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Add South Carolina to the states that are serious about tags. Processors won’t take an untagged deer. I’ve seen the green jeans more at the processor than in the field. I’m sure it’s the same with taxidermists. The guy who shoots one on their own property and processes it at home likely won’t get caught if they don’t tag a deer. Judging by the numbers of deer at the processor’s when I take one, I’d wager the vast majority of the public is following the tagging regs. There’s outlaws out there but overall the tag system does appear to be a good tool for making sure the majority of folks follow the regs.

Get caught hunting without a license, killing over the limit, an illegal deer, or intentionally fail to tag a buck in IL and see what the repercussions are. You’ll know you aren’t in AL anymore. The difference between penalties and fines in IL and AL will show you exactly how important enforcement and protection of the resource is in IL, and at the same time, what a joke it is for AL.

I’d be all for tags in AL, antler restrictions too, but it still has to be enforced and the penalties need to severe enough to force compliance from virtually all hunters participating.

I’ve sat in an IL DCNR patrol vehicle myself. They don’t play.

Realistically my only objection would be if the state charged an extra fee above the license for the tags, especially to lifetime license holders. When I purchased my lifetime license years ago, it was for the privilege to participate in hunting all game animals by all legal means for the rest of my life without having to pay additional fees. That was my "agreement" with the state when I purchased it so the state should not be allowed to go back on that agreement.

I have a lifetime SC license and when they came out with tags for deer and turkey they didn’t charge me any more, they just send them to me in the mail.

As it should be. I just don't trust the ADCNR to not be as greedy.

If you're going to have a check system, then have a physical tag and requirements for it that are enforced with serious penalties.

Otherwise an agency is just spankin' their monkey to make themselves feel better.

Unless there's real enforcement penalties, it doesn't matter. Go to Kansas or Iowa or Ohio any state with physical tags, requirements for being on the deer and being reported, and don't do it. Get caught and your ass is in a sling.

Here? Eh, no worries.

Agreed. I’m sure the cost for the physical tags is built in to the license cost here in SC but as Walt said above, folks with the lifetime license don’t pay any extra fees for those tags. You can buy bonus tags that increase your bag limit, but your base set is free. That goes for the folks just buying an annual license as well. If AL follows that model and increases penalties for not tagging deer, I’d be in support. Like you said though, trusting them not to try and extort more coin out of the public is a stretch given their track record.

I fixing to get the AL Lifetime license this time around. So I hope not.

Gonna need the story on that one Matt.

Yep, pay a couple hundred bucks, say you're sorry, promise not to do it again, and you can be right back out there doing the same thing the following day, here in AL. Happens all the time.

Hell, abolt, that's IF you get caught.

It's so easy to skirt the existing system that it's not even funny. It's just f'king sad. I mean, just don't even have the thing if you're not going to have some true teeth in the enforcement.

Age, genes and food help produce big Midwest bucks. Game Wardens enforcing their check-tag laws are IMO No. 4 on that list, despite what residents in those states say-claim-whine about "all the poachers and non-residents!"

Last year in Missouri, I shot a doe. Check-in is by 10 p.m. on the day you kill the deer. Period. PERIOD.

They don't have a 24- or 48- or whatever hour window.

After the hunt and dinner, we went back to the hotel. I fell asleep. Woke up about 1:30 a.m., realized I'd not checked the deer, did so on my phone, went back to sleep.

A week later the county game warden calls me asking if that all was accurate, WHY I FAILED to check it on time, did I know the rules, and so forth. Yes, stupid and fell asleep, wasn't intentional, we were hunting in X-Y-Z with so-and-so. I got a warning logged into the system, which I told him I was fine with, and apologized for forgetting it and appreciated them doing their jobs. And then I asked him about some public land in the area.

They don't f'k around up there. I suspect if it had been a buck my tit might still be in the wringer.

And yet here ... "wahhhh, we can't get good Game Check numbers because wahhh wahhh." No teeth, no bite, no fear.

Out of state hunters who come to Alabama know they can do what they want to

And we love it that way!! It’s good not having anyone stopping us trying to deplete the deer population in south Alabama.

I hate having half-assed enforcement. If you are going to have a law then strongly enforce it. Otherwise you have what my guys used to refer to as an honesty tax because it only costs the honest people. I have no issues with tags as long as it's enforced better than the game check system.

Back before corn was legal, you could ride those country roads and there were empty corn sacks all over the sides of the road.

I'm not sure about probical (sp) cause, but that would tell me something. But nothing.

I knew you were a communist.

It's amazing what Alabama can grow, if we had antler restrictions and tags. You would see it in a short few years. I would be ok with it because I've seen it... You may not agree and I could give 2 craps less.

Go back to buck a day. And a two week doe season. No need for tags

NOPE