With less than ideal weather conditions so far this summer and the ability to closely monitor the harvest data through Snapper Check, the Alabama Marine Resources Division recently announced a five-day extension of the red snapper season that runs from August 1-5. Stormy weekends and Hurricane Barry made it more difficult for offshore anglers to […]

Public shooting ranges, already one of the best bargains around, are about to be even better as The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division, in partnership with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), offers free access to five several days during the month of August. “On Free Range Days, people don’t have to have […]

The following is the latest installment of the Alabama Power Foundation’s annual report, highlighting the people and groups spreading good across Alabama with the foundation’s support.   If you were able to travel back a couple of hundred years and visit the edge of Mobile Bay near where Helen Wood Park is today, you’d see miles […]

During his career, Dan Hendricks has seen first-hand the impact charitable foundations can have on a wide range of organizations. Retiring to picturesque Florence, Ala., after a long academic career with a final stop at the University of North Alabama, Hendricks channeled his love of the outdoors and nature toward one of our state’s greatest […]

Alabama cotton farmers will face threats to their crops this year in the form of a new virus with no known cure. WSFA-TV reports cotton leafroll dwarf virus is a new strain of cotton blue disease.

Alabama’s saltwater anglers will soon be required to abide by changes to the bag and/or length limits on several popular fish species. On August 1, the length and bag limits will change for speckled trout (spotted seatrout) and southern flounder, while the length limit will increase for cobia, also known as ling or lemonfish. Jason […]

Already a beacon of sustainability, education and eco-tourism, Alabama’s Gulf State Park is again at the forefront of providing visitors with much more than the traditional “toes in the sand” experience. In fact, the ultimate compliment has been bestowed on Gulf State Park’s Eagle Cottages by National Geographic with a Unique Lodges of the World […]

7. Montgomery parents could start paying for their kids’ crimes Montgomery City Councilman Glen Pruitt has introduced a city ordinance that would require parents be punished when their children commit a crime, which is basically a copy of an ordinance that was introduced in South Fulton, Georgia, last year. Legal transgressions committed by kids that […]

After a ride through the significant chop caused an unusual June north wind, Capt. Bobby Abruscato pulled back on the throttle and idled to one of his favorite fishing spots in Grand Bay, west of Dauphin Island. Aboard were a couple of special guests, Derrick Warfield and Kyle McCleland, who were quickly hooking fish during […]

Two significant changes are in store for those fortunate enough to be selected for a tag in the random drawing for the 2019 Alabama alligator season. The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division has created a new Coastal Zone and shifted the mandatory alligator hunting training workshop to online only. “We went from mandatory […]

Kidz Outdoors works around the year to give special-needs children across the country hunting and fishing opportunities they would otherwise not have. The Alabama Power Foundation recently presented the nonprofit with a grant that will help Kidz Outdoors continue its work. Based in Hueytown, Alabama, Kidz Outdoors has sent hundreds of kids on hunting and fishing trips. Other outdoor […]

The cast was about 2 inches too long, and the topwater fly plopped down gently on a chunk of flat rock underneath the blooming mountain laurels on the Tallapoosa River north of Lake Martin. One slight twitch of the fly rod tip and the Ol’ Mr. Wiggly fly slid into the current. The fly didn’t […]

A buddy of mine recently returned from vacation to discover what many landowners have been dealing with for the past couple of decades. “Hogs tore up my place while we were gone,” the message read. Now my friend has another tool that he can use to help minimize the impact of the scourge known as […]

A new license allowing bait to be used in the hunting of white-tailed deer and feral pigs in Alabama is now on sale. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is issuing the annual bait privilege license after a new law was passed, AL.com reported .

Hundreds of special-needs children are casting a line this week – many for the first time in their lives – at Oak Mountain State Park’s Exceptional Anglers event. The annual Gone Fishin’, Not Just Wishin’ program is celebrating its 24th year of teaching basic fishing skills to students from Jefferson and Shelby county school systems. […]

Most anglers head to the lake for relaxation and sport: Even on a bad day of fishing, one leaves in a better mood. Catching some fish – big or small – gives a feeling of accomplishment. Multiply that feeling by 100. That’s the joy felt by special-needs children from six elementary, intermediate and high schools, […]

The length and bag limits of two of Alabama’s most popular inshore fish species will likely change soon after proposals by the Alabama Marine Resources Division were approved last weekend by the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board. Under the new regulations, spotted seatrout (speckled trout) and southern flounder will have reduced bag limits to deal with […]

Attendees at last week’s Alabama Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus (ALSC) heard some impressive numbers about outdoor recreation in Alabama from Commissioner Chris Blankenship of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). The third annual luncheon sponsored by the ALSC is designed to bring outdoors organizations and constituents together with Alabama’s legislators to discuss issues […]

The Bassmaster Classic will return to Alabama next year, marking its milestone 50th annual tournament and bringing with it an economic splash that will ripple from Guntersville to Birmingham. Officials announced Monday the tournament hailed as the “Super Bowl of bass fishing” will be at Lake Guntersville with daily weigh-ins and the associated Classic Outdoors Expo at the Birmingham-Jefferson […]

Just call Adam Hickman the “bee whisperer.” After five years in the beekeeping business, Hickman has learned most of the secrets of the trade. While some folks see beekeeping as a farming practice that’s fallen out of vogue, Hickman recognizes that managing bees is necessary to food production. He calls beekeeping a needed skill that’s […]

One turkey hunter was extremely grateful that the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Law Enforcement Section has a K9 unit, although there is little public awareness of this enforcement asset. Of course, the reason few people have heard about it is this K9 unit does not fit the stereotype of large, aggressive dogs trained […]

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus on Wednesday held its third annual luncheon on the State Capitol front lawn, celebrating and advancing one of the Yellowhammer State’s most important economic engines. The luncheon perfectly captured the essence of what it means to be an Alabama sportsman, bringing that outdoorsman vibe directly to the Capitol […]

After a three-year struggle, saltwater anglers are on the cusp of a stable red snapper season with the approval of Amendment 50 by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council. Amendment 50, which goes into effect in 2020 with the approval of the secretary of Commerce, gives the five Gulf states control over each state’s […]

Thank goodness some members of the younger generation still enjoy the outdoors. If not, Joe Allen Dunn and I would have been ripe for the making of a comedy video of catfishing bloopers. Fortunately, Dunn’s son, 19-year-old Hayden, was there to save two old dudes with bum knees from stumbling around the boat as the […]