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Official Publication of the ACEOA
ACEOA Magazine •
ACE Magazine is the official publication of theAlabama Conservation Enforcement OfficerAssociation. Purchase of advertising spacedoes not entitle the advertisers to any privilegesor favors from members. ACE Magazine doesnot assume responsibility for statements offact or opinion made by any contributor.This magazine is created and produced byBrent-Wyatt West. Copyright 2016.All rights reserved.
WWW.ACEOA.ORG WINTER 2016
in this issue...2016 – 2017 State Officers and Directors ....................................... 3
From the President ........................................................................ 5
From the Trenches ........................................................................ 7
Annual 2015 Scholarships ............................................................. 9
A Special Deer Hunt ..................................................................... 11
Combat Wounded Warriors ........................................................ 17
CEO’s and Tree Stands in Coosa County ..................................... 19
Hunters Complete Survey ............................................................ 23
Kid’s Korner ................................................................................ 27
Outdoors With Friends ................................................................ 29
Sheepshead Fishing ..................................................................... 33
ACEOA Post Hunt Report ............................................................. 37
Feathers, Fins, and Furs Outdoor Event ....................................... 41
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Continues To Be A Problem ............. 45
Limestone County Youth Dove Hunt ............................................ 51
The Rusty Chronicles .................................................................. 57
I Hate Litter ................................................................................. 63
Criminal Littering Cases in 2014 .................................................. 67
Red Snapper Management ........................................................... 73
Wildlife Cooperatives Can Increase Hunting Success ................... 79
E.V. Smith 2015 Youth Dove Hunt ................................................ 81
Meaher State Park Receives Improvements .................................. 83
Advertisers Index ...................................................................... 167
Business Directory .................................................................... 173
EDITOR:
Gayle Morrow
PUBLISHER:
Brent-Wyatt West
8436 Crossland Loop, Suite 207
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
SALES OFFICES:
Chris Banks / Jim Downing
8436 Crossland Loop, Suite 207
Montgomery, A labama 36117
(334) 213-6229
ON THE COVER
Each year the ACEOA sponsors
numerous events for children,
women, or challenged hunters
or fishermen. (see page 41)
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ACEOA Magazine • 3
2016 – 2017 ACEOA State Officers
Executive DirectorRusty Morrow (Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Enforcement Retired)
2016 – 2017 ACEOA State OfficersHeath Walls – President • Vance Wood – Vice President • Rick Smith – Secretary/Treasurer
DISTRICT IErnie Stephens – Director • Wendell Fulks – Associate Director
BLOUNT , COLBERT , CULLMAN , F AYETTE, F RANKLIN , L AMA R, L AUDERDALE, L AWRENCE, LIMESTONE, M ADISON , M ARION , MORGAN , W ALKER, W INSTON
DISTRICT IIScott Kellenberger – Director • Jerry Fincher – Associate Director • Joel Glover – Associate Director
C ALHOUN , CHAMBERS, CHEROKEE, CLAY , CLEBURNE, COOSA, DEK ALB, ETOWAH, J ACKSO N , M ARSHALL, R ANDOLPH, ST . CLAIR, T ALLADEGA , T ALL APOO SA
DISTRICT IIICliff Robinson – Director • Clint Tyus – Associate Director • Marcus Rowell – Associate Director
AUTAUGA, B IBB, CHILTON , D ALLAS, GREENE, H ALE, JEFFERSON , LOWNDES, P ERRY , P ICKENS, SHELBY , SUMTER, T USCALOOSA
DISTRICT IVTim Ward – Director • Patrick Norris – Associate Director • Brad Gavins – Associate Director
B ARBOUR, BULLOCK , COFFEE, COVINGTON , CRENSHAW , D ALE, ELMORE, GENEVA, HENRY , HOUSTON , LEE, M ACON , MONTGOMERY , P IKE, RUSSELL
DISTRICT VEdward “Bo” Willis – Director • Joe Goddard – Associate Director
B ALDWIN , BUTLER, CHOCTAW , CLARKE, CONECUH, ESCAMBIA, M ARENGO, MOBILE, MONROE, W ASHINGTON , W ILCOX
ACE MagazineGayle Morrow – Editor
For questions about your District Director, ACEOA, or membership contact:Rusty Morrow, P.O. Box 74, Lowndesboro, AL, 36752, (334) 391–9113, [email protected]
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ACEOA Magazine • 5
From the PresidentBy Lt. Heath Walls
Iwant to thank everyone that supports our Alabama
Conservation Enforcement Officers Association.
