I have used feeders for some time now on my hunting property in Alabama. The only down fall to supplemental feeding here in Alabama is that you have to have all feeder’s and feed up ten day’s before you head out to hunt. So this only allows me to feed from February 1st through March 1st then the feed has to come up and be gone for ten day’s before March 15th for opening day of Spring time turkey hunting. Then the feeder’s get placed back out on May 1st and will stay up until ten days before opening day of  bow season which starts here in Alabama in October of every year.

This is still not enough feeding time for my deer to feed like they should. They should be able to feed 365 day’s a year so they get the maximum fed protein that they need to grow big antler’s. This is where when I am not feeding I always try to make an attempt to have some kind of high protein food source out there for them. This is also where the food plots come into play and other type’s of crop food source that may be still left standing through turkey season. In most places there isn’t one strip of crop food left after January of each year.

I have found out by having a gravity fed feeder around during the months that there is no hunting will allow you to feed and feed correctly. Yes! trough style feeder’s work in this case also. By allowing a deer to feed when he get’s ready to feed will be a plus for your hunting property more than you realize. You do take the chance of having more deer feed at night but if you get in there and add the feed at scheduled times and stay out of the area as much as possible the deer will get use to feeding more in the day light hours.

This is where staying out of a place and leaving it as scent free as possible will pay off for you on opening day. I always wear gloves and scent free boots when taking time to go and place more feed into my feeder’s. This just helps me when the season starts. Even though bucks are into their summer time patterns and running together this will allow you to scout from a distance or check game camera’s only when necessarily. I check my game camera’s only when I go to add feed. This is like killing two birds with one stone.

My new choice of gravity fed feeder’s is the Buck Eye Feeder. Designer Steve Brown has brought a whole new meaning to feeding your wildlife. He has designed a feeder to allow wildlife to feed on a regular bases instead of allowing them to only feed at certain times. The Buck feeds, grows faster, and antlers get larger in twice the time.

Example:

If a deer eats 12 lbs of protein in one hour at a gravity feeder then it allows him to get his belly full. If he eats under a spin cast feeder he is not getting the whole 12 lbs that he would normally eat due to other deer eating at the site with him. Less food means less protein in this matter! Dose this make sense? So by allowing a deer to feed at their own pace may mean better overall health and larger antler development on them bucks that you seek. Remember that a buck need to have at least a 16% to 20% protein diet for 365 days a year and not just 4 to7 months of that diet to grow its fully developed set of antlers.

The Boone and Crockett club has placed high standards on being able to record a whitetail deer into their books. Even though there are record book bucks taken somewhere either in the U.S. or Canada each year. Pope & Young has also done the same. Safari Club International known as (SCI) has their on way of measuring trophy deer.  But do you really know what makes big antlers on deer. Is it the protein? How about the genetics of the deer? Can it be you have big deer on your property or you don’t have them? A lot of these same questions are asked each year and the same responses come out for the answers.

I have been a member in the past of several different types of hunting clubs. Some having more restrictions than the others. One club says only eight point or better. Another says six point outside the ears or better. But not one single club that I have ever been in said the deer has to be four or five years old before you can shoot it. Even though a daily protein level of 16% to 18% for a whitetail buck is needed 365 days a year it still is not enough. The genes of a buck also comes to mind when playing the antler growing game. But it too is still not enough.

A whitetail buck dose need all these or some of these things to grow but the one thing we all seem to leave out is their age. Now here is where the fun part comes into play. Say you are in this club that says you can only shoot an 8 point or better. You are hunting by yourself on a cool winter evening and a small 4.5 year old basket racked 9 point that want even score a thing walks out into the green field one hour before dark. You then study this 9 point a bit before you start to pull the trigger. Ten minutes later a 7 point walks out but is a 2.5 year old deer, that’s antlers would score in the 130′s. Which one would you shoot? Tempting isn’t it!

We should really think before we pull the trigger now days. That is if you want to grow big antlers. If the big antler thing isn’t your style then a older doe would be just fine for a little meat in the freezer. The doe harvesting should and can be a factor playing role in growing mature bucks. Too many does means less high quality food for the younger bucks. This also means that it might as well take five times longer to grow him compared to a buck that get’s high quality food year round somewhere else. Even though you do not have thousands of acres of land you can still manage and grow large antler deer on your property.

