Anyone ever hunt the south?

[jamesfromseattle]

Anyone ever head to the south for whitetail? And by that I don't mean Walla Walla...I mean Alabama, Mississippi, etc.

I know it seems somewhat sacrilegious to fly over the rocky mountains on the way to hunt a swamp down south, but I've been toying with the idea in recent years. I typically spend more than a grand on tags and draws in various western states and it looks like there are some parts of the country where you can lease private land or join a club for that amount. 

I know it's a different experience than hunting out of a backpack out here, but I've got two young kids, so my hunting priorities are a lot different than they used to be. As much as I hate to admit it, I just don't have as much time to spend in the woods on my own as I used to. In the past I've always taken a week off to hunt by myself, but it's tough to spend that much time away from the fam now. I'd also like to start taking the kids along, so faster action and close proximity to the indoors may make it a better experience for them while they're still young and impatient. I also need to schedule vacation time about a year in advance, so it would be nice to not have my plans subject to tag draws.

I've got some family that just moved to Alabama, so we've got a place to stay, but none of them have ever hunted. From what I can tell there are a ton of deer and you can get multiple OTC tags every year. I just can't really figure out how to find a club to join or land to lease. I've spent some time trying to figure it out on the internet and it looks like there are a lot of options form someone willing to spend a little money for access--but its a little intimidating for me because I know NOTHING about how they hunt down there.

Would love to hear about anyone's experience hunting the south.

[Jingles]

When I was stationed in SC limit was 2 deer per day per person from 15 AUG to 1 Jan,  Hunted with dogs in the swamps and lost a few dogs to gators,,  Of course deer weren't much bigger than a German shepard, took plenty of deer and hogs

[Stein]

I have family in Virginia and they hunt their land, neighbors and a "club" they belong to.  I think they can get about 12 tags a year per person, some sort of "earn a buck" system where after the first buck you need to shoot a doe before your next buck.

I'll probably hunt there next year just to check it out.  Tags are cheap and plentiful.

[pickardjw]

I'm from Alabama but only deer hunted a few times growing up. The regs are pretty easy to understand compared to WA's. Think it's something like 6 non-antlered and 3 antlered a year on private land. Everyone I know down there hunts stands/blinds over food plots. Private land access is a must have. PM me the general location you may be in and I may know someone that could be willing to help steer you in the right direction.

[idaho guy]

 I know nothing  But I want to comment that its a pretty good idea. I have looked at some of there regs and the amount and cost of tags in some southern states is absurd in a good way. All the midwest and southern hunters are putting in for western tags these days making draws pretty difficult. Maybe its time to head there way  . Probably not crowded since they are all over the west in the fall ha ha. I am going to texas to hunt aoudad and will try and throw a mule deer and javelina into the mix january 2023. Will see how that goes public land seems pretty non existant   

[cbond3318]

I know nothing  But I want to comment that its a pretty good idea. I have looked at some of there regs and the amount and cost of tags in some southern states is absurd in a good way. All the midwest and southern hunters are putting in for western tags these days making draws pretty difficult. Maybe its time to head there way  . Probably not crowded since they are all over the west in the fall ha ha. I am going to texas to hunt aoudad and will try and throw a mule deer and javelina into the mix january 2023. Will see how that goes public land seems pretty non existant

2 words: Tennessee

[Timberstalker]

That's actually 3 words.

[jamesfromseattle]

I know the grass is always greener, but avoiding point creep has to be worth something...

@pickardjw, my family is in the Birmingham area but they've got a vacation house on the coast down near Mobile, so those are the two areas I'm zeroing in on. If you happen to know anyone in those areas, that'd be awesome.

There are some bigger hunt clubs with established websites and whatnot and also some Facebook groups and forums with people advertising open spots in clubs. But it's tough for me to spot rip offs and scams when I'm not fluent in their lingo. Also tough when I don't really even know what I'm looking for. The deer density is totally different down there. Some clubs talk about how they've only got one person per hundred acres or something like that, but by my Washingtonian-deer-density standards that is so crowded it's not even huntable.

I'm going to be down there this spring, so I guess I'll check out some properties and make some phone calls.

[nwwanderer]

Spent a few days in Mississippi deer camps.  All private land.  Hunt clubs are the norm.  Big land owners, Anderson-Tully, make big money, and spend it wisely, from clubs.  ForestLand now owns Anderson-Tully know idea of current practices.  It is a different world with intense WT management.

[Stein]

I know the grass is always greener, but avoiding point creep has to be worth something...

@pickardjw, my family is in the Birmingham area but they've got a vacation house on the coast down near Mobile, so those are the two areas I'm zeroing in on. If you happen to know anyone in those areas, that'd be awesome.