Whether you buy an ad in our magazine, make
donations, or join as a member you help sponsor several
worthy causes. As an associa-
tion, we assist our officers by
providing support in times of
need. We provide a benefit to
the family of a member/officerif he or she is killed in the line
of duty. We give to families of
other law enforcement agen-
cies in similar situations. We
give five scholarships to our
member/officers or their imme-
diate family each year and
one scholarship to an associ-
ate member. We also sponsor
numerous events each year
that give kids, disabled kids,and disabled veterans a chance
to participate in hunting and
fishing events.
I also want to thank all of
our officers for everything they
do on a daily basis. They work hard every day to protect
our natural resources and ensure that future generations
have access to all the opportunities we have today. Also,
they often find themselves in the role of first responders;
assisting with injuries, directing traffic, and occasionally
saving lives depending on what the situation demands.
Check out our website ACEOA.org and watch the “Beyond
the Basics” video to see some of our officers in action
Also, like us on Facebook to see what our association
has been doing lately.
We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable hunting
season. Good luck in the woods and on the water.
Thank you again for your continued support of ACEOA
your local Conservation Officer, and the Department o
Conservation. l
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ACEOA Magazine • 7
From the TrenchesBy Rusty Morrow, ACEOA Executive Director
W ell another deer season has passed. Our officers
have been busy and all managed to stay well.
The Marine Resource Division is gearing up for
their busy time of the year along the coast.
My deer season was very uneventful. When you
hunt low land in Lowndes County, monsoon rains play
a major role in how much property you have left to hunt
and I didn’t have much. Wasn’t unusual to head out for
a morning or afternoon hunt and see nothing but waterthat was supposed to be land.
I did work with my surrounding Wardens during the
season since we had no Game Warden in Lowndes County
for most of the season. Officer Tarrell Connor retired and
it left the county wide open. It was good to be able to
help. I have, over the past years, maintained my APOST
certification that gives me arrest power.
This issue of ACE Magazine features our fall and winter
events. As you can see, it is a very busy time for ACEOA.
We are able to expose a lot of kids to the outdoors in
the events and the rewards are great. We see manyhappy faces.
Please enjoy these articles and remember it couldn’t hap-
pen without our corporate sponsors. I can’t tell you
enough how much we appreciate your support.
There is one story in this magazine that you will find
quite amusing. Keith Mickle and I were hired on the
same day in August of 1983. We were both assigned to
Lowndes County. He had a Police background (Decatur
P.D.). Lowndes County had a lot of turmoil during these
times. Both Game Wardens had been fired and we were
assigned to fix the problems and I think fix the departmen
image. These are stories for another time.
You will see Keith has quite an imagination and it
comes out in his writing. I’ve always liked the term “crazy
as a run over dog.” I will not spoil it for you whether this
story is fact or fiction. I will tell you he does hunt deer in
Alabama with a 375H-H magnum. I’ve heard the BOOMin the adjoining swamp. It’s not something you forget.
At print time the House of Representatives passed the
Deer Bait Bill. I’m sure the Senate has the same plans
It’s an amazing time that those houses have nothing else
to worry about than deer. I have an opinion but I’ll refrain
at this time. I am ashamed that our department and the
hunters have such a low regard for the recommendations
of our Wildlife Biologists. I was a warden for twenty five
years and my job was to protect the wildlife resource o
Alabama. When we shift to providing for the hunter, and
not protecting the resource, problems will arise.Please enjoy this magazine and when finished pass it
one to a friend. Our Spring issue will feature the BADF
Life Hunt.
Thank you again for your support.
I’ll sign out with this Quote …
So often time it happens, we all live our life in chains
and we never even know we have the key. ~ The Eagles
“Already Gone” l
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ACEOA Magazine • 9
Megan Leigh Kellenberger
ACEOA awarded the Lance Horner
Memorial Scholarship, a member
scholarship, to Meg, daughter ofSherri (a kindergarten teacher in
Scottsboro City Schools) and CEO
Scott Kellenberger of Scottsboro,
Alabama.
Meg is currently a senior attending
Samford University in Birmingham.
She is a Psychology major and plans
to pursue a master’s degree in social
work. Meg serves as the president
of Diversability, a student organiza-
tion dedicated to improving cam-pus access to students and guests
with disabilities.
Congratulations, Meg, and best
wishes to you.
