Alabama bow hunting

bamaranger · November 8, 2011, 03:12 AM

Thought I'd make a post and give all a sit rep on the Alabama Bow season thus far.

I've made 17 hunts (been up 17 trees). Seen 8 deer total thus far, 4 of those this morning. Kinda slow. The 4 together were all bucks, one a nice 8 point , the others were smaller. Never came in range.

I had a big doe come in and lie down in range till dark on the first hunt of the year and never got a shot. Another doe came in right under the tree on PM 2 and it was to dicey a shot. bad light, so I passed.

I've missed a lone doe at 26 yds or so, about twice as far as I like to shoot at em. That doe was in range near an hour, but no shot (till the miss). A spike came through that same AM, not in range, and not legal either on the WMA land.

Hunted some soy beans early, then on to white oaks when I finally found some. Two evenings on green plots, but I hate hunting on plots. Hunting "come back " spots, points where deer funnel back to cover in AM, or leave cover in PM.

Keep ya posted.

ojibweindian · November 13, 2011, 08:57 AM

'bama, where'd you hunt. Was it the Black Warrior WMA?

Win73 · November 14, 2011, 11:56 PM

I bow hunted five times with my crossbow. I saw a total of 34 deer (9, 9, 7, 3, and 6). They were a mixture of bucks, does, and fawns. I didn't shoot any. The ones that were big enough weren't close enough and the ones close enough weren't big enough. The closest I came to shooting was a seven point buck at about 60 yards. If he had gotten ten or fifteen yards closer, I would have tried for him. There were a couple of eight pointers but they never got close to being in range.

I muzzleloader hunted today. I saw ten but the closest were over two hundred yards and there was a row of trees and brush between me and them.

FTG-05 · November 15, 2011, 10:42 AM

If it is the BW WMA, have you seen any hogs?

Thanks and good luck!

bamaranger · November 16, 2011, 02:57 AM

I'm hunting Freedom Hills WMA. I've now been up 20 trees and have not seen anymore deer.

Did find some additional sign in another hollow, and that place is now on my "list" as well.

Man I hate it when I have not connected before gun season.

I am also in a "deer lease" of about 3000 acres in same county, but the WMA is so close to my home, (I mean like rifle shot distance for some portions and 5-10 minute drive for others) that I do not hunt the lease as much as I likely should.

Keep ya posted.

ISP 5353 · November 16, 2011, 10:45 AM

Good luck!

ojibweindian · November 18, 2011, 07:05 AM

'bama

I've always wanted to try Freedom Hills, but it's a bit too far west from where I live near G-ville Dam. I'll keep to the Black Warrior.

FTG, hogs are all over the Sipsey part of the Black Warrior. Also, the GW there told me last year that hogs are on the northern part of Zone A. Will have to check it out

bamaranger · November 20, 2011, 02:49 AM

Came screaming home from work Fri. night and blasted over to the "other" hollow on the WMA to hunt the last hour of daylight.

At dark, too dark to shoot, deer moved from the pine plantation out into the hardwoods adjacent. I had three close, likely a doe and two yearlings, but it was too dark to try a shot. I could not really determine a sex, just deer, but I fugure with all the commotion they made when they winded me (under the tree) they were as described.

Hunted again this evening, on pvt propery here near bamahouse, but saw not a thing.

RE Black Warrior. I would much like to get on hogs there, but the Forest Service LEO Ranger says the darn things range so much he can't get on them himself. Used to turkey hunt down there till the season opened earlier up here.

Keep ya posted.

ojibweindian · November 26, 2011, 01:10 PM

Quote:

RE Black Warrior. I would much like to get on hogs there, but the Forest Service LEO Ranger says the darn things range so much he can't get on them himself. Used to turkey hunt down there till the season opened earlier up here.

