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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: Racksrus]
#2740493
02/17/19 05:36 PM
02/17/19 05:36 PM
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Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,076 the Flatwoods
Fldoghunter
6 point
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6 point
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 1,076
the Flatwoods
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I guess it's all in the way you look at things. To somebody who grew up hunting central Fl public land, Alabama hunting (even if it ain't what it used to be), seems pretty good.
The wife and I went in halves with my brother on 80 acres in south Alabama with plans to enjoy it recreationally for 20 years or so, then build a house and retire on it. The land prices in Fl are outrageous a 10 acre tract will cost you 10-15 thousand an acre plus. The city is gobbling up the country so fast its unbelievable. Traffic, even in the country, gets worse every year. Places that used to grow oranges and cows now grow houses like weeds. Leases in south Fl are 7-10 K per person, to kill bucks most of yall would let walk.. Leases in north Fl are usually 12-25 hundred to shoot "legal" deer.
I keep hearing how tough Al public land is to hunt and I keep thinking that it can't be tougher than the swamps and flat woods I'm used to. I plan to try out some of it next year.
My advice (for what its worth) is sure, do all you can to make your hunting better, but in the end don't stress about it too much. It will take the fun out of it. Make the most out of what yall have and know it could surely be worse.
May the sound of hounds never die!
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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: Racksrus]
#2740565
02/17/19 07:05 PM
02/17/19 07:05 PM
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Joined: May 2014
Posts: 296 CentrAL
coach41
4 point
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4 point
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 296
CentrAL
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I hope my comments only add perspective and don't sound too negative about AL hunting. However, being a military family, I've had the privilege of hunting a lot of states (and overseas). I've killed deer in NC, VA, GA, IL, WY, SD, CO, NE, AL, and NJ. (Yes NJ LoL). The only state I've lived in for any considerable amount of time and didn't kill a deer was FL. (That's mainly because I had a bang up place in Georgia to hunt near my work.) In AL, I have hunted Chambers, Randolph, Bullock, Coffee, and Crenshaw counties. All private leases or timber company leases. Mainly pine plantation, but some hardwoods/SMZs. Being not from AL and not growing up here; there aint no family/friends land these days. So mostly what's been available is pine plantation with thick understory (less than desirable habitat, and it's tough hunting). I think folks hold onto their leases whether the hunting is good, it's close to home, etc. Not a lot of turnover on good hunting ground. I'm sure there are some vacancies out there in some quality clubs, but I like doing my own thing, planting my own plots, and missing out on the drama.
Based on my 40+ years of hunting experience, with the last 6 being here, AL is at the bottom of my list for quality and quantity of deer sightings. I realize we have a lot of factors to consider. Weather, trickle rut, rut in hot weather that wears bucks down (possibly increasing mortality each year), but I firmly believe pressure is the biggest factor. We have a lot of "house" dogs and collared hunting dogs push deer year round. Not to mention the amount of coyotes and bobcats we get on camera too. Seems to be quite a bit of trespassing/poaching, night hunting, road hunting, and less than desirable activity. Not to mention there's scent in the woods from 15 October to 10 February each year. Thats the longest season I know of.
For whatever reasons, a 3+ year old AL buck is a whiley creature. If you kill him, you have done a much larger feat than if you kill a midwest deer of the same age. Even then, he's lucky to sport 100" of horn. There's just no way I'd pay what I'm paying for a lease anywhere else in the US for the quality of hunting I've experienced here...but if I don't, somebody else will. Either it's a guy down in FL who don't have much chance at good hunting close to home, or it's somebody local looking for greener pastures because it seems not many are satisfied these days.
Again, just my perspective. If you have a better experience, good. Be thankful. I'm hopeful mine will get better...somehow.
"Now boy, are you sure you can skin griz?"
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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: coach41]
#2740571
02/17/19 07:19 PM
02/17/19 07:19 PM
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 14,327 ArmPit of the south
DeerNutz0U812_
Booner
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Booner
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 14,327
ArmPit of the south
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I don't get it....whats your point....Your upset because you pay a ton of money and dont shoot much...Or your buddies are paying a ton and you don't feel they are getting their moneys worth....What is the point of this thread... You mad bro.... Cost vs return on Deer Hunting never adds up...
Did you know that Beer Nutz are over a Dollar...and Deer Nutz are under a Buck...
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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: Racksrus]
#2740583
02/17/19 07:36 PM
02/17/19 07:36 PM
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 14,327 ArmPit of the south
DeerNutz0U812_
Booner
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Booner
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 14,327
ArmPit of the south
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When you start hunting for you and your enjoyment and not worry about crap you cant control youll prolly start killing better Deer and have a more enjoyable experience...02
Did you know that Beer Nutz are over a Dollar...and Deer Nutz are under a Buck...
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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: DeerNutz0U812_]
#2740717
02/17/19 10:08 PM
02/17/19 10:08 PM
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 8,377 Gulfcrest
bigt
14 point
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14 point
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 8,377
Gulfcrest
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When you start hunting for you and your enjoyment and not worry about crap you cant control youll prolly start killing better Deer and have a more enjoyable experience...02 Probably won’t kill better deer,but the more enjoyable experience.....yes
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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: Racksrus]
#2740721
02/17/19 10:15 PM
02/17/19 10:15 PM
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Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 2,024 AL
therealhojo
8 point
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8 point
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 2,024
AL
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Yes Noble you are 100 % right. It starts with us. And someone has to take a stand or you will fall for anything. These same people who ask what's my point and won't oppose price gouging would raise hell if when they went to the grocery store checkout and started to pay and was told "Hey Bud we decided we are gonna charge you double and go put back half your cart". Don't be someone who says nothing or defends the way things are. Be like Donald Trump. Whether you like him or not he says Washington is a damn mess and needs to be fixed ! Well he is right ! Have to admire someone who don't just give us some smooth talk. I'm not sure you understand how supply and demand works.................
