Would-be hunter in NW Alabama

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Freedom hills is 30K acres and is vastly under hunted, lots of scouting is must. it is so vast that I have never seen another hunter in the woods when I hunted my favorite places around the Coon Dog cemetery. Of course, getting a deer out can be a problem if you are way off the paved roads. They do open the normally locked gates on the days of gun hunts. The rut is in late January on this area.

Strange, the censor bleeped the normal word for Raccoon.

The cemetery actually exists, a dog has to be a night champion to be buried there, just walking into the place gives you a warm just feeling knowing how much these dogs were loved. They hold a yearly celebration at this cemetery that has become a big deal for raccoon hunters all over the country.

**** dog cemetary.jpg


Old Troop was the first dog buried there, 87 years ago.

coon dogcemetary old troup.jpg
 
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There's a bit to it..

Any questions as you go just shoot a post.

There are youtubes now.. that's nice..
Like you can youtube field dressing. Etc..

When you shoot.. more or less is tail up or tail down. Tail up you missed for sure you missed that. Tail down check good..

 
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Sebaney said:
Hey all,

I’m new to hunting, and to Alabama, and am hoping to get some advice . . .
Click to expand...
Lots of great advice above but I'll add a few words of caution. I've hunted small game, predators and hogs in what is now the Mulberry Fork WMA for 40+ years. In fact, my paternal family has lived there since the mid 1800s.

I will not even drive through that WMA on "modern gun deer days" because of weekend warriors from B'ham, Tuscaloosa, Jasper and other nearby (sub)urban areas. Some don't hesitate to blast away with their $$$$ scoped super-magnums at a twitching leaf 1/4 mile in the distance. Also be sure of your location at all times and Stay Off All Hunting Club Properties in or near the WMA. Members are highly territorial.

I've hunted the WMA in and around Bankhead National Forrest and never had any problems. I can't speak for WMAs in other parts of AL but the south Walker and north Tuscaloosa County area is "unique". Get a long time local resident to hunt with you there for a few seasons before going alone.

One last thing: there are coyote packs in and around Mulberry that have consumed an entire 100 Lb pig in a single night. I've had several come real close when walking out after dark and one pack even surrounded our campfire when we dozed off. The dozen glowing eyes didn't leave until my partner pumped a round into his 12 gauge.
 
Sebaney said:
Hey all,

I set a goal for myself to take a deer this coming season (next year) with my .54 Hawken. I’m new to hunting, and to Alabama, and am hoping to get some advice from this knowledgeable community as to how to go about finding land to hunt and tips for stalking whitetail with a muzzleloader.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
My friend you/we are in luck for this coming year Tick Toter season in Bama. I am moving from Conway, Mo. starting the last week of Dec. I am going to be staying at the Payne Lake campground in my Skoolie. I am going to find a place to rent in Bibb or Hale county. I have a new 14'x4' boat & trailer & a trolling motor. The Talladega National Forest surrounds the campground. Lots of turkeys & tree rats & wild hogs. We can team up to hunt. I am retired so I can go 7 days a week. Welcome
 
GBG said:
Lots of great advice above but I'll add a few words of caution. I've hunted small game, predators and hogs in what is now the Mulberry Fork WMA for 40+ years. In fact, my paternal family has lived there since the mid 1800s.

I will not even drive through that WMA on "modern gun deer days" because of weekend warriors from B'ham, Tuscaloosa, Jasper and other nearby (sub)urban areas. Some don't hesitate to blast away with their $$$$ scoped super-magnums at a twitching leaf 1/4 mile in the distance. Also be sure of your location at all times and Stay Off All Hunting Club Properties in or near the WMA. Members are highly territorial.

I've hunted the WMA in and around Bankhead National Forrest and never had any problems. I can't speak for WMAs in other parts of AL but the south Walker and north Tuscaloosa County area is "unique". Get a long time local resident to hunt with you there for a few seasons before going alone.

One last thing: there are coyote packs in and around Mulberry that have consumed an entire 100 Lb pig in a single night. I've had several come real close when walking out after dark and one pack even surrounded our campfire when we dozed off. The dozen glowing eyes didn't leave until my partner pumped a round into his 12 gauge.
Click to expand...
I sure appreciate the info. Yeah, a year back my son was walking our dog through the neighborhood at night, and he was stalked by a coyote. It kept getting closer, until my son finally had to kick it in the snout before it ran off.
 
smokepolehall said:
My friend you/we are in luck for this coming year Tick Toter season in Bama. I am moving from Conway, Mo. starting the last week of Dec. I am going to be staying at the Payne Lake campground in my Skoolie. I am going to find a place to rent in Bibb or Hale county. I have a new 14'x4' boat & trailer & a trolling motor. The Talladega National Forest surrounds the campground. Lots of turkeys & tree rats & wild hogs. We can team up to hunt. I am retired so I can go 7 days a week. Welcome
Click to expand...
Sounds great! Keep me posted on your plans.
 
