BLACK WARRIOR WMA
If you want an even better way to really get away from the crowd, consider hunting this area, possibly one of the best early-season public tracts in the state.

"Black Warrior WMA, located in Winston and Lawrence counties near Moulton, is one of the largest WMAs in Alabama," Guyse said.

This 97,953-acre state-managed reserve is on land owned by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the 180,000-acre Bankhead National Forest. In the center of the WMA lie the 25,986 acres of the federally designated Sipsey Wilderness Area. Much of the tract is covered with rough hill and valley terrain and features dense undergrowth.

"Black Warrior WMA has a good road system outside the wilderness area," Guyse remarked. "The wilderness area is pristine, with only a few hiking trails going through it."

If you plan to head to the areas in which the deer take refuge once hunting season opens, you'll need a strong back, as no motorized equipment is allowed in the wilderness area, and all travel is by foot. The effort required to get off the beaten path can pay off, however, since some of the biggest deer taken on public land in Alabama come from Black Warrior WMA.

"We have an unusual population of deer at Black Warrior," Guyse said. "The deer came from several northern states back in the 1920s. The deer population on this WMA never has exploded as it has on most WMAs in the state. Although numbers have always been on the low side, the habitat and the amount of available food has always been good. Because of the light hunting pressure, the bucks have a better chance of growing in to the older age-classes and sporting bigger racks."

The rut arrives early at Black Warrior WMA and usually ends by January. Obviously, this is an apt place for using rutting tactics during an early-season hunt.

"Because this area is so big," Guyse stated, "when we have gun hunts at Black Warrior, we only hunt half the area at a time. When we've tried to hunt the entire area at one time, the hunters have spread out so much that they can't keep the deer moving enough to be successful!"

The sparseness of the Black Warrior herd has led the ADWFF to introduce surplus deer from south Alabama into the tract in recent years. It's hoped this stocking will lead to expanded numbers of animals.

"This hope hasn't been realized yet," Guyse reported. "We were experimenting with the genetics of the Black Warrior herd and hoping to improve the pool so that the herd could grow. But as of today, we haven't seen much change in the growth of this herd."

The Black Warrior deer herd hasn't diminished: It just hasn't grown as fast as have populations at public areas in other sections of the Cotton State. On the other hand, the low density of whitetails makes room for some sizeable bucks.

"I'd say your chances of taking a buck at Black Warrior aren't as high as at some of the other WMAs," Guyse admitted. "But if you do take a buck at Black Warrior, your chances are extremely good of his being nice."