Why do most other states around us start bow hunting earlier?

MS- Oct 1
LA- Oct 1 (I think)
South Carolina- early September
GA- already open
TN- already open

Bammer- not for 3 weeks!

Here in La we have 10 different zones. The zone I'm in opened last weekend. Our season dates all revolve around the rut timing and therefore the age of fawns. Our fawns drop in May and our rut is in October so we open early here. Can't speak for other states.

After Game Check, we'll be that lucky too (roll eyes)

Damn you want to climb and sweat ? I wish they would add time when its cool and the endless rut is going on !

Would like to see a drawing for opening of Sept 1- Oct 14 in Alabama 1 buck only any land using rifle, bow, crossbow, or spear limited people. Limited people each region older folks first. Maybe apply until you get chosen and then can't be chosen for five years again. That way I could hunt before all the bow hunters hit the woods if lucky.

LOL We love being in woods before the guns. The deer walk freely.
Screw hunting that early. take your butt to South Carolina if you love fighting skeeters and sweating that much. Hunt Safe

Mid-August on Lowcountry private lands, with bow or gun.


It definitely is interesting how the states differ in season openings. Deer seasons are one example - Georgia, Tennessee or Mississippi opening weeks before Alabama. Dove season is another - opens Labor Day or Sept. 1 or that weekend in several states, but the doves must not cross our state lines until two weeks later.

As for sweating and skeeters and heat, if anyone wants to fight that then so be it IF the biology supports earlier openings. Raccoon season opened Sept. 1 and it was hotter than the back 40 of Hades that night, but we went. Giving hunters the option is IMO better than having a bureaucrat say "Gahh, no one needs to hunt that early in the heat." just because they think it's too hot and wouldn't go themselves.

I would go in the heat. I fish in the heat...why wouldn't I hunt in the heat

I assume too many fawns will not survive due to age if their mother is killed. Too many times I have watched fawns nursing the first week of bow season in North Alabama. I can only imagine the fawns farther south this time of year.

Babies have a hard time making it without their mothers around. Just my opinion.

My bucks are like clockwork this time of year. If Alabama opened mid September, I would already have my limit on big deer by October 15th

Yelp!^^^^^

This certainly is a strong possibility and makes sense biologically from a bucket biologist standpoint, for sure.

But to the original post, are Alabama's deer and fawns that much different than those born in Tennessee (north Alabama), Mississippi (west-central/south) and south Georgia (southwest Alabama?) Are the rut-fawndrop dates-times in those adjacent states so different that they can open their seasons 2-3 weeks earlier and not sustain any significant biological harm?

I'm just eager to get out there!

I wish they'd bring bow season in Oct. 1 here.

One of the places I used to outfit was South Carolina. Velvet bucks in August! It was hot but well worth it.

That was one of the busiest 2 weeks until Sept.. Even 2 1/2 weeks sometimes. Great Chance to get a BIG 125 - 140 class buck out in the beans!

I even shot a good un myself there back in 2005 after I stopped outfitting and was filming for a show. Got there too late due to a hurricane and they care taker said the producer already left...go hunt.

I set up on the soybeans behind the house and kilt "Ole Moe"..the buck the producer and his co lessor were after! On video and filmed myself. Came in with 5 bucks..one alnost as big as him...but he had 2 Main beams on one side. I put the video on here before.

I love the first week of ANY season personally.

Did I mention I have LOTS of beans around my land. They JUST now started harvesting them. Id love to catch a good un coming out or in to those dang beans about now.

Probably just need to leave it alone.

I like it starting on the 15th. Bucks seem to stay on a schedule through November, anyway.

Because Alabama beats them at football so they gotta one up us somehow.

I agree with the above personally. But to answer your question, who knows what the dream team hunting law makers we got in the gump will decide on what they want to do next. Just look at the stupid south/north zone dove hunting tomfoolery they came up with.

I'm just glad they moved the south zone back to Oct 15 rather than the 25th. We we're totally missing the first acorn drop.

I am in South Carolina working now. I can't imagine hunting in this heat!

Fawns just started dropping down here in the last 7-10 days. I don't really have a problem starting it earlier as long as it is made buck only, but there is no way people should be killing does around here this early.

How many of those are still hunting in February?

Regular bloodbath in ol Hi-Jackson.

IIRC, SC is buck only in the early season.

Probably not many. I just wonder why they start earlier. I actually like Bama season dates myself.

Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina close in early January. Dunno about Kentucky.

Mississippi has a later season into mid-February in the southeast corner.

Arkansas and northwest Florida Panhandle (Zone D, below Alabama) go through the end of February. Arkansas opens third week of September (bow) and Panhandle opens Oct. 22.

I can only speak for central and SW bama but I wouldn't mind a buck only Oct 1st in central, then buck or doe Oct 15, and keep it as we are in SW. I think they hit the nail on the head this year down here the way they have it now. Fawns are way too young to lose their momma's down here in early and mid October. May be too young till the first of November. You can still kill bucks in velvet down here on the 15th. I've seen plenty of em killed. I personally don't care for velvet bucks.

Screw deer hunting when it's this hot!

If you can't kill enough in the 118 days we have now then maybe you need to find another hobby IMO.

I love it as much as anybody and more than most so I'd be out here sweating and swatting the mosquito if it were open now.