I’ve often wondered what percentage of mature bucks are lost after the rut due to rutting. I’m guessing it’s higher than most think. I watched a documentary on a whitetail buck that laid down and died after living to be 4 or 5. Only stress was predators and breeding. I think it was a Marty Stouffer production.

Like Brock mentioned WI will hurt your feelings with their soil. Deer hunting for me went downhill after seeing first hand up there. Most of the gun deer hunters hunt opening weekend and that’s it. The wolves have changed the north woods though and deer numbers are much lower now.

Everyone wants to compare us to the midwestern states, but doesn't want the season laws that would partially get us there.

Can you imagine the uproar here if Alabama instituted only a 9 day firearms season like Wisconsin. Or, even better, did like Illinois and have NO rifle season...and only like a single weekend shotgun and mz season?

I shouldn't have compared Alabama to Wisconsin.

I'm comparing the best hunting in Alabama to the worst. The best hunting areas have many, many more deer than the crappiest areas. The deer are bigger "and" more numerous and the hunting is about 400 times more fun.

The black belt and swampy areas have plenty of this, I've even seen it in Elmore county too. There are some big deer in Alabama with great racks. Part of the problem is being next to someone that is still of the mindset, "If it's brown, it's down."

You would hav a hole bunch of outlaws if you did that Hunterbuck - 9 day season a no go

How bout Nov 19 to 28th then dec 24 to Feb 10

U did not do anything wrong Remington 270 - good debate and u had some great points

Dang it’s turkey hunting weather out here today - I so ready

I agree you cant compare them But I get what Rem is saying.
if we limited the number of trigger pulls in Alabama we would have more deer right?? I mean makes sense to me.
Not advocating for any kind of new rules or legislation or anything else... i am merely agreeing with the post.

Great point Hunterbuck.

But there in lies the problem. If the DOC told the Alabama Hunting Public that we needed to change our seasons length or harvest amounts we would have a serious problem. Because MOST people in this state do not like being told what to do and most of the time fight over it. "i aint doing i aint doing that" Even if its for the best, they would fight it tooth and nail.

Yep, and it always seems like the "neighbors" are always the problem. Kinda like...."I don't want things to change for me, but the state's gotta do something about my neighbor killing all my deer".

I have come to the same conclusion.

Definitely more than we think it is.

Exactly.

More significant than most realize. And it’s even worse in areas with sex ratios heavily toward females.

It really sucks in years like this one where it was storming both weekends and the bucks were locked up with does during the week. 1 week makes it tough to go after specific deer especially outside of ag country. If I could have used a gun instead of my bow I'd say I could have killed 10+ 135 inch deer. One that supposably will go 180.

However, if the midwestern states went to a month-long plus season none of those deer would have made it past 2.5 years old anyway.

For me the worst thing that has happened in deer management is the inclusion of crossbows into archery seasons. It has increased pressure 3x or more. Every tom, dick, and harry now can stink up the woods for 4 months. It is a dang travesty.

Ha ha

A whole lotta truth here!!

You're on it. One reason those mid-west TV star bucks will walk out in a wide open field , come to the most awful sounding grunt call, look up at the hunter and stand there like a dummy is they aren't harassed 4 months a year.

----->>> ON THAT PROPERTY.

I think they are already messing with us too much with this deer check in app.

Overall they aren't harassed like ours on any property. I don't think I've heard a hunter who hunts Mid-West and points North say those deer are as wary , cautious , nervous , whatever as ours. The ones where I hunted weren't even close.

Yep. Freedom is tough stuff.