Alabama says baiting game remains illegal

Despite rumors claiming otherwise, Alabama officials are emphatic about hunting game over bait: it’s illegal, a recent posting on the Alabama Farm Bureau's website said.

“There is a rumor being passed around that we’re allowing hunting over bait because of the drought, and that is absolutely not true,” Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Director Chuck Sykes said in the article.

Because of the drought, wildlife food plots are far from thriving and some Alabama hunters have been attempting to increase their chances of a successful hunt by “baiting.”

These actions have been confirmed by numerous calls to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) as well as through aerial surveillance.

ADCNR uses aircraft to conduct wildlife surveys as well as assists law enforcement in surveillance efforts. As of late, the aerial surveys have discovered and documented many illegal bait sites.

“In just a two-hour period, we documented more than 50 illegal bait sites in one county,” Sykes said. “So we know it’s a problem, and our officers will be writing tickets for this violation. I know hunters are frustrated their food plots greened up late – or not at all – because of the drought, but that doesn’t change our hunting laws.”
The state’s “area definition” regulation allows for supplemental feeding, but not baiting game and applies to deer and feral swine hunting on private land.

The regulation requires a “rebuttable presumption” that any food or bait “located beyond 100 yards and not within the line of sight of the hunter” meaning the area is hidden from view by natural vegetation or terrain, is not a lure.