The Alabama hunting seasons for 2016-2017 are significantly
different from the past, with changes in the season dates for several popular
species and the adoption of the mandatory reporting of deer and turkey harvests
through the Game Check system.
Some Alabama small-game hunters are already taking advantage
of the changes. The seasons for squirrels and rabbits opened on Sept. 15 and
run all the way through March 5, 2017. The daily bag and possession limits of
eight of each species remain the same.
Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division
Director Chuck Sykes has been on a whirlwind tour of the state to help hunters
become familiar with the changes for the upcoming seasons with specific
instructions on how to comply with the Game Check requirements.
Sykes cautioned hunters about where they get their
information on the upcoming seasons because of an abundance of misinformation
that is being spread by uninformed individuals.
“There are a ton of misconceptions about what we’re doing
and why we’re doing it,” Sykes said. “Our hunting buddies can sometimes give us
really bad advice. Most of the issues I’m dealing come from people who say, ‘My
hunting buddy told me this,’ or ‘I heard this at the hunting camp.’ Please ask
one of our officers or biologists, go to the outdooralabama.com website or pick
up one of the hunting and fishing digests that are available all over the
state.
“And let me get this out of the way: No matter what you’ve
heard, no matter what you’ve read, or what your hunting buddy told you, you
cannot hunt over bait this year. That legislation didn’t pass. The House (of
Representatives) passed it, but it takes both houses of the Legislature to pass
a bill. The Senate has to pass it as well. It didn’t make it through the Senate,
so the regulation is still that supplemental feed must be at least 100 yards
away and out of the line of the sight of the hunter through natural vegetation
or naturally occurring changes in the terrain. So, make sure all of your
hunting partners know the truth, because we don’t want any of them to get a
citation due to misinformation.”
Speaking of Game Check, WFF recommended that the harvest
information reporting system become mandatory to the Alabama Conservation
Advisory Board, which unanimously passed the proposal. The change went through
the legislative review process and became effective on July 19.
“Starting in October, hunters will have to report their deer
and turkey harvests,” Sykes said. “This is a huge education process for us, our
staff and the public. It’s my job to show the easiest way to comply that gives
us the best data.”
Sykes said 60 to 80 percent of hunters who have attended the
more than 30 seminars he has conducted across the state have a smartphone,
which is the easiest and most reliable way to report the harvest. The second
way is to go online to outdooralabama.com and follow the prompts. The third
way, which costs WFF money, is to call 1-800-888-7690.
“In the three years we had the voluntary system, about 50
percent of the data we received through the phone service was inaccurate,” he
said. “We couldn’t use it. So please help your kids and your buddies to go
online or use the app to do the reporting.”
Even those hunters who are exempt from having a license,
those 65 or older or 15 and younger or residents hunting on their own property,
will still have to report their harvests. Those hunters will have to go online
and obtain a HELP (Hunter Exempt License Privilege) number. It is free, like
the HIP permit required to hunt migratory birds, but it will be required to
access the Game Check system.
After the hunter accesses Game Check with a hunting license
or HELP number, the information that is required is the county where the deer
or turkey was taken, whether the turkey was an adult or jake, whether the deer
was a buck or a doe, the date and whether the animal was taken on public or
private land.
Sykes said hunters who use Game Check through the Outdoor
Alabama app can kill the proverbial two birds with one stone. If the app is
used, it will comply with both the requirement that the harvest is recorded
before the animal is moved and the reporting regulation for Game Check.
Download the Outdoor Alabama App
Those who do not use the app must write down the kill
information on their harvest records before the animals are moved and then must
obtain confirmation numbers from Game Check within 48 hours. The harvest
information for both bucks and does is required this year.
Sykes also recommends that hunters take the time to get a
Conservation ID number that will shorten the online reporting process and
reduce the number of errors of entering hunting license numbers.
Because the Game Check system became mandatory, WFF was able
to expand the hunting seasons for deer. The gun deer season was extended
statewide to Feb. 10. There will be no December closure for the upcoming
season.
“A lot of changes hinged on whether Game Check became
mandatory,” Sykes said. “On July 19, we were able to determine the deer seasons
dates. Hunters can hunt deer statewide until February 10. It’s not a mandate.
You don’t have to do it. But if you choose to do so, you can. There will be no
closure in December. We are setting a season framework where landowners and
managers can more effectively manage the deer on their property.
“Archery season in the South Zone will start on Oct. 15
instead of Oct. 25 like it has been the past couple of years, but the first 10
days will be buck-only to stay in line with our fetal data.”
Another change for deer season is in Zone C (see map), where
hunters had requested a reduction in the number of antlerless hunting days.
View Alabama Deer Zone Map
“The habitat is a lot more open with a lot of agricultural
fields and small wood lots,” Sykes said. “The hunters and our biologists were
reporting that deer numbers were down. So, we reduced the firearms season for
antlerless deer in that zone.”
The antlerless season in Zone C on privately owned or leased
land is Nov. 19-Nov. 27 and Dec. 23 through Jan. 2. On open-permit and public
land, the antlerless season in Zone C is Dec. 23 through Jan. 2.
“If you hunt in that area or own property in Zone C and you
have a bunch of deer on your place, it’s not a problem,” Sykes said. “Get with
our technical assistance guys and get signed up on the Deer Management
Assistance Program. If you need to harvest more does, they will write you a
permit to do so.”
Dog deer season is set for Nov. 19 through Jan. 15
statewide, except for Talladega National Forest, which will have a reduced
number of days and dog deer hunting must end at noon.
Legal shooting hours for deer were also clarified. Instead
of “during daylight hours,” the regulation now reads 30 minutes before sunrise
until 30 minutes after sunset.
For those worried about coyotes, Sykes said there is no
closed season on coyotes. Night hunting permits for coyotes will be issued on a
case-by-case basis. There are also no closed seasons on raccoons and opossums.
|
|
All hunters, regardless of age or residence, must report all deer harvests using Game Check. The easiest way to report is through the Outdoor Alabama app or online at outdooralabama.com
Photo by Billy Pope
|
You are receiving this message as a subscriber to DAVID RAINER'S WEEKLY COLUMN or HUNTING NEWS AND REGULATIONS.
Manage Subscriptions to change your preferences.
|