Bass Pro Shops, America's #1 Outdoor Retailer, will kick off a special program at all their stores across the country on today to benefit the AMVETS organization.

For more than 60 years AMVETS has worked to support our veterans and their families through outreach efforts that include professional advice on earned veteran's benefits, legislative efforts in Washington, and work done by their hospital volunteers.

Bass Pro Shops customers will be offered the opportunity to make a $5 or $10 donation at the check out registers starting today and continuing through Jan. 31, 2009 with 100% of donations go to the AMVETS organization.

"It's inspiring to see Bass Pro Shops take a proactive role in providing for our veterans and their families," said AMVETS National Commander John C. Hapner. "AMVETS applauds Bass Pro Shops as one of the most engaged corporate supporters of our nation's veterans."

After a spring, summer and fall of hard use, your tackle is showing some wear and tear. Now with winter approaching, Steve Chaconas, a BoatU.S. Angler fishing expert and professional guide, has these ten tips for a winter tackle box "overhaul" that will get you ready for next season, and the coming winter fishing.

* Take a look at all of your lures. There are likely a few you never tied on. Get some lure paint from a fishing craft store and change the color of the lure to match up closer to ones that produce. If you don't want to do that, * Next, examine the hooks on your crankbaits and topwaters and replace them or sharpen. With spinnerbaits, sharpen hooks and take a look at the rubber skirts. Replace them if necessary. A tip: Tying some nylon thread above the rubber collar on the skirt will keep it in place.

* Organize your inventory. Stocking tackle over the winter gives you a great running start in the spring.

* If you're a bit more organized, you can take your reels apart to clean, grease and oil.

* If you decide to remove the line completely from a reel, you don't want to re-spool if you don't plan to go fishing again until next spring as line memory makes it harder to cast.

* Another school of thought that may save a little time and money is to not remove all of the line, leaving some "backing," or a permanent length of line on the reel. This way, you don't have to replace all of the line every year.

* Back to the reel. After you clean the exterior, pay attention to areas where line passes. On baitcasting reels, it's the line guide. Use a Q-Tip or pipe cleaner dipped in WD-40. For spinning reels, it's the line roller. To lubricate, put a drop of oil or grease on the worm gear, on the spinning reel line roller, and on the bail pivot points. It's also a good idea to clean the handles and oil the axles.

* For rods, check the guides and wraps. If a guide has a scratch, nick, or groove, replace it. Some anglers brush a Q-Tip inside the guide to see if a piece of cotton is left behind. If the guide wraps are loose or exposed, repair this area.

* Winter is also a good time to take a hard look at what you're carrying in your tackle box. Is there something in there you don't use? Something you've needed? Winter allows you the time to research new lures, or even a new tackle box.

* Beyond tackle, there are a few other items you may want to think about having in your tackle box: basic first-aid items, an extra mini-flashlight, spare knife, a small bottle of bug repellant, an emergency space blanket, and perhaps some extra cordage.

* This last tip isn't for your tackle box, but it's an important one. If you use inflatable life jackets, test and replace the re-arm kits in the fall when we revert back to Standard Time. That way, it helps me remember to change my smoke detector batteries and re-arm my life jacket at the same time.