Whitetail in Alabama

[lkwoolsey]

Alright, I'm moving to Alabama this summer for work....Yeah, I'm gonna be flying back west every hunting season I get to hunt, but, it won't be possible every year. So, I'm checking out the hunting they have down there, and it looks like whitetail and hogs. I've never hunted from a tree stand, or honestly for whitetail at all. I've always backpack hunted. So, any pointers, advice, or anything that I should know about whitetail hunting down south? Thanks!

 

[FLAK]

Join a Lease/Club, or check out the nearest WMA's or Nat. Forest.
What Part of AL?

 

[Grumman]

There’s another thread going about the Alabama rut. Look that one up it that has some interesting info. What part of the state will you be in?





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[dr.mooseknuckles]

Where in the state? That’ll help us help you


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[Btaylor]

Snake boots and a thermacell should be up near the top of your new gear list.

 

[KoolBreeze]

I hunt some property right on the Alabama - Mississippi line in the hills. There are some decent whitetails to be had. Deer are plentiful in most areas and the seasons are looong with generous bag limits. You might try to find a lease you can join and/or make friends with some landowners, especially those with bottoms and/or croplands. My experience has been that the bottoms and/or croplands present the best chances at trophy bucks if that's what your after. If you're a meat hunter, then it won't matter much. Don't anything about the WMAs though.

And as already suggested, watch out for the rattlesnakes, cottonmouths and mosquitoes.

 

[rayporter]

can you say culture shock!

read up on chiggers before spring.

oh -get yourself another big cooler, too.

 

[Poser]

Mosquitoes, Ticks and chiggers: learn how to deal with them.

As a former Tennessee resident, I take strong exception with Alabama’s interpretation of BBQ. The white sauce they use just ain’t right.

Catfish: it’s what’s for breakfast.

 

[Shrek]

Rut is in January in much of the state. Most good hunting is going to be on private leased property. Find and join a club. If you can make friends with someone who can recommend a club with an opening you’ll be way ahead. A hunting club is like going back to high school. Clicks , jealousy , backstabbing , etc. A lot of clubs you find advertising for members because they run through members and have a bad reputation. Most good clubs are word of mouth and personal recommendations from current members. It will definitely be a shock if you’re coming from a western state with plenty of public land with decent hunting. Don’t get me wrong , Alabama is covered up in deer but not so much on public lands. If I wasn’t six plus hours away I’d join an Alabama club but I’m not so central Georgia is as good as it gets for me.

Btw , check to make sure any club you join is all game not just deer. Some clubs separate spring turkey and dove.

 

[Hike-n-Hunt]

Alright, I'm moving to Alabama this summer for work....Yeah, I'm gonna be flying back west every hunting season I get to hunt, but, it won't be possible every year. So, I'm checking out the hunting they have down there, and it looks like whitetail and hogs. I've never hunted from a tree stand, or honestly for whitetail at all. I've always backpack hunted. So, any pointers, advice, or anything that I should know about whitetail hunting down south? Thanks!

Culture shock for sure, 2nd on the chiggers, they're nasty in the early season, lots of bug spray will keep them deterred. A club is great for always having somewhere private that you can enjoy to hunt especially once you've learned the deer patterns as the season and years go by, but if your used to roaming and hunting with a pack on your back like out west you probably won't like the club mentality. Typically you get one or two spots that are your go to spots every time you hunt, or my preference the pin in and out system which is first come first serve letting everyone hunt the entire club. Maybe a little harder to pack in and get away, but you can definitely camp and hunt from camp on public land ( National Forest, ect..). Get a good harness if you climb any tree! I use both climbers and lock ons, try both and see what works for you. Climbers need a fairly straight tree unless your feel like cutting limbs which they frown upon on public land or get a set of sticks and a lock on and climb any tree you like. Early season they'll just about pass up a corn pile for acorns, late October and November hunt the does and you'll find the bucks downwind of the bedding areas. Old time once told me they'll hear ya 3 times, see ya twice, but only smell you once.... Good luck on your next hunting season.