I have the chance each year to pay $16 and hunt 12,000 acres close too and around the Alabama River that holds plenty of big antler bucks. This land is in fact all public hunting ground and the hunting possibilities  here are as simple as buying your Alabama state licenses and a (WMA) wildlife management licenses. Even though that I also have 100 acres here and there that I also hunt the public land is still there for me to hunt when I may feel that I have put too much pressure on my own land. There are restrictions on the public land such as bow hunting only areas and only limited to certain two day hunts here and there for gun use.

But we all can take the rite measures if we make a plan and stick to it. To most of us sticking to the plan can sometimes be the hard part if we get to that point of thinking that is may be impossible to do where we hunt. Neighbors can also help with your program by trying it themselves. In fact they may already have a plan but may not be exactly what you may be searching for. So the best thing for you to do in this case is to stick to your plan and allow your neighbors to see with time at the large rack bucks that you harvest. Let them walk and watch them grow. Another good idea to comparing your property to your neighbors is to try and make your property the best place that a deer may want to spend his time during day and night time hours. So the next time you wish to grow a large rack deer remember just one thing. You are the one the make the deciding factor of pulling the trigger!

Good Luck!

Black is the original Stedi-Stock Camera, Range Finder, Spotting Scope or Video Camera Shoulder Brace. Shoulder Stabilizer that is ultra-light weight at only 6 ounces, durable and constructed of Hi-Strength Nylon complete with shoulder Strap. It gives the user STABILITY with MOBILITY and keeps your optical device right there for instant use. Take the blur out of your photos, get a bounce back at longer ranges with fewer clicks on your Range Finder, Carry your Spotting Scope with you in the field without a bulky cumbersome tripod, and take the BOUNCE out of your Videos. You can read more about the Stedi-Stock at the Stedi-Stock web site.

With the Stedi-Stock you will never ever have the trouble of shaky video or out of focused pictures anymore. This invention was created by Harold Hurst of Gordonville, Texas.  An avid hunter and outdoors-men of today’s society. People like Harold is what makes the Great outdoors what it is today and we would like to thank him for joining us here at Hello Hunting. When I first talk to him on the phone he had taught me so much about his invention. I was up for the Stedi-Stock Challenge from the get-go.

At the Stedi-Stock company they are here to help you with all your stabilizing needs when it comes to creating new memories. After all creating new outdoor memories is what life should be about. As I have said in the past so many TV Outdoor Shows use all kinds of of camera arms to mount their cameras to. But if they would just try the Stedi-Stock one time they would throw all others away.

Well once again we are giving something away for the Month of August just like we did in July. Donald K. Allen from Lumberton, North Carolina won a gift pack valued at over $50, that was sponsored by Rex Holmes Jr. and his Vapor Trail Scents company. Well now we have a whole other contest starting up and the rules are simply the same as last month.

The Rules

The rules are simple once again.

• Leave a comment on this post in the comment box below or any other post on the site between August 1st and August 31st. It can be about yourself, the site, hunting in general, or just to say that you want some free stuff.
• Make sure you leave a valid email address in the email box that is provided.

We’d really love for you to continue to browse the site a bit, get involved, and leave comments on other articles.  Also feel free to let us know if there is anything else that you would like to see or read about and we will do our best at getting it on the site. If you are interested in writing for Hello Hunting just contact Shannon Wood, Justin Tadlock, or Shannon Lee for more info on getting started. We’d even love for you to join our Facebook group. Of course, these aren’t requirements for entering the contest. We’d just love to build up our hunting community here even larger than it already is.

August Gift Pack includes:

A  camo super combo package which means it comes with the following:

Stedi-Stock shoulder mount with the Quick Release Attachment, the SuperClamp, monopod and the Quick Rifle Rest. A valued gift pack worth well over $125 could be your just for following the rules and leaving a response on Hello Hunting. 

The contest runs until the last day of August. We will email the randomly-picked winner once the contest is over so we can send you some free stuff.

I doubt you can find any type of hunter who has not dreamed of going on a guided hunt. Over the last decade, that dream has become a reality for many hunters partly because of the immense growth in the number of outfitters in the United States and other parts of the world. For many of these outfitters, it is a way for them to make additional income besides their primary profession or help local farmers advertise their crop land that they ordinarily would not allow the public to hunt. For these reasons, it is fairly easy for a hunter to shop around and find their hunt of a lifetime at a price he/she can afford.

