Hey guys those of you that have hunted for deer in Alabama who would you hunt with and those you would not.

I hunted Portland Landing once. It was a good place. We hunted the archery only section. If I recall it was called the Dawson tract. We hunted there for 4 days. Saw Does and fawns only. Here is the link with their rates today:

Absolute RIPOFF

I think we went in 1989. My boss at the time paid for my trip as a Christmas present so I don't know what he paid but I can tell you that it probably wasn't more than $100/day.

I'm not sure what your expectations are, but the buck to doe ratio in Alabama is not good. Most places have 20-30 Does per buck. If you are going just for some trigger time and meat hunt, you'll have fun. If you are after some sort of trophy buck, Alabama is not the place to go. I certainly wouldn't pay an outfitter to hunt in Alabama. Unless it was mostly just a tresspass fee.

Best times to see the bigger bucks are during the month of January. Peak rut where I used to hunt in Huntsville was Jan 15-25th.

The southern part has more deer, the northern part of the state has bigger deer on average.

I'll email my brother about this also and get back with you. He hunted somewhere in southern Alabama where the guy charged $50 day some years ago but that included a lodge. The owner had tons of doe tags. My brother shot 6 Does in 3 days. Never saw a buck bigger than a 4 point.

We lived in Huntsville. I moved from Alabama in the early 90s and have hunted there one time since I left and that is on our own 110 acres. I've not wasted my time again, even though Alabama has lots of deer. Just FYI.

If my post sounds rather negative, it comes from being born and raised in Alabama and hunting there in several places for a long time. Every time someone said "we're going to a hot spot that hasn't been hunted in years" we were all left with dissappointment.

Honestly, if you are set on going there, find a landowner who will permit hunting and has doe tags. Alabama is the last state where I'd pay someone to hunt. When we were there, the law allowed 1 deer per day beginning in October and ending in January, with doe seasons after Christmas. Trust me, hunters take full advantage of this. I know we did.

Good luck.

Have to agree with Doc. I was raised in Alabama and have hunted it over the last 30yrs - I'll be going back in a few weeks. Doc's assessment is spot on.

I'm absolutely stunned by those prices - $1000/day!

quote:

Originally posted by Antlers:
I'm absolutely stunned by those prices - $1000/day!

Yes, me too. I can understand those kind of fees somewhere else but not in Alabama. If you look at the Portland landing website and go to the photo gallery, they have some decent bucks killed in January of this year, but I will tell you, I've hunted for many years in Alabama, all over the state, and never saw bucks like that.

Very unusual and I'll be few and far between.

quote:

Originally posted by Antlers:
Have to agree with Doc. I was raised in Alabama and have hunted it over the last 30yrs - I'll be going back in a few weeks. Doc's assessment is spot on.

I'm absolutely stunned by those prices - $1000/day!

Wholly Sh#@ no sir count me out not for that a day I can kill a damn great deer for that right where I'm at! Just looking for a place I can put some meat in the freezer and have fun If I see a good one just icing on the cake!!

There is a lot of great hunting in Alabama. I've hunted there many years and we've killed a lot of good bucks. I've heard some good things about the White Oak Plantation.

http://www.whiteoakplantation.com/

The Montgomery Lions club has an annual charity deer hunt. I was there on their first one and had a good time. The hunt is basically 2 days and for $850 plus lodging. For just a little more money I go to my property in WY and hunt for 30 day if I want to.

http://www.lionsclubdeerhunt.com/

Rad