I guess it's all in the way you look at things. To somebody who grew up hunting central Fl public land, Alabama hunting (even if it ain't what it used to be), seems pretty good.
The wife and I went in halves with my brother on 80 acres in south Alabama with plans to enjoy it recreationally for 20 years or so, then build a house and retire on it. The land prices in Fl are outrageous a 10 acre tract will cost you 10-15 thousand an acre plus. The city is gobbling up the country so fast its unbelievable. Traffic, even in the country, gets worse every year. Places that used to grow oranges and cows now grow houses like weeds. Leases in south Fl are 7-10 K per person, to kill bucks most of yall would let walk.. Leases in north Fl are usually 12-25 hundred to shoot "legal" deer.
I keep hearing how tough Al public land is to hunt and I keep thinking that it can't be tougher than the swamps and flat woods I'm used to. I plan to try out some of it next year.
My advice (for what its worth) is sure, do all you can to make your hunting better, but in the end don't stress about it too much. It will take the fun out of it. Make the most out of what yall have and know it could surely be worse.