Justin Knight
ACEOA awarded the Jimmy Hutto
Memorial Scholarship, a member
scholarship, to Justin, son of Carla
Knight, Chief School Finance Officer
at Franklin County BOE and CEO
Rodney Knight.Justin graduated from Phil
Campbell High School in 2013 and
later attended Marion Military
Institute where he received his
Associates degree in 2015. He also
received his commission as a Second
Lieutenant in the United States Army.
He is currently a Platoon Leader of
the 1st Squadron, 98th Calvary in the
Mississippi National Guard.
Justin is a junior majoring inWildlife Ecology and Management
at Auburn University. His future
plans are to graduate from Auburn
in December of 2017, remain in the
National Guard, and begin his career
in the field of Wildlife Conservation
and Management.
Congratulations, Caleb, and best
wishes to you.
Austin A. Robinson
ACEOA awarded the James Vines
Memorial Scholarship, a member
scholarship, to Austin, son of LtCliff Robinson.
Austin is currently a senior
studying Mechanical Engineering
at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University. He is also a Cadet Major
in the Air Force Reserve Officer
Training Corp. When he graduates
he wishes to join the intelligence
career field in the Air Force and pos-
sibly work for the FBI or CIA after his
years of service.During this past summer, Austin
participated in Project Global Officer
Through this program he was able
to travel to Tanzania to study East
African culture and history, sus-
tainable design and development
and Kiswahili.
Congratulations, Austin, and bes
wishes to you.
Annual 2015 Scholarships Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officer Association
Scholarship rules can be found on the ACEOA website at www.aceoa.org
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ACEOA Magazine • 1
A Special Deer HuntBy Jane Rogers
F riday afternoon, November
14, 2015, in Ramer, Alabama,
a group of six families met
for the first time. Along with the
six hunters, parents and siblings
there were six hunter escorts, two
representatives from the Alabama
Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources, Chris Litton andPhillip West with the City of Orange
Beach, and other volunteers.
The goals for the hunt were: to
promote gun/hunter safety and
awareness, to provide a youth hunt-
er with the opportunity to harvest
a deer, enjoy time outdoors hunting
and fishing. Three of the hunters
were friends of Children’s Hospital
in Birmingham, and the other three had not had the
opportunity to harvest a deer due to a range of fam-ily situations.
Anticipation grew as the sun set and temperature
dropped. It seemed everything was coming together forcontinued on 13
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A SPECIAL DEER HUNT – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 13
a perfect opportunity to harvest some deer for these kids.
All gathered around the outdoor fire pit for an exten-
sive hunter safety discussion led by Chris Litton and
Conservation Officer Kirk Smith. The inexperienced hunt-
ers had a shooter safety course the Wednesday before to
acclimate with their rifles. They clearly understood the
how and why of gun/hunter safety when this was over.
Next each hunter escort was paired
up with a very excited youth hunter
Deer stands were assigned and it wastime for dinner and s’mores.
The morning hunt came fast and
early but no deer came back to the
camp. Each hunter experienced
the beauty of deer in the field, but
because of limited line of sight or age/
size of deer the kids were unable to
shoot. The afternoon hunt was bet-
ter with a nice doe coming back with
a proud hunter. One disappointed
hunter was unable to find the deerhe thought he shot.
The beauty of the weekend was
that all involved left with a new group
of friends. The volunteers were the
key in making this event possible. Many thanks to Chris
Litton with the City of Orange Beach, Phillip West with the
City of Orange Beach and Backcountry Trail Foundation
Rusty Morrow with Alabama Conservation Enforcemen
Officer Association, Officer Kirk Smith, Officer Vance
Wood, Lt. Colonel Chris Lewis with Alabama Conservation
continued on 15
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A SPECIAL DEER HUNT – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 15
and Natural Resources, Mike Guillotte taxidermist and
Hunter Ed instructor Mobile County, Sergeant Major
Bennie McCord Retired, and Travis Motichek with CraneWorks. Many of our volunteers missed work on Friday
to attend and we thank them. We would also like to
thank Comfort Inn Suites Montgomery Airport, Coleman
Inc. Foley, Buckmasters, and The Backcountry Trail
Foundation for their support of this event.
