Really? We still have a three buck limit...

Maybe you should re-read the florida reseach. As you can see, much of the Florida panhande just south of us had mean conception dates in feburary with one area as late as Feburary 17.

You either don't understand or haven't read the research. The rutting activity is very well identified.

http://www.myfwc.com/media/497717/Deer_MeanConceptionDates.pdf

The problem I have with the data I have seen is that it generalized a mean conception date for the state...such as this information saying January 21. Even the posted information says that some areas in Alabama have a febuary mean conception date which supports what some people are saying about their properties.

If you turn to the Florida data, the mean conception dates are shown to vary widely just within the short distance of the panhande...from late october in the east panhandle to as late as February 17 in the west. Almost the entire tier of Florida counties south of the southernmost Alabama counties have a February mean conception date. The geographic trend of this data from Florida supports that there are some areas of Alabama with mean conception dates in February...either that or the Florida deer know not the cross the state line.

http://www.myfwc.com/media/497717/Deer_MeanConceptionDates.pdf

I was going from memory and now stand as corrected. Do you recall the study period?

Also, this study should be shown to AL DCNR and request that detailed studies be done for all of the counties that border Florida to determine the bst way to manage the resource.

It is 2009.

i don't think it really matters exactly when the peak of the rut is - we all know that it's from mid jan to mid feb in most parts of s. al. - i totally agree that our seasons and limits should be based on science - it's just that i think there's enough data already compiled to allow adcnr to adjust our season without having an adverse effect on our deer herd - i've been involved with the wildlife industry in se al for 25+ years and have seen many things change - most of them for the better - hunters are managing their properties much better, whether they own or lease them, they are more informed than ever before and they expect adcnr to use the scientific data on hand and adjust seasons so that hunters in ALL areas of the state can experience as much of the rut cycle as possible - it's about QUALITY not QUANTITY for most all of us - we're more than willing to give up days, we already have a 3 buck limit, many of us are for tags and minimum buck restrictions - most people i talk to would like to see gun season come in for 7 days at thanksgiving - go out - back in dec 20 - out feb 15 - we're not ignorant, uneducated, greedy, slob hunters who think that the month of feb is some "magic bullet" - we're well informed hunters and taxpayers who expect our wildlife to be protected for future generations and managed at the optimum level possible in ALL areas of the state

You said it much better than I could have Slipn.

Very well said slipn.

I do enjoy seeing the very same people who said that politicians should stay out of hunting regs getting all wet over this latest pice of legislation. Now you have folks like John Rogers deciding about what's best for the wildlife of this state. Priceless!!! It's obvious that some of you will ride whatever horse is going your direction and it doesn't matter about what kind of horse it is. Career politicians who have never stepped foot in the woods will tell you what's best. The very politicians who are going to vote where the dollar is, the very ones who will listen all day to animal rights organizations if the money's there. You're right fellas, change is coming.

But, that's what 49er said is best and correct and the way it should be done ... through the Legislature.

Now you're saying it's not the best way?

Man. So confusing.

Legislators or Wildlife Biologists? Legislators who, during the big crossbow debate, watched a few shots into a target in a parking deck and tut-tutted at the show before having a hearing about it? Or Wildlife Biologists who study this stuff religiously and know what it's all about?

Tough decision. Dang.

Guess we'll have to go with Legislators since it looks like 49er might get his way and have this august body of elected officials making the wildlife decisions for the hunters.

Will this be "Change we can believe in?" or just change?

My opinion (like it matters). I would like to see a season as follows. October 1 till November 15... bow. November 15th till December 15th... add youth rifle(with Thanksgiving holiday weekend allow adult rifle)... December 15th till Jan. 31...adult rifle. Jan. 31 till 2nd Sat. in Feb. bow/muzzle loader/shotgun/youth rifle.

As far as legal baiting in Alabama(really). I think it will over time make the deer harder to kill(make them more nocturnal) unless you have some sort of timing regulation on the feeding system. Which would be next to impossible to enforce.

Just my 2 cents...

Wow. All this brewhaha over a brown coated animal with/without antlers?? Folks, just shoot a deer when you want too. We have plenty of them all over the state and if you get any chance to hunt, you will have a chance to kill one. North, south, east, west, it dosen't matter.

Rut? For heaven's sake, hunt in January!! The peak may vary a few days either way from the middle of the month but deer in Alabama rut in January! I've hunted from the TN to FL lines and seen bucks chasing does during January the entire length of the state. We all know that!

IMO, If you can't kill (or have the opportunity to kill) a buck in January in this state, then one of 3 things are going on: your hunting land sucks, you can't take off work during the rut so your job sucks, or your hunting skills suck.

Carry on.

Dr. B

our wildlife regulations have constantly changed since adcnr began - as the science behind wildlife mgmt evolves i think it would be logical to assume regs will change - not all of us are for legislative action - i think that adcnr will do it very soon - believe it or not there's a pretty good number of hunters that support changes in our deer regs and have worked for years to see them enacted - i, for one, am steadfast in my position - buck limits, revised season, tags, mature buck restrictions - change is not COMING - it's here NOW

LOL. Doc it is not about folks not being able to kill a buck (at least not for me). We want to hunt the full rut.

Why in the hell are some you so dead set against this??

