Would-be hunter in NW Alabama

[Sebaney]

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!

 

[Trigger]

Yup.

I did a quick search.. https://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/wildlife-management-areas
Seems to have a good list of wma units..

search them on Google earth. I Make waypoints in green dots for new and need to check out.. red hearts for good spots that i checked out. and the stars for in the woods spots...

Good to drive.. see where people are parking.. mark that on Google. Go back check it out...

Hunting..You might want to try like me.. scout. Find your spots to post.
Then when you go to your spot. Walk real slow. Real slow... I wait for daylight and I walk in like turtle. Just enjoy the hike.

Most hunters run to the stand in the dark.

 

[Trigger]

Just an example..

I found a wma on Google earth.. made waypoints

 

[Trigger]

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/nat...Vrgj4zvpgj52vXL9qcxoCCTwQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Trigger]

Asking farmers permission does not hurt..

Your alone not from there.. you might get lucky. Deer are a pest.

Like.... Hello... I'm John hunter.. from.. new to the area. looking for a good place to shoot a Doe or two.

 

[Trigger]

Opening day is your best day to just drive Around.. search out all the hunters going in and parking spots. Mark them..

 

[Trigger]

https://www.amazon.com/TACTACAM-Cel...2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

Go for it...

If you can get one deer in a spot you think on camera. During the day. Just one shooting legal picture in a week. That's an OK spot..

That if you use it without bait without scent. Just to see what's natural threw there.

If nothing at all in a week.. move that thing.

 

[1950DAVE]

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!

You might check this out. https://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/wildlife-management-areas
Black Warrior might be the closest to you. Laudedale and Seven Mile Island are CWD zones. River ton and Freedom Hills I think are CWD watch areas. My boys and a grandson have hunted all of these except Black Warrior.

 

[1950DAVE]

Oh, and by the way, Welcome.
Keep an eye out for a shoot sponsored by Sparkplug on the forum. He is planning one in the spring.

 

[Sebaney]

https://www.amazon.com/TACTACAM-Cel...2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRm&psc=1

Go for it...

If you can get one deer in a spot you think on camera. During the day. Just one shooting legal picture in a week. That's an OK spot..

That if you use it without bait without scent. Just to see what's natural threw there.

If nothing at all in a week.. move that thing.

Thank you, Trigger, I sure appreciate the well thought out advice. I’ll certainly be taking you up on those ideas.

 

[Sebaney]

Oh, and by the way, Welcome.
Keep an eye out for a shoot sponsored by Sparkplug on the forum. He is planning one in the spring.

Thank you! Yes, I’ve heard of those areas and will go scout them out.

I’ll definitely try to make the shoot in Spring and connect with y’all.

 

[Spikebuck]

While I've never hunted Alabama myself, I was on a lease in Minnesota for years with a group of guys from Southern AL and the Florida panhandle that made the trip north every Nov to freeze their buns off! Of course, they all usually went home with nice bucks too!

The guy in the bright orange sweatshirt owned a farm in AL and said the deer herds were so big he'd sometimes have to plow cotton under and replant since the deer would nip off virtually every plant in the fields. He had depredation permits and was culling deer by the dozens every year. I don't know if it has changed, but at that time there was no "mass donation" program so all the culled deer were piled to rot. Disgusted him that the farmers couldn't get the legislature to get a program in place to use the meat.

If that's still the scenario, getting permission to hunt should not be hard.

When scouting public land, go where most others don't. Scout the fringes...especially those bordering posted private land. Note where all the cars are parked and go elsewhere!

 

[Sebaney]

While I've never hunted Alabama myself, I was on a lease in Minnesota for years with a group of guys from Southern AL and the Florida panhandle that made the trip north every Nov to freeze their buns off! Of course, they all usually went home with nice bucks too!

View attachment 364966

The guy in the bright orange sweatshirt owned a farm in AL and said the deer herds were so big he'd sometimes have to plow cotton under and replant since the deer would nip off virtually every plant in the fields. He had depredation permits and was culling deer by the dozens every year. I don't know if it has changed, but at that time there was no "mass donation" program so all the culled deer were piled to rot. Disgusted him that the farmers couldn't get the legislature to get a program in place to use the meat.