My husband, Travis Lee, and a few of his close friends have had the opportunity, for the last several years, to travel to Sullivan County Missouri and hunt with Adam Moore with Moore Hunting Properties. The trip takes 16 hours to drive from our house, so Travis always allows two days for travel time. He prefers the do it yourself hunts that Adam offers where the hunter scouts the property and hangs his own stands during the 5 day hunt.

The first day at camp was a short day due to travel and the guys spent their time purchasing their license, scouting, and hanging stands. Right off, Travis located a 40 acre clover field with huge scrapes on the back corner and a creek bottom that the deer were using to travel from their bedding area to the clover field.

While hanging his Old Man lock-on tree stand in smaller oak tree in the creek bottom, Travis heard a limb break about 50 yards across the creek and spotted a buck he guessed to measure in the 140′s headed to the clover field looking for does. Travis couldn’t believe that the buck was oblivious to the noise he was making in the tree, as he continued out into the open field. The other guys also found great buck sign and hung their stands where they felt confident they would take a big buck. The guys had certainly had buck fever as they shared their findings over dinner that evening.

Knowing that his stand was more of an afternoon stand, Travis chose to sit there the first morning of the hunt and while he saw several mature does, no shooter bucks appeared. One of his traveling partners, Johnny, did however see numerous rack bucks and took a mature 130 inch 8 point buck at about 15 yards with his Hoyt Katera compound bow and 125 grain Thunderhead Broadhead.

The afternoon hunt did, however, prove to be an eventful evening of hunting for Travis. After getting in his stand at 3 P.M., he watched 4 smaller bucks and numerous turkey gobblers feed in the cow pasture that adjoined the creek bottom and clover field. About 30 minutes before dark, Travis heard footsteps coming up the creek bottom and a mature doe passed by him at about 20 steps and entered the clover field.

Not long after, Travis heard heavy foot steps in the creek bottom again and could tell it was a larger deer approaching his stand. Through the brush, he could tell it was a monster buck and his heart began to race as the buck worked his way through the creek bottom and closer to Travis’s stand. The buck froze at 35 steps behind some limbs and began to act nervous as he licked at some branches where the doe had passed earlier.

Finally, he began to inch closer and Travis drew his Bowtech 82nd Airborne compound bow equipped with Rage 100 grain 2 blade expandable broadhead and prepared for a shot at the giant buck. Upon penetration of the arrow, the buck took about 8 steps toward the clover field and fell dead. He had bagged a 160 and 3/8 inch typical 10 point that sported 11 inch brow tines (as scored by a MO Game and Fish Officer). The buck weighed in at 275 pounds.

Travis and friends have since traveled to Missouri to hunt a few other times, but have passed up other bucks that were close, but not quite as big as the giant Missouri white tail buck that now resides on our wall courtesy of Tunnage Taxidermy. If you are looking for an exciting and affordably priced hunt, give Moore Hunting Properties a shout. I am certain Adam will be more than happy to try to fit your needs. Travis is certainly pleased with his trophy buck.

Harold Hurst from Texas sent me a message asking me if I had ever seen a small piece of equipment called the Stedi Stock. I had told him that I had never even heard of it. So his reaction is, “Hey I will send you one”, and you tell me how it works. I had called Mr. Harold up and told him that I would love to try out his invention and to my surprise when it came to my door steps I was very happy at what I saw. Now at this point it has done everything that it is suppose to do and even more.

I will continue to put it through test and see how the outcome of the test go about. There are so many camera arms out there on the market today and the cost of them are sky high. The cost of the Stedi Stock is only $29.95 plus $5.00 shipping. You can get the better deal and get the camo super combo package for $109.00 plus shipping. This comes with everything from the steady stock, mono pod, super clamp, quick release, and even the rifle rest. Everything that you need is all in one bundle ready for you to film your next hunt. You can learn more about the Stedi Stock just by clicking here. “ Stedi Stock ”

I have noticed that I have yet to find any flaws in the making of this equipment yet at this time. Everything can fit into a back pack for easy carrying. The set up time to put all of it together is less than 1 minute. that is a plus compared to hanging a stand and strapping on a tree arm to mount the camera.

It’s durability is strong and water resistant. If you can hold a gun up to your shoulder then you can hold up the Steadi Stock with a camera mounted to it. This small set up is going to change the way hunter’s film their hunts from now on.

