http://www.outdooralabama.com/images/file/2013-14%20WFF/Game%20Check%20Handout%207-9-13.pdf
Check it out if you've not already.
I've always been proud that AL has some of the best deer and turkey hunting in the US without the "super-regulation" that most other states seem to think they need, (and maybe actually do need). Here, we can buy a license, go hunting from beginning to end of season, and go fishing without closed seasons. That's all changed lately even though we still have deer and turkey hunting and fishing seasons that are the envy of hunters in most other states. And just like what voluntary catch-and-release did for fishing, self-imposed limits and harvest strategies by today's more educated hunters have improved our deer herd's age structure and buck:doe ratio.
The CAB seemingly has a self-perceieved need to make themselves relevent; they do this by changing things just to have made changes (ie. elimination of fall turkey seasons over the objections of the state's biologists who said there was no biological need for closure). These changes almost always make things more restrictive for someone in order to scratch the backs of someone else. I predict that within a few years we'll have a nice thick regulation book like other states do, that takes a lawyer to understand, full of "gotchas" that will be easy to overlook. We'll be buying tags for each deer and turkey, and different licenses for each weapon and for each season. We'll be drawing for which week we want to hunt turkeys. We'll have a week of bow followed by a week of no hunting followed by a week of ML followed by a week of gun followed by a week of (???). Check stations will be required to make sure that a doe killed on one side of the highway or county line won't be claimed to have been killed on the other side of the street. Surely, our confirmation numbers will also soon have to be written on each package of meat in your freezer- right?
Ahhh, progress.
If you take kids hunting they need a "Hunters Exempt License Privilege" number nowadays. (HELP, lol!) Retired-age exempt hunters also need this.
Looks like its required of young small game hunters, too.
How many dove hunters will get tickets in the next few weeks for violating that "gotcha"?
OutdoorAlabama only has 2012/13 regulations and seasons posted.
CAM's Link
http://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/season-limits/2013-14dove.cfm
;-)
I plan on grillin' a bunch of bacon wrapped dove breasts for the Iron Bowl.
War Eagle!!
Between all the clubs contributing to the Quality Deer Management Programs and the data from WMA's I see no further need for more information to determine the health of our deer herds from a Biologist point of view. You do not need to know every deer killed in every county for an entire season to determine an overall management plan. That Simply.
This is a way to generate more money through fines. Imagine yourself having to pay a ridiculous fine of up to $500.00 for a doe!!!!!!!!! Could happen? Yes!
The more control our Government Officials have over us in every aspect of our lives the less free we become.
I proposed a fine free system for gun hunters on WMA's a while back to obtain more data for the purpose of better management and It got ignored.
Just like the management of our deer herds are getting ignored. WMA's are more interested in other things. Most of the lands is for timber management and or strip mining. Biologist have their hands tied. Say it aint so!
The Forever Wild Program has purchased some land but has leased even more land that is being managed for timber through USX-Molpus. The upside of this is that we still have a WMA to hunt and it did not become leased out to hunting clubs. This land is still open to the public.
I see no realistic reasoning behind this approach other than more revenue. If someone can explain the bully mentality that comes with this approach then please do!
Unfortunately in the past, parts of the state with an over abundance of deer are lumped together with low deer density northern countys for seasons and bag limits. For instance, the peak of the rut in Colbert county is Jan 28, a few days before the season ends, in other countys the rut may peak after the season closes or a month before. Collecting more harvest data may allow state wildlife biologists to correct the inconsistencies and tailor the seasons to best benefit the hunters.
The idea that Bama hunters lack the ability to report their harvests just like people in every other state in the union is ludicrous.
I hunt Tn mostly where a kill tag is required on your deer before you remove it from the woods. This was a hassle when it was required that you took the animal to a checking station to record the kill and be issued another kill tag. A hassle yes, but Tn knew exactly what their harvest was and tailored their seasons to the benefit of both the game and the hunters, Tn has always been miles ahead of Bama in game management, their huge sales of nonresident license sales reflect this fact.
You can check a deer on line or by phone in Tn now, takes an astounding 5 minutes of your time.
The proposed system is not really as much of a complex issue for hunters to face that many make it out to be. Record your kill on your harvest record, make a call or go on line for a conformation number, done deal.
The chance of anyone actually getting fined for an infraction will be slim to none. When was the last time you were checked by a game warden on private land or your hunting club, in my case NEVER!
I expect to get checked on a management area which is a good thing in my opinion.
Lighten up guys, the sky isn't falling, Alabama is just trying to move into the 21st century on game management, a good move in my opinion.
Our deer go into rut in Alabama from Oct. through Feb. depending on which end of the state you hunt. Most of the reasons behind this is not overpopulation issues but from having so many different deer stockings from so many different parts of the country. You can have deer from one county to the next rutting at different times. These things have been studied to death.
In an area where overpopulation is a concern then correct that. It is mostly in areas with parks and or suburbs that have little to no hunting. Oak Mountain State Park for instance.
I will add that the nutrition and soils in our WMA are not great. Not due to poor deer management but from poor timber management. The QMZ are really just a way to satisfy some bureaucrats because if it were truly for management to benefit deer/turkey it would be more than just a narrow strip of timber.
I'm not against change. Some hunting clubs have already implemented change and have shown that it works.
I'm against any form of fines imposed for not cooperating within a the quote 24 hour period. How can you possibly enforce such a law anyway if someone should decide not to comply. I'm against stupid.
Poaching and illegally hunting over corn piles has gone on for years and I'm not so sure that many of the game wardens even care anymore because they don't have the manpower do put a stop to it nor the support.
So what happens, is it's made legal. Well almost. They went so far as to specify just exactly how far the corn pile must be from your stand and it must be out of your line of vision. Genius!!!!!!!!!!!!! That will show us who is boss. Again Bully.
I taught hunter safety for 10 years and became close friends with several of the mgt area biologists/managers. They came up short every time when funding dollars were passed out. An example would be proper liming the area food plots, necessary in this part of the state if you plan to grow anything, there never is any money to fund this type of project.
I am seeing a change here in N Bama, Freedom Hills manager Mitchell Marks is doing a fine job of restoring habitat and has a long term game plan in place.
Perhaps if the biologists can poke hard data collected by the new program into the bureaucrats faces there may be a chance for a change.
With the current system, a person could limit out on buck harvests, go to his computer, print out a fresh sheet, throw away the limited out record and start over.
With the new system his kills would be recorded and any subsequent kills would make him libel for a fine.
All sounds well and good but poachers aren't going to comply with the system anyway. They won't log a kill, just throw the deer in the back of their truck and head to the house knowing the chances of them getting caught are slim to none.
Bottom line this is still a voluntary system, us good guys will comply, the bad guys won't. Unfortunately there are a lot more bad guys out there than us good guys.
The Advisory Board assists in formulating policies for the Department of Conservation, examines all rules and regulations and makes recommendations for their change or amendment. By a two-thirds vote of the members present and with the governor’s approval, the board can amend, make any changes, repeal or create and promulgate additional rules and regulations. The Board also assists in publicizing the department’s programs and activities.
You get the choice to decide. Legally. :-)
