Folks, I've been trying to bag a deer with a bow at Fort Rucker Alabama for 3 years running with no success. It appears there is avery small population at present (over hunting in the 90's). My question is has anyone enjoyed success here and any pointers? Thanks.

I have never hunted at Ft Rucker, but I have been deer hunting in Ala. since 1996. I wouldn't know about the deer pop. there at the ft, but the over all population is A Lot! I would try getting a lease, it don't have to be 1000 acres, it could be just 50. Plants food plots, and hunt. I lease in Wilcox county, but used to lease in Crenshaw and Covington counties. Always saw a lot of deer. Be aware that it is warm in Bow season, so the deer do not feed as much nor do they have the need to. I try to find the acorns, find them and usually you'll find deer. Otherwise I hunt food plot edges. Try going to www.afoa.com and click on hunting lease land, they post lease land available. good luck!

I live in Indiana but come down to Fort Rucker every year on my Spring Break to turkey hunt. I have never even seen a deer there. I have hunted there for 5 years. I am sure there are some there though.

Thanks to both strutnbuck and parrot head for taking the time to respond. I'll just keep my nose to the grindstone as it were and hopefully figure it out. I know Ft. Rucker was overhunted for many years and I think the population is siverely decreased as a result. A few friends and I are considering a lease in the near future so hopefully, all will pan out then.

Hard to believe you aren't seeing deer on Ft. Rucker. During the 70's and 80's I would travel up Hwy 51 every weekend to go hunting around Clayton and deer were plentiful on the roadsides in that area.

I am not sure about Ft Rucker, but the overall deer population in parts of Alabama I have hunted are outrageous. More than my hometown's and it is high. Try asking some local landowners to hunt, as there should be plenty of farmers around your location.

ASlowLearner,
Let me know if you find a lease and need some members. My buddy who lives down there and use to work at the Ozark Gate, Steve Stabler is looking to join a club. He is a good guy. I got to know him 3 years ago from hunting down there. Heck he even offered to let me stay with him last year.

I'll keep him in mind if I find anything but I don't think I'll be looking until next year. This year I plan to keep trying Ft. Rucker. Atleast I'm getting to know the lay out of the bow hunting areas.

Timbercruiser is right. In the 70's and 80's Ft. Rucker was teeming with deer. In talking with a game warden that has been on out here since well before that showed me a harvest record that went back several years and it looks like a bell curve. Around the late 70's through around 83 as I recall, the game wardens used to place hunters and run deer past with dogs to reduce the numbers. They killed 400-500 per year for a few years then drastically tapered off to a couple hundred. Last year I think it was around 50 deer harvested here. Looks like they nearly wiped them out or I'm just a really crummy hunter! LOL

Here are a couple of links with listings of clubs looking for members and land that is available for lease:

www.afoa.org/huntfee.htm

www.afoa.org/hunt.htm

Lots of other good information available in the associated links on the pages.