Whitetail Hunting in Alabama
Whitetail deer hunting is the most popular form of hunting in a state rich in whitetail habitat and renowned for trophy buck in the Black Belt region of central Alabama. From the outer reaches of southwest Alabama to the southeast, the whitetail population is plentiful, well managed and worth a look for your next whitetail hunting experience.
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Habitat
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Whitetail hunting in Alabama is a whitetail hunter's dream. The Alabama countryside is filled with pastures, marshes, creeks, forests and hills that provide prime whitetail necessities of water, food and cover. Alabama's great outdoors makes it possible for large whitetail populations to flourish, and flourish they do. Spring through early fall, Alabama whitetail feed on succulent grasses, legumes, weeds and assorted agricultural crops. During fall and winter as their habitat transitions in preparation for cold, the Alabama whitetail switch to acorns, evergreen leaves, small grains and stems of woody plants.
Population
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Whitetail are found in all 67 of Alabama's counties and any hunter will tell you that Alabama's economy sees millions of dollars a year due to its well-managed deer population, hunting licenses and annual whitetail harvests. With over 768,000 acres of land for whitetail hunters, Alabama whitetail hunting is a memorable experience. According to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, a 1996 study with Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities estimated over one million whitetail deer thrive in Alabama.
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Licenses
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Purchase your Alabama hunting license online or in person at a licensing agent to get out and start hunting. Alabama requires a valid U.S. driver's license or state-issued ID card. Alabama offers both resident and non-resident hunting licenses. As with many states, Alabama requires a Hunter Education course for new hunters. A new hunter may hunt whitetail in Alabama under the "supervision required" designation with a properly licensed hunter of 21 or older until successful completion of the Hunter's Education course.
Season
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The Alabama whitetail season generally runs from October through January depending on the county. Whitetail allotments include 3 buck (antlered) for all combined seasons (one per day), two deer (antlerless) per day (excluding spotted fawn). Hunters are required to wear 144 square inches of hunter orange or a full-size hunter orange cap or hat. Alabama allows the use of tree stands and blinds and recommends that hunters use safety harnesses because falls from stands are the most common hunting accident. Alabama allows both dog and stalk hunts as well as stand hunting from tree stands or house stands.
Regions of Note
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Choosing the best place to hunt whitetail in Alabama is best done by examining the previous year's data to study harvest by county. Information is available through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. According to Alabama Game & Fish, the southeast corner of Alabama boasts two top-ranked Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs): No. 1, Blue Springs and No. 6, Barbour.
The southwest region is a solid whitetail area in Baldwin, Clarke, Choctaw, Washington, Mobile, Wilcox, Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties. The Central Alabama area is well-known for large populations with Wildlife Management Areas encompassing over 120,000 acres. Look for outings in Pickens, Greene, Sumter, Marengo, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson, Hale, Shelby, Dallas, Chilton and Bibb counties.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit White-tailed Deer image by chas53 from Fotolia.com