Certainly there were other Youth Hunts conducted
around Alabama, but as the government continues to
reduce money allotted for the education of safety for young
hunters, the importance of programs like this grows. ChrisLitton is organizing a group to complete a non-profit orga-
nization dedicated to provide opportunities for youth to
broaden their horizons for hunting and fishing in our grea
state. Please contact him if you are interested in support-
ing this venture. [email protected] l
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ACEOA Magazine • 17
Combat Wounded WarriorsBy Tim Ward
The ACEOA funds have gone to good use recently. The Combat Wounded Warriors just hosted their third group of veterans in
Harrisburg, Arkansas. They will host a total of six hunts to wel l deserved “warriors.” This picture was taken on Ja nuary 10, 2016
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ACEOA Magazine • 19
CEO’s and Tree Stands
in Coosa County By Joel D. Glover
W hat does a Conservation
Enforcement Officer (CEO) do
and how do they do it? This
question was answered in large part at the
recent Coosa County Landowners Tour. The
tour was hosted by Mr. Bill Dark and wassponsored by the Alabama Conservation
Enforcement Officers Association (ACEOA)
and the Coosa County Forestry Planning
Committee (CCFPC).
Coosa County Conservation Enforcement
Officers Stewart Abrams and Drake Hayes
were featured speakers on the tour. Each
officer gave a brief introduction and then
discussed the role of a CEO. Emphasis was
placed on the need for landowners who
are experiencing hunting related problemsto make their officer aware of it. The officers explained
that each officer in the state is tasked with covering
a huge amount of territory. While they attempt to cover
the entire county, receiving good information from the
public will greatly enhance their effectiveness. The offi-
cers discussed some of the most common law violations
and the penalties imposed on violators
Landowners were provided a sheet with
the officers contact information and some
instruction on what to do or not to do in
the event they observed violations taking
place. Landowners were advised not to
attempt to apprehend violators due to the
danger involved. They were encouragedto be a good witness, collecting perti-
nent information and calling authorities
immediately. The officers fielded severa
questions from the group.
One of the least enjoyable segments
of an officer’s job is working a hunting
accident. By far the most common type
of accident that occurs involves falling
continued on 21
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CEO’S AND TREE STANDS IN COOSA COUNTY – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 2
from an elevated platform or tree stand. I spoke with
the group concerning the use of tree stands in hunting
and encouraged them to require that anyone hunting froman elevated platform on their property utilize a proper
safety device. I explained how that in the past week CEO
Drake Hayes and I had responded to the call of a hunter
who had fallen from his tree stand and suffered a bro-
ken back and leg. He was not found for over 36 hours.
This led in to a talk by Alabama Forestry Commission
Ranger Ricky Porch concerning the importance of letting
someone know where you are hunting and how you can
enhance your safety using a GPS unit. Following this the
members of the Kellyton Fire and Rescue Team conducted
a rescue of the victim of a simulated tree stand accident
We appreciate the ACEOA for sponsoring this oppor-
tunity to provide this type of pertinent information tothe public. l
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ACEOA Magazine • 23
Hunters Complete Survey By David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Photos by David Rainer
T he white-tailed deer still reigns supreme for
Alabama’s hunters. The Alabama Wildlife and
Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division’s recent email
survey confirms that fact without question.
WFF sent the email survey to 127,000 hunting license
holders who bought their licenses online. A total of 12,801
of the email recipients responded to the survey.
“That’s 10 percent, which from everything I candetermine is very strong,” said WFF Director Chuck
Sykes. “For example, Mississippi sent a similar survey
to 267,000 hunters and got 15,000 surveys back. We got
back more than 12,000, so I thought that was a pretty
good response.”
To illustrate how many hunters pursue white-tailed
deer in Alabama, of those 12,801 respondents, 98 percen
indicated they hunted deer. Ninety-four percent indicated
they had hunted deer in the last two years. Turkey hunters
were not as widespread, with 56 percent indicating they
were turkey hunters.
“Pretty much anybody who hunts in Alabama is going
to hunt deer,” Sykes said. “That didn’t surprise me. Thisjust proves how important deer hunting is to the state
It is what drives the bus, which is why it is so important
that we get data that we can manage by.”
The survey was made up of 12 questions, ranging
from deer and turkey hunting participation to opinions
on mandatory harvest reporting. Visit www.outdoorala-
bama.com/january-2016-hunter-survey-results for com-
plete results.
The answer choices for the questions about whether
the hunters supported the mandatory harvest reporting
of deer and turkeys were support, oppose and neithersupport/nor oppose.
The responses from deer hunters on that question
showed that 54 percent indicated support, 23 percent
were opposed and 23 percent were undecided. Turkey
hunters indicated support of 48 percent with only 18
percent opposed and 34 percent undecided.