'bama

The piggies in the Sipsey do roam all over. There's a lot of them, though. To get at them, you'd have to go a good mile, or more, into the forrest. On Friday, I went about 3/4 mile into the Sipsey and saw an awful lot of trees with their lower trunks just covered in mud. Didn't see any pigs, however.

The B side of the WMA also has hogs, just not as many.

bamaranger · November 28, 2011, 03:46 AM

Hey all.

Took a week to carry bamawife and bamaboy to E. TN to visit family for holiday and have missed a week of hunting. The deer diary shows thus far this season:

-I've been up 25 trees
-have seen 11 deer, 5 of which had antlers
-4 of those remaining I could not see clearly due to bad light
-2 of those I passed shots on, same same
-1 other in range over an hour but never presented a shot
-1 miss, a doe at 25 yds plus
-1 of those bucks was a dandy
-0 deer killed

Gun season is now in here, been wide open over holiday 9days running. Who knows what's been killed and what patterns have been disrupted. Try to focus on the "hunt" and not the "kill", but I get a bit blue. Rained like the blue blazes the weekend before we left, and its raining hard now. We just got in from 10+ hrs on the road (traffic was terrible) and the odds of me getting up to hunt at daylight are slim.

Keep ya posted.

Win73 · November 28, 2011, 09:32 PM

Bamaranger, I know how you feel. Here is my count so far.

Bow season: 34 deer sighted, including fawns, does, spike bucks to 8 point bucks. No kill.

Muzzleloader season: 20 deer sighted, same variety. No kill.

So far gun season: 25 deer sighted, same variety. Still no kill. I did let a 3 point and a 4 point walk. However my shooting threshold keeps getting lower. If I see that 4 point again before I get a nice doe or a bigger buck, he is down. Maybe even that 3 point!

This past Saturday, a fawn just about pestered me into shooting it. It ran back and forth in front of me for an hour. It crossed in front of me 20 or 30 times. From my shooting house I can see down an open lane for 180 yards. It just kept going back and forth across that lane at distances varying from 25 to nearly the whole 180 yards. I had just about decided that if it got within 25 yards again, I was going to pop it with my pistol. (I carry my .45 on my hip during gun season.)

P. S. It was legal, no spots.

November 8, 2011, 03:12 AM	#1
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,799	Alabama bow hunting Thought I'd make a post and give all a sit rep on the Alabama Bow season thus far. I've made 17 hunts (been up 17 trees). Seen 8 deer total thus far, 4 of those this morning. Kinda slow. The 4 together were all bucks, one a nice 8 point , the others were smaller. Never came in range. I had a big doe come in and lie down in range till dark on the first hunt of the year and never got a shot. Another doe came in right under the tree on PM 2 and it was to dicey a shot. bad light, so I passed. I've missed a lone doe at 26 yds or so, about twice as far as I like to shoot at em. That doe was in range near an hour, but no shot (till the miss). A spike came through that same AM, not in range, and not legal either on the WMA land. Hunted some soy beans early, then on to white oaks when I finally found some. Two evenings on green plots, but I hate hunting on plots. Hunting "come back " spots, points where deer funnel back to cover in AM, or leave cover in PM. Keep ya posted.

November 16, 2011, 02:57 AM	#5
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,799	Freedom Hills I'm hunting Freedom Hills WMA. I've now been up 20 trees and have not seen anymore deer. Did find some additional sign in another hollow, and that place is now on my "list" as well. Man I hate it when I have not connected before gun season. I am also in a "deer lease" of about 3000 acres in same county, but the WMA is so close to my home, (I mean like rifle shot distance for some portions and 5-10 minute drive for others) that I do not hunt the lease as much as I likely should. Keep ya posted.

