Deer in Alabama
01-14-2013, 05:25 PM
#14
Spike
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Alabama
Posts: 5
Right, too damn hot! I have shot a doe..... and seen plenty of does. No Luck.... No Buck. Dropped the doe with my 9.3x62 CZ550FS. Dropped where she stood. There were five does and I was waiting for a buck to appear. This doe raised her tail in alarm (think she got my scent) and I popped her. 
01-14-2013, 07:44 PM
#15
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Shady Grove, Al
Posts: 220
I just finished my season up In northTuscaloosa county. Had to head back to Mississippi for college. Had a good few days of hunting over christmas break. Took two bucks the last week of December. One cull five point and another prett seven. Its been hot lately out there and my sources tell me its been slow. I expect itll pick back up once that rain moves on out and it gets cold again
02-04-2013, 04:49 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,186
Of course by the time I got around to looking at this post,the Al. deer season was done ! Here I go anywhere ....
I hunt in SE Alabama. The property I hunt is aobut 3150 acres managed for pine timber. The original clearing left more than the required width SMZ's, which resulted in some very nice hardwood strips and heavly wooded creek bottoms. The habitat seems at least fair. Lots of edge for browse. No doubt the age of the pines has shadded out the undergrowth.
This season was one of the oddest that I have experienced in decades. There was a tremendous acorn crop on this particular land. About every white oak was hanging with full acorns. These hardwoods across the property are dominated by water oaks, with plenty of huge chestnut and red oaks. The red oaks were still dropping well after Christmas. The long stretches of warm weather and very few heavy frosts kept the browse in pretty good shape. In addition to these natural food sources, there were about 40 acres of excellently prepared cool weather food plots on this property and all were in great shape all season long .... but as it turned out, these plots were used less than in any year that I can recall. Some are now blanketed with 1 foot tall, lush Buckwheat and Forage oats, mixed with lots of Crimson clover, and a fine crop of purple top turnips (off of which I have made several meals). Heck, something has to eat the turnips. May as well be me. In any case, no doubt that there was plenty of good food on this property this winter.
Over all the number of deer killed off of this land was down a full 30% from 2011-2012 and over 50% down from 2010-2011. And while the top bucks killed this past year exceeded any bucks taken in the past 7-8 years .... a 9 pt, that green scored a net of 146 1/2" and a 226# 8 pt. that green score a net of 143". Other than these two there were very few decently racked bucks much less so called "shooters" seen.
Deer were here in September and October ! We had over 30 trail cameras out more or less since Sept. 1, 2012. The activity along the trails and in the plots was typical until around December 20, the as if a switch was pulled, dropped off to almost nothing at all being captured moving close to the cameras. It was as if all of the deer simply disappeared from the fields that they had been using and abandoned the trails they ahd been streaming down during the previous 8 weeks. Then as if a gate was opened up, somewhere around January 10 the deer were back in droves .... but practically 100% nocturnal. Neither the youngster nor the mature deer were caught moving or feeding until well after dark. To me a clear sign of plenty of food, plenty of fat reserves, and plenty of huting pressure. But the "absence gap" is a complete puzzle.
In the end, this was without a doubt my worst ever deer hunting season as far as me personally coming across a good buck. I took enough does for my family's meat needs and I selfishly took great pleasure in "guiding" two guys to their first ever deer. And putting my buddy in an area where I was very confident time would be well spent ... he bagged the nice 8 pt. the third morning that he spent in there.
Already looking forward to next year.
I hunt in SE Alabama. The property I hunt is aobut 3150 acres managed for pine timber. The original clearing left more than the required width SMZ's, which resulted in some very nice hardwood strips and heavly wooded creek bottoms. The habitat seems at least fair. Lots of edge for browse. No doubt the age of the pines has shadded out the undergrowth.
This season was one of the oddest that I have experienced in decades. There was a tremendous acorn crop on this particular land. About every white oak was hanging with full acorns. These hardwoods across the property are dominated by water oaks, with plenty of huge chestnut and red oaks. The red oaks were still dropping well after Christmas. The long stretches of warm weather and very few heavy frosts kept the browse in pretty good shape. In addition to these natural food sources, there were about 40 acres of excellently prepared cool weather food plots on this property and all were in great shape all season long .... but as it turned out, these plots were used less than in any year that I can recall. Some are now blanketed with 1 foot tall, lush Buckwheat and Forage oats, mixed with lots of Crimson clover, and a fine crop of purple top turnips (off of which I have made several meals). Heck, something has to eat the turnips. May as well be me. In any case, no doubt that there was plenty of good food on this property this winter.
Over all the number of deer killed off of this land was down a full 30% from 2011-2012 and over 50% down from 2010-2011. And while the top bucks killed this past year exceeded any bucks taken in the past 7-8 years .... a 9 pt, that green scored a net of 146 1/2" and a 226# 8 pt. that green score a net of 143". Other than these two there were very few decently racked bucks much less so called "shooters" seen.
Deer were here in September and October ! We had over 30 trail cameras out more or less since Sept. 1, 2012. The activity along the trails and in the plots was typical until around December 20, the as if a switch was pulled, dropped off to almost nothing at all being captured moving close to the cameras. It was as if all of the deer simply disappeared from the fields that they had been using and abandoned the trails they ahd been streaming down during the previous 8 weeks. Then as if a gate was opened up, somewhere around January 10 the deer were back in droves .... but practically 100% nocturnal. Neither the youngster nor the mature deer were caught moving or feeding until well after dark. To me a clear sign of plenty of food, plenty of fat reserves, and plenty of huting pressure. But the "absence gap" is a complete puzzle.
In the end, this was without a doubt my worst ever deer hunting season as far as me personally coming across a good buck. I took enough does for my family's meat needs and I selfishly took great pleasure in "guiding" two guys to their first ever deer. And putting my buddy in an area where I was very confident time would be well spent ... he bagged the nice 8 pt. the third morning that he spent in there.
Already looking forward to next year.
02-19-2013, 07:42 PM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: May 2009
Location: NE Alabama
Posts: 1,060
I didn't have a very good season. Hunted Lowndes co. the first week of bow season didn't even see a deer! The cold snap we had the last of Oct. I missed 2 does with a bow and saw about 10 or 15 mostly does a few small bucks and one monster 9 pt. This was in chambers county. Went back for a gun hunt a few days before Christmas and killed a 124# doe. this was in chambers also. after that didn't even see another deer. My land in St. Clair co. is loaded with sign but never seen one. Maybe next season will be better.
02-24-2013, 11:20 PM
#19
Spike
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 46
I'm in Ramer, Al 20miles +/- south of Montgomery. Behind me is a 2 section plot formally managed as a game facility for clients of a local business. He died in July. I have for years planted a small food plot on my place ajoining his because a garden was a dream-my last attempt was a 60'X60' plot that we never got a thing out of, a single hand print covered 2 deer tracks 10' (really-10') from the house wall! I bought a T/C Impact Muzzle Loader for my birthday and after a 9 rd zero session thought I was good to go. On 12/20/13 just before dark a nice 8 pt came into the turnip patch and I shot him off my back porch. Found lung tissue and blood but loss of light and dogs failing to find a track (too mant to follow!) it was next morning we recovered him about 50 yds from the shot but in heavy brush, well hidden. 20" wide, good mass.
