You know deer don't know where property lines are. I'm convinced that many on here think they can read painted trees and No Trespassing signs but I'm pretty sure they can't.

If you want to know where the genetic influence lies look no further than our neighbor to the North. Tennessee. You honestly wouldn't think that Alabama would go purchase deer from somewhere that had big horns and bring them in? No. Not when they could always use the potential disease or low survival rate as a perfectly good excuse. Particularly when you are trying to do the least amount of work possible on the least amount of funding.

Tennessee did not take that approach but they had some help. The US Navy stocked deer at Ft Campbell from Texas and Oklahoma. TWRA stocked Chuck Swan with N. Carolina. The majority of the deer stocked along the border with Alabama were Ft. Campbell deer so genetically they are mostly Texas/Oklahoma Crossed deer. In particular the influence on Madison and Jackson would have been Franklin County, TN up and through the 1960's. They stocked a lot of deer there.

But they didn't stop there. Why would they.... Tennessee is light years ahead of Alabama as far as game management is concerned and always has been. They kept at it up through the 1980's.

At some point in the late 70's early 80's in Marion county they stocked some deer from Wisconsin. They claim there is little to no genetic influence left from the Wisconsin deer but you can decide that for yourself.

They stocked deer from Ft. Campbell around the corner to our farm on a little piece of State owned land. The first deer I ever shot was bigger than most hunters in Alabama will ever see.

It has left me jaded in some respect because there were not that many deer and the season was not open much... so when I hunted in Alabama all we saw were spikes and trash deer. And lots of hunters willing to kill them on sight. So I started my hunting life wondering.... when I see someone that has a bunch of trophies on the wall... I reflect back on my experience and the reality is.. are they that good?... or is it just a target rich environment?

Usually the latter is what I have decided.