 

[Btaylor]

Sawyers tick spray is the only way to fly imo for ticks and chiggers. You can get it at walmart or amazon, buy a small spray bottle and big refill jugs.

Learn all of the oak tree types in the area and when they typically drop. Also learn how to spot honey locust, persimmon, and mulberry. With mulberry you wont be hunting when the fruit drops but rather when they start dropping leaves, esp if it is a bad acorn year. Learn to spot all the different types of edges and associate them with topo features and food sources and bedding areas. All edges are not hard edges. Train yourself to shoot the bottom third of the deer, these pressured whitetails can be real skittish.

 

[Btaylor]

Also learn to spot honeysuckle and dewberry patches. They are great late season food sources.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I've never had any problems with chiggers during deer season. I also never use a Thermacell, either. Persimmons are usually gone before season opens in my area. The years that they are around during season, I've never seen a deer eat one. Years that red oaks drop late(January) are awesome. However, that doesn't happen very often.

Location will dictate what kind of population you'll be dealing with.

 

[FLAK]

A world of difference between North and South Alabama.

 

[cburgin72]

Alright, I'm moving to Alabama this summer for work....Yeah, I'm gonna be flying back west every hunting season I get to hunt, but, it won't be possible every year. So, I'm checking out the hunting they have down there, and it looks like whitetail and hogs. I've never hunted from a tree stand, or honestly for whitetail at all. I've always backpack hunted. So, any pointers, advice, or anything that I should know about whitetail hunting down south? Thanks!

Start with the link I have pasted below if you want to hunt public land.

https://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/where-hunt-alabama

Feel free to message me with any questions or for more details. I’d love to help in any way I can.




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[OK_hunter]

I relocated here a couple years ago. I am not sure what part of AL you are moving to, but there is plenty of public land in north AL with decent deer hunting. Within and hour and a half of Huntsville there are at least 250,000 acres of public land to hunt. If you are going to Birmingham there may be even more. You will have to work to get away from the crowds and the numbers will not be as good as some of the private lands. Like others said above you can look into hunting clubs. I did last year and I just couldn't do it. The culture and styles were too different for me to tolerate. I have a lockon stand and sticks, but 80% of the time I just hunt from the ground on public land. So don't think you HAVE to have a stand. If you are coming to Northern AL send me a message to discuss some of the public land options and observations I have made here. The deer here are not huge by Midwest standards but you can get some nice ones.

Edit:
Follow up comment, there is a lot of emphasis on food sources in the above posts. Maybe I suck at recognizing food sources and hunting them, but I have not had any luck on them on AL public land. If I know about these food sources then so do the guys that have been hunting here forever. I have adapted my strategy to hunt the deer based on pressure from the other hunters. After making this change I started seeing deer on most of my trips. Others will likely feel different on this, but this has been my experience here.

 

[FLAK]

Clubs get a lot of drama and a lot of hunting pressure.
IMO more pressure than public land.

 

[Poser]

Clubs get a lot of drama and a lot of hunting pressure.
IMO more pressure than public land.

Might be worth tagging along for some deer doggin’ on a large AL club if you can get an invite. It’s definitely something to see and probably won’t be around too much longer. Also some good hog hunting, which is definitely made better with the use of hounds.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

So yeah, tell us where you’re going to be living as you could potentially get onto some good leads for managed private land.... or onto some good public land near managed private land......


Just saying.


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[Tuscaoka]

Alright, I'm moving to Alabama this summer for work....Yeah, I'm gonna be flying back west every hunting season I get to hunt, but, it won't be possible every year. So, I'm checking out the hunting they have down there, and it looks like whitetail and hogs. I've never hunted from a tree stand, or honestly for whitetail at all. I've always backpack hunted. So, any pointers, advice, or anything that I should know about whitetail hunting down south? Thanks!

Check out Bankhead national forest. And the sipsey wilderness area for great hiking and camping. Cool place. Also offers hunting opportunities. Look for public land that have limited or no atv access. If u can get 2 miles from the road it’ll be lonely.