So deer didn't have to be restocked in Alabama 40-50 years ago? Hmmm

Q

I have often pondered on this myself. It makes sense to me that deer with a propensity to be more nocturnal are living longer and producing more offspring over time you would think that would increase the percentage of deer that had that trait.

I have been hunting west Jefferson for a long time. There are not enough deer in this area to withstand much killing. Few trigger happy years and will take years for herd to build back up.

It takes a real dumbass that goes hunting, doesn't see many deer, doesn't see much deer sign, but shoots every doe they see and then will bitch about the state's management system..

My cameras hunt all night.

The question you should be asking yourself is where are the deer when you are not seeing them on camera?
I could show you a picture of a scrape on a tree a deer made almost as big as a small man's waist, but have know idea where that hoss is right now. Seen the deer possibly that made that before season, but no idea where his private place might be due to limited access.

Bedding, water, year round food supply and don't shoot the doe's! You will have big bucks and see them. Simple but can be expensive.......must have good "dirt" to begin with. There is not enough money to make bad dirt good long term.
Second Alabama has avery poor oversight and guidance when establishing harvest limits. Brown and it's down has run it's course in Alabama, time for a new Sheriff in Town like DC.

But , but.....we have a new Sheriff, his name is Chuck Sykes.

I am convinced that a significant portion of the hunting land in our state is S**T. At the first club I ever joined I saw 11 does in two years. I left that club and joined another, I saw 2 small bucks and 5 does the entire season. The third club I joined had 3000 acres and only 18 members, tons of old growth hardwoods, nice cut overs, a powerline and was bordered on one side by a major river. It should have been bang up good. Some of the guys in the club had been there for years and thought it was great. I saw 1 buck and maybe 10 does all year. There were two decent bucks killed that year.
Anyway, I finally decided it was worth it to pay up and join a club with good land, a good population and strict harvest rules. Well I am now hunting on a piece of property where it is RARE to hunt and not see a deer. I have taken one mature buck this year but have passed on a ton of young bucks that I just didn't think were shooters for me. It is worth noting that this property isn't in the black belt or even in a county that is considered one of the best. Its just good land that is managed properly. I am convinced that if you want to see deer every hunt and you want to see bucks on most hunts you have got to let the does walk and get the hell away from low density land. I know this, I have passed on more bucks in the last four years than the guys from my previous clubs have seen in their lifetime.
If you are in a 3000 acre club and you have to trek miles into the thickest part of the club just to see a deer, get the hell out of that club asap!

Thanks for all the replies. There are deer here, I see sign rubs scrapes. As for cameras I don't own any. But every other members do. I personally don't use them for the reason of leaving scent in the woods to check them. I see atv/utv tracks all over where these guys are driving and checking cameras. I'm the type hunter once the season begins I'm in and out, leaving my scent to a minimum. I won't even urinate in the woods. I carry a bottle with me just for the purpose of that. I'm not angry about any of this, I just don't understand why I haven't even seen a young stupid buck, or doe crossing power lines big and small, gas lines or even a clearcut. We have some big clear cuts. But with all being said I think I will move on. Good luck to you guys happy hunting.

10 to the 4

While we're on the subject of habitat quality and deer density, what regions of the state are the best right now?

I feel like some land will never hold big numbers. Look at places like Bankhead. Its a huge amount of land and the doe killing is fairly limited and the numbers just aren't there. The land we hunt has never had high numbers. We've killed maybe 10 does in 20 years. There is around 1000 acres that joins us with good bedding area and water that nearly never gets hunted. The majority of land owners we know that are in the general area don't kill many does either. The one thing we don't have much of at all is ag land. It just seems to me that areas that don't have a food source that can support large numbers in one general area will never keep high numbers. Natural browse can only feed so many deer and some land types don't provide much natural browse throughout the entire year. You're not going to keep big numbers in one area when there isn't a food source to keep them there. I know there are other things that contribute such a predators but these are just conclusions I've come to over the years.

If we want deer hunting to be as good as it used to be we have to either get rid of coyotes or get rid of doe killing. And one is much easier to get rid of than the other.

x2 Skyline is pitiful compared to the 80's...We were talking of it today when you use to see 20+ deer a day and it seemed like somebody got a buck often. Back then the only time a doe could be killed was with a ML or bow.