Hunting Alabama's WMAs

[Gadzooks Mike]

Just got back from the first "gun day" deer hunt of the season in one of Alabama's Wildlife Management Areas. The best way I can describe this is Wacky Races meets Mad Max. Very few actual hunters in this group, just a bunch of rude, loud, obnoxious people with guns. How fast do you need to drive that pick-up truck down the goat path in the dark? I was nearly run down twice, and I soon gave up trying to quietly walk back to a decent hunting spot. Why play the radios loud with the windows open? Sheesh. I'm sure the reason they end up with a deer is that the deer themselves draw straws to see which will sacrifice itself to help rid the woods of vermin. And even then, how many shots does it take? I swear I heard 7 consecutive shots from the same rifle in the space of 15 seconds.

Anyone else find this is true on state managed hunting land? For the record, the few folks I met during the primitive weapons hunts all seemed to be real hunters - quiet and polite.

 

[Birdmang]

That sounds pretty scary.

 

[kaferhaus]

AL WMA's are a good place to get killed... think about it... one or two guys every year get shot in WMA's every single year.... usually while walking to or from their stand.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

one or two guys every year get shot in WMA's every single year.... usually while walking to or from their stand.

Never heard that one before or seen it on the news. Neither have I experienced what the OP is talking about. I have seen the "rush" when the conservation officers were late opening the permit booth.

 

[Jwbfx4]

When I use to hunt the management days I always got way way up into the woods, because there was some questionable people that was getting tags. But I haven't been to one in a good while.

 

[jsj127]

The last time I went on a gun hunt on oakmulgee(about 15 yes ago). Took me 2 hrs to find a road with no vehicles and I knew my way around pretty good from bow and squirrel hunting. Slipped into the woods about a hour before sunrise and when the sun came up I thought I was in a pumpkin patch from all the orange hats. When the shots starting going off in all directions I found a huge oak and stayed there till lunch. Went back to my truck for lunch and while I was eating had some guys come up and start talking. One proud new gun owner pulls his new rifle out to show the rest of us. Then he goes on to tell us that he's never shot a gun before. He thought it'd be fun so he went to walmart the night before and bought his rifle and scope and ammo and was now ready to slay some deer. I hurridly packed up wished them luck and was on my way home. I'll never hunt a wma on a gun hunt again.

 

[HOOfan_1]

Unfortunately some of the places I hunt in Virginia are like that. They are public land, but only open to State Employees...or suckers who can bribe the officials running the places.

Some of them won't hunt anywhere that they have to walk more than 10 feet from their trucks. Most of them have packs of dogs yipping through every patch of woods...then there are the guys that decide they want to do a human drive through the patch of woods you staked out hours before.

You just have to find a place that is so isolated that they can't drive to within a few hundred yards of it. No surprise that this is only a problem during deer season and not Spring Gobbler, late squirrel or dove seasons....