Why?

Because a lot of counties have 15-25% of the annual buck harvest occur in those 10 days…….I'd have to go back and look but I think some counties may have even been a little higher at like 30%

Here it is.....This is from last year.....Its the percent of last year's buck harvest that occurred Feb 1-10

As far as deer killed in the rut goes, it’s really only affected those counties pretty much south of HWY 80 and some fringe counties just north of it. Yes there are now more bucks being killed in the northern counties during those extra 10 days too, but those bucks are done rutting (some are already dropping horns) that are getting back on feed sources. Which makes them even easier to kill.

I’ve got no problem with every county in AL getting to enjoy hunting their peak rut but if days are being added in those counties, so that they can, then the same number of days added, need to be dropped from somewhere else in the regular season. South needed it, but those same days should been taken away in December, and there was absolutely no reason whatsoever to add those 10 days in the northern counties. Once again, the state and CAB, making decisions that go against sound biological data and biologists recommendations. Just like baiting. I don’t know a single biologist that was adamant it was needed, but I know a whole bunch that adamantly felt it would not be good for the herd. Why was it approved, $$$$$. There’s no other logical reason.

That’s 100% true. After cameras, corn and Feb extension the number of mature bucks we’ve had to hunt has dwindled a lot depending on location. Everybody is hammering the really nice 2-3 year olds. It’s getting frustrating. The days of killing mature deer are not as easy in some places cause there aren’t as many as there used to be when random harvest was occurring. Now it’s a targeted take with heavy high grading. Is what it is.

Dang it...... I forgot to add Lowndes Co to that map........

More bucks are being killed as a result of the extra 10 days but it’s not really affecting the “age structure”, other than taking more young bucks out of the future equations, because 98% of the ones being killed are the same ones being killed all season long. If not killed in the extra 10 days, they’ll be the first ones shot next season with their head in a feed trough. Younger bucks. Walk into any processor, anywhere in AL on any Saturday night. If there are 40 bucks on the floor, most will be 1 and 2 yr olds with a few 3 yr olds thrown in, while there might only be 1 or maybe 2 bucks over 4 yrs old, out of those 40, and a lot of times 0. There simply are not that many truly mature bucks ( 5 yrs and older) in Alabama’s current buck age structure to be killed. Why, because almost all are shot long before they get there. There’s not a dumber deer in the woods than a 1-2 yr old buck.

The buck age structure in this state is already massively screwed up from years and years of repeated annual severe over harvest of the younger age class (1-3 yr old) bucks. It’s been promoted by the states ultra liberal harvest regulations and now the baiting and longer seasons are just enhancing the damage that’s already been done. Corky Pugh finally recognized the problem/issue and tried to do something with the 3 buck limit in 2007 but that was about 30 yrs too late and with zero enforcement, he was just pissing in the wind. Damage was done and the buck killing, “I need to kill any buck or bucks to prove I’m a good hunter” culture was already deeply ingrained throughout alabama and that’s not changing anytime soon unless it is forced on the alabama hunting population and fully enforced. Anyone that hunts other states regularly sees the difference first hand and it’s like night and day.

The short window harvest % increase is same for the northern counties with the earlier rut dates too. The majority of their buck harvest happens in that same window around the rut. Those last 10 days in the south when the harvest jumps up, are the equivalent/same 10 days happening in Dec and early-mid Jan in the northern counties when their rut hits and their buck harvest jumps up too..

I’m just impressed you whipped that together that quick. You must keep daily harvest data for each county in a spreadsheet

Point is, 95% of them are going to be shot and die long before they reach maturity. The age structure only improves if bucks are making it to maturity. If the buck doesn’t make it to 5 yrs old, it doesn’t matter if he dies as a 1,2, or 3 yr old. He’s still dead and not making it to maturity and into the already depleted 5 and 6+ age classes that need filling and are almost non existent in Alabama’s buck age structure. I’d be willing to bet that 85-90% of Alabamas annual buck harvest is made up of bucks 3 yrs old and younger. Thats the real problem and that should be simple enough for even you to understand. Those young bucks are going to be shot as soon as the sport a decent rack, killing them this year versus the start next years season doesn’t matter at all. They are still dead and still not filling the top of the bracket where they are needed.

I also like how you removed the section “all it’s doing is taking more young bucks out of future equations…….” from that sentence which changes the entire meaning and context. That’s a true Democrat move. I always knew you were a DA, but honestly didn’t know you were a Democrat. 😂

Y’all think more bucks are being killed during those 10 days in February then they were when you could kill a buck every day of the season? I know we can’t buy a buck on our place after the last few days of January in most years. However on a buddy’s place in Clark county, their rut is just starting when ours shuts down.

Ahhhhh man has a point , let's not cherry pick and forget the good old days of a buck a day.

It's always the neighbors.

The neighbors always say the same thing, too.

So, no. No one ever lets 2- and 3-yo bucks walk, unless you have no neighbors.

It’s not the total number of bucks being killed that’s the issue. It’s the selection of age classes that’s the issue. Back when you could a buck a day without cameras and legal bait, harvest was evenly distributed across age classes. There were still deer making it into the upper age classes. That’s why so many deer were killed back then in the 140-150-160+ category. Nowadays, those bucks aren’t making it , because there’s more opportunity and it’s WAY easier to kill one, leading to the top of the age class bracket in many populations being 3 and an occasional 4 year old.

And I’ve been saying it for years and not many ppl get it, but there will come a day when those with the money, land and means to manage habitats and impact wildlife in a positive way, throw their hands up and say to heck with it. It’s funny to me that those are the guys everyone calls the crybabies, complainers, and spoiled ones. That couldn’t be any more wrong. When THOSE guys quit caring about their land because they can’t enjoy it the way they want to, due to all their neighbors having greedy and itchy trigger fingers, the entire state will suffer from it, including those ppl riding their shirt tails off their hard work. It’s true whether anyone wants to admit it or not.

Not in our area , in the heyday of a buck a day , most didn't live long enough up here to make it to 140+ . I know groups of hunters that each one would kill 10-15 , some would get up around 20+ bucks a year. Back then a 140" was a big deal and rare . The best times were probably after the 3 buck limit but before legal baiting for killing big un. If you knew how to killem.

I'm with you 100 percent but even with the several thousand acres I manage there's always gonna be neighbors regardless if you have 100 or 5000 acres. The only 100 percent way you'll ever manage a place like you want it is by fencing it.

There’s too many hunters now, understandably, that invest too much money to come home empty handed. Thats why we don’t have older age class bucks in this state. There’s more people after this “hobby” than there has ever been. Back in the day people hunted for meat, and could have cared less about age structure. Probably why there were bigger deer back then. Now everyone is preached that you got have atleast a hundred acres to yourself in order to manage and yada yada. We’ve evenly distributed that problem across the landscape. You won’t find many properties in the entirety of this state that aren’t being hunted. That wasn’t the case back in the 60’s and 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Of course there were other influences such as AG and etc but it is what it is today.