If that's still the scenario, getting permission to hunt should not be hard.

When scouting public land, go where most others don't. Scout the fringes...especially those bordering posted private land. Note where all the cars are parked and go elsewhere!

Good to know! Yes, the deer do seem very plentiful here.

 

[R Ellis]

Wheeler Refuge in Decatur has a muzzleloader season also Try Bankhead National Forest

 

[Sebaney]

Wheeler Refuge in Decatur has a muzzleloader season also Try Bankhead National Forest

Thank you, yeah that’s just up the way from me.

 

[Trigger]

For deer.. gear
I like a snack sandwich water. Waterproof backpack is nice
Thermos coffee..

Wool clothing.

Boots.. insulating waterproof hunting and rubber or muck boots is nice.

Chest waders.. that I used Michigan.

Ground cushion heat seat. Milk crates. Good start.. shooting stick.

Gloves. Knife. Folding saw. Drag Rope. Whistle. Compass. Roll of orange trail marking tape. Roll of Electrical tape. Flashlight.

half a toilet paper roll from the bathroom in a zip lock. Ssmush the roll Flatt to save space.

 

[Trigger]

If if..

You end up in a war zone. Like an opening day.

There no skill going on.. there driven deer in every direction.

Keep going until you don't see any orange.. get behind a good tree... that's the spot

 

[Trigger]

Just an. Example..

How he walks.

 

[Spikebuck]

Successfully stalking close to whitetails can be very difficult...at least I find it to be. As I reported in my recent post, I've only successfully done it twice in 50 years in the brushy short-range-visibilty woods I usually hunt. Well...sometimes with bow I got within gun range, but not bow range, so I don't count those. Net, I'd plan for finding good spots to ambush deer and, if the opportunity comes up, do stalking as well. Good to have several "tools" in your hunting toolbox.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/successful-stalk.187579/

One other skill you will need is tracking/trailing wounded deer. IMO, the late John Trout, Jr. wrote the bible on these skills. Get a copy and study it. Sometimes deer just fall over when hit, but most are going to run. I've had deer hit through the heart go up to 100 yards. Many double lunged deer will go 50 to 75 yards. Get a less than favorable hit, like liver...or worse, guts...and you'll need good tracking skills.

Below is one source for John's book.

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Wounded-Deer-John-Trout/dp/0970749309

 

[Sebaney]

For deer.. gear
I like a snack sandwich water. Waterproof backpack is nice
Thermos coffee..

Wool clothing.

Boots.. insulating waterproof hunting and rubber or muck boots is nice.

Chest waders.. that I used Michigan.

Ground cushion heat seat. Milk crates. Good start.. shooting stick.

Gloves. Knife. Folding saw. Drag Rope. Whistle. Compass. Roll of orange trail marking tape. Roll of Electrical tape. Flashlight.

half a toilet paper roll from the bathroom in a zip lock. Ssmush the roll Flatt to save space.

Successfully stalking close to whitetails can be very difficult...at least I find it to be. As I reported in my recent post, I've only successfully done it twice in 50 years in the brushy short-range-visibilty woods I usually hunt. Well...sometimes with bow I got within gun range, but not bow range, so I don't count those. Net, I'd plan for finding good spots to ambush deer and, if the opportunity comes up, do stalking as well. Good to have several "tools" in your hunting toolbox.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/successful-stalk.187579/

One other skill you will need is tracking/trailing wounded deer. IMO, the late John Trout, Jr. wrote the bible on these skills. Get a copy and study it. Sometimes deer just fall over when hit, but most are going to run. I've had deer hit through the heart go up to 100 yards. Many double lunged deer will go 50 to 75 yards. Get a less than favorable hit, like liver...or worse, guts...and you'll need good tracking skills.

Below is one source for John's book.

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Wounded-Deer-John-Trout/dp/0970749309

Thank you for this.