I: priced out by timber companies.

that's funny comparing them to the Hot / Crazy Matrix

I got in a club one year in Randolph / Chambers Co (near the railroad tracks in Abanda).... I would say the land was "average" to "below average" for the area, but they had a separate tract from the main club land that was a perfect chest-high briar cutover. The club was about 10 guys, all or most of them were 50's or 60's, and then here I was a 30-year old kid full of piss and vinegar. These were the kind of personalities who just loved the camp life, several of them wouldn't even get up and hunt in the morning...you'd come back in after hunting and they'd have breakfast cooked, or have gone and done some work project, etc. I actually joined the club before I knew they had that 80 acre clearcut, so one day just prior to gun season coming in I was down there by myself scouting and ran into one of the old guys. We stopped on our 4wheelers talking and he said something like, "Yeah, we got that 80 over there on such and such road, but they came in and cut all the woods a few years ago, just ruined the place. Nobody hunts it anymore, ain't no deer since they cut the woods off of it."

My head spun around about 3 times, eyes bugged out, and I asked "So we've STILL got an 80 acre block somewhere else, and it's all cutover????" He said yes, but again lamented about how they ruined it by cutting all those beautiful hardwood ridges, and again said nobody's even been over there since then. I like to have @#$@# my pants trying to keep a poker face! He told me where it was, and I'll be a sonofagun, it even had our signs on the gates. He wasn't kidding, it didn't look like a soul had been there since however long it had been cut. I swear, scout's honor, I killed an 8pt the opening morning of gun season, then another stud 7 point the same week. I carried my friend as a guest later in the year, and we both killed smaller racked bucks the same morning.

The next season we were told they were not keeping the lease and the club would be disbanded. So I got busy investigating who to contact about getting that 80 acres MYSELF, and what I found out was it was all a lie. No such thing was happening, they weren't losing the lease, there hadn't even been any such conversation. To this day I don't know the real truth, but I took the hint that apparently they didn't want me back

There could be many factors as to why these people are looking at a new place to hunt. Bad relationship with a member(s), Cost, poor hunting and the list goes on. I think a lot of this search stems from the Quality of the hunting or better yet , unreasonable expectations. A lot of people need educated on Alabama Deer Hunting. After hunting all over the State for 40 plus years I sure don't know everything, but I've learned a lot. Alabama Deer hunting for both Quality and Quantity can be best described as Spotty. There are some good areas for sure. But there are plenty of places, I wouldn't hunt if you paid my gas to get there. I have Leases in Lowndes and Crenshaw counties and we have good populations of Deer. You usually see 2-15 deer per day on about any day. We have what I call Realistic Quality. We shoot Deer that score between 115 & 130 inches. Now do we have deer that are 150 on our properties ? Sure do. Not many, and the chances of you killing one is slim to none. Now I know that a lot of these Alabama Boys talk a big talk but truth is You ,me and the people we know rarely shoot a 150 inch deer. And I'm talking about a guessed score, but an actual, genuine tape score. I do think our deer herd is doing better in places and is making a comeback. Our wonderful Game Officials told us for years to shoot a Buck and a Doe a Day for 100 days a season in much of our State. And trust me, it took a toll. But we are seeing some positive things happening in our State. Although not gone but a lot of this Shoot em All mentality is dying. There are a lot of disappointed hunters looking for greener pastures. And to a certain extent, I don't blame them. I just about refuse to hunt a place where I don't see deer on a regular basis and where there is not Reasonable Quality expectations.

Good point about not hunting somewhere you don't see deer. I'm amazed at the vast percentage of guys in Alabama who hunt land with incredibly low deer densities, and they're none the wiser. They don't know any better, and it's why I don't respect many of the opinions about hunting. It's very noticeable to me how many posts I see on this site, "Haven't seen but 2 deer all season", and I'm like what in the everloving crap???? This is kinda off topic, but something I've said for years and years is that what makes a good bowhunter, is good bowhunting land. You BETTER have a target rich environment if you're gonna bowhunt.

You are right, ikillbux. I'm very bothered in our modern technology age at all the ignorant people on some of these hunting forums. They don't understand some of the basics of Deer hunting. And no wonder they are dissatisfied. They think you can lease hunting properties that for example have about 10-15 guys with their spouse and kids, plus guests on 1000 acres. I thought the whole idea of leasing or joining a club was to rise above public hunting. All you are doing is paying to hunt a place that in many cases is pounded more than public land. We run 1800 acres with 6 guys. And that's a plenty. With as long of Deer season as Alabama has you have to swing some odds in your favor. Then these guys will gripe that they are not seeing deer and go on the look for another club that runs pretty much the same way as the last one. Even with our 1800 acres and 6 members we have to have some restraint and not be on the property all the time. And I hear the Famous Slogan. " You can't kill em if you're not there" Well I disagree. I'm not there very much at all and kill em. I typically wait for our Rut and watch the weather and move in for the kill. Hunted 6 days last season and Bucked out with good quality animals. Plus we don't shoot any Does in fields and we end it period on December 31. You guys ever wonder why your bucks avoid your fields ? Don't take a 🚀 Scientist to figure that one out. Well time doesn't permit to continue. Just the Basics goes a long way though.