The great wheel of fortune has turned and plunged me under. After two short but great years in Montana (where I went 2/2 on public land elk!) and one year in the desert (0/0 on everything!), I'll be moving to Montgomery, Alabama for two years beginning next summer. Anyone from around there have any hunting advice? I'm assuming deer leases are the name of the game in that part of the country. I'll pay to play if that's how it works there and it gets me access. It's going to be an adjustment to go from chasing elk/deer/antelope in the mountains and wide open plains to hunting deer (and maybe pigs) out of stands and blinds.
Moving FROM Montana...to Montgomery, AL. Local advice?
- Thread starter stk
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geetar
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Idk too much about hunting there but I’ve heard the fishing both fresh and saltwater is pretty good.
A thought about leaving a state: Kansas allows current residents to purchase a "lifetime license". And then no matter your physical address, you are considered a resident for draws and tags. If Montana does this, it would be worth the benjamins to get the license.
My boy's getting old enough that I'm really hoping we can spend some quality time catching bass and bluegills. I've never caught a freshwater catfish, but maybe that's something we could get into.
Definitely plan to do some trips down in the gulf. It's about a three hour ride to Pensacola.
shrapnel
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I’ve heard Montgomery is one of the nicest sights in America, when it is in your rear view mirror.
geetar
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I’ve known people who fished Lake Guntersville in the northern part of the state for bass, catfish ect and the Gulf Shores is pretty famous for red fish.
Thank you. I'll actually be keeping Montana residency as I plan to retire there and the military lets you do that. As luck would have it, my wife grew up in Kansas and is also in the military and was a resident of Kansas when she joined. Kansas specifically allows residents who join the military and their immediate family members to buy resident licenses as long as they're in, including the lifetime license. So I need to get off my butt and buy one of those, eventually.
TheJason
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This isn’t a very positive approach to someone trying to make the best of their circumstances.
OP, thank you for your service and good luck in this new chapter of life.
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Gellar
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The only experience with Montgomery AL i have is My wife and 3 friends went to one of the friends parents condo in orange beach. They were driving straight through from Iowa. They got a flat tire in Montgomery about 2 am. Wife calls and says what do we do? I told her to lock the doors and call 911. About 8 cop cars showed up, unpacked 4 women’s luggage, changed their tire and repacked the luggage better then before on the side of I65.
LuketheDog
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It was a little funny though. My dad's Navy stories always start with "Enlist and see the world they said..."
geetar
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A Google search just out of curiosity brought on by this thread turned up this. https://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/where-hunt-alabama
You mentioned deer and pigs but that far south I wouldn’t rule out ducks if you are open to waterfowl hunting. It might be pretty good.
You mentioned deer and pigs but that far south I wouldn’t rule out ducks if you are open to waterfowl hunting. It might be pretty good.
Gerald Martin
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Good luck on your move. I would research whether you can hold MT as your residence and also buy a Kansas lifetime residence license before you do so.
I believe that MT specifically states if you hold any other resident license that you can’t buy MT resident tags.
TheJason
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There are exceptions for military folks that allow them to have multiple resident licenses. I can’t remember how lifetime licenses play in but I believe he’s be okay. Certainly worth a phone call before doing so.
Boarmaster
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My lease is about an hour and a half south of Montgomery near Greenville. Long season and theres alot of deer in AL some hogs. I’m not knowledgable about public ground hunting in AL. Different kind of hunting than Montana for sure.
I think you
The regs say I think that you must file for income tax and be registered to vote in Montana, not just having a drivers license. Please correct me if I’m wrong. A service member could have multiple in state licenses if they meet the tax laws.
RobertD
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I drove through Montgomery twice each of the past two weekends. First piece of advice: If you ever take 65 north to Birmingham, learn to time it. Traffic can be nightmarish out there.
As for hunting, I think Alabama has some features that make it somewhat underrated. You have a few different regional populations of deer with varied rut cycles, so the seasons are tricky to navigate at times but allow you a long season if you can be a bit flexible.
Near Montgomery you have two national forests, Tuskegee and the two tracts of the Talladega. Above Birmingham you have the Bankhead.
The land around Montgomery is slightly hilly with some drainage, lots of ag land and new growth timber. Up north in the Bankhead NF the hills are steeper and higher, with lots of creek and river bottoms and less ag. (Area above and around Birmingham is one of Bama's prettiest areas as it is, would be fun to hunt I think. I've only passed through.)
If you can go across the river and secure an opportunity to hunt in Georgia, from GAs bow opener to the last day of AL season you have something like five or six months of deer hunting opportunity.
Good luck on the move!
As for hunting, I think Alabama has some features that make it somewhat underrated. You have a few different regional populations of deer with varied rut cycles, so the seasons are tricky to navigate at times but allow you a long season if you can be a bit flexible.
Near Montgomery you have two national forests, Tuskegee and the two tracts of the Talladega. Above Birmingham you have the Bankhead.
The land around Montgomery is slightly hilly with some drainage, lots of ag land and new growth timber. Up north in the Bankhead NF the hills are steeper and higher, with lots of creek and river bottoms and less ag. (Area above and around Birmingham is one of Bama's prettiest areas as it is, would be fun to hunt I think. I've only passed through.)
If you can go across the river and secure an opportunity to hunt in Georgia, from GAs bow opener to the last day of AL season you have something like five or six months of deer hunting opportunity.
Good luck on the move!
Foxtrot1
Well-known member
I'm in North Alabama, about 2 hours from Montgomery. You hit the nail on the head regarding leases. Annual club memberships run the spectrum on costs, depending on size, members, amenities. The blackbelt around the Montgomery area is some of the best deer hunting in the state. We have a very generous season with 3 bucks allowed and unlimited does per season that runs 14-Oct thru mid Feb in most areas. Some private also has feral hogs. ALdeer is a decent place to look for a lease if that is the route you choose.
As far as public, there are some good/decent WMAs. Lowndes and Barbour are some of the best. If you bow hunt, the world is your oyster, and you will have them to yourself after gun season opens. The gun days are pretty crowded.
Most of the military bases have hunting programs if you have an ID. They range from crowded to good deals.
Good luck in the transition.