If science agrees (and Chris Cook said he has not ruled it out, just has reservations) then lets wait and see what unfolds.

i think you posted that you do 70% of your hunting in south mont county - i've got a large, well managed piece of property in south barbour county - i'll be happy to trade you hunt for hunt next jan - i'm sure your superior hunting skills you've honed to a keen edge in the open woods of the black belt will shine down here in the thickets of these red clay hills

Actually, all of my deer hunting is in the black belt. Most of it in Lowndes county but I hunt south Montgomery county and some in Butler. But I cut my teeth on hunting above the fall line in the hills and hollers of Coosa, Talapoosa, and Elmore counties back when you could hunt all year and not see a deer. I've paid my dues and learned the hard way on how to kill a deer in the hills, in the thickets, in the creek bottoms, or wherever. I am lucky enough to hunt in an area that has a good population of deer now and I will be the first to say that hunting is easier when there are more deer around. DUH! But killing a trophy (which to me is anything 130 and over) is still hard no matter where (or when)you hunt.

I never claimed my hunting skills are superior to anyone on this site. But, I do my scouting, my homework with the topo map, and put in my time wearing out some boot leather with a gps. And guess what? I see deer and lots of 'em. And incidently, very rarely are they in "the open woods." I hunt in the thickest, nastiest places I can get a climber into. But in all fairness, I have been know to scoot up into a ladder stand overlooking a food plot as well.

Lets just let the season run from October 15-October 14. Then we get the velvet, the hard antler, the rut, the rut again, the rut once more, the antler shedding, the dropping of fawns, the faded spots, the growing of antler, and finally full velvet agin! That way we'll all be happy!

Dr. B

Dangit, I need more butter on my popcorn!!

I just got an email outlining the bills' sponsors and alternative proposals. If someone will shoot me a PM, I'll email it to you to post here or start a new thread. I don't know how to put an article up on the site.

Dr. B

For informational use:
MS Deer Breeding Map

Your nuts!! There is gonna be more divorces than ever!!!!!

From bamaeyedoc:

Alabama deer season would be extended into February if bill passes

The opportunity to hunt all phases of south Alabama'��s white-tailed deer breeding season is the driving force behind an effort to get state conservation department officials to extend the season to Feb. 15, organizers say. (File Photo)
A bill reauthorizing funding for the Forever Wild program, and another that would extend the state's deer season into February and legalize hunting deer over bait, could get a hearing in the Alabama Legislature this year.

On the first day of the 2011 session, Rep. Randy Davis, R-Daphne, filed a bill that would continue funding the land-acquisition provision of Forever Wild at its current level through 2032. Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Opelika, introduced a bill setting regular deer gun season from early November to 2 weeks into February. It would also legalize baiting deer during hunting season.

Two southwest Alabama co-sponsors of Whatley's bill, Sen. Marc Keahey, D-Grove Hill, and Sen. Rusty Glover, R-Mobile, believe the bill is a way to begin seriously discussing extending deer season into February so hunters in the southern part of the state can take full advantage of the rut.

"I think white-tailed deer season is long enough, if not too long," said Keahey, who is a deer hunter, "but the problem is that white-tailed deer hunters are not able to hunt during all parts of the rut."

Keahey said he has already spoken to conservation commissioner N. Gunter Guy Jr. about scheduling gun season to come in through Thanksgiving so families can enjoy that traditional time in the woods together, then closing it up to three weeks in December. His plan would reopen the season before the Christmas holidays and close it on Valentine's Day.

Could muzzle-loader use spur spending by Alabama hunters?


Keahey supports the use of muzzle-loaders only in the first 2 weeks of February if the season is extended. He said that would spur economic activity since hunters who don't already have such a weapon would likely buy one.

"I think the help extending the season would provide to our economy locally would trump any reason not to have a muzzle-loader season in February," he said.

Keahey added that he would be willing to consider allowing dog deer hunting throughout December so those hunters wouldn't lose any more days in the woods. Dog deer hunting ends on Jan. 15 while stalk hunting only continues through Jan. 31.

Glover said he would allow hunters to choose the weapon they use during the extended season.

Twenty-nine representatives and 5 senators had signed on as co-sponsors of the Forever Wild reauthorization bills when they were filed. Forever Wild funding also has the support of newly inaugurated Gov. Robert Bentley.

The land-acquisition program, which has existed since 1992, receives 10 percent of the investment income earned on oil and gas royalties deposited into the Alabama Trust Fund. Funding is capped at $15 million annually.

The land-acquisition funding mechanism expires in 2012.

Greg Lein, the assistant director of the State Lands Division, said through September 2010 that Forever Wild has used the $164 million it's received to purchase 220,000 acres of land in 32 tracts across the state. The vast majority of the land is open for public recreational use, and 184,000 acres can be hunted.

About one-third of the funds came from federal grant programs such as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act and the Forest Legacy Program.

"We've married Forever Wild to those federal grant programs and really have been able to leverage the state's investment," Lein said. "Without that seed money, there are no federal programs except the Coastal Impact Assistance Program where you don't have to have a match. That's what makes Alabama unique. We had a ready source of matching funds."

Lein said if funding is not renewed, no new land could be purchased but a separate Forever Wild stewardship account would still receive enough money to maintain areas already in the program.

"It'd be a hell of a shame if it wasn't reauthorized," Lein said. "I don't think anyone wants that. This could be an opportunity to feel good about something in these difficult economic times."

Related topics: Forever Wild, Rep. Randy Davis (R-Daphne), Sen. Scott Beason (R-Gardendale), Sen. Tom Whatley (R-Opelika)