The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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I’ve never been much for hiking even though some of my friends love it. And I feel the same way about camping. I’ve often said if I’m camping, there needs to be a hunting or fishing trip involved somewhere. Otherwise, I would prefer a weekend getaway in a condo and breakfast at Cracker Barrel. That idea goes for hiking as well. When I walk through the woods, I can’t help but continually scout for signs of animals I may want to hunt. I can’t imagine just walking through the woods to get to a...
How farmers can help rescue water-loving birds James Gentz has seen birds aplenty on his East Texas rice-and-crawfish farm: snow geese and pintails, spoonbills and teal. The whooping crane couple, though, he found “magnificent.” These endangered, long-necked behemoths arrived in 2021 and set to building a nest amid his flooded fields. “I just loved to see them,” Gentz says. Not every farmer is thrilled to host birds. Some worry about the spread of avian flu, others are concerned that the bir...
In its first year under the Sweet Grown Alabama banner, the Alabama Seafood Cook-Off recently continued its legacy of highlighting Alabama-grown products, especially Alabama Gulf Seafood, with delicious, innovative seafood preparations. With four teams competing for the prestigious win at The Wharf in Orange Beach, Chef Ben Rosen and Sous Chef Walker Hughes of Auburn's The Depot garnered the crown with their "Alabama Summer" dish of marinated, pecan-grilled cobia, sweet corn with Bill-E's...
Although complaints about dog deer hunting have fallen dramatically in the past several years, dog deer hunting has continued to cause conflicts, particularly around the Talladega National Forest. The Alabama Conservation Advisory Board provided Conservation Enforcement Officers with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division another tool to deal with dog deer hunters who cause problems. At the Board's meeting last week...
The motto for many turkey hunters this year is, “So close, and yet so far away.” It really is amazing sometimes how close we can be to a good gobbler and yet be unable to take a shot. More than one person has bemoaned this truth to me. I empathize with them. Just today, I got as close to a roosted tom as I possibly could without being seen. He flew down and paced the side of the hill just over the crest from where I was set up. He probably got as close as 40 yards, but I could never see him...
Tim introduced Jonathon and I to sight fishing last year, during a crappie fishing trip. Then, we only used that method for a few hours. This year’s trip was two days of this technique. And after those two days, we had nearly 100 fish in our cooler. While sight fishing has a few nuances, our method was to use the fishing-finding equipment on the boat to locate underwater structures and to identify the crappies on those structures. Once we identified them, we would cast our bait and watch for t...
This year’s turkey season was full of all kinds of different experiences. I shot and killed. I shot and missed. I witnessed lots of gobblers strutting just out of range and others close enough, but just behind me. There were four jakes that constantly came to my decoy party and would stay until I ran them off. I hunted in the cold, the heat, and the rain. Some days I walked miles and other days I set up only a few feet from my truck. At times there were so many turkeys roaming around my farm, I...
Call for Applications NOAA is establishing a cutting-edge Cooperative Institute to advance U.S. aquaculture development. NOAA invites applications from eligible universities, colleges, and research institutions to establish the Cooperative Institute Fostering Aquaculture Research and Marketing (CIFARM) to unleash the potential of American aquaculture and ocean progress. CIFARM will have a broad geographic scope and emphasize advancing aquaculture through the bold growth of research in...
May 27, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL - Pursuant to Section 9-12-46, Code of Alabama as stated by Rule 220-3-.01, the Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) announces that as of 6 a.m., Sunday, June 1, 2025, all inside waters not permanently closed by law or regulation will open for shrimp harvesting. This includes Mobile Bay, Bon Secour Bay, Mississippi Sound, Perdido Bay, Arnica Bay, Wolf Bay and Little Lagoon. Licensed live bait...
Severe weather last weekend hindered travel across the state, which limited the number of Alabama Conservation Advisory Board (CAB) members who were able to meet at Troy University for the second CAB meeting of the year. Being one member short of a quorum to conduct any official business, the CAB members were apprised of what had occurred affecting the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) since the March meeting. Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship updated...
May 24, 2025 - FLORIDA - At its May meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued an executive order to close recreational harvest of snowy grouper in state waters of the Atlantic Ocean, including all state waters off Monroe County. The 2025 recreational season will close at 12:01 a.m. on June 9, 2025, consistent with the closure in adjacent federal waters. Consistent state and federal recreational seasons for Atlantic snowy grouper will help prevent quota overages...
The Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) will reopen the Washington County Public Fishing Lake in southwest Alabama for bank fishing only on May 24, 2025. There will be no onsite manager at the lake. The lake was temporarily closed in August 2024 after the discovery of giant salvinia in the lake. Giant salvinia is one of the most aggressive aquatic plants. This fast-growing invasive species has the potential to...
