I have a question for ya'll. Game check is suppose to be about # of deer killed and where, correct? Better data. Are they requiring insurance companies doing business in Alabama to use Game Check every time there is a claim for a deer collision? After all, those are dead deer also. That would be even better data!!

You almost got it right, but Russell County is #2 and you totally overlooked it.

Secondly, those that have no confidence in the numbers don't have a good understanding of statistics and random sampling. I'm not suggesting that reporting percentages are anywhere close to 100% but if you think they're reporting 90% in one county and 30% in another county, I'd have a hard time believing it. Statistics tell us that the percentages will be similar plus or minus a little.

Good post Jono. Part of the problem is people getting too caught up in worrying about antler score.

I saw a kid bring in a button buck to the camp at a club I was in near Skyline about 20 years ago. It was a perfectly legal kill according to club rules. This boy was about 17 or 18 and it was his first bow kill ever. He was absolutely thrilled and his face was beaming. Nothing could bring him down, nothing. That is, until a Jerk across the parking area yelled out something like, "What the hell did you kill there boy, a damned rabbit?" Whatever the actual words were, I don't remember for sure. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that the look on that boys face changed instantly. I tried to congratulate him on his first bow kill, but the damage was already done.

Yup, not anyone local to down here. Now some folks from out of state or non-local lease folks who don't know where the GW is are probably the ones reporting.

Maybe because you have a low deer density and are trying to increase the deer population where you hunt. I tell the people in my club if you just have to have the meat shoot a club legal buck not a doe. Maybe one day our deer population will support killing does but until then I will not be encouraging it.

There's probably been 300+ killed off back porches in Geneva that ain't been reported. I wouldnt trust those numbers other than the buck to doe ratio that's being killed and reported by the "few" that are reporting kills.

That is the sad state of hunting in some areas of State when a new or any Hunter can go years without the opportunity to kill a deer, but yeah keep killing those does.

Like I've said over and over, let the season play out. Y'all know what is true about all the top counties except Dallas? They all have an earlier rut than the blackbelt. The December lull isn't going on.

Also, reporting % is going to be pretty close to the same across the board.

I'm not sure what to make of the numbers, but I know there are a pile of deer in Wilcox county. I'm surprised at the ratio of public/private land kills. My lease is 6 miles from Barbour WMA and I've seen 10+ deer every hunt. I know the quality of deer on the land all around the WMA. I'm not so sure a high kill rate is a good thing for most counties. We haven't killed a doe on our place in 3 years and it seems to be working quite well. As Atoler said, wait till mid-January through the end of season, before you go bass fishing. I believe the deer reports will be far more accurate than the turkey harvest submissions.

I agree some southern counties will catch up - but there's some places in SW AL that have lower numbers currently than at any point in 30-40 years.

I did some recon on a timber tract today in southern Marengo. About 500 acres. Walked many miles and covered the entire road system. Found a few piles of crap in the woods, and 3 or 4 fresh tracks since the rain stopped late Tuesday/early Wednesday. Really unbelievable.

Can you imagine if they actually try to pass some things to push the management agenda with these numbers??

Give it a year or two and you won't have to imagine, you can use your own eyes.

I thought we all agreed to report our kills in Jackson county!? I know I am.

Proud to be a coffee and Geneva county hunter

There ain't no deer in either county and the turkey numbers will be worse. Y'all look elsewhere for leases cause there's nothing for ya in the dirty south!!!

I'm gonna report mine in Marshall , they need to increase their numbers.

This entire thread 100% proves my point I made earlier. I clearly stated that I would get reamed out for saying Alabamians are NOT quality management minded. I think my exact words were something like "if it's legal, then blah blah blah". And 575 dozen of y'all said it. I cannot understand this subconscious association with hunting regulations stealing your fun???? I am not a trophy-score hunter, heck I hunt local WMAs very often!!!! The whole "new hunter" argument is a straw man too. Nobody is deer shaming, we've all done it. I still kill does, always will. I guess the word I'm looking for is "discriminating". I am discriminate, with herd management in mind, when I kill ANY deer. And I don't think it's unreasonable to train children and new hunters to be this way--THEY ARE IN THOSE "TROPHY" STATES WE ARE JEALOUS OF. We aren't trying to grown genetically giant deer like Iowa, but we could substantially improve our herd and hunting experience in Alabama with some modern mentality!

I have personally logged in 3 of the deer in Lamar co and I'm one man.
There have been some studs already killed in Lamar this year. I have pics of several good ones that have been killed but I don't have permission to put them on here. One is 170-180". I'd say 15-20% max reported.
I just wish we'd had a little of this disdain with the buck limits.....
I felt much worse about it than this game check. Reason was though, Buck limits was socialism, game check affects everyone. I'm kinda glad, misery loves company.

Buck limits were NOT socialism, because bucks are already STATE property. They literally are as much MINE as they are YOURS. Now understand I'm not arguing with you, it actually hacks me off too in a way....if I OWN property, then frankly I consider those bucks to me MINE! LOL

And I think this is what aggravates me the most about our public lands... Suppose I go to Barbour WMA, I usually make one trip there each season, and as is typical the majority of the deer brought to the check station are young bucks. Again, that resource was as much MINE as it was that guy's. So whereby he was LEGAL to kill it, his indiscriminate killing of that young buck removed it from the herd for next season when I go back. And I'm like, dude, I saw 20 does this morning!!!!!....you couldn't have shot a doe?????? You're just gonna saw those horns off and throw em in the shed. Now I have freedom to say this because I've been that guy!!!! I've got who knows how many sawed off racks, and little skull mounts, that AT THE TIME I was tickled to kill. They were legal, and I had a ball those days on those hunts! But now with maturity and wisdom, I regret killing so many of those deer for nothing other than my selfish pleasure. I wasted them! It's not wrong to teach our children and new hunters this concept, but I guess we're worried that this new video game generation will lose interest in hunting.

All of us Marshall and several other county hunters are on our way to Jackson, y'all move over and make room!!! lol

Let me play devil's advocate for a second.

In managing deer for a certain antler size, body size, age group and so forth, if you can afford to have enough property, you may can reach lofty goals. You might not be able to do it on 400 acres unless all the neighbors are on board. What if a neighboring lease doesn't give a hoot about any of those characteristics and just wants to hunt for fun within legal limits without regard to said parameters?

So what happens is, one group insisting on more strict State regs for size, points and age, gets into the rights of the dumb 'ol fun-hunter in favor of the "trophy" hunter, and makes his choice for him by proxy, without his say-so, by threat and force of law.

Who decided that? Why does the headhunter call the shots for everybody?

Me, I don't really care, as I've killed enough big deer in my life, and frankly, if I see a big one, he might walk and die of old age if I can help it.

Or, the next one that walks out may hit the ground, if I choose. He might be a nubbin, a three point, or a ten point.

Just like the example that not everybody that fishes wants to be in a tournament, some fish for relaxation, not 90 miles per hour to the next hole for a 12 pound bass.

Posting these county numbers are just one more tiny step to loss of hunting choices.