With the close of the 2008 bear hunting seasons on Wednesday, December 17, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) said Volunteer State hunters recorded a new all time record harvest for black bears. To be honest, there was a time I thought the record set back in 1997 would never be broken. But the bear hunting has been so consistent over the past few seasons, it was going to happen sooner or later.

The Agency said through the various seasons this fall and winter, hunters have checked out 436 bears, which tops the previous record of 370 set in 1997. The 2008 harvest by county is: Blount 29, Carter 69, Cocke 40, Greene 34, Jefferson 1, Johnson 44, Monroe 61, Polk 44, Sevier 37, Sullivan 21, Unicoi 40, and Washington 16.

Tennessee's black bear population has been steadily increasing over the past 40 years due to several management practices put in place by TWRA. They said these practices include: establishment of a series of bear reserves throughout the bear habitat, protection of females and cubs, and setting the majority of the bear hunting season later in the year when most females have gone to the den.

Harvest totals have varied over the past 60 years from less than 10 animals to the record of 436 set this year. The annual harvest has been more than 300 bears the past 4 consecutive years. My hat is off to area bear hunters - well done.

If you're still searching for the perfect gift for the angler, hunter, or wildlife watcher in your family, the TWRA has just the gift for that hard to buy for person.

*Wildlife License Plates.

Your gift recipients can show their support for wildlife by putting one of TWRA's wildlife license plates on their vehicle. The TWRA now has four special plates available for the wildlife enthusiast.

Purchasers can select between the bluebird, black bear, wild turkey, or the smallmouth bass plate. Each of the plates will cost $35 above the regular cost of registering your vehicle. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these plates will go toward the management and protection of Tennessee's wildlife (both game and non-game species) and their habitats.

The "Watchable Wildlife" plate, the familiar bluebird, is still available with proceeds from that plate continuing to go into an endowment fund for the management of Tennessee's non-game and endangered wildlife.

*Tennessee Wildlife Magazine.

A gift subscription to Tennessee Wildlife magazine is the perfect gift for all ages, and someone very close to me writes for this magazine as well. Each issue is packed with stories about fish and wildlife right here in our state. Learn the latest hunting strategies, fishing techniques or get an update on Tennessee's management programs. Find the best areas for wildlife viewing and get up-close-and-personal with some of our state's most interesting creatures.

A gift subscription for one year (4 issues) is just $10, and includes the ever popular July/August calendar issue. If you wish to make the gift last longer, a two-year subscription is $17 and three years is $25.

To complete your order, go to the website and print off a subscription form at http://www.state.tn.us/twra/magazine.html.

*Lifetime Sportsman License.

Another item available from TWRA that would make a wonderful gift for the current or even future angler or hunter in your family is the Resident Lifetime Hunting/Fishing License. This is one of the few gifts that will have the same value Christmas after Christmas. Someone who gets this for a gift will never have to worry about another Tennessee license. This is truly the gift of a lifetime.

The Lifetime Hunting/Fishing is available to all ages, with the youngest sportsmen among us eligible for the best deal. If you think a newborn or toddler might one day be a hunter or fisherman, it's hard to beat the price of a Lifetime License.

Applications for a Lifetime License can be obtained at TWRA Regional Offices or the TWRA Central Office or printed from the TWRA web page at http://www.state.tn.us/twra/pdfs/lifetimeapp.pdf.

The following are current resident license costs, which are based on age:

* Applicants under 3 years of age - $200

* Applicants 3 years of age through 6 years of age - $540

* Applicants 7 years of age through 12 years of age - $810

* Applicants 13 years of age through 50 years of age - $1,620

* Applicants 51 years of age through 64 years of age - $945

* Applicants 65 years of age or older - $270

*Permanent Senior Citizen License.

If your gift recipient is a Tennessee resident and has reached the age of 65, you can purchase him/her a Permanent Senior Citizen License for $11. This license is available at all license agents and can only be purchased when the 65th birthday is reached.

This license can be purchased by sending an order form, found at http://www.tennessee.gov/twra/pdfs/senior.pdf, to the TWRA Nashville Office. When purchasing this license at a license agent, you will need to have the recipient's valid Tennessee driver's license or proof of age and residency with you.

No supplemental licenses are required, but special season and WMA permits will need to be purchased in addition to this license.

BoatU.S. said when it comes to a holiday gift, boaters and sailors are a hard bunch to please. That's because not everyone in the family knows or understands what makes boaters tick.

There is one gift, however, that any boater will appreciate and enjoy throughout the year: a subscription to BoatU.S. Magazine. It's the most widely read boating magazine in the country, chock full of practical, entertaining and instructive information. Published six times a year, it's the magazine that boaters talk about when they get together. Boaters say it's the most credible boating magazine they read, giving them the news and insight into issues that directly impact their boating or sailing lifestyle.

With an annual gift subscription comes membership with the Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S.), the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 650,000 members with government representation, programs and money-saving services.

Or, if you have any boat-owning anglers in the family, a gift subscription to BoatU.S. Angler magazine could be the perfect gift. Published three times a year just for anglers who fish with boats, it too will be the one gift that continues to give throughout the year. Annual BoatU.S. Angler membership is also included.

Both subscriptions are affordably priced at just $19 a year, and can be purchased online at http://www.BoatUS.com/holidaygift or by calling 1-800-395-2628.

Here's a gift for the blackpowder enthusiast in your life. I have the most recent copy of this muzzleloader record book, and it's well done. As part of its year-long, 75th anniversary celebration, the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association is pleased to announce the release and availability of the historic Fifth Edition of the NMLRA/Longhunter Society Muzzleloading Big Game Record Book.

The impressive, 256-page, hardbound, large-format volume contains current and updated records of North American trophy animals taken with all types of muzzleloading firearms. All trophy animals that have qualified for the record book since the 2004 edition was released--including 883 new entries and nine new world records--appear in this volume.

Printed on high-quality paper stock with attractive simulated leather binding, The Longhunter Muzzleloading Big Game Record Book Fifth Edition features more than a hundred photos of successful hunters and trophy animals, as well as Boone & Crockett scoring standards and forms, Rules of Fair Chase and species-specific information and geographic boundaries utilized for record-keeping purposes. Where appropriate by species and sub-species, sections are devoted to typical and non-typical scored trophy animals.

Among the noteworthy new muzzleloading world records in the Fifth Edition volume is the 307 5/8 Boone & Crockett World Record non-typical whitetail taken by 15-year-old Tony Lovstuen during an Iowa youth hunt in 2003.

Whether shot with a firearm ignited by matchlock, wheel-lock, snaphaunce, miquelet, flintlock, sidehammer or in-line percussion cap lock, #209 primer or futuristic electronics, all outstanding trophy animals taken with a muzzleloader were equally eligible for inclusion in the NMLRA/Longhunter Society Muzzleloading Big Game Record Book.

The Longhunter Society Muzzleloading Big Game Record Book Fifth Edition is available for immediate shipping. Price is $40 per volume, plus $7.50 shipping and handling. Checks made payable to the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association may be sent to: Longhunter Muzzleloading Big Game Record Book, NMLRA, P.O. Box 67, Friendship, IN 47021. Credit card orders will be accepted by phone (812.667.5131).

Since 1933, the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association has worked to preserve, promote and support the rich American muzzle-loading heritage through recreational, educational, historical, and cultural venues--including match competition, hunting, gun-making and safety, historical re-enactments, exhibits, museums, libraries and other programs.