Mile 779.8 - Old Mouth of the Forked Deer

LBD 779.8 Old Mouth of the Forked Deer

Oftentimes a rough landing (ragged revetment at medium and low waters, driftwood piles at high water) but well worth the visit. Paddle as far as you can up and into the old channel of the Forked Deer where old willows hang over the water and create a lush green tunnel full of songbirds. Wild turkeys and deer thicken the woods. Rarely open more than a hundred yards. Cool respite on hot day, good place to get out of the wind on a cold day. The old channel of the Forked Deer creates the boundary for Anderson-Tully State WMA which has protected most of the 1st Chickasaw Bluff. If you are lucky enough to catch it free of floating debris you can paddle upstream a meandering mile or so to reach Cold Creek Chute, a Mississippi River Oxbow which boasts some of the best fishing in Western Tennessee (although being an old river channel it is actually half in Arkansas and half in Tennessee).