Shooter likes to get in a workout while he is hunting so he can carry that German Hubble telescope on his rifle.

When "daylight hours" end it's still very bright. Next time you're in a field in December at 4:40PM, I challenge you to leave. That's when I kill 95% of my deer, after "daylight" according to weather.com is over.

Woops. That should have been= wait. My rifle is only 11 lbs. Thats with a 5x22x56 Nightforce! So not really that bad to carry! I once carried a 18 lbs, 284 shehane match rifle to a shooting house to shoot a deer!

Thanks for clearing that up ... I wasn't sure myself

I don't go by weather.com as to when daylight ends. I use common sense and that tells me that daylight hasn't ended at 4:40 pm in December only that the sunset has occurred. Just like I don't wait until sunrise to shoot either. Good grief!

This is from the Code of Alabama, although apparently not enforced:

Section 9-11-235

It shall be unlawful, except as to trapping as otherwise provided by law, for a person to take, capture, or kill, or attempt to take, capture, or kill any bird or animal protected by the laws of this state between sunset and daylight of the following day, except that the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources may by a duly promulgated regulation, allow the taking, catching, or killing of raccoons and opossums between sunset and daylight in any county or counties within the state.

I used to get worked up about the fact that they wouldn't just say 1/2 hour before and after sun rise/set. Then I started thinking, you know maybe it's best it's left the way it is, and it's left vague for a reason. What if you field is sloped such that it's oriented south, and atmospheric conditions allow light such that you can shoot at 35 minutes after sunset and at 33 minutes the buck of a lifetime walks out and you get a ticket? Sounds like the current state of affairs allows for sensible behavior without getting a ticket.

Of course if dumbazzes start shooting people, theyll be forced to lock er down and enforce accordingly.

Exactly. I think I've umpired some of their damn baseball games too. They "heard" a rule when they were a kid and assume it's true.

Usually if you feel its questionable you shouldn't be shooting.

I, nor many others, paid big money for binoculars and scopes to get down and go home at 4:40 pm.

Personally, I like Alabama's stance on it a heckuva lot better than the states that define legal shooting hours as 30 minutes before/after sunrise/sunset. If folks don't want to stay longer, there's no one forcing them to.

I like my German Hubble scopes.

If i was going to go home at 4:40, i wouldn't hunt that afternoon. Kill 90% of my afternoon deer after 4:30, probably closer to 5pm.

I don't like the DA on the ajoining property shooting at 5:45 PM when it's pitch black.

Depends on the moon phase.

The rules were changed a few years back, there used to be set times for deer hunting, now it days daylight hours only. I asked a GW about this years back and he said it was up to him. If he felt you could see good enough to identify your target then he sees no problem. They are aware of scope technology today and know that you can sit a few minutes longer which can mean the difference. I'm sure the new technology had a lot to do with the rule changes.

NEVER been any set times for deer hunting..ever. and no changes in the rules over the last 30 years either. Bad info....

I think we have been over the fact that its officers discreation. BhamFred, what would be the charges and fines if someone shot a deer, that in the GW opinion was to late? Would it be a charge of hunting after hours? If so would it be a fine like spotlighting? How much of a fine?

fine would depend on charge...could be hunting at night, could be restricted hours. Couple thousand to a couple of hundred.

The regulation is in fact as specific as "daylight hours." My interpretation is everyone should use common sense. If you question whether it's "daylight" or not then you should not shoot. If you cannot clearly identify your target then it's not "daylight."

Bottom line is that if you are shooting at a time when you know you should not be then you could get a ticket. A warden is not going to write you a ticket because it's so many minutes before or after a certain time found on a data table. They will right you a ticket because you are not using good judgement and could possibly kill somebody.