Public land should be some great hunting. I’m gonna get some hate from this and that’s ok.

Saw a Heape of pictures on social media this past weekend where a lot of kids killed deer. Some good deer too, Kudos to them kids for that. I’m not knocking em for it.

But 90% of them was under 8 years old and alot of em was 3-4 years old. They are just pulling the trigger after their dad lines the scope and all up for em to shoot, I saw one got had a iPhone adapter on kids scope, dad lined it all up, kid wasn’t even looking at scope and dad said pull the trigger. And I think all of em was over a corn pile. Lot of 2 year old basket bucks piled up. Which again I’m proud for the kids to get out and do it.

But I can’t help but wonder if 10 years from now when these kids are late teens and early 20s of they are only gonna know how to hunt over a pile of corn. And there nothing wrong with that if that’s what you like. But will they ever learn what hunting is about and how to actually hunt? Or just learn how to sit over a corn pile on there phone? Public land is already less pressure than few years ago cause grown ups can’t hunt over corn, and you have to put in some leg work to find deer.

And I know alot of yall was hunting by yourself at 4 years old and have killed big ole bucks under acorns trees and all that. And I know little johnny at 4 years old is plenty big enough to kill a deer and y’all can hunt how you want to. I’m not saying you can’t or anything is wrong with it.

So all that to ask this. Where do yall see deer hunting in 20 years from now? Do yall think the ole Indian ways of killing him on his turf will be a thing of the past, or do you see corn changing the game??? I personally think corn is getting a crap load of 2 year old future studs piled up but I also believe man should kill what he wants. I hunt my own property as well as public, I kill what I see fit to, as should someone else. I was 10 years old before I was able to start toting a real gun deer hunting and was 12 before I killed my first deer. We had to learn how to small game hunt and use a gun safely before we could start per say hunting. I was brought up and taught how to hunt in steps. How to scout where to set up and hunt and most of all gun safety. Just how it was for me. And again I say this. I’m not knocking the kids or corn, just saying how I saw it. And a picture on the internet paints with a broad brush I know. Just little mordant morning discussion, with some background to why I was asking question.

I pondered that same thing sitting with my grandson Saturday. He killed a spike in a corn plot I had made and knocked down shooting lanes out in it.I guess that is what brought the deer in there whether you grow it or pour it out. I made him look for tracks and trails though. Taught him about watching when the squirrels go to barking. We had fun we stopped and thanked the Lord for our hunt before we walked in. Corn piles are the way to do it though. I have bought 2 tons so I am not innocent.

I ain’t knocking it a bit brother. Just mainly discussion I guess. I’d pour out 2 tons today if one of my girls asked to go hunting. It just ain’t there thing, and that’s ok too. Glad y’all got one!

My son is 12 and does good in the woods.

We hunt on the ground a good bit In hardwoods.

We watch a lot of deer.

He passed up a couple last weekend some of our members probably would have shot.

He likes seeing deer, he watched 12 of them Saturday evening and didn’t want to shoot.

It if that big one steps out he wants to shoot.

But we mostly observe and learn about where the deer are what the deer are doing and why

He’s still learning woodsman-ship will come along the way.

He’s already said the fellowship, eating and playing with the other kids at camp makes hunting season his favorite time of year

But it’s just fun to have him walking my footsteps even if he does sound like Herman Munster stomping through the woods behind me.

Got no problem with young kids killing 2 yr old basket racks. Good for them. Problem is being caused by the majority of Alabama's experienced hunters doing the exact same thing every weekend on a 10,000X scale. You can only kill so many young bucks for so many years in a row, before you start impacting overall herd dynamics and health. We are, and have been, long past that point in almost all counties in Alabama simply because people in this state cannot keep their booger picker off the bang switch, when anything, with any type of horn on its head, walks out in front of them. Gotta kill a limit or limit "plus" of bucks to be a "real hunter" in this state. And for the record, corn has been getting a crap ton of 2 yr old potential studs piled up all over Alabama for the past 60 yrs. Yep, even when it was illegal to do so. It was far easier to just legalize it and get paid for doing so, than it was to make the same money through fines and enforcing the laws already on the books by severely punishing those breaking them. Also for the record, there is absolutely NO sound biological reasoning for allowing baiting, of any kind, in Alabama. Personally, while I can agree that it is up some, I dont think the number of young bucks being killed over bait has increased by a tremendous amount. There's a processor by our camp and you can walk in there on any given Saturday night and roughly the same number of 1-3 yr old bucks will be laying on the floor, as there were 10 yrs ago before baiting was legalized. Same people killing piles of young bucks now are the same ones that were doing it before, they're just now able to do what they have been doing all along, only in a more convenient manner, easier to get to locations, and without having to look over their shoulder all the time watching out for Mr Green jeans.

