Never too late to learn

Hunting tends to mystify the uninitiated more than any other pursuit. A large portion of the general public sees learning to hunt as a kind of esoteric ruralite knowledge that can only be passed down from older family members. PeePaw takes you out, shows you what deer scat looks like, you sit in a blind for a long time, a deer walks by, you shoot it, he makes you eat part of its heart, etc. However, today there’s really no difference between learning to hunt and learning any other time-consuming hobby. The information is so widely available that you can learn far more from the first page of Google than PeePaw would have ever been able to teach you.

Alternatively, maybe your conception of the hobby is similar to what I described, and you’re actually wondering why anyone would want to spend their time doing something so brainless. Perhaps these simple hill-people have some latent pagan fascination with deer antlers, so they subject themselves to hours of mind-numbing boredom to kill innocent creatures and fondle their bony protrusions. Alas, you would (mostly) be mistaken because the hobby can be—and really should be—far more layered and complex than that, and I’d encourage you to give the method I describe here a try on public land, because it will give you a taste of what hunting really should be.

I learned to hunt entirely alone and from the internet around 2020. No one in my family taught me. Like many other young men, I liked hiking, guns, and the idea of being self-sufficient. The algorithm then introduced me to the right kind of content (can’t lie, think I listened to a JRE episode with Steve Rinella.) My point is that I’ve been through the process myself and with proper dedication, anyone can achieve the same success that I have. It’s important to note however that I’m primarily a deer hunter and hunt to fill the freezer, not really for antlers. There are a lot of deer and a lot of hunting opportunities for deer, and I’m an opportunist. Additionally, I’m primarily a public land hunter, who hunts mostly big woods in rolling or mountainous terrain. My advice is colored by this experience, so take that for what it’s worth. Almost all public land in Middle and East Tennessee fits this description though, so the advice ought to be widely applicable.

🎓 TSU Roster Change Starting today, Tennessee State University has yet another new interim president. Dwayne Tucker has replaced Ronald Johnson, who stepped down early from his tenure as a temporary replacement for Glenda Glover. In his interim position, Tucker will have to grapple with the university’s lawsuits, plummeting registration, and a $46 million deficit while the board continues searching for a permanent president.

“I am both honored and humbled by this appointment,” said Tucker during a special meeting on Friday. “As a proud TSU alum, I care deeply about securing the strongest possible future for my alma mater and for the students who entrust us with their education. This is why I have served all along. We have serious and important work to do, and I look forward to joining the board in doing that work transparently and with integrity. It’s the TSU way.”

🛒 Grocery Tax Drama Last week, State Senator Charlane Oliver sent out an email titled “Republicans copied my plan to end the grocery tax” to solicit donations from her constituents. “Last session, Rep. Aftyn Behn and I introduced bold legislation to abolish the grocery tax in Tennessee to bring much-needed financial relief to working families,” reads the email. “We know families like yours are struggling to afford essentials, but my Republican colleagues dismissed our bill outright, calling it unnecessary. But now, they're back with a copycat bill—pretending this was their idea all along.”

Jotted in between three different donation links, Oliver explained how Tennessee Republicans “prioritized a $1.6 billion tax refund to profitable corporations” over funding “better public schools, quality child care, safer roads, and, yes, eliminate the grocery tax altogether.” She went on to outline the most important difference between the two competing bills: “...their plan doesn’t say where the money will come from to pay for the lost revenue. Ours achieves the same result—but does so responsibly by making corporations finally pay their fair share.”

🔵 Moving In On Blue Cities Despite better relations between Mayor O’Connell and the state legislature when compared to previous administrations, the tension always seems to be drawn like a bow between Music City’s progressive Metro government and Tennessee’s supermajority GOP legislature. Considering the ongoing tit-for-tat between the two—including things like Nashville shunning the Republican National Convention and the state attempting to shrink the council—it’s no surprise that the council is anticipating some pushback from the state during the upcoming General Assembly. 

According to State Affairs, state representatives in Texas have once again filed a bill proposing to take control over Austin. The Lone Star State’s blue capital has continued to clash with Republican leadership—the same pattern we’ve seen between Music City and Tennessee’s state-level brass. Though Texas’ strategy of taking over the local municipality has been posed as a possible tactic that the Volunteer state might mimic, it seems unlikely. It’s far more plausible that the Tennessee GOP will continue to put the squeeze on progressive cities without threatening to take them over completely.

DEVELOPMENT

• East Nashville slated for bar and vinyl listening room (NBJ)
• Developer brings new homes to North Nashville (NBJ)
• Southwest adds direct flight to Louisville (NBJ)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.

TONIGHT

🪕 Vickie Vaughn & Friends @ Dee's Lounge, 6p, $10, Info

🎄 Timbo & Lonesome Country CHRISTMAS @ Jane's Hideaway, 8p, Info
+ modern take on classic country, bluegrass & hillbilly Jazz

🪕 Val Storey, Carl Jackson, Larry Cordle & New Monday @ Station Inn, 8p, $20, Info

💀 Grateful Monday @ Acme Feed & Seed, 8p, Free, Info

🕺 Motown Monday @ The 5 Spot, 9p, $5, Info

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.