November 20, 2011, 02:49 AM	#8
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,799	almost Came screaming home from work Fri. night and blasted over to the "other" hollow on the WMA to hunt the last hour of daylight. At dark, too dark to shoot, deer moved from the pine plantation out into the hardwoods adjacent. I had three close, likely a doe and two yearlings, but it was too dark to try a shot. I could not really determine a sex, just deer, but I fugure with all the commotion they made when they winded me (under the tree) they were as described. Hunted again this evening, on pvt propery here near bamahouse, but saw not a thing. RE Black Warrior. I would much like to get on hogs there, but the Forest Service LEO Ranger says the darn things range so much he can't get on them himself. Used to turkey hunt down there till the season opened earlier up here. Keep ya posted.

November 28, 2011, 03:46 AM	#10
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,799	back at it Hey all. Took a week to carry bamawife and bamaboy to E. TN to visit family for holiday and have missed a week of hunting. The deer diary shows thus far this season: -I've been up 25 trees -have seen 11 deer, 5 of which had antlers -4 of those remaining I could not see clearly due to bad light -2 of those I passed shots on, same same -1 other in range over an hour but never presented a shot -1 miss, a doe at 25 yds plus -1 of those bucks was a dandy -0 deer killed Gun season is now in here, been wide open over holiday 9days running. Who knows what's been killed and what patterns have been disrupted. Try to focus on the "hunt" and not the "kill", but I get a bit blue. Rained like the blue blazes the weekend before we left, and its raining hard now. We just got in from 10+ hrs on the road (traffic was terrible) and the odds of me getting up to hunt at daylight are slim. Keep ya posted.

November 13, 2011, 08:57 AM	#2
ojibweindian Senior Member Join Date: April 21, 2000 Location: Huntsville, Alabama Posts: 1,199	'bama, where'd you hunt. Was it the Black Warrior WMA?

November 14, 2011, 11:56 PM	#3
Win73 Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 401	I bow hunted five times with my crossbow. I saw a total of 34 deer (9, 9, 7, 3, and 6). They were a mixture of bucks, does, and fawns. I didn't shoot any. The ones that were big enough weren't close enough and the ones close enough weren't big enough. The closest I came to shooting was a seven point buck at about 60 yards. If he had gotten ten or fifteen yards closer, I would have tried for him. There were a couple of eight pointers but they never got close to being in range. I muzzleloader hunted today. I saw ten but the closest were over two hundred yards and there was a row of trees and brush between me and them.

November 15, 2011, 10:42 AM	#4
FTG-05 Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 1999 Location: TN Posts: 302	If it is the BW WMA, have you seen any hogs? Thanks and good luck!

November 16, 2011, 10:45 AM	#6
ISP 5353 Senior Member Join Date: June 11, 2009 Location: Indiana Posts: 134	Good luck!

November 18, 2011, 07:05 AM	#7
ojibweindian Senior Member Join Date: April 21, 2000 Location: Huntsville, Alabama Posts: 1,199	'bama I've always wanted to try Freedom Hills, but it's a bit too far west from where I live near G-ville Dam. I'll keep to the Black Warrior. FTG, hogs are all over the Sipsey part of the Black Warrior. Also, the GW there told me last year that hogs are on the northern part of Zone A. Will have to check it out

November 28, 2011, 09:32 PM	#11
Win73 Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 401	Bamaranger, I know how you feel. Here is my count so far. Bow season: 34 deer sighted, including fawns, does, spike bucks to 8 point bucks. No kill. Muzzleloader season: 20 deer sighted, same variety. No kill. So far gun season: 25 deer sighted, same variety. Still no kill. I did let a 3 point and a 4 point walk. However my shooting threshold keeps getting lower. If I see that 4 point again before I get a nice doe or a bigger buck, he is down. Maybe even that 3 point! This past Saturday, a fawn just about pestered me into shooting it. It ran back and forth in front of me for an hour. It crossed in front of me 20 or 30 times. From my shooting house I can see down an open lane for 180 yards. It just kept going back and forth across that lane at distances varying from 25 to nearly the whole 180 yards. I had just about decided that if it got within 25 yards again, I was going to pop it with my pistol. (I carry my .45 on my hip during gun season.) P. S. It was legal, no spots.