“To me, the percentage of support between turkey
hunters and deer hunters was about the same,” Sykes
said. “You were either against it, in my opinion, or you
were for it. If you didn’t have an opinion, that mean
you didn’t care and it was OK to do it. That’s the wayI look at it. Turkey hunters were at about 80 percent tha
supported it or didn’t care, and deer hunters were at 78
percent. The way I look at it, virtually 80 percent of the
people who responded to the survey did not oppose
mandatory data collection. It is a vocal minority tha
opposes this.”
Because of some crossover voting from hunters who
pursued game on both public and private land, the
continued on 25
The turkey-hunting activity isn’t nearly as
widespread as deer hunting i n the state.
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HUNTERS COMPLETE SURVEY – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 25
percentage of private-land hunters was 91 percent and
public-land hunters, 13 percent.
“That did not surprise me one bit,” Sykes said. “About95 percent of the land in the state is privately owned,
so that is what I would expect. More than 90 percent of
the hunters hunt on private land, which is another rea-
son we can gather data all we
want on the WMAs (Wildlife
Management Areas), but the
survey shows the portion of
hunting that goes on there.
It’s not much. That’s why we
have to have hunters on pri-
vate land help us with thisdata. We cannot do it by sam-
pling WMA hunters.”
WFF proposed mandatory
harvest reporting through the
Game Check program three
years ago, but opposition led
to the implementation of a vol-
untary reporting system.
Sykes said he has proof that
the voluntary reporting system
did not receive anywhere nearthe support he had hoped.
In those three years of vol-
untary reporting, WFF gener-
ated reports from just after
the Christmas holidays. On
December 31, 2013, there had been 11,552 deer harvest
reports. On December 29, 2014, the reports had dwindled
to 7,408. By December 28, 2015, only 6,341 people had
used Game Check to report deer harvests.
“Voluntary reporting does not work,” Sykes said. “The
participation steadily went downhill. It’s human nature.If you’re not required to do something, more than likely
you’re not going to do it.
“I don’t want this department held responsible for
managing such an important resource, which accounts
for billions of dollars in economic impact to the state, on
a guess. In this day and time, with the technology at our
fingertips, that’s unacceptable. We need data to manage
it properly.”
Sykes said those who oppose mandatory harvest
reporting mistakenly say the reason behind Game Check
is so the Enforcement Section can write more tickets fo
hunting violations.“Hunters are the ones who want the laws to be
enforced,” he said. “I hear it every day. The ones abid-
ing by the laws, like the three-buck limit, are wanting to
make sure their neighbors are
doing the same thing. They are
the ones who are crying out
for enforcement.
“We want the data. But the
two go hand-in-hand. We ge
the data we need, and they get
the enforcement. Everybodywins, especially the resource.”
Sykes said there is a perfec
example of what mandatory
reporting can achieve on the
Alabama Gulf Coast with red
snapper data.
“Look at the success of
Snapper Check,” he said. “It
was able to prove that the
federal government overesti-
mated the snapper harvest bydouble for two consecutive
years. Basically, methodology
similar to what the feds used
on red snapper is being used
to estimate deer and turkeys
That’s unacceptable.”
Estimates of the Alabama deer herd range from 1.5
million to 2 million animals, but Sykes says those are
only rough estimates, stemming from anecdotal infor-
mation gathered from a small sample of hunter surveys
landowner visits and reports from hunting clubs.“We would like to improve our ability to inventory this
vital natural resource and also to determine the inven-
tory harvested by hunters on an annual basis to better
manage this species,” said Sykes, who pointed out tha
almost every state in the U.S. has some type of manda-
tory reporting in the form of tags, check stations, online
reporting or telephone hotlines.
“All but three states have some type of data gathering,”
he said. “I don’t want Alabama to be the last.” l
White-tailed deer hunting is on al most every hunter’s
agenda during the fall and winter in A labama.
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ACEOA Magazine • 27
Kid’s KornerBy Capt. Chris Lewis
Sarah showing off one of her bigger fish that she caught
this day. Went fishing in a pond in Macon cou nty,Keith Mann helped her pull in several nice fish.
Calista showing off her catch.
She named this on e “second serving.”
Sarah Lewis fishing on Coosa R iver at Goldstar Park in Wetumpka.
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ACEOA Magazine • 29
Outdoors With FriendsBy Greg Ricks
T he Outdoors with Friends disabled and disadvan-
tage hunt in Troy was once again a great success
despite the hot weather that was given to us on
December 11 & 12, 2015. We had a new record atten-
dance of 54 qualified participants to hunt with us. This