Merry Christmas!

I hope you are having a Merry Christmas! It is a great time of year. A chance to celebrate Christmas with our loved ones, eat great food, take a few days off of work, an opportunity to deer hunt, but most importantly to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I certainly hope you are having much success this deer season. Quite frankly, I have not been able to get out in the woods as much as I would have hoped so far this deer season. From the guys I have talked with in south Alabama this season, there have been some deer taken even though there might not be that many great bucks harvested as in years past.

The temperatures have fluctuated wildly over the last couple of weeks and been rather warm to see any deer movement. I went hunting the other morning in a swamp off of the Conecuh River in Pike County and did not see a thing. Partly because of the warmer temperatures and the misting rain, but I went anyway. I did see a ton of wood ducks and heard a few wild hogs squealing a few hundred yards away from me. Even though I did not get anything, it was still good to get in the woods.

If your season has not gone as planned, take heart! We are about to enter into, arguably the best month of deer season, January. I have always taken my best bucks in the month of January. Usually, January will have colder temps, which makes for better hunting. So enjoy the holidays and hang in there if you haven't taken any deer yet. If you have any photos please email them to yellowhammeroutdoors@yahoo.com and we will post them on our website at www.yellowhammeroutdoors.com so everyone can see your trophy.

Until next time, God bless.

Wes Allen

Opening week

Bow season is here. Deer hunters from all over the state of Alabama have been practicing with their bows for a while now. Bow season in Alabama today, October 15 and continues until January 31. Gun season begins November 22 running through January 31.

Don’t forget about the new buck regulations that were implemented last season. There is a three buck limit per hunter with bare antlers visible above the hairline. In addition, one of the three must have 4 antler points one inch or longer on one antler. The only exception to this rule is in Barbour County. All bucks taken in Barbour County must have at least three points on one antler. An antler point is a projection of at least one inch.

When you harvest the bucks don’t forget to document your animal on the back of your hunting license.

Does are running everywhere. As responsible sportsmen, we need to make sure we have balance to our state deer herd. That means taking a good number of does. I know sometimes it seems like a hassle, but if we want to see more good bucks we must harvest does. Does can be harvested from bow season (Oct. 15) throughout the end of gun season, January 31st.
I certainly hope we get the much needed rain this week to help spur the growth of the green fields that a lot of guys want to get planted or have already planted. It is extremely dry and we need some rain. Until next time, God bless.

Getting Ready

The cooler temperatures we have been experiencing the last few days has been great, not to mention that it let’s me know that deer season is not far away. Trudging through the days, daydreaming about deer season is misery.

But, before all the hunting can begin we must do our homework. This means getting food plots ready to go, cleaning out the shooting houses, cutting limbs away from the ladder stands and any other work that comes along with deer season.

Speaking of food plots, I am currently preparing green fields for the upcoming season (I hope it rains soon). It all started back in July when I took soil samples from the various fields I wanted to plant. I got the sample boxes and paperwork from my local extension office and after I collected the samples, I sent them off to Auburn to have reviewed and analyzed.

I received the soil sample tests back about 5 days later and know what the pH levels are for each field and exactly how much lime and fertilizer I need to apply. This early work will also insure that your green fields will turn out great. You don’t want to invest a lot of time, diesel fuel, wear and tear on your tractor, seed and fertilizer if you have not done your homework.
I hope your deer hunting adventures go very well this season, it won’t be long. Please be mindful to be careful, you have people who care about you. Until next time, God bless.

Special Thanks

I want to thank all the radio affiliates who air Yellowhammer Outdoors. A list of the affiliates can be found under the affiliates link of www.yellowhammeroutdoors.com.

Thanks so much to all these good people who took a chance on my outdoor radio feature in December of 2006. I would also like to thank the Alabama Forestry Association and the Alabama Forests Forever Foundation for their sponsorship this year. Special thanks as well to Chris Isaacson and Rick Oates of the Alabama Forestry Association for their help and support.

Take care.

Summer Fishing

As we get deeper into the summer it makes it harder to fish on up into the day because of the heat. However, the fish are biting in a few ponds that I have access to in southeast Alabama. I went early one morning, not too long ago about daylight. I fished until about 8:30 AM and it had gotten hot! I brought home several fish to put in hot grease for a good dinner.

Take care.

Turkey Season wrap-up

Well, turkey season has ended. I had a tough season but ended the season with a bang. On the last morning of the season I harvested a good turkey. He flew right off the roost with another long beard and gobbled, strutted, drummed and spit the whole way to me. I let him get to about 15 steps.

Until next season, we'll have to go fishing. I can't wait.

I will be hosting a live one hour call-in outdoors show from WQSI 93.9 FM in Auburn on Thursday, May 8th beginning at 7 PM. So if you can hear this strong FM in the area I hope you tune in.

Take care!

Turkey hunting in early April

I haven't been able to go turkey hunting as much as I would have liked this 2008 season, however I have been able to slip off a couple of times lately.

I haven't gotten a longbeard yet, but I have called up a jake and 3 hens on separate occasions. It is my hope that it will cool off just a little, as these 79-80 degree days lately have been too hot for my comfort.

We'll report back soon.

Wes

We have a new sponsor!!

We are pleased to announce that the Alabama Forestry Association has agreed to be the primary sponsor for Yellowhammer Outdoors with Wes Allen. We look forward to a long-lasting partnership AFA. Please visit their site. Let's work together to protect our largest natural resource...our forests and woodlands. WEBSITE: http://www.alaforestry.org/

We also are partnering with the Alabama Forest Forever Foundation. The goal of the campaign is to educate the public about Alabama’s forests and show how proper forest management can balance the need to protect the environment with the need to produce products made from trees. Please take a few minutes to their site... http://www.alaforestsforever.org/

Bass Tournament in Dempolis, AL

I had the opportunity to fish a bass tourney with my father-in-law on Saturday, March 22nd. We had a plan to hit the creeks thinking that the fish are moving up into the warmer waters to spawn. It was a tough day, only catching 3 keepers that measured 14 inches.

We caught 2 keepers on a spinner bait and 1 keeper on a Texas rigged plastic lizard. The weigh-in was at the Dempolis City Landing at 3 PM. It appeared it was a tough day for everyone else as well. It only took 13 lbs. to win the tourney.

Later.

Welcome to the "NEW" Yellowhammer Outdoors BLOG!

I appreciate your interest in my show and my website. I have set up this blog so that I can share tidbits of information with those who visit. In addition, I hope to learn more from each of you about the great outdoors. I will continue to add posts and links to this blog that I think are informative and helpful to those of you who love the outdoors here in Alabama.

In the meantime, please email me at yellowhammeroutdoors@yahoo.com if you have comments, ideas, or suggestions about the show and/or the website. Please hang in there with me as I learn to "BLOG!" Hunting and fishing sure are easier.

I look forward to adding to this blog in the months and years to come!

Now, let's turn off the computer and go outdoors!

Wes Allen