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Alabama Lawmakers Look To Extend Deer Season
March 16, 2011
Alabama lawmakers are considering a bill that would extend deer season.
The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn and co-sponsored by Sen. Marc Keahey, D-Grove Hill, would extend Alabama’s deer gun season from early November through mid-February.
Senate Bill 124 was introduced March 1 to extend deer season two weeks prior to the opening of regular gun season through the first two weeks after the close of regular gun season and also to allow whitetail deer to be hunted over bait.
The extension into mid-February will allow hunters in the southern part of the state to hunt during the rut (breeding season), according to the grassroots website www.extenddeerseason.com.
Dan Moultrie, chairman of the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board, is not supportive of the plan.
“Once we get the buck-doe ratio down closer to that magic one-to-one, it’ll do two things,” Moultrie said. “One, you’ll have a more intense rut that all our (Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division) management staff has been saying for years. They said let’s not go into February. You get the buck-doe ratio right and you’ll see them in January. Looking at how the herd is improving, it would have been a huge mistake to open a February season.”
Comments
27 Responses to “Alabama Lawmakers Look To Extend Deer Season”
Baiting should be legal. Lots of hunters do it and those who obey the rules and don’t bait are at a serious disadvantage. Alabama has a wealth of deer and some in the southern portion of the state are starving . A lot of hunters only shoot bucks and this hurts the ratio of buck to doe. Baiting will feed a lot of deer and more than likely increase Alabama’s deer herd and make it more healthy.
corn shoulb be legal any where in ala this past year went out to texas to visit they have feeders we saw loads of deer my brother inlaw ended up shooting a 150 class buck that tells me a lot . we can do the same let the does walk benifits are worth it
sumter co see more big deer first week of feb than any other time every club around me had big deer on cameras but never saw them during the season . season needs to be extended at least til feb 10 near the ms/ala line have to listen to the feeders going off in ms every afternoon then come the shots never see the big deer on my property agian we are truly at a a disadvantage
If anything extend the season to mid February florida did as far as baiting alabama had a 750 million dollar profit on deer corn so where was this corn deposited how much could Alabama make if it were legal maybe they could afford to maintain the roads and existing food plots in the conec national forest instead of closing the roads hunters already bait.its common sense make it legal also i would like to utilize my 4 Wheeler to retrieve my harvest
I think the biggest problem with Alabama game laws there is no accountability. Alabama should go to some kind of tagging process instead of counting on hunter honesty. Then we might get the deer population back in balance like it was in the late 70’s. As far as baiting I think it should be allowed it helps all wildlife during the stressful months from jan-green up. Most who would bait spend alot of money on food plots and mineral licks. We all know its highly unlikely that folks will harvest mature bucks over bait this is not Texas are deer are a lot smarter.
Alabama had a 700 million dollar industry 10 years ago. last year 350 million dollar industry. with Georgia making baiting legal and allowing hunters to hunt during rut, next year alabama will have a 50 million dollar industry. My numbers may not be exact, but you get my drift. I probably spend around $10,000.00 a year in Alabama hunting, if it’s not legal to hunt over bait by 2012-2013 I’m giving my money to Georgia and so will alott of others, you can bank on that. As for these new laws dragging the rut further into January, whatever my rut was later than usual local’s told me February 10.
To the person talking about the dogs could run in december. You need to think back to when we could run our dogs to the end of January. The tree hunters took that away from us so why not take something away from them.
If the State wants to generate some money for the state they should have a supplemental feed stamp that anyone who wants to hunt over bait can pay 25$ a year and gat a sticker put on your hunting licenses making it legal to hunt over corn. For those people that dont want to ,dont have to buy the sticker. Everyone I ran this idea by said they would jump on, maybe this need to get in the hands of the right people if the sb124 dont pass
Georgia, is about to pass the baiting bill, the hunters that are coming to Alabama will go to Georgia , the trip from Florida will not cost as much for fuel, and not have Alabama game wardens walking thru the lease writing tickets for hunting over corn. Alabama clubs are having a hard time filling club membership, and landowners are not leasing all their property. I would think that extending the season,and legalizing baiting would help stop the decline of hunting in Alabama.
