The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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RJM Behind the Lens // Shutterstock Most commonly seen birds in Alabama Stacker compiled a list of the most common birds seen near feeders in Alabama using data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project FeederWatch. Birds are ranked by the percent of sites visited from Jan. 31 to Feb. 13. Ties are broken by the average group size when seen, any further ties were not broken. Data was collected at 60 count sites in Alabama. States with less than 10 count sites were not included in rankings...
Central Alabama's scenic Lake Martin is cranking up a year of celebration that includes the Tallapoosa River impoundment's 100th anniversary. To kick off the festivities last week, BASS (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) brought its Bassmaster Elite tournament series to Wind Creek State Park to test the fishing prowess of their top professional anglers on the 44,000-acre lake known for its spotted bass population. In fact, it was those spotted bass that lifted Fisher Anaya, a 21-year-old Elite...
As the sixth largest estuary in the continental United States, Mobile Bay is a perfect example of Alabama's great biodiversity with a variety of plant and animal species so vast it's hard to grasp. With a surface area of 413 square miles in Mobile and Baldwin counties, the health of Mobile Bay is of primary importance for a variety of entities, including the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP), which recently updated its "State of the Bay" publication. Mobile native Jason Kudulis was rec...
My hunting season is over. I have scheduled a couple of fishing trips, but they are a few weeks away. Until then, I am surrounded by everything man-made. I don’t mind this too much after a season of God-made stuff, but I need to return to the God-made stuff quickly. But not for the hunting or fishing, but for the God of the stuff. You see, most of the time when I go to the woods I am going for the purpose of pursuit – whether that is for the purpose of scouting or hunting. When I’m in the woods...
The Etowah Public Shooting Range is closed until fall for renovations, but it will be well worth the wait. The range near Gadsden, operated by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division, will get a total makeover and will become one of only three WFF shooting ranges to be staffed by certified range personnel. A 3,000-square-foot building that will be used for training and education classes will also be constructed. "The...
How one state’s hunters are taking aim at rural hunger On the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia, a line of large chest coolers waits outside Wise Brothers Processing. Inside them, skinned deer lie packed in ice, ready to be cut into cubes, ground up, or made into sausage, depending on the customer’s order. Once ready, the meat is wrapped and placed in the freezer for the hunters to take back home. This is all pretty standard for deer hunters, the way animals they shoot become meat to feed their fam...
This past summer, I experienced a treat I didn't expect would happen again in my lifetime. A covey of bobwhite quail made their summer home in the acreage around our home in Baldwin County. I cherished each "Bob-White" mating call I heard and caught glimpses of them entering several areas with thick vegetation. That thick vegetation that provides protection for brood-rearing is one of the key ingredients for quail to survive and thrive, according to Caleb Blake, the Upland Game Bird Coordinator...
If you have an Alabama saltwater fishing license or are on the saltwater registry, don't be surprised if you get a call with a caller ID of the University of South Alabama (USA) or Alabama Creel, AL Creel for short. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Marine Resources Division (MRD) has partnered with USA to conduct a portion of the AL Creel survey that provides the data needed for fisheries management decisions. Kevin Anson, MRD Director, said the creel survey...
Nature is the new thrill ride: Why wildlife is the travel moment Americans are chasing The sight of a whale breaching or the Northern Lights stretching across the Alaskan sky has become a vision many Americans hope to experience. These moments, once considered bucket list extras, now stand out as the experiences travelers say matter most. According to a new survey from Holland America Line, which has been exploring Alaska for nearly 80 years, wildlife encounters and outdoor experiences are...
Jason and I eased up the hill toward the place of our morning hunt. He had come a few days earlier and took a leaf blower to the trail to make sure we had the quietest walk possible. Just over the crest of the hill, only about 400 yards from where we parked, was his hunting house. A house might be an exaggeration. It was only about 4x8 and was in need of a remodel since the year he first built it, but it was still a luxury for any hunter during the cold days of November. As soon as we got...
January 11, 2026 - GULF SHORES - The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will hold a series of public hearings-three in person and one virtual-to gather public input on Draft Reef Fish Amendment 58A, a proposal that would significantly revise how several shallow‑water grouper species are managed in the Gulf. The hearings will take place January 8–21, 2026, with each session scheduled from 6:00 p.m. to no later than 9:00 p.m. local time. Why Amendment 58A Matters The amendment focuses on...
Alabama State Parks has developed a new program that encourages youngsters to join in the fun the State Parks System provides by becoming Junior Park Rangers. The program is open to children of all ages, with activities designed especially for ages 5-12. Participation is free. Families, school groups and youth organizations are all welcome to join. If the youngsters have no prior outdoor experience, the Junior Park Ranger Program is a great place to start. For kids who are accustomed to the outd...
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama Trustee Implementation Group has released its 2025 annual update detailing ongoing restoration efforts in coastal Alabama tied to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which devastated Gulf ecosystems in 2010. The update was presented on January 21, 2026, and is now available for public viewing on the Gulf Spill Restoration YouTube channel. The Alabama Trustee Group is part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process, which coordinates long‑term recovery a...