Just mount your camera, aim and shoot! It is that simple and that easy even a child can do it. In fact I would put my name behind it and this is something that I don’t do very often for those of you that know me. The size of everything in the whole package makes time easier for not just the set up but as I have already said once, carrying it as well.

There will be no more climbing out of tree and then doing a follow up shot with a tripod. The mono pod can handle that for you. In fact you want even need the mono pod unless you just want to use it. The Stedi Stock will do all the work for you.

Knowing that there are so many gimmicks out there in the outdoor industry today it is simple to see that this is not one of them. Think back about ten years or so when TV shows were using those cameras that weighed 25 lbs. If they had the Stedi Stock back then like we do today all that shaky footage would have never been there.

Thank God for all the new inventions that have come out and those of them that work are great. There are some out there that work. But the question is ” How Well ” do they work? There is greatness and there is fair working conditions when it comes to products in the outdoor industry.

So take just a few minutes of you time and check this product out and you too may be ordering you one before hunting season roles around. This will make a great gift to any hunter and could even lead you into filming or taking pictures of your hunts to come. ” Tell them that Hello Hunting sent you. ”

Good Luck!

In 2009 a couple of hunting buddies, Joey McGaha (St. Amant, LA) and Ross Tuttle (West Lake, LA) and I decided we would go on a 10-day deer hunt to Wyoming.  In addition to the experience of the hunt, our purpose for going was to get video footage using the Vapor Maker, a scent dispersal product I had just debuted at the 2009 Buckmasters Expo.

To get video footage of a hunt you need a video camera and an operator. Joey and Ross had never been filmed hunting and I had never operated a video camera, but that didn’t deter us one bit. After all I had used a Canon digital camera with success; I just needed to get a Canon video camera to take on the hunt. I searched Ebay and purchased a used camera I felt would be just what I needed. The purchase came in less than 24 hours before we were to leave for Wyoming, so I had no time to even test out the camera. I had purchased the tapes and downloaded the manual, how difficult could this be?

We had planned to leave in mid-September, barring no work or personal problems arising. The day came; actually the night finally came because we left at 9 pm and drove the 1800 miles -26 hours – straight through to the house we had rented in Wyoming.  We unloaded and got everything ready to go hunting.  We unpacked the video camera and started to load the tapes, realizing none of us had ever seen a professional video camera before, much less turn one on or load a tape in it. Does this sound like three country boys on a deer hunt?

We got the camera on and loaded the tape in…no luck.  Just an error message that said “no tape.”  So we tried again and again….still the “no tape” message.  What’s a country boy to do, but call the customer service line?  We did and they led us through every step imaginable, still “no tape.”  I even called the pawn shop owner in Chicago, IL that I had purchased the camera from.  He could only offer to let me send it back. Talk about frustrating, here we had come 1,800 miles to video our deer hunt and the camera wouldn’t work. Trying to do too much too fast, I thought.  

 I was feeling pretty bad about the whole experience when it occurred to me there was writing inside the camera where we had been trying to load the tape.  Sure enough, it said, “push close this first.”  Presto, it worked, the tape was loaded and we were ready to film and hunt. I didn’t think much of that customer service representative, and I could only imagine that she was relating to her co-workers the story of the three hunters who travelled across country to film a hunt and didn’t know how to turn the camera on or load the tape. Now we were ready to head out. 

With the afternoon approaching we were feeling confident that we could find a good vantage point to sit and film deer. This afternoon would be all about getting footage of how many big bucks were out there and how they were moving. We were excited and felt blessed because we saw 7 bucks that afternoon, one of which was about 170 inches.  We felt fortunate that we got to film him sparring with a small 6-point. About 40 yards from us we saw a doe come across the creek and pick up a 17 inch 10-pt and take him back across the creek. 

It was a great sight which I did capture on video, but Joey was so amazed he forgot to even pick up his bow. It just so happened the wind was blowing from us to the deer, but whenever the deer would get fidgety I would use the Vapor Maker® to spray scent and they would calm down almost immediately.

It turned out to be a great afternoon and I was confident I had all kinds of footage. We couldn’t wait to get back to camp to view the footage. Turns out Murphy’s Law had come with us to Wyoming. The TV at our camp was so old the antenna wires were screwed to the TV, and of course, it had no cable connection to view the video. God smiled on us again that day because the local hardware store had a box converter to hook the camera up to the TV. That problem solved, we were now more than ready to view the footage we had taken.