Yea..

It's just big topic kinda..

Treestands I use to climb high no fear. Now I just don't enjoy anything over 10 feet and you're up there a while..

I still set my climber stand, lock it to a nice tree. I only climb 5 feet up maybe 8. I'm comfortable. Shooting rail. You See a little better without standing the whole time. It works good.

Ground blind. That's nice in the rain.

A handmade blind. Just drag a couple blowndown tree limbs to set in front of you. Don't get fancy and make it look like a blind. Just move the blow down or two to sit behind.
 
Don't be afraid to dig your spot out to..

Look around good first there might be a deer there.. then use your feet. Push and scrape those noisy leaves all away..
 
Many places you can find blow downs & sit behind the fallen tree on a stool. Hunting hogs is a matter of finding where they are rooting & keeping the wind in your favor. Their eye sight isn't the best but the can sure smell, both ways.
 
Sebaney said:
Hey all,

I set a goal for myself to take a deer this coming season (next year) with my .54 Hawken. I’m new to hunting, and to Alabama, and am hoping to get some advice from this knowledgeable community as to how to go about finding land to hunt and tips for stalking whitetail with a muzzleloader.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Well I have no idea what your skill level is, so I'm not trying to talk-down at all, especially if you've taken a lot of deer with modern stuff. I can tell you what I did.

I started seriously hunting whitetail with a flinter in the 1990's. I had a series of mishaps, such as a ball hitting a 1" diameter branch between me and the deer 🤬..., a "clatch" (no spark but the lock noise will spook deer), and a flash-in-the-pan (no 💥BANG💥 but a puff of smoke from the lock that will spook deer), and a wife who decide to call my cell phone just when I was leveling my sights on a fat doe (did you know that the buzz of a cell phone on vibrate will spook deer? 😡). Otherwise, I could NEVER get close enough for a shot, my area being modern-growth forest and abandoned farm meadows, etc.

So first, I obtained a very accurate rifle, and practiced a LOT. So the malfunctions and such were pretty much eliminated. Then I had to learn about deer and getting close.

I read The Still Hunter by Theodore S. Van Dyke. (WOW the filter is set on SUPER SENSITIVE) Theodore S. Van Deyek (phonetic spelling) Now he was using a modern lever rifle with modern ammo BUT the ammo was revolver ammo, so it was as though he was using a muzzleloader when it came to effectiveness and distances. PLUS if you pass over his instructions on snap shooting and multiple shots, he walks close to deer, wearing moccasins, and sets up. How he does this is he understood what alerted deer when it comes to noise, and, he understood scent and the wind. He understood where deer like to hide, and why. He had no fancy store bought gear, no scents, no tree stand, and was such a good hunter that he worked for a while for Teddy Roosevelt. Read it and apply it, would be my recommendation.

I learned how to move very quietly, and how to get very close
I learned how to know which way the wind was blowing, and use it to my advantage
I learned how to get close, and then set up and wait
I learned how to see deer in brush
I learned to hunt all day. No back and forth from my hunting spot due to a "lunch break"

As a result, I've gotten deer, both doe and bucks. I'm no genius (my wife will confirm that) SO if I can read a book, and try out what it teaches in the Spring and Summer and get good enough to bag a deer with a flinter, SO can you.

LD
 
sents to try..

Pure Maple extract.. works for a cover scent. Ok attractiveness just ok.

Clear strait ammonia. Only works ok during the Rut... buck and doe will run the scent line if they cross it.

If anything.. somtimes you see those bottles of deer pee at a country store. Hardware store. Some local deer farm stuff.. that stuff you might find a hot bottle. It's luck of the bottle I think.. but a good one does it.
 
If you are chasing deer.. say a light soft snow here.. they run circles. They're trails are usually always a loop if you stay on it. It leads you right back where your started. It might take half a day or all day to go full circle.

Some places even without snow there enough deer population, where you could follow a trail far.

Most of the times.. they jump gone good. Quick.. You don't get a shot. They sit tight. Walk right into a bedding area not realizing that's the bed room lol. The buck will not jump with all the doe.. so look around good keep looking you'll see it him jump 5 or 10 mins later or so right in front of you and you'll be like ohhhh I couldn't see him.
 
Loyalist Dave said:
Well I have no idea what your skill level is, so I'm not trying to talk-down at all, especially if you've taken a lot of deer with modern stuff. I can tell you what I did.

