A glimpse of the rebirth of Gulf State Park’s beachside facilities was revealed by Gov. Kay Ivey last week during an unveiling of the park’s Interpretive Center and East Pedestrian Bridge. Gov. Ivey, Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship and other dignitaries cut the ribbon to the entrance of the Interpretive Center and Pedestrian Bridge, two significant […]

Three species – red snapper, Eastern wild turkeys and white-tailed deer – dominated the discussion at the Alabama Conservation Advisory Board (CAB) Meeting last weekend in Tuscaloosa. With the red snapper recreational season opening on June 1, Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), thanked Marine Resources and other […]

Far from what today’s crowd calls civilization, Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship gained a new appreciation for America’s symbol of greatness. Blankenship had the honor to release a rehabilitated bald eagle into the wild at the Uchee Creek Special Opportunity Area (SOA) in rural Russell County. “Holding the eagle, I could tell she was ready to […]

The 2018 red snapper seasons for private recreational anglers and the charter fleet are finally set. Well, maybe. The recreational for-hire (federally permitted charter boats) sector season is definitely set. It will start on June 1 and run through July 21. The private recreational season (private-vessel anglers and anglers on state-licensed guide boats) is currently […]

Alabama already has the reputation as one of the best places in the nation to fish for saltwater species, especially red snapper. Now, Alabama is striving to become one of the top destinations for divers to explore numerous wrecks, scuttled vessels and our state’s unparalleled artificial reef zones.

As a turkey hunter, I am keenly aware of the threat posed by sneaking through the Alabama woods. And I’m not talking about the danger of encountering a member of the serpent family. I’m talking about something much, much smaller but possibly just as harmful. It’s the family of ticks that turkey hunters dread each […]

    A group of five scored what might be considered the lottery for hunters who want to pursue white-tailed deer in the Black Belt of Alabama. Those lucky hunters were selected in a random drawing to participate in the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division’s Adult Mentored Hunt Program. Before the weekend was […]

  With Alabama in the peak of deer season, freezers are getting full, which means it’s time to prepare some tasty venison. As a buddy and I were discussing on a trip home from a hunting excursion, venison got a bad rap back in the day because of several reasons. Most deer hunting in the […]

    Interaction between humans and black bears saw an uptick last year, and that will likely be the trend for the near future, at least in one corner of the state, according to Dr. Todd Steury of Auburn University. Funded by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resource’s Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) […]

  Unwanted guests can sometimes show up during the holiday season, but they almost always go home at some point. Unfortunately, the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division got word recently that an unwanted fish species has invaded Alabama waters, and Fisheries Section Chief Nick Nichols is afraid the silver carp wants to make […]

  Registration for the next Alabama Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) workshop opens on January 3 for first-time attendees and January 8 for both first-timers and those who have previously attended. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) sponsored event takes place at the 4-H Center near Columbiana, Ala., on March 2-4, 2018. BOW is a three-day workshop designed […]

  If you’re passionate about the outdoors and think those endeavors will be limited to a hobby or favorite pastime, think again. The University of Montevallo in central Alabama has a path to convert your outdoors activities into a career. The President’s Outdoor Scholars Program allows students to tailor their studies en route to a […]

    Despite a concerted effort by the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division’s Hunter Safety Program, Alabama deer hunters are still falling out of treestands in disturbing numbers. Plus, there has been one firearms fatality where the cardinal rule of unloading your firearm before exiting your deer stand was not followed. Seven Alabama […]

    Christmas music is wafting through the air everywhere you go these days, and the Alabama State Parks System will embrace that theme throughout December. The holiday celebrations began on Dec. 1 with Santa’s Underground Workshop at Rickwood Caverns State Park near Warrior, just north of Birmingham. Santa greeted visitors in the cave, which is decorated […]

    Bryan Nettles of Mobile is of a generation that doesn’t have the connection to the outdoors that I and my Baby Boomer hunting buddies have. We stayed outdoors and followed in our fathers’ (or mentors’) footsteps into the world of hunting, for both recreation and sustenance. However, like many from the later generations, […]

    Alabama’s motto is “We dare defend our rights,” and judging by the number of people packing heat across our state, we’re more than ready to back that up. A recent study from the Crime Prevention Research Center indicates that Alabama has the nation’s highest concentration of concealed weapon permits. The study found that […]

    The buck of your dreams steps into the open. You try to remain calm and get ready for the shot. You place the crosshairs of your trusty scope-rifle combination on the deer’s shoulder and squeeze the trigger. As the boom echoes across the bottom, the buck snaps his head to attention and then […]

  Fall is a magical time on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. The white pelicans execute their synchronized flying patterns as mullet leap for the sky for no apparent reason. In the distance, the spray from their spouts reveals a pod of dolphins on the hunt as they surround a school of baitfish. Oh, and the best […]

Yellowhammer News will begin carrying a regular weekly column by David Rainer, an award-winning outdoor writer. “David is well known and well respected among Alabama’s outdoorsmen,” said the site’s editor, J. Pepper Bryars. “He has hunted and fished across the state with some of the best in the sport, and his insights, advice, and stories […]