Someone give me the rundown on how to hunt Bankhead please. Family just got a place close by and wanted to see what I have to do to get in and hunt the area. Any type of special permit? Places that you have to check in? Any information is appreciated.

The info you are after will depend on if you are bow or rifle hunting. But it is all on Outdoor Alabama if you want to look there.

For the most part, the national forest portion that is not part of Black Warrior WMA will be whatever the general Alabama hunting rules are, other than limited doe days. No check in required. Check the AL handbook for national forest regs. The portion that is in Black Warrior WMA will have antler restrictions, limited gun days requiring check in, etc. Read the Black Warrior WMA regs for that.

As far as tips on hunting it goes, find cover. Don't sit in a tree in wide open hardwoods thinking you will see deer as if it were the Alabama river bottom. Find the thickest cover you can and that is where the deer will be. It has a very low deer density but has some of the largest bucks in the state. The rut in most of the forest is in mid to late November due the the Michigan genetics of the deer restocked there.

Which area of Bankhead matters. The rut can vary 4-6 weeks from the far northern and southern ends