It is what it is and will sort itself out. Young kids coming up have far more resources and access to more technology from a shooting standpoint. Most kids are smarter than we give them credit for. U will have ones that burn out ones that will wanna challenge themselves and do it the old fashion way learning from internet everything how it used to be done and some that do it with corn. I shot everything I saw as a young boy and now wouldn’t shoot anything that’s not as big or bigger than what I have cause what’s the point is way I am now and let them walk. We manage a resource for the most part better than any agency. So in 10 or 20 years unless there’s a bomb go off it will be the same. It will continue to be more expensive and that’s the bigger question as land becomes harder to come by for average hunters. The way that trend is going it’s going to be interesting what average people will be able to afford just to hunt.

The hunters survey data says there's quite a few more being killed

People forget that deer hunting is the pinnacle of hunting. The first thing you kill probably shouldn't be a 200 lb mammal. Kids need to kill squirrels, doves, ducks, rabbits before they take the plunge into big game and trophy hunting.

No better way to ruin a kid than taking them deer hunting in the pre-dawn freezing darkness and not seeing any action.

Gotta remember too, that now you have to have a game check number for any deer taken to a processor. There are more being reported because when they involved the processors in the enforcement side a couple years ago, it forced a whole lot more participation on the reporting side. I'm sure it is up some, but not nearly as much as you would think looking only at the raw numbers. A large portion of that kill increase on those deer, were simply not being reported previously. Any increase in game check participation/compliance equals a direct increase in kills reported versus previous years reported kills and there's probably double or more people participating in GC now, as there were just 2-3 yrs ago.

Several big challenges lie ahead. (1) Technology (2) Organized Sports (3) Adults

One is keeping technology out of hunting as much as you can. Scouting by drone and camera, automatic feeders/corn piles, and smart rifle scopes just to name a few. All will produce results but most won't produce the skills and patience that make hunting an enjoyable and life long pursuit.

Year round organized sports that require attendance will also continue to present challenges to getting kids in the field. The ability for kids to spend large amounts of time roaming the countryside with a .22 rifle or 12 GA Wingmaster chasing squirrels, birds and deer is becoming a thing of the past for a lot of kids. I think back to how much I learned from my dad and his friends but also from the hours and hours I spent in the woods by myself or with friends exploring and hunting. Discovery, trial and error, successes, reading sign and gaining the confidence and discipline it takes to become a decent hunter.

Adults also present a problem. Some dads focus too much on getting a deer for themselves and don't want to be bothered with taking their kids and instilling a love of hunting. Others are too focused on holding out for a 130 inch deer that they don't let the kid enjoy the success of shooting those first deer and the celebration that should happen. Also, as hunters, we need to be recruiting others to our world. I am proud to say that I have gotten three nephews and a BIL involved in hunting that would have never done so if I hadn't taken the time and made the effort to get them involved. They all love to do in now and will hopefully pass it along to their kids one day.

If you want to believe that legalized baiting hasn’t made any difference then there’s really nothing anyone can say that’s gonna convince you…..That’s a pretty absurd position to take though…..Its about like if night hunting were to be made legal and you say that it isnt really having an impact because people have always night hunted….Ok

I'm old school on this one . I don't see not one thing wrong with a 4 year pulling a trigger but that ain't teaching how to hunt. BUT ,,,, IT teaches good shooting habits and skill.

I still don’t believe there are more bucks being killed now then when you could kill a buck a day for the whole season and only had just a few doe days. Also there was a ton of people feeding corn back then also and shooting every buck that moved. Also I’ve talked to a lot of older dog hunters that would tell us of the 3-400 plus bucks per season the clubs would kill. We feed corn pretty heavy and our buck harvest is no different now then it was before corn. We see way more younger bucks but most of them just grab a kernel or 2 and keep going. Corn has been legal here in Louisiana for as long as I can remember and we have never hurt the deer population by over shooting deer at a corn pile. Neither has Texas. There is probably more corn fed in Sutton county alone then the lower half of Alabama. That may be a little much but there is many many tons of corn put out in Texas everyday.

Both my kids started shooting guns as soon as they could hold them. My son killed his first deer when he was 6 years old. Bayli was a little more picky and wanted to kill a buck. It took her 3 years and killed her first buck at 9yrs old. If the child is capable, more power to them. Beats the heck outta them sitting on the couch playing games or on their phones. Young kids with their own phones is another discussion for later.