The Alabama Conservation Advisory Board (CAB) will hold its first meeting of 2026 on Saturday, February 28. The meeting will take place at the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Richard Beard Auditorium, 1445 Federal Dr., in Montgomery, Alabama. Registration for those wishing to address the board will be from 8-8:30 a.m. The meeting will begin promptly at 9 a.m. Attendees with printed information they wish to share with CAB members should bring 16 copies of the material for...
The Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) will close the state's 2025 private angler red snapper fishing season at midnight on Wednesday, December 31. Alabama's 2025 federal allocation of red snapper was 664,552 pounds. "This was the first year under state management that we opened the red snapper season for seven days a week," said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner. "Most of the season was under this format and it provided...
Dec. 23, 2025 - FLORIDA - Jan. 2026 marine fisheries seasonal closures Recreational harvest of gray triggerfish closes in Gulf state waters Jan. 1 Recreational harvest of gray triggerfish will close in Gulf state waters on Jan. 1. Harvest will open on March 1, 2026. To learn more about current recreational triggerfish regulations, visit MyFWC.com/Marine, click "Recreational Regulations," "Reef Fish" and "Triggerfish" or download the Fish Rules App. Recreational harvest of shallow water grouper...
Since 1987, a quiet revolution has been unfolding beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern U.S. coast. It's not a new law or a flashy invention-it's a simple metal grid called a Turtle Excluder Device, or TED. Designed to prevent sea turtles from becoming accidental victims of shrimp trawling, TEDs have become a cornerstone of marine conservation and a symbol of collaboration between scientists and fishermen. A Life-Saving Innovation Shrimp trawlers drag large nets through...
The year 2025 will be remembered as a transformative period for Alabama's outdoor landscape. Together with our partners, we worked tirelessly to elevate our state's trails to world-class status. We've crisscrossed the state promoting trails from the coast to the Tennessee state line. As Alabama's longest footpath, the Pinhoti Trail has long been seen as a destination for hikers who enjoy a challenge. And it's why the Alabama Trails Foundation chose it as a priority project for our ongoing work....
One of the conditions that hunters must face this time of year is the fog. Sometimes it lingers seemingly all day making it difficult to see, especially when hunting with firearms. And then there’s the drive to the hunt. Just seeing each turn can sometimes be almost impossible without some type of marker. This is the case at one of my hunting locations. Over the years I have marked a particular turn by a light. While driving down the road this light creates an illusion that it is in the m...
As the crisp air of December settles over Alabama's fields and waterways, a familiar sound echoes across the landscape-the distant honk of migrating geese. For generations of Alabama hunters, this seasonal chorus signals more than just the arrival of winter. It marks the beginning of one of the state's most rewarding and time-honored outdoor traditions: goose hunting. A Southern Flyway Stopover Alabama sits along the eastern edge of the Mississippi Flyway, one of North America's major migratory...
11fotofriends // Shutterstock Most commonly hunted migratory birds in Alabama Stacker compiled a list of the most commonly hunted migratory birds in Alabama using data from a report released by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in August 2025. Duck and goose species are ranked by the estimated 2024 hunting harvest in Alabama. #7. Northern Shoveler (tie) - Alabama: 1,948 (0.3% of national harvest) - National: 558,228 - States with the largest harvests: --- #1. California: 148,727 (26.6% of...
Pursuant to Section 9-12-28, Code of Alabama 1975 as stated by Rule 220-3-.02, the Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) announces that all public water bottoms will close to the harvest of oysters at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. Summary of Alabama's Oyster Harvest Alabama's public oyster reefs opened for harvest on October 6, 2025, and will close for the season at the end of the harvest day on Tuesday, December 23, 2025....
An overflow crowd is expected to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Eagle Awareness Weekends at Lake Guntersville State Park in January, and no one will be more excited about this achievement than Linda Reynolds and Renee Raney. Reynolds was the first naturalist at Lake Guntersville State Park and a trailblazer who, with the help of volunteers, organized the first Eagle Awareness Weekend in 1985. That inaugural event was a life-changing experience for Raney, who attended as a college student...
November 14, 2025 - The new Blankenship Event Center was unveiled during a ribbon-cutting event at the M. Barnett Lawley Forever Wild Field Trial Area, much to the surprise of Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), and his wife, Allyson. The new 5,000-square foot Blankenship Event Center is located on ADCNR's State Lands Division property at the Field Trial Area in Hale County, which has become the premier location for sporting...
As the crisp November air settles over Alabama's woodlands, thousands of hunters are gearing up for one of the state's most cherished outdoor traditions: the opening of deer gun season. Beginning Saturday, November 22, 2025, the season marks the start of a months-long pursuit of white-tailed deer across private lands and designated public hunting areas, with new regulations and zone-specific rules shaping the experience for veterans and newcomers alike. 🦌 A Season Rooted in Tradition Deer hu...
