Advice from the southern crew

[TKE921]

My friend and I may have a chance to go to AL for a few days, on his company's dollar.  We will be near Birmingham.  Do any of you have any recommendations for where to hunt around there?

Thanks

cjb

[xarcher]

I'm a yankee but have hunted AL maybe 10 times now. Mostly north. Mostly public. In my opinion, here is why birds are tough  to kill there. 5 bird limit puts hunters in the woods a lot. Birds get hunted. And hunted. And hunted. Well you get the point. Lots of guys hunt the Talledega NF near Birmingham and never hear a gobble.  You will work hard to kill one. If you or your friend have contacts there as part of this business trip, I'd ask around to see if someone has access to private. Not trying to dampen your spirits or discourage you, just sharing what I've learned or heard.

[FullChoke]

Sorry for the long response time to your question. I have a good friend who lives near Birmingham and I asked for his advice about public hunting near there. He suggested looking into Bankhead NF about 50 miles NW of B'ham or Talladega NF about 50 miles SE. Talladega also contains an area known as Hollins WMA. He also suggested that since you would be faced with familiarization, scouting and hunting on a short window of opportunity, to possibly look into one of the many lodges offering turkey hunting opportunities. They could help put you on quality birds quickly, but of course, for a price.

FC

[TKE921]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated