jimmyraythomason
Member
Bills before the state legislature would extend gun season for deer into the middle of February as well as legalize hunting over bait. <http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/03/bill_would_extend_deer_season.html>
Alabama to extend gun deer season(maybe)!
- Thread starter jimmyraythomason
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slicksleeve
Member
I for one hope to heck they do. I work at night riding the highway, and I can tell you that the Does are still cycling, and the Bucks are still rutting well into February. I would be happy with bow season starting a month later in November, and gun season running to the end of February. As far as bait goes, well lets just say that a whole lot of people could concentrate on watching for deer instead of the local Game and Fish officer. When you can plant a quarter acre of fourty in a certain kind of plant that will attract deer, and be legal, I see no difference in that and a pile of bait anyway.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
I usually see more rutting bucks the last week of January and the first week of February. The news report sayes the proposed change is for southern Alabama counties but MAYBE it will extend up to my county.
slicksleeve
Member
Well, my observations are form the middle of the state, Chatahoochee River, Ossanippa Creek area. When I lived in North Alabama, (Dekalb County), I didn't see enough deer up there to even realize that there was such thing as a rut.
What they need to is heavily liberalize the hog hunting rules, especially in the WMA areas.
Hunt hogs with only a squirrel gun during squirrel season - moronic. Same with turkey etc. Deer season, where you can use deer guns, is about 5-7 days per year - more moronic rules.
A "special" two week feral swine hunt in March. That's it????
Hunt hogs with only a squirrel gun during squirrel season - moronic. Same with turkey etc. Deer season, where you can use deer guns, is about 5-7 days per year - more moronic rules.
A "special" two week feral swine hunt in March. That's it????
I think that I would like the guys idea to only allow muzzle loader hunting in Feb. I would like to get into muzzle loader hunting, but I like to bow hunt as much as I can before season. Then once gun season starts, I don't want to use a muzzle loader when I could use my model 700 .270.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
We have so many deer here that they are a major highway hazard. At one time (I don't know if it is still true) our deer herd was second only to Texas in number. I see groups of 3-30 deer at a time at night even in the edge of town.
ojibweindian
Member
There's a ton of deer in N. Alabama. And the rut, here in Marshall County, happens well into February. I've seen spotted fawns in late September, and into early October.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
I've seen spotted fawns well into November after the gun season had opened. It is strange that mid-Alabama and mid-Mississippi would be the only areas with such late whitetail ruts.
ojibweindian
Member
Jimmy
I've seen rutting activity while hunting Skyline in late January. It'd be nice to see the season extend into February up here.
I've seen rutting activity while hunting Skyline in late January. It'd be nice to see the season extend into February up here.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
I'm hoping the change (if it comes) is statewide.
ojibweindian
Member
Me, too.
Wonder what the guys over at aldeer.com have to say about this?
Wonder what the guys over at aldeer.com have to say about this?
We don't have too many deer in Guntersville, but the roads by the state park are downright hazardous. Many years ago, a friend got tired of replacing grills and radiators on his dodge, so he bought a stout bumper. Last year, he managed to miss the deer with the bumper. I know he had two deer, including an 8 pointer, rip the dually fenders off of his truck. I happened on one incident where a large power truck hit several at one time. It was not pretty.
I guess I am for it. I don't deer hunt because I would rather duck hunt. If they did this, I could end duck season in January and still have at least a few trips to the woods to hunt deer. If we were allowed to bait deer, I have no doubt that the hogs would come to it too. It wouldn't matter to me, either one would be meat in the freezer.
I guess I am for it. I don't deer hunt because I would rather duck hunt. If they did this, I could end duck season in January and still have at least a few trips to the woods to hunt deer. If we were allowed to bait deer, I have no doubt that the hogs would come to it too. It wouldn't matter to me, either one would be meat in the freezer.
rugerman
Member
One of the stories in the local paper said that they might extend the season to the middle of Feb. but that they would shut down hunting for a couple of weeks in mid-December. If that's the case I'd rather they leave it alone.
slicksleeve
Member
That doesn't make sense at all, at least to me. If they want a longer season, to thin out numbers, then they don't need to close down the time of year when most everybody will be able to actually hunt.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
Well,the idea is to move hunting days to coincide with the peak of the rut to allow for taking bucks not does. Does are 2 per day over the length of the entire season. Many does have been bred by the end of January making it a possiblity to kill a pregnant doe during the extended season(if does are included). I haven't really made up my mind on this. An extended season would greatly increase the chance of taking a rutting buck but also would hinder small game hunters who mainly hunt during February after the deer hunters have left the field. We'll just have to see how it plays out.
slicksleeve
Member
Since you put it that way... I wouldn't want to see bred does shot either. Most of my does are shot near the opening of season, or during bow season. Then I can sit the rest of the season away hoping for a nice buck. I do feel like there is still a good bit of rutting if just in the first two weeks of February, although I took a pretty good buck on January 14 at 7 am this year. He was in full rut that morning. I personaly feel like he had been running/breeding does over night and was just a tad late getting home that morning.
slicksleeve
Member
They could just make the extended time a buck only season maybe, that might work.
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jimmyraythomason
Member
I could support a "bucks only" extended season.
slicksleeve
Member
Anybody heard the latest on this? I heard though the grapevine so to speak, that it got struck down. The word was that small game hunters appealled to have February to hunt small game only. If so, I can understand their argument.
Redneckly33
Member
Deer hunting
I have seen Bucks still running Does in East Central Ms. in early March, right before Turkey season begins.
I have seen Bucks still running Does in East Central Ms. in early March, right before Turkey season begins.
rugerman
Member
I don't think that we will hear anything right away. A couple of years ago they brought up the baiting issue and it was close to the start of the season before they finally decided that it was a no go. Time will tell.
RangerHAAF
Member
I'm for it. I hunt in Chambers and Randolph counties which are overrun with deer on the abandoned farms beyond Lafayette along highway 431. All of the guys I know are already baiting deer anyway so it's just going to be formally legalized is all.
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