We plugged everything in and sat back to relive a great afternoon. You can’t imagine our shock and disappointment when all we saw was the camera jumping all over the place. I was zooming in and out and moving left to right at lightning speed. We decided day one was a learning experience and went to bed looking forward to the next day.

We slept in that morning to give the deer time to bed down so we could slip in and hang stands. That afternoon the wind was blowing in every direction, but we managed to slip back in to our stands. We saw several bucks and does, but only one buck came close enough for a good bow shot.  It was a small mule deer buck which walked right under the stand without picking up our scent. The Vapor Maker® was doing a great job of attracting deer and covering our scent.

The next morning we returned to our stands even though we felt they weren’t in the best place to hunt and film. The deer were just starting to move when the bottom dropped out and it came a flooding rain. We had no choice but to go back to the truck and wait out the flood to protect the camera. Even though I had brought along a heavy duty garbage bag to cover the camera, I didn’t want to take any chances of ruining it before I even figured out how to use it. After the rain, the sun came out to a scorching 94 degrees. We took our climbers and headed down to the river bottom. He heat was intense and we were soaked with sweat.

We were sure this afternoon would be great for hunting and filming. I was going to be the cameraman and Joey the hunter. We found a tree and Joey climbed first – another learning experience. Never let the hunter be the first up the tree when you are filming. But we were settled in and I had used the Vapor Maker to spray us and our stands down with 33 Point Buck lure and attractant.  I also sprayed the ground around the tree.

We didn’t have to wait long before we spotted three does and an 8-point about 14 inches coming down the trail. Because our scent was blocked so effectively, one of the does began feeding about a foot from the tree. The wind was swirling, but none of the deer had picked up our scent. Soon we saw him – a 135 inch Whitetail following the 8-point right to us. They were about 20 yards in front of us. 

This was perfect; I had the camera right on them just waiting for Joey to take the shot that never came.  The big buck was moving in and out around to our left.  I thought he was going to go around us when he turned and angled back toward us. But by then I had turned around so far in the tree I was about to fall out. I kept filming (I hoped) and Joey finally released the shot at about 23 yards.

We found a little blood but weren’t sure about the shot.  We didn’t know how to replay the footage (or see if I had actually gotten footage) to check the shot. Joey said there were about 7 deer within 20 yards when he got the shot off.  He said at 20 yards the buck was broadside but there were too many eyes too close to get drawn back.  We decided not to search for the deer that evening, but to head back and see if we had captured the shot on tape.

Returning to search the next morning, I literally had to crawl around on my hands and knees just to spot the tiniest specs of blood or see a footprint. When we discovered the buck, Joey had hit it a little too far back. Because of Wyoming gaming laws we had to carry the kill to a taxidermist to remove the brain stem and some other organs because of CWD, Chronic Wasting Disease.

I learned many valuable lessons during those 10 days. One, videoing a hunt requires a lot of work and planning. Using a video camera requires practice, more practice and patience, although in the end I was pleasantly surprised at how much of the footage I was actually able to use. You can check it out at my website: Vapor Trail Scents and see for yourself the beauty of Wyoming and the great deer we saw there. Secondly, I was extremely pleased with the effectiveness of The Vapor Maker and scents we had developed. This was really the purpose of the trip and I felt good about what I had filmed and discovered. All in all it was a great trip with great friends, even with Murphy.

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to explore many different varieties of fishing. I remember digging fish bait as a little girl out by my aunt’s chicken coop and taking those fat wigglers and my cane pole to my grandparent’s pond to catch a stringer of catfish and bream
for grandmother to fry up.

As I have grown , my love for fishing has also. I have learned to use a Quantum KVD bait caster on a 6 ‘ 6” medium action cranking stick with only an occasional “bird nest” and how to choose my baits according to the type of fishing I plan on doing, the time of the year, and the level of the water.  All three of these factors greatly impact the successfulness of your fishing trip.

Lately, my fishing trip of choice has been Red Fishing on Blackwater Bay in Milton,FL. We head out at 4 AM so that we can be on the water at daylight to get the first morning top water bites.  It is important to watch the tides when you plan your trip ahead. You want to be out fishing on the incoming or “high” tide.  This brings the baitfish in and in turn, the Red Fish will follow.

