News Release

Illegal Hunting Activity in Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park

Date: April 21, 2023
Contact: Justin Young, 706-866-9241, ext. 142

Fort Oglethorpe, GA: Hunting and trapping are national pastimes and have been since Native Americans first settled the mountains and valleys of East Tennessee. Every year, many venture out to private and public lands to harvest small and big game. The US Forest Service allows hunting on 650,000 acres in 10 TN counties, TVA provides 175,000 acres, and TWRA makes over 7,000 acres available to the public for hunting. However, not all public land is open to hunting. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is closed to all hunting and trapping.   
 
In recent years, the Lookout Valley, Tennessee, portion of the national park has seen an increase in illegal hunting activity. The area surrounding Lookout Creek has seen the most illegal activity.

In November 2022, US Park Ranger Justin Young and Chief Ranger Todd Milsaps were patrolling Lookout Creek for illegal hunting activity after sunset. The rangers witnessed two men, Roger Rhea of Hixon and Robert “Bud” Shelton of Ooltewah, leaving NPS property after dark in a small boat.  When law enforcement rangers made contact, the men initially stated they had been on the Tennessee River, but later admitted to hunting a location inside the national military park off Lookout Creek. The men were cited and released with mandatory appearance notices for federal court. Their weapons and an illegally harvested white-tailed buck deer were seized. The meat was donated to a local nonprofit organization.

In April 2023, both men plead guilty in court and were convicted of these violations in US Federal Court under the Honorable Judge Christopher H. Steger.  

If you are in the national military park and see or hear illegal hunting activity, please call 911 and inform them of your location.  On-duty law enforcement rangers will be dispatched to that area.

For more information about Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, contact the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center at 706-866-9241, the Lookout Mountain Battlefield Visitor Center at 423-821-7786, or visit the park website at www.nps.gov/chch.