There are some bigger hunt clubs with established websites and whatnot and also some Facebook groups and forums with people advertising open spots in clubs. But it's tough for me to spot rip offs and scams when I'm not fluent in their lingo. Also tough when I don't really even know what I'm looking for. The deer density is totally different down there. Some clubs talk about how they've only got one person per hundred acres or something like that, but by my Washingtonian-deer-density standards that is so crowded it's not even huntable.

I'm going to be down there this spring, so I guess I'll check out some properties and make some phone calls.

From my brother's limited experience, I wouldn't join one without checking it out.  In his, there are pretty good doe harvests, but just a few bucks.  I think it's like the waterfowl sites, the deer seem to have figured out where the fixed blinds are and only are around them if they are on a hot doe.  He only pays a few bucks and it's minutes from his house but you would have a much larger selection to chose from.

I don't know how you would effectively "scout" them, they seem to all have good records on harvest and hunters.  Depending on the cost, it might be a guess and check game.

[idaho guy]

I know nothing  But I want to comment that its a pretty good idea. I have looked at some of there regs and the amount and cost of tags in some southern states is absurd in a good way. All the midwest and southern hunters are putting in for western tags these days making draws pretty difficult. Maybe its time to head there way  . Probably not crowded since they are all over the west in the fall ha ha. I am going to texas to hunt aoudad and will try and throw a mule deer and javelina into the mix january 2023. Will see how that goes public land seems pretty non existant

2 words: Tennessee

 

I heard they have giant mule deer there

[jamesfromseattle]

I know the grass is always greener, but avoiding point creep has to be worth something...

@pickardjw, my family is in the Birmingham area but they've got a vacation house on the coast down near Mobile, so those are the two areas I'm zeroing in on. If you happen to know anyone in those areas, that'd be awesome.

There are some bigger hunt clubs with established websites and whatnot and also some Facebook groups and forums with people advertising open spots in clubs. But it's tough for me to spot rip offs and scams when I'm not fluent in their lingo. Also tough when I don't really even know what I'm looking for. The deer density is totally different down there. Some clubs talk about how they've only got one person per hundred acres or something like that, but by my Washingtonian-deer-density standards that is so crowded it's not even huntable.

I'm going to be down there this spring, so I guess I'll check out some properties and make some phone calls.

From my brother's limited experience, I wouldn't join one without checking it out.  In his, there are pretty good doe harvests, but just a few bucks.  I think it's like the waterfowl sites, the deer seem to have figured out where the fixed blinds are and only are around them if they are on a hot doe.  He only pays a few bucks and it's minutes from his house but you would have a much larger selection to chose from.

I don't know how you would effectively "scout" them, they seem to all have good records on harvest and hunters.  Depending on the cost, it might be a guess and check game.

Yeah, I agree with your assessment. Scouting outside the season would be tricky because the pressure on surrounding properties during the season is probably a major factor. There are a bunch in the $800 per family range. I'm thinking the first year I may join a couple to make sure it's not a total bust. Kinda hurts, but not any worse than all the out of state tags I've eaten.

[NRA4LIFE]

Have to ask, have you ever tree stand hunted before?  That's going to be the primary means.  Some folks love it, some don't.  Don't shy away from smaller pieces of property either.  I have a 48 acre piece in MO that produces every year.

[bigmacc]

My son in law was stationed in Kentucky, excellent deer hunting. I have a friend who just moved back to South Carolina(he was born and raised there) they get some weird amount of deer there, I think a handful of does and a couple bucks or something like that . He belongs to a couple clubs that lease AG land to hunt etc, one club he belongs to leases land in areas that has so many deer they inbreed and have different deformities, some of the pictures he sends me are strange and sad, in fact this particular area was opened up last year I believe to anyone with a valid deer tag to be able to take 14 or 15 does and it would not count against your regular quota. Another club he belongs to leases land in an area with not quite as many deer(they only see 60-70 a day there ) but it holds bigger deer, he sent me a picture of one of the bucks he killed a few weeks ago, it was a 6 by 6 with 7" eye guards, field dressed at 221 lbs, heavy horned bugger too. He's trying hard to get my son and I down there, the pictures he sends are pretty incredible, lots of deer and I mean lots.

[jamesfromseattle]

Have to ask, have you ever tree stand hunted before?  That's going to be the primary means.  Some folks love it, some don't.  Don't shy away from smaller pieces of property either.  I have a 48 acre piece in MO that produces every year.

Fair question. I’ve never even seen a tree stand in real life, let alone use one.

Looks like it’d be really fun if there were a lot of deer but mind numbingly boring if there were not any deer. In other words, if I’m going to do it I’d like to make sure I hang it on the right tree.