As we slowly troll around our favorite fishing spot, my husband and I watch for bait fish running, Red Fish “finning” or “fanning” the water, and swirls along the slick top of the water. We often find these fierce fish on grass beds where crabs and baitfish hide. I like to use a Bomber Badonk-A-Donk or Zara Spook lure to “walk-the-dog” across the glass like surface of the water first thing in the morning.

It is important to really pay attention to what is going on with your bait. I have watched numerous Red Fish follow my lure all the way to the boat and never eat it. Sometimes I even stop working my bait or slow it down to almost no movement at all to entice the red to hit it. In Florida, the law allows you to keep one Red Fish per person with a legal length of 18-27 inches.

It is important when you hang into these fierce fighting fish that you do not try to ”man handle” them. Take the time to wear your fish out before trying to net him and get him in the boat.

Some other baits that I prefer to use after the “top water” bite is over
when I am Red fishing are a Chartreuse KVD 1.5 crank bait and a spinner
bait with a soft plastic minnow where you would ordinarily have a skirt. These baits also attract Speckled Trout or “Specks” which are a delicious
fish served fried or grilled and just as much fun to catch as a Red Fish.

Red Fishing is certainly an exciting fishing adventure that I recommend people try during the hot summer months when ponds and rivers are low and freshwater fish such as bass have slowed down on their biting.

For starters I have picked the rite lure and the rite size line to start my fishing journey. I have chosen to fish with a cheap end rod and reel made by shake-spear and Berkeley’s 10 lb test fishing line. The reel is open face and the rod came with. Not a hole lot of money spent on the set up of small time fishing trips. I have hung into some that has weighed in at 9 lbs easy and most of the one’s that I have landed has been in the range of 3 to 6 lbs which is a great bass any where.

Using a green specked plastic worm or even a copper color snake worm has landed me most of these fish. The weather has been hot but yet to my surprise the bigger bass has still been biting somewhat. I have learned that in a small heat wave of hot humid Alabama days of the early summer fish can be caught in deeper waters where the water is still just a little cooler than the shallow sides of the bank.

As the summer heads into more hotter and even more humid days my styles will more than likely change. Rather it be a different rod and reel or even lures that I may have to change up on. Most lures will pay off in private ponds but on the lakes and rivers they want pay off as much as they will in a pond. The one thing that I have noticed is that the pond I have been fishing in has not been fertilized in most likely years and I will say that the bass in it are still big.

Most of these bass have chosen to eat smaller minnow’s or smaller bream that lay beneath these water’s. I have only caught one over this past few weeks that has had eggs in it still. I am not sure why it still had eggs inside so late. I almost want to say that the bedding days for bass in this pond is either already over or is near it’s end.

Only continuing to try and catch more of these good lunker’s will tell me over the next two or so months if they are done with the breeding cycle for either late spring or early or even mid summer months. It has come to my knowledge that the heat wave with very little rain will somewhat continue here in south central Alabama. I just wish that it would cool off at least a little.

I also hope that we do start to see some more rain here soon. A little rain here and there will make the fishing change hopefully better than what it is already. Zoom worms have been my biggest favor at catching some of the larger bass. The Culprit brand plastic worms about 12 inches in length has backed up the Zoom worms. In the Zoom brand the worms have been more of flute style worm and the Culprit have been more of the snake style. My neon green zoom’s have been on average at least 6 to 8 inches.

The plastic has paid off big and I hope to see it really hang in there over the next few months. The cost of these worms are much cheaper than the high dollar hard baits. A change in the weather will also change the way these fish will bite over the next few weeks or even months. For everyone that knows me they too also know that I favor the hard baits over the plastic’s. But here lately the plastic’s have been the go to style lures to catch more fish.

Yes that is rite you no longer have to book trips to Louisiana or Florida to hunt down a large gator anymore. If you are a resident of Alabama like I am then there is a chance that you can get a tag at home to hunt the elusive American Alligator. I have yet to apply for a tag here but hopefully soon over the next year I will be doing so. Louisiana is at the heart of alligator country! And Louisiana’s alligator population is estimated to be approximately 1.5 million gators! In addition to their wild population, it is esimated that another 500,000 alligators are found on commerical alligator farms within the state.

Alabama’s population has grown over the years and now is home to some of the best gator hunting around. Remember that you do have to apply for tags online and the chances are slim. A state that has placed a hold on the alligators for years now has a season of their own. A chance at a tag is simple. Just go to Outdoor Alabama home of the (ADCNR) and just apply. Each application will cost you $6.