I feel the season in Alabama is long enough as it is. I would like to see Alabama allow hunters to hunt over corn. The stipulation would be that hunting over corn would be legal in the month ot January only. I feel this will accellarate getting the doe to buck ratio more in line with the ideal ratio. If need be the state could make it legal to only take does over corn/baited areas in the month of January. Just my thoughts.
It does not make any sence, in Alabama there are corn fields planted, and deer shot from them, but can not shoot over a feeder are pile of corn, what the difference feed is feed, and as for moveing the season back two weeks, i feel that more deer could be taken, because of the colder weather
I think it is about time,If you feed year around it will make the deer stronger.Let’s face it,Hunting is Big Money,And is good Clean fun the more my Kids hunt the less time they will have to get into TROUBLE!
I’m all for an extended season for you Alabama folks. Extend the season to 365 days a year. What the heck, nights too. No permit required, shoot anywhere, anytime, any size. Doe, fawn buck, wouldn’t matter. No limit. Then maybe I could drive to work just one morning without dodging any. The benefits would be too numerous to mention. For example, no more good ole boys would be offering me any of the worst tasting meat anywhere. Horses and camels taste better. No more clinical morons putting deer meat in lasagna for petes sake!
@ JIM W they will not open deer season earlier, because Hunter will kill doe’s and the fawn’s will die because they need the aid of their mother until their spots fade off.
@ JIM W , they won’t start season a few weeks earlier , because the fawn’s will have been new born’s. Hunter’s will end of killing the mom of the fawn’s and result in the fawn’s death. The Fawn has to grown until its spots disappear to be able to live without the aid of their mother.
They need to do something about the deer. There is an over abundance of them. Maybe they shopuld look at starting the season a couple of weeks early rather than extending it further out. When the rutting season starts is not a good time.
I hope this passes I would love that deer season is extended, I have said for years now that I think Alabama’s Deer Season ends to early . Now just legal corn in Alabama too.
I think Florida should stay the same and i dog hunt in Blackwater. Blackwater is just now getting to where the deer are starting to even out because 2 years ago inbreeding used to be really bad, i mean u could see something the size of a fawn with horns on its head. In Blackwater a buddy of mine killed a 9 point and his rack was so messed that his horns could of made a good lil hand basket. Florida is havin a deer population problem just as bad as Alabama.
I am suprised that Mr Moltrie is opposided to feeding all year since he has a very lucritive business selling feeders. I agree that Alabama should extend there season to middle of Febuary and Florida needs to shorten their season to the middle of Febuary. I am a member of a club in Walnut Hill and we do a good job of managing the heard, we average two does to one buck on average every year, but I still think we should allow members to take does during doe season with out needing tags. Also I think Blackwater needs to conform to rules like we have and it might help stop the poaching.
I read that dogs could still run in Dec. and that Feb. would only be for muzzle loaders! If that’s so….just cutting 3 weeks out for stalk hunters….:-(
It’s about time! Hope it makes it.
Nobody kills doe deer. Always waiting on a buck to walk out Mr. “Dill-Doe” Moultrie. Bait, like the other guy says, every one else is doing it. Florida, Texas allows bait and look a what kind of herd Texas has. I’d be better off to take my hunting money to Texas and kill a nice trophy than sit all day every day in Alabama. Thats a good idea, just mark me down for no more hunting in Alabama and spend that $3000 in Texas this coming year.
My problem with this whole scenario is that the season in Alabama is plenty long. If anything it should be reduced, simply because when hunting season opens a trail of litter follows the hunting parties. Beer cans,guts, hides and carcasses are evident everywhere. Alabama being many times worse than Florida. I am not speaking of all hunters, just the few rotten apples. My property seems to be a dumping ground for all these things and the problem gets worse every year.
MIGHT AS WELL MAKE BAITING LEGAL…MOST DO IT ANY WAY! LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD….
dick tracy – Florida already allows hunters to hunt through February. The rut around here typically starts around January 15th and runs through the middle of February. We are also allowed to bait in Florida.
What exactly do you think Florida needs to get a hint about? The only improvement I can think of would be to allow a more liberal harvest of does and place antler restrictions and limits on bucks, but that has nothing to do with this article.
Not everyone hunts or has the means to hunt the type of property that Mr. Moultrie hunts. Maybe Mr. Moultrie, (as in Moultrie feeders & deer cams) needs to hunt a few seasons in southern Alabama.
Maybe Fl will get a hint………