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Some say Cheatham County is Middle Tennessee's best-kept secret, but there's 20,000 acres within Cheatham's borders that may deserve that distinction a bit more than the county as a whole. Just South of the Cumberland River, the Cheatham County Wildlife Management Area (CWMA) represents miles of unspoiled forests and trails for hunting, biking, riding horses, birdwatching, archery and camping.

"It's kind of a hidden gem that hasn't been promoted" says James Fenton, executive director of the Cheatham County joint economic and community development board (JECD).

The JECD is trying to change that. The office is ramping up efforts to market the CWMA not only to other Tennessee counties, but also beyond the state in hopes of drawing tourist dollars from out-of-state hunters and others who might enjoy the area. Viewing the CWMA as a potential revenue source for the county is a fairly new idea. But given that one-sixth of Cheatham County's land mass consists of public land that does not generate taxes, capitalizing on the county's natural assets simply makes sense.

Besides, hunting is already big business in Tennessee and surrounding states. "Hunting and Fishing: Bright Stars of the American Economy—A force as big as all outdoors," a 2007 report produced by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, found that Tennessee's 265,000 hunters spend $588 million a year on hunting. Tennessee also brings in about 64,000 out-of-state hunters a year, ranking it 13th in the nation as a hunting destination. One of Tennessee's border states, Georgia, captured the title in the out-of-state category, attracting 136,000 hunters a year, while three other Tennessee neighbors—Alabama, Missouri and Mississippi—placed 6th, 10th and 11th, respectively.

While Fenton says he doesn't know yet just how much money hunting brings in (or could bring in) to Cheatham County each year, the above numbers support the notion that the CWMA could serve as a popular hunting destination. In fact, based on numbers from Randy Cromer, the Tennessee Wildlife Management Agency employee who manages the property and also lives there, it's already on the way to becoming a Tennessee attraction.

"It gives people a very nice place to hunt, which is becoming more and more important as Middle Tennessee urbanizes and the family farm people used to hunt on is all of a sudden a strip mall," he says.

Over the past four years, he has seen an increase in the amount of out-of-state hunters, especially during turkey season. They come from all over, including Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Wisconsin. And they stay for one or two weeks, either camping or reserving a room at Ashland City's Deerfield Inn, which remains booked during hunting season.

"I'll ask, 'How'd you hear about us?', and they'll say some magazine, and sometimes I won't have had a clue that we were in there," Cromer says.

In 1938 and 1939, what is now the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency purchased the bulk of the 20,000 acres for back taxes. By 1970, through acquiring small acre inholdings along the way, it owned all of the land that today makes up the CWMA.

"Everything we do all year round is for the wildlife [for non-game as well as game species]" Cromer says. "If we plant crops, it's to leave for wildlife. This isn't a state park—it's not going to be mowed and clipped, it's going to be grown up and looking nasty. Our primary purpose is to manipulate the habitat for the betterment."

For the most part, that has always been TWRA's goal for this area, but there have been some changes through the years. Through-out the '40s and '50s, the area served as a game farm where the agency pen-reared turkeys and raised deer to supply other locations across the state.

"There was no hunting, and they didn't want anybody in here who didn't have a badge or a patch on his shoulder," Cromer says.

In 1956, TWRA opened the CWMA to the public and held quota deer hunts. Following Cromer's arrival in 1988, TWRA not only ultimately did away with quota hunts but also instituted turkey hunting. Today, the CWMA is open to everyone during both turkey and deer seasons, and although it allows for several other outdoor activities throughout the year, hunting is the only activity that takes place on the property during hunting season.

While Fenton says his office is really just beginning to discuss ways in which it can promote the wildlife management area, he anticipates working with local hunting/fishing stores and gun clubs to develop information packets that advertise the CWMA and other hunting (and fishing) opportunities in the area. Such attractions include the Corps of Engineers-owned (and TWRA-managed) Cheatham Lake Management Area, which is about six miles from the CWMA and allows for both hunting and fishing.

Fenton envisions the CWMA becoming a sort of Central Park of Middle Tennessee because of its central location. And while the CWMA may never become a Central Park for Middle Tennessee in the truest sense, it will remain an undeveloped, outdoor haven as Davidson County and ring counties such as Rutherford, Williamson and Wilson continue to grow.

"We envision more bed and breakfasts popping up around the area," Fenton says. "It's my hope that more folks will see that as a good way to take advantage of the wildlife area without destroying the beauty of it."

Interestingly enough, Cromer says that when looking at a map, the CWMA is roughly the same size and shape of Manhattan. He, too, likes the idea of it being a huge green belt in Middle Tennessee. And with the new county push to publicize the area's existence, it won't be long before more people discover what Cromer calls "the biggest yard in Cheatham County."

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