Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum We Need Direction

I mean, we COULD have 25 or 26 zones like Arkansas with different dates and seasons and weapons seasons and such.

Or maybe like Colorado with its bazillion management units:

https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Maps/BigGameGMUmap.pdf


Or maybe like Ohio with its county management that changes every two years, I believe:

http://trekohio.com/ohio-deer-hunting-season/

(BTW, Ohio requires deer to have a physical tag affixed and the tag is created by the hunter. Could be a zip tie, a strip of mylar, a piece of cardboard, a tampon, a whatever, as long as it has the required info.)


Or perhaps like Wisconsin with its different zones:

http://dnr.wi.gov/images/news/2017/20170526_2017deermap.jpg

How bout we leave it alone

Changing the mindset of hunters here in Alabama is a long tough process. We are used to having the current system and the thought of losing days or the opportunity to shoot a doe a day feels like something is being taken from us. For those of us who are old enough to remember, it has not always been this way.

I started hunting in the early eighties on a property in Marengo county where it was not uncommon to see 30 - 50 deer on a green field. We started whacking does and within the six years in that club deer sightings dwindled every year. This club would definitely be described as 'it's brown it's down' and we shot over 100 deer a year on 2800 acres. Haven't hunted Marengo in 30 years and from what I've read, deer sightings can be hard to come by in some areas.

I'm also old enough to have known hunters who refused to shoot does because that's how they were raised. They thought is was wrong to shoot a does and wouldn't do it for any reason.

This state has had wild swings in attitude and traditions in the past and it can again. It will take a lot more than two or three zones to manage the diverse herd in this state. I do not want to have burdensome regulations where you will need to drag a lawyer with you to go hunting. Game Check isn't perfect, but it is a start to changing the attitudes about herd management.

Ultimately, it is up to us, the hunters, to manage our deer herd for the type of hunting we want. The deer herd in Alabama was decimated a century ago by too much killing before and then it became over-populated due to several reasons. We can change our attitudes, we've done it in the past. We just need to be sure we learn from the mistakes of the past.

Arkansas would be an excellent example of game management to copy.

Just saying.

This is what happens when big government lovers get in control of states’ wildlife resources. Pure hell.

Half of Arkansas is in the alluvial flood plain with the most fertile soil in the US. Can’t replicate that in Bama.

Yes, exactly my point. Some folks may not like having more rules and more management, etc. But every one of those states has better deer hunting than Alabama. Period, end of discussion.

Being facetious. Half of us wouldn't be able to pull out from our driveway.

Let's see. 22 zones, designated various roads, pig trails, branches, 1893 surveys and 500 more game wardens. Great idea!!
And anybody that thinks the zone lines are enforceable, should talk to people in neighboring states. It's all a big haha.

I know that I'm in the minority, but if it meant having better chances to see more and better deer, then I am in favor of continuing to look at changing our hunting rules/regs and shortening season length in areas where it might be deemed beneficial.

I do realize there are a large number of hunters on this forum and in this state who would prefer to have fewer rules/regs, enjoy the liberal season length, even if it means seeing fewer deer and fewer quality bucks.

The one point that absolutely cannot be argued in regard to other states that have more regulations and shorter seasons is the great majority of them have substantially better deer hunting than Alabama.

So the question to be answered is - Why? Is it because those states have better deer genetics/habitat, or is it because they have better biologists and conservationists who manage the deer herd properly?

What about Tennessee's habitat is so vastly different from Alabama? The deer hunting is hands down better in that state than here. Why so?

I noticed a decline in population numbers around my house and I decided (without any government intervention) to do something about it. I stopped shooting so many deer. I have not killed a doe in at least 5 years, and I am finally seeing the benefits. It took several years to see any improvements. But I can honestly say this year I see a noticeable improvement.

So take it upon yourself. You can't change what your neighbor is doing, but really and truly you never can and never will.

How's the hunting better?? Bigger animals? Well that's soil. South Alabama will never equal North Alabama for size of animals on average with the same rules. Rules wont change the soil.
Population? We have good and bad. Buck/doe ratio? On average, do you know those other states are?

Tennessee habitat is vastly different from Alabama. VASTLY!!
Have to consider the whole states, now! Not just comparable areas.

The biggest misconception in this argument is that you are managing the deer. Managing the hunters should be the goal and the deer management will follow. The OP is right in that we need to establish common goals and articulate those goals to the public.

Yeah, you're in the minority, you must be a yankee or foreigner. You just want to change everything because it's not the way YOU want it. As far as the statement that you keep repeating that 'other states have substantially better deer hunting than Alabama', PROVE IT!

Exactly! Gotcha1 started a thread the other day how we as hunters joined together with a loud enough public voice is the only way to make a change.

I suggesting now that this forum ( not representing Aldeer just hunters that participate here ) should elect someone to speak at the upcoming CAB meeting in Montgomery right after deer season ends. If possible without fighting among ourselves we could start a thread and discuss what the number one concern is. Our we can do nothing and continue bitching about it again.

Shoot does, shoot does, shoot does, SHOOT ALL THE DAMN DOES. Somewhere in that line is a key to the drop in population of deer in Alabama, IMHO.

In my opinion which I know doesn’t mean much to the State but the length of our season could be left alone with a common since approach to doe limits. There wouldn’t have been a need for a buck limit if we hadn’t went all nuclear on the buck makers in the first place. Just look around and no other state allows for the doe harvest across the whole state as ours does because it not conducive to a thriving huntable deer population. Set a common sense limit to doe harvest ( also provide for the ability for those lucky enough to hunt in the areas that still have a large population of deer to harvest more if needed) and leave the rest alone. If you want to shorten your season then do as I and many people do and just don’t hunt until you get ready to.

I have done the same thing on the 100 acres I live on. I have only killed 1 deer an 8 point in 15 years off that piece of property, but due to surrounding circumstances ( small tracts of land with desire to manage) the hunting has gotten no better. Now on my 1500 acre leas twenty minutes away the same management plan of severely limiting doe harvest is slowly starting to pay off. My point is the small landowners without the intervention of Government regulation is at the mercy of the surrounding property owners mentality.

Prove it ? Lol That’s a fools dare. Evidently you haven’t hunted anywhere but Alabama. Hell just drive up HWY 45 through Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and stop in Illinois. You can see more deer from the road than you will see a whole season in Alabama on some days. Also generally in three days of hunting in Illinois I will see more bucks and does than I will see all season in Mobile county where I live.