Ground Zero: Alabama Record Bucks

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Check out this video to learn how to manage your small track of land to bag your trophy buck.

HUNTING LEASES

Hunting leases are, of course, also available within the Black Belt region.

“There are several timber companies that have lands available for lease,” Cook said. “The Westervelt Company has a large hunting lease operation, as well as Weyerhaeuser. Plum Creek was bought by Weyerhaeuser, so everything they had is run by Weyerhaeuser now. Soterra also has some land in the Black Belt. There are some smaller companies as well, but those are the biggest ones.”

Leases on Westervelt land can be found at https://westerveltwildlife.com/. Click on “Our Hunting Leases” on the upper left, then on “Available Leases” in the upper center of the page, and then select “Alabama.”

For Weyerhaeuser, go to https://www.wyrecreation.com/leases. In the upper left corner, click on “State” and select “Alabama” from the dropdown menu.

To find Soterra leases, go to http://soterraleases.com/. In the center of the page, click on “Hunting Leases” and you will get a searchable inventory for Alabama and Mississippi.

One other possible source is Rayonier. Go to http://www.rayonierhunting.com/ and click on “Find a Property” at the upper left. You’ll get a page where you can select leases to look at by state.

Timing is important here. You should start looking for a lease in late April or early May at the latest. That’s when last year’s lease holders start relinquishing properties and those properties start appearing on websites. Keep in mind that good hunting leases won’t last long on any of these sites; some of them may disappear in as little as a day. You will have to move quickly to get the one you want.

As soon as you’ve found a lease you think you like, contact the managing forester and let him know you’re interested in the property. If you think the piece of property is a real possibility for you, ask if anyone else is looking at it and try to gauge how fast you’ll need to proceed. Make sure you get on the agent’s radar so he knows you’re seriously looking at the piece of property; get out to see it as quickly as possible. Most agents will give you a few days to go look at a piece of property before they commit to someone else (unless that person is ahead of you in line and has already been to see the property).

LODGES

The Black Belt is home to more than 40 lodges that accommodate hunters for deer hunting. According to Pam Swanner, project director for the Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association, these are full-service lodges that offer everything a deer hunter could possibly want, including cutting, wrapping and freezing of meat. Although the exact services offered by these lodges varies slightly, they all provide meals, lodging, guides, and a complete hunting experience.

Lodges in the Black Belt have joined with other providers of outdoor recreation in the area to form the Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association. This non-profit organization is committed to promoting outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities in the state’s Black Belt region; their website is a one-stop destination for everything the hunter needs to know about hunting anything at one of the region’s lodges.

Access the association’s website at http://alabamablackbeltadventures.org/. Mouse over “Hunting and Fishing,” and select “Outfitters and Lodges” from the dropdown menu. You will get a list of 55 lodges located in the Black Belt, showing the activities available at each one. Each lodge name is clickable and has its own page with more information; many of those pages contain links to websites for the individual lodges.

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