May 30, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL – Governor Kay Ivey on Friday invited the public to participate in Alabama's Free Fishing Day on Saturday, June 7. The event allows residents and non-residents to enjoy the outstanding fishing Alabama has to offer without purchasing a fishing license. Free Fishing Day is part of National Fishing and Boating Week, which runs June 1-8. "From the Gulf of America to our mountain streams, our state has world-class waters that anglers from far and wide travel to e...
It was a beautiful morning. The rain was enough to get me wet, but not enough to keep me from pursuing another tom. I did, however, wait until I heard a gobble before I decided where to set up. Therefore, it was breaking day. When I began to move, I heard some hens and thought I was busted. I turned around, went back up to the top of the hill and conferred with myself to determine what plan b would be. Evidently, those hens didn’t see me. Because after a few minutes two of them showed up with t...
If you have hunted for a considerable amount of time, you can trace your evolution. While once any deer would do; soon you held your shot for something larger. But then what? I met man years ago who made recurve bows. He took each piece of wood and allowed its own characteristics to determine what it would ultimately look like. Most had some type of crook that didn’t allow a perfect product, but they were extremely effective in the hands of a skilled archer. Not only did he make these bows, b...
Opening morning of turkey season did not disappoint. Even though I never took a shot, I had lots of action. And it’s always great when you can watch a tom strut for an extended period of time. If it were not for a late morning zoom that I had to attend, I would have stayed longer, just trying to get a gobbler a little closer. But I sure am glad my local season finally opened. It seemed like it would never get here. What made it worse was just driving around and seeing all the toms already in t...
This time of year I try to spend as much time in the turkey woods as possible. Since I speak and write to a lot of hunters, I really do need to be able to tell some stories that are not too far from the past. So, I just think of April and November as the two months that I have to go back to school to do continuing education – to keep my accreditation current- to keep abreast on any new tools and techniques. (That sounds really good. I wonder if I can use that on my wife?) But in all reality, I d...
Pursuant to Section 9-12-46, Code of Alabama as stated by Rule 220-3-.01, the Marine Resources Division (MRD) of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) announces that as of 6 a.m., Thursday, May 1, 2025, all inside waters will close for commercial and recreational shrimp harvesting. All inside waters, not permanently closed by law or regulation, will reopen to shrimp harvest at 6 a.m., on Sunday, June 1, 2025. Inside waters are defined in rule 220-3-.04 as all...
May 12, 2025 - FLORIDA - Tarpon season is in full swing and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is reminding anglers to use these best fishing practices to keep silver kings reigning for generations to come. These best fishing practices were developed to help anglers quickly reel in tarpon and be set up for a successful release. From gear selection and handling techniques to proper release and shark awareness, here are the key practices every angler should know. Gear Set...
May 13, 2025 : DESTIN, FL - The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is proud to announce the 10th annual Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day on Saturday, May 17. Lionfish are an invasive species that negatively impact native marine life and their habitat. Everyone is invited to celebrate LRAD at this year's Lionfish Festival, which will be held May 17–18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT at HarborWalk Village in Destin. This 2-day outdoor festival is free, open to the public and will...
May 9, 2025 - The inaugural Outdoor Recreation Summit was recently held at Lake Guntersville State Park, where more than 200 attendees discussed how to share Alabama's natural wonders with the rest of the nation and world. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey established the Alabama Innovation Commission in 2020, and its goals included highlighting the many assets Alabama has to offer in recruiting businesses, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and other talent to our great state. Innovate Alabama is the offshoo...
May 13, 2025 - The Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, State Lands Division, assists various state agencies in auctioning five-year hunting leases on land tracts across the state. A live public auction for the current bid cycle will be held on May 31, 2025. The 2025 bid notice, sample hunting lease, hunting tract listing, and hunting tract maps, all of which are downloadable at the state's website. To download a sample hunting lease and more information visit their website:...
May 14, 2025 - Florida's reef fish need good data to stay sustainable. That's where you come in! The State Reef Fish Survey helps @MyFWC track populations across the state. Your input makes a difference. https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/FLFFWCC/bulletins/3e05eb9 #FWCResearch #marineresearch #Florida #ReefFish FWC marks 5 years of the State Reef Fish Survey, advancing sustainable fisheries through data-driven efforts The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) c...
Charlie Gray of Dauphin Island has been appointed to the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board by Governor Kay Ivey. Gray will complete the current term for Gary Wolfe of Fairhope, who resigned from the board in April 2025. A native of Dauphin Island, Gray is a 1988 graduate of the University of South Alabama. He is the Vice President and Manager of Underwriting for Surety Land Title, Inc., in Mobile. Gray comes to the Board with more than 45 years of experience fishing the Gulf Coast and is an...
For the third year in a row, the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail has been chosen as the top recreational trail in the country in the 2025 USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. The 29-mile multi-use trail connects Gulf State Park with Gulf Shores and Orange Beach in Baldwin County. The awards were announced Wednesday, April 16. "This year's win is especially exciting as we celebrate the Year of Alabama Trails," said Matthew Capps, State Parks Director for the Alabama Department of...