I started seriously hunting whitetail with a flinter in the 1990's. I had a series of mishaps, such as a ball hitting a 1" diameter branch between me and the deer 🤬..., a "clatch" (no spark but the lock noise will spook deer), and a flash-in-the-pan (no 💥BANG💥 but a puff of smoke from the lock that will spook deer), and a wife who decide to call my cell phone just when I was leveling my sights on a fat doe (did you know that the buzz of a cell phone on vibrate will spook deer? 😡). Otherwise, I could NEVER get close enough for a shot, my area being modern-growth forest and abandoned farm meadows, etc.

So first, I obtained a very accurate rifle, and practiced a LOT. So the malfunctions and such were pretty much eliminated. Then I had to learn about deer and getting close.

I read The Still Hunter by Theodore S. Van ****. (WOW the filter is set on SUPER SENSITIVE) Theodore S. Van Deyek (phonetic spelling) Now he was using a modern lever rifle with modern ammo BUT the ammo was revolver ammo, so it was as though he was using a muzzleloader when it came to effectiveness and distances. PLUS if you pass over his instructions on snap shooting and multiple shots, he walks close to deer, wearing moccasins, and sets up. How he does this is he understood what alerted deer when it comes to noise, and, he understood scent and the wind. He understood where deer like to hide, and why. He had no fancy store bought gear, no scents, no tree stand, and was such a good hunter that he worked for a while for Teddy Roosevelt. Read it and apply it, would be my recommendation.

I learned how to move very quietly, and how to get very close
I learned how to know which way the wind was blowing, and use it to my advantage
I learned how to get close, and then set up and wait
I learned how to see deer in brush
I learned to hunt all day. No back and forth from my hunting spot due to a "lunch break"

As a result, I've gotten deer, both doe and bucks. I'm no genius (my wife will confirm that) SO if I can read a book, and try out what it teaches in the Spring and Summer and get good enough to bag a deer with a flinter, SO can you.

LD
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Thank you so much for this. I’m a newbie when it comes to hunting, but I’ve got a real itch to learn, so your post was extremely helpful.
 
Read up on the game laws..

Double check them every year.

Don't listen when anyone says what game warden. There is no warden here. I've never seen a game warden..

Whatever is going on.. don't .

You know.. watch out. Don't have nothing in your car or on you. Or anything.

Even be careful in your house. There are possession limits annual limits etc etc etc.. even if someone else associated to you hunting in some way.. if they do something.. the wardens can and will show up and visit everyone hunting there to question them.
 
People do steal deer.

The worse situation is when they run up to you like your stealing there deer that you just shot.

I can only suggest leave. Leave the deer and them with it.. you can say my deer will look good on your wall congratulations 👏 😉.
 
If there's is a good amount of other hunters in the woods.
And you shot a deer.. get to tracking it right away carefully.. try too listen if you hear leaves rustling that probably is right there down...

If there is no hunters.. You have time.

Like golfing.. when you shoot watch the deer where it goes.. watch good. It's just like golf. Get a land mark where you last seen it. Like a tree or rock somthing.

get to where it was when you shot. Right away while it's fresh in your mind. ..
stand there and listen for it kicking around the ground.. just look for blood hair deer foot prints ..
usualy when shot they foot print the ground with there front feet good...

walk carefully around looking one step and look one step and look. You just don't want to step on everything and mess up the ground with your feet. Like a crime scene.. carefully look for evidence.
 
If there is a friend the help track..

Is leap frog..

Both start at the start. Right where the deer was right.

You follow the sign you have.. spots off blood. Keep taking while your friend watches.

When you get to where you can't find the next spot of blood. Your buddy then follows your line has bearing on direction. Leap frog you. You hold that last spot of blood right there stay there. He picks up the trail again and you watch him follow it.

Hope this makes sense.
 
Trigger said:
People do steal deer.

The worse situation is when they run up to you like your stealing there deer that you just shot.

I can only suggest leave. Leave the deer and them with it.. you can say my deer will look good on your wall congratulations 👏 😉.
Click to expand...
If your hunting with me, just text & I will hustle on over & shoot the tick toter thief for you. I am oldschool & I ain't gonna put up with that crap in my lifetime.
 
Sebaney said:
Thank you so much for this. I’m a newbie when it comes to hunting, but I’ve got a real itch to learn, so your post was extremely helpful.
Click to expand...
I'm sure you've been searching the internet and finding info. When it comes to traditional muzzleloader hunting on Youtube, three of my favorites are below.

Brian Beckum also has DVDs available on his commercial website that are very good and cover many aspects of hunting with traditionals arms, loading, cleaning, etc. My favorite is "Real Black Powder" but they are all good and cover deer, turkey, squirrels, and hogs. Some are available full length on Youtube now.

Leatherwood many times includes still hunting in its videos.

Beckum Outdoors
CapandBall (Trad Hunting in Hungary)
Leatherwood Outdoors

Enjoy!
 

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