Who is having a shoot in NW Alabama?

I haven't found one yet for me and my 9 year old son. He won't be carrying a gun.

See if any of the youth hunts run by the state still have a spot open.

I have been looking also. I would be interested anywhere from waterloo to athens. The Key Cave shoot is usually a good shoot but last year there were to many non-courteous hunters on top of everyone. In the years past it hasn't been that big of a problem. Its a little bit of a hike but has been a great shoot in the past.

I'll go in my back yard before I go on another youth hunt. I think they mean well but must not be so smart. I either get an overcrowded field with numbered stands less than 40 yards apart, or a big patch of dirt to hunt without a bird spotted all day.

RHC, I have similar feelings. But alas, I am giving it another try this year, as my boys are itching to go and I don't have any other viable FREE options at the moment. There is a new one in Cullman at the Auburn Experimental Station, east of town off 157. Not sure how close to Lake Catoma the hunting will be, but I feel like they are bound to have some sort of decent attractant out there. Got the email yesterday, they are serving lunch, which is a plus considering a few DCNR hunts I have been on. And it looked like there were plenty of slots last time I checked. If you have a change of heart and decide to go, give me a shout.

Interestingly, they also have another hunt available on Dec 15th. If this one pans out, might skip the deer woods and give it another go.

Stuart Goldsby is the officer in charge if you care to shoot him a note: stuart.goldsby@dcnr.alabama.gov

I appreciate that. I don't hold any animosity against them at all. I've had a few good shoots over the last 20 years with my 2 girls. The last half dozen have been a bust though. I just left the one where stands were too close ,before an accident happened. The actually had stands so close that 3 guns could possibly kill the same bird at the exact same time.

Last private hunt I went on with my boy was great. We drove in and had more than 100 yards to ourselves in all directions. We shot some birds and was able to sit under a big shade tree talking, close to the truck and our snacks,and drinks,and air conditioning if the birds slowed down. I think we paid $25.

I think we've been on 5 youth hunts, so I certainly don't have a ton of experience, but here's my 2 cents.

1) Hunt down between Auburn and Montgomery. Late in the year and crappy weather so hardly any birds. Hunted over "pulled" corn fields. They provided lunch for everyone. Plenty of field for the number of hunters. (2015)

2) Hale county hunt (state cattle ranch). Absolute barrel burner on opening day. No lunch, which was fine. Large crowd, but felt completely safe given the size of the field. (2016)

3) Up near Hazel Green second weekend of the season. Hardly any birds, but fields were properly prepped. They provided food and door prizes so that every child got a prize (box of shells, etc.) (2016)

4) Jackson County opening weekend. Hardly any birds as a cold front had pushed them a couple days prior. Corn field top sewn with wheat. Only a handful of people there, certainly not over crowded. We were told we could shoot until last legal light. (2017)

5) Hale count hunt (state cattle ranch), second weekend of the season. Not the best experience. I did get the feeling that the fields had been prepped for the first weekend, but not the second and they were just going through the motions. Wheat had started to germinate from previous broadcasting. Birds had started to fly good about the time they shut everything down (around 5:30pm). I contacted the state and had some email's back and forth with them. (2017)

Overall, most of my experiences have been good with the state youth hunts. I did notice they vary a good bit between sites, which is to be expected to some degree. I've yet to come across a hunt where I didn't feel safe and only one where I felt they didn't prep the fields well. Weather certainly affected some of the hunts, which has nothing to do with it being a state/private hunt.

Blackwater_Reb...we're going to be at the hunt in Cullman this weekend. That's where I grew up so I'm looking forward to it.

I went to one youth hunt where the owner of the field's brother,would horn on anybody getting any action. I guess he felt like it was his land so OK,but it was low class to me.

I had my girl with me that day when he came down on top of us. She was too young to hunt but I had let her carry a single barrel 410 just to teach safety and how to hold a gun. I helped her shoot a couple times just so she would have the experience but I mostly held the gun when she did.

I only had a few shells for the 410 in my pocket and I wouldn't have given her a shell or loaded gun just to sit with. Anyway,old guy comes in on us when I shoot about 8 birds fairly quick. I spoke nice to him but saw he wasn't going away. I pretended to slip a shell in her 410 and backed the hammer. He decided he needed to be somewhere else about that time,and we had a great hunt afterwards.

Veteran move. I'll be putting that'n in my playbook.

Slick.

Piney Chapel Fire Department puts on a good shoot normally. It’s on a field it has been on in the past which produced. It’s on the corner of Nick Davis and Sanderson road. It is 10 dollars a day for Saturday and Sunday. There will be more people than you would ever want to be around with a shotgun. A lot of people get their at daylight to put their chairs and stuff out. Some people had tailgating canopies set up in the field last time I went. But Is an option for y’all that don’t have a spot up north. Athens/ Huntsville/Decatur area

Last year I passed a couple on the way to the one I went to. I guess I'll just head up that way early and see if I can find something.

If nothing else,me and the boy will sit out back and shoot at a crow or two.

That sounds like a cluster

Sounds like the $20 Gurly shoot outside of Huntsville.