Deer Season Starts in October in Alabama

It may not be so well-known or prevalent down here, but when it comes to measuring up just how big and bad that buck you downed is, the go-to system for trophy hunters everywhere is the Boone and Crockett guideline. It’s a pretty darned detailed method for determining just how good that rack is on your buck!

It requires a ¼ inch wide flexible steel tape in order to be up to snuff. After counting points, measuring beams, and a whole lot of other things, you can calculate just how many points you get in the B&C system. If you’re itching to dust off that big daddy on the wall and get to measuring, here’s a handy little guide and calculator hosted by the Boone and Crockett Club, at http://www.boone-crockett.org/bgRecord /bc_scoring_typwhitetail.asp?area=bgRecords&type=Typical+Whitetail+Deer.

Of course, the whole point of having such a system is because we love to compare trophies. It’s one of the biggest reasons anyone of us gets out butts out there in the cold, sitting in a stand or blind, for hours on end, hoping to bring home the Big One. Of course, it’s not blind luck that grants us such a harvest; it’s the ridiculous amount of time, effort, and knowledge applied year-round that nets us these trophies. Maybe a few honeybuns for the road, too.

As big as some of the bucks I’ve seen harvested are down here, Alabama still trails a bit in the Big Buck category. States like Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky are all producing bigger bucks, year after year. The reasons why are a dime a dozen, but can you imagine having bigger trophies roaming around in our backyard? I mean, we’ve got plenty of great deer, but we could be working even harder on supporting bigger bucks.

Here at QDMA, these are the sorts of thoughts that keep me up at night. The right knowledge and practices, put in the hands of the right people, at the right time, can vastly improve the quality of deer hunting we have. We’ve got a very strong focus on education and land management, which directly impacts deer herd health. Can’t grow those massive antlers if there isn’t good habitat to go with it!

As always, I strongly urge everyone to give QDMA a look. Improving every aspect of deer hunting not only as a sport, but also as a heritage, is our goal, and we can’t do it without you! Visit us at www.QDMA.com, and take a look around!

Before I wrap this article up, I’d like to bring to your attention to what is probably the strangest thing I’ve ever heard involving deer, and that’s a pretty illustrious list to be on top of. The city of New York currently has up for vote a measure that would, for the cool sum of 2 million dollars, tranquilize bucks, give them vasectomies, then release them, all over the course of 3 years. It’s a measure designed to help reduce the deer overpopulation problem they are facing. Of course, they’re going to release the bucks back into park land after the vasectomy procedure.

Now, I’m just an old-fashioned redneck, but I’m pretty sure I could think of a few better ideas than this one to address their overpopulation problem. But hey, it’s New York City. They’ve clearly got it under control.

As always, I hope all of y'all are enjoying this hot start to your summer. I’m still on the road, but you can always catch me on the radio on Saturday mornings with Cast & Blast Outdoors. I look forward to hearing from all of you, so put on your sunscreen, get outside, and go get’em!