I’ve hunted several different states and I have to say these AL deer are the wildest, most easily spooked deer I’ve ever seen. One little noise, anything to alert them and it’s over, they are gone and back in the thick stuff. Why is this? I wonder if it’s the years & years of dog hunting deer here in North AL? Not blaming dog hunters because I enjoy a good dog drive myself, it’s just a theory? What do y’all think? Robinhedd

Because our hunting season runs thru 5 months of the year

I've often wondered the same. We had 16 bucks on camera last year.
EVERY SINGLE PIC of a BUCK was at NIGHT. Even during the rut.

Even the skwurls on our place are paranoid. My son and I were sitting in
stand late one afternoon as a skwurl made his way up to our stand. My son
has these gloves with the magnetic finger openings that automatically close.
As he was putting his finger back inside the glove (we heard the skwurl coming
and thought it was a deer) those magnet closers made the slightest, almost
imperceptible noise and that skwurl came unglued. He hauled ass about 50 yards
before he ever stopped. He looked back our way and then continued running.
That sucker was still running last time I saw him. This is on private land that
is very lightly hunted only by us.

BTW, we saw one DOE all season long. Knowing there were bucks around,
made it very frustrating.

I don't understand it either. Other states seem like a petting zoo.

I think it's due to the trail cams. Constant traffic in the woods every weekend cuz folks gotta know what's on these cameras. They weren't near this spooky back in the 90's imo.

There is no dog hunting in Northeast Bama. I bid 4 months of constant hunting season harassment. Not to mention contact during scouting time , trail cams and a turkey season.

Long season.

Had a doe pick me out this am. I was solid still and had face covered.

Y'all just gotta be more stealthy

Long season, the doe death rape that goes on , trail
Cameras and the over abundance of coyotes

I think your over thinking it. They're not pets lol

Constant human presence by hunters for several decades tromping in the woods for 6 months a year has trained deer to walk on pins an needles in this state....and walk around lookin up...and know exactly what we smell like..move like..and sound like. Their is no aluminum or steel in the woods..and nothing else wears boots...so it make it rather easy for them to pick us off a tree...or duck..at the sound of an unnatural thump...or come straight to atention at the clicking of a rifle safety..nothing else makes noises in the woods like us..we are dumb and clumsy with poor senses..its a wonder we kill anything at all..oh wait...we are the most intelegent species on the face of the earth...nevermind

Do the trail cameras themselves spook em? (the one's that don't have to checked like cell cameras)

Over-hunting. Getting shot at with guns for months. This is my first good season in Kentucky and these deer are retarded in comparison, even the big bucks. I've had three shooters at eye level in the past couple weeks not notice me standing there at all. Closest was 7 yards. I had a stare down with a spike at 10 yards yesterday and all he did was slightly change his direction and continue on his way unscathed. Didn't really care. The deer here don't really spook they just kinda go around you...cause they don't get blasted every time they stand up.

Extended gun season and hunters that don't practice scent control when checking cameras. Smaller states have more deer and they act differently because they don't get blasted several months. Usually, mid-western states only have a week or two gun season.

I've hunted in Alabama for 40 plus yrs and they were spooky on public land as far back as I can remember.
I noticed when I started going up north and the midwest...it was a big difference. They are wired down here unless you're hunting in a low pressure area.

No one likes to get raped definately will make some skiddish.

They can.

They do on big nastys that ain't encountered em I know for fact I don't use em in season unless it's right by my house or close to populated activity

Didnt have the doe death rape back in the 90's, nor the trail cams. Huntd north madison county and had friends that hunted the other side of state line. We all vowed that you could tell exactly when you stepped across the line by how the deer n turkeys acted.

I've seen it both ways then doe I missed Saturday was sneaking in like she was walking on broken glass I've seen that several times the 6 point I shot a few years ago walked into a green field broad daylight post rut and never checked up. I've seen does come through the woods sounding like a dozer push out a fire lane making all kinds of racket. Last year I had a six point come through on public land with out a care in the world and made a chit ton of racket when he came through and the 8 point I shot 30 mins later on the same trial the 6 point came in on was on pins and needles just slow and steady stopping about every 3-5 yds sniffing the ground up in the air and looking around at his surroundings.