One hundred twenty-five people will be randomly drawn by computer to be eligible for Mobile and Baldwin county hunts. One hundred twenty people will be randomly drawn by computer to be eligible for the Southeast hunts and fifty people will be drawn for the hunts in West Central Alabama. This will give you a total of 295 tags to be drawn. You can apply for all areas but your odds or very slim.

The season for gator hunting in Alabama is in August and the drawings will be held at 12:00 PM (CST) on July 11,2011. If yo never have never got a tag in the past here in Alabama then you will have to go to one of the three locations for safety class before you can go on the hunt and receive your tag. Only one tag per a hunter will be issued even though you can apply for all areas you will only be able to hunt one of the three. Each person receiving an Alligator Possession Tag will be allowed to harvest one alligator six feet in length or longer.

Alligators must be captured and brought up to the boat, bank or dock prior to shooting the animal. It is unlawful to shoot at or kill an unrestrained alligator. Restrained is defined as an alligator that has a noose or snare secured around the neck or leg in a way that the alligator is controlled by the hunter. Capture methods are restricted to hand-held snares, snatch hooks hand-held or rod/reel, harpoons with attached line, and bowfishing equipment with line attached from arrow to bow.

” No use of bait is allowed. “

It is unlawful in the state of Alabama to bait and harvest any kind of game animal of any nature. The laws here are simple to follow and can be read online at Outdoor Alabama. We as hunter’s in Alabama take great pride in fair chase and true sportsmanship of harvesting wildlife in our great state. This is a Liberal laws state and if residents of Alabama can obey them so can the non- residents of other states.

Hunting Season’s:

MOBILE/BALDWIN COUNTIES

– August 12-15, 2011 and August 19-22, 2011

SOUTHEAST ALABAMA

– August 12-28, 2011

WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

– August 12-15, 2011 and August 19-22, 2011

If you do apply for an alligator tag in Alabama I wish you good luck on the drawing. It may seem hard to get a tag the first year but realize that there are some huge gators in the swamps and water ways of Alabama and keep trying year after year.  If you do get a tag I want to wish you good luck! And be safe at all times while on your hunt. An alligator hunt in Alabama could be just what the doctor could have ordered for you to get out and start a new hunting season here.

Pinnacle reels have come a long way over the past few years. They have began to grow and become a better quality reel. Some of the new features have changed them in more ways than none. When you can take a reel and place it on any pole and still get great action off of the lures then there is not much left to say. As time moves forward these reels grow to be better.

Abu Garcia for instance has been around for years and now it is time for a new face in the crowd of spinning reels. Abu has been great but just not great enough.

The Pinnacle Performa XT is among the top of the line in 2011. It is going to be a hard and tuff spinning reel to replace for Pinnacle over the next two years. It almost only comes natural that a very good spinning reel comes out every two to three years. Then there are still some flaws in them. That is life and without flaws then it would just be simply plain perfect. In fishing equipment I have yet to run across that perfect product.

There is a top notch tournament class performance in this reel. It is almost a must have reel in your fishing gear. Using light weight line on it surpasses all expectations on my list and has paid off big on some very good bass. Who says you can’t take a spinning reel and turn it into an all around type reel for fishing for almost anything that it catches.

Catching even catfish in ponds has come more simple while using this reel. I cant resist a reel that will allow me to catch almost anything that hits my line. Smoothness thanks to seven double-shielded stainless steel ball bearings, it also delivers great cast-ability and doesn’t back lash as much as others that I have used.

It’s lightweight aluminum body makes the casting and form to hold into your hands that much easier also. Additional Features are: -Unlimited anti-reverse, -quick fold handle with grip, and -backed by Limited One-Year Warranty which can sometimes pay off big if you are a big time tournament fisherman.

Being able to cast light weight lures and plastic baits can be paid off in a big way with this reel. Knowing that you can cast those light weight lures and hitting those hard to get to areas is a must when fishing for big bass. You never know where the old ten pound lunker hides and by getting into the tightest of places on the water could just land the old fellow at any given chance.

I would almost say that landing that big fish with lighter line is a dream for most anglers. Well now there is a reel out there that will allow it and Pinnacle has their name on it. Now I will leave you with this! Get out there and get you one! You want regret it!