I was lucky enough to get drawn for the February 4th Uchee Creek SOA hunt, so to take my mind off of Hurricane Sally recovery for the moment I was wondering what to expect the hunting to be like in that area at that time of year. I expect it to be post rut at that time and being from south AL I don’t know what post rut hunting is like. Any advice will be welcomed.

I got drawn in late January 2019 in unit 7 I think it was. There is a shitload of deer on that place. The rut was pretty much over that year at that time but I did see a 3 yr old 7 pt with a doe. My buddy sae a shooter in a grown up cutover and then he disapeared. I harvested a doe and saw deer every sit. You will have a good time man and have plenty of shot opportunities.

I appreciate the response. Definitely looking forward to it.

There's definitely a lot of the deer on the place and there's a few good ones here and there. Bucks are still chasing does right up until the end of the season in that area.
Good luck.

I've been assigned Unit 8 if anyone has any info about that particular area to share.

I hunted Unit 8 last season in early Dec. I did not witness any chasing or rut activity where I was located. There is a huge cut over on the SE end of the unit sandwiched in between some other private property. I hunted that area primarily while my cousin hunted the upper sections closer to the interior. I saw very few deer, all does. The DCNR folks who run the place, indicated there were some really nice bucks in the area that moved in and out of the cut over frequently, but if they were there I never saw them. The place was boiling over with good sign, however. My cousin saw a nice buck that did not meet the antler requirement. He was hunting up near the N end of the unit at the time.
They were very clear about making sure any bucks killed must meet that requirement. I think other hunters killed three bucks that weekend.
If you have specific questions let me know and I'll help as I can.

This ^^^

I’ve hunted unit 12 and unit 5. Shot nice bucks on both units (one recovered one not). My wife drew the Dec 17 gun hunt this year and got unit 7. I’m pretty pumped about going back. There’s a ton of deer on that place.

Mrs. Nightwatchman drew the new years eve rifle hunt.

How do you guys already know what unit you have been assigned? I just got a facebook message 20 minutes ago from wildlife and freshwater fisheries and they said they havent sent out emails regarding assigned units yet.

I received my email just before midnight last night from Kara Glassey. Check junk mail folder. That’s where I found mine.

Yep I got an email from Kara last night as well. They may not do all the emails at once though. They’re probably assigning units and sending emails per hunt group as they go.

Was selected as an alternate for uchee on that 12/17 hunt weekend. Didnt receive any emails so not looking good for me. I did ask about preference points when accepting alternate status and not getting selected as a hunter,and was told I'd lose my preference points even if I wasn't selected to hunt.. pretty much a lose lose for me barring someone backing out and them contacting me later. Who knows

I'm an alternate for Cedar Creek 1/21 and also saw on FB where I lose my points even if I don't end up getting to hunt. Whoever decided that was a good idea is an idiot. I just hope someone drops out now.

That does suck that alternates loose preference points. Doesn't seem fair in the least bit.

I know I am dredging up an old thread but I have just registered for the Uchee Creek, Cedar Creek and Portland Landing SOA hunts (including the youth hunts) so I can take my daughter to get a few shots at some this season if we get selected.