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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: Racksrus]
#2740727
02/17/19 10:31 PM
02/17/19 10:31 PM
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Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3,269 Hoover,Al. StateChamps
Big Bore
10 point
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10 point
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 3,269
Hoover,Al. StateChamps
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Sorry for the slap of reality......high lease prices are here to stay. Lots of people with $$$$ in and out of this state willing to pay to hunt here. Prices only going up. Just the law of supply and demand.
Hunting brings out the worst in people.
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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: Racksrus]
#2740731
02/17/19 10:36 PM
02/17/19 10:36 PM
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Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 16,843 Banana Republic
jb20
Old Mossy Horns
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Old Mossy Horns
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 16,843
Banana Republic
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I agree racksrus I told someone on lease forum other day I'd be more proud of 120 inch deer from my county than 150 inch deer from Illinois and they said they quit hunting lol...i reckon it's how u compare a trophy? I can guarantee that mine would be harder to kill where I hunt tho..etowah co don't have as many as some..and if cwd takes over theys plenty squirrel frogs and fish to get...hell I may take up trapping if that happens
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Ben Franklin
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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: Racksrus]
#2740736
02/17/19 10:49 PM
02/17/19 10:49 PM
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Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 60 North AL
Thefofive
spike
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spike
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 60
North AL
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Racksrus, first of all, if you hunt in a club where the attitude of: "I've got to kill a buck to get my money's worth!", is acceptable to the rest of your group or your board or president, I'd pack my stuff and find somewhere else to hunt. My club kills bucks based on bucks' age and not so much antler score. But like anything else, hunting is like this... the more disciplined, educated (abt your hobby), unselfish, work done, restrained on the trigger finger, etc... you and your hunting partners are, the better off you'll all be. I will NOT hunt in a club where 2 yr olds are shot!.
My club lets, for the most part, 3 yr old bucks and younger walk. Yes, there are some 3 yr olds that do get shot because they have an exceptional rack on their head and we're trying to address not shooting these potential monsters at 3 yrs old. Yes, we allow fist time hunters to shoot the buck of his/her choice. We have almost zero turn-over in members but if a new member joins, and he has a first time hunter, we tell the new member to not let his first time hunter shoot a two year old buck. I mean if he wants to, that's fine HOWVER, with only a few hours put in, that young hunter is guaranteed to see a 3 yr old with a decent rack within 100 yds.
I had a great year! Wanna know how many bucks I killed? ZERO, but I saw tons of immature bucks( this includes a lot of 3 yr old bucks I elected not to shoot) and I just couldn't make it happen on the mature bucks I did see. Granted, I hunt woods more then food plots and I bow hunt more than gun hunt.
Each year, my club's property (3000+ ac) has an age class that carries over to the next year. Because we shoot zero 2 yr old bucks or younger and very few 3 yr old bucks, we have a good crop of bucks entering the 3, 4, 5+ age class each year. It stands to reason that we kill some decent bucks. Our tops bucks are mid 130's but if he's a 4 yr old, hey, that's a trophy no matter what's on his head!
If someone makes a mistake and shoots an immature buck, it's not hell, fire and damnation if it's truly a mistake. Shooting an immature buck because you haven't killed a buck all year, will get your ass thrown out of the club as that's blatant disregard for our rules.
So, I hunt with like-minded hunters. None of us is greedy. We ALL want to shoot 4 yr old bucks. And, it's not that hard ageing a buck on the hoof. Esp in a food plot! In the woods, it's harder, certainly. Shooting 2 and 3 yr old bucks is not that hard to do... IF YOU HAVE THEM. They're like 16 or 17 yr old boys in heat... they don't think! When they turn 4, they're a different animal.
Anyway, if killing a 2 yr old buck is not against your rules or there are no consequence$ of shooting such, that's not good. But NTL, you have to hunt with hunters that understand the basic biology of whitetail deer and they better be willing to understand that you don't HAVE to kill a buck to have a successful season.
I enjoyed my year. Saw lots of bucks and had fun. The hardest thing is finding a club that manages based off whitetail deer biology and not coffee shop talk. If your club thinks that it can manage its buck pop based off genetics and killing undesirable "cull" bucks (IN A FREE RANGE), your club or club management isn't doing its homework and doesn't know deer biology.
If you ever hunt in a club where 80% of bucks shot are 4 yrs old, you'll NEVER go back to the level where your current club is now. The difference is night and day in hunter satisfaction.
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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: Racksrus]
#2740790
02/18/19 12:12 AM
02/18/19 12:12 AM
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Joined: May 2018
Posts: 2,905 Banks of Little River
JohnnyLoco
10 point
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10 point
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 2,905
Banks of Little River
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I pay $312 for out of state all game for what feels like the longest deer season ever, drive 787 miles one way and I’m in my stand before dark the same day, give my arteries a workout with nasty Conecuh sausage, kill some deer, small game, and predators, sit by the creek in the morn, watch the sunset from the hill in the evening, visit kin folk...
Thats my trophy and anyone that puts a score on a set of deer antlers needs their head examined.
Rinse & Repeat
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Re: The State of the State of our deer hunting
[Re: DeerNutz0U812_]
#2741227
02/18/19 04:22 PM
02/18/19 04:22 PM
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,095 Anniston, AL
ikillbux
ishootatbux
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ishootatbux
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 6,095
Anniston, AL
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When you start hunting for you and your enjoyment and not worry about crap you cant control youll prolly start killing better Deer and have a more enjoyable experience...02 What does that mean? Practically?
We were on the edge of Eternia, when the power of Greyskull began to take hold.
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