Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Bucks back together

The last 4-5 days it’s obviously like a light was switched off.
Multiple feeders have bucks back on them together on multiple properties.
First buck lost his horns last night. If season went out here the 20th, I’d have as many bucks left as does (easy). Multiple 8 points 12-13” would make it (maybe 7-8 of them). It’s not fun, dragging this out till 2/10.

Agreed. It’s nonsense. Our bucks have been back together a while now, with an occasional straggler harassing a doe. Doe groups are back together with fawns. It’s absurd to keep hunting them through February. Bucks are piling into feed sites now in recovery and easy pickings.

Bet people wouldn't be saying that if they took 3 weeks off turkey season....so why complain about deer season being longer? Just enjoy it or don't hunt the last few weeks of season. No reason to complain and ruin it for all of the rest of us still hunting to get their grandparents some meat that are not able to hunt anymore..

We wouldn’t be taking any off. We’d be going back to the way it was and should be. Biologically it never should have been given for about 1/2 of the state. It was a terrible decision for the health of the deer herd. I fought it as a professional biologist, not some antler crazed hunter.

You shoulda said something sooner we have given away 8 deer this year

And I’m sorry, but if you need 10 more days to get your grandparents meat with as long as the season is, I just don’t buy that excuse. Sorry. You have October through the end of January. That’s not long enough?

Folks haven’t been able to kill them yet because of acorns…..

Sounds like an early rut to me.

Just now getting good around here. I don’t get very excited to hunt deer - but I’ll hunt more from now until F10 than I have up to this point.

It’s not easy setting season dates in AL for deer or turkey. But you certainly can’t have SW AL with the same season dates as any county above the black belt. Doesn’t make sense.

Nope. Same as every year. Nothing different. We have native AL bucks beginning to drop antlers right now, just like every year. I told the folks in charge years ago and they acted surprised when reports started coming in to Montgomery of shed bucks being killed in February. Nothing unusual.

Ah man I wish I had known it!

Nope not long enough!

And given what you said Mbrock, they took away days from us hunting on WMA this year
So no it's not enough time. Also with all the lamd we lost to hunting clubs, and land being land locked, and then a certain person working for a gas company that keeps locking the seasonal gates so that he can make it his owm personal honey hole that nobody else can have access to even though the GW and the map both stated that the gates are supposed to be left unlocked on any day that is a hunt.... and this sorry sob keeps locking gates after GW opens them.....some of us need those extra days to go hunt other public land Instead of WMA.

All about the money in Bama. Think about the revenue that 10 days brings in.... that's money in our local and state govt. You know we needs much as we can get, however we's can get it.
Oh and I bet the insurance companies contribute a little bonus as well.

I do agree with Mbrock's comments and I'm in central Alabama. Some in southern most part of state may see a later or 2nd rut, but I have no experience down there to speak to. My past experience where I've hunted was rutting action between 01/10 - 01/25 at the latest.

I wish they would've left it ending 1/31 as well. We would have a better age structure on bucks fer sure.

I’m sorry you’ve lost opportunity. If you need meat let me know.

I’m not seeing them back together yet. I killed a stud chasing a doe Wednesday morning, second round of chasing for us, Marion-Winston line.
Place I hunt in southern Morgan county, rut is first week in February.
I agree deer season running through February 10th is too long, but I’d miss my most fun hunting at home if season closed in January.

I don’t see them start dropping antlers until Spring.

During the 10 days in February 14% of bucks being dropped off at a very well known processor have one or both sides recently shed from deer in Fayette, Lamar, Marion and Walker counties. Peak shedding is definitely March, but they start the end of January and early February. What leads to early antler casting? Stress. What makes it worse? Skewing the ratio to more females by allowing 10 more days to kill bucks. It is absolutely having an impact. I told them it would then, and they didn’t care, until the calls started coming in from hunters and processors. The hunters here hate it. The processors hate it. They didn’t want it. I don’t talk to anybody who likes it, except for the occasional blood lust hunter who can’t get enough. It didn’t have support then. It don’t now. It’s not supported by the public or the biology.

Matt you are good fella! I will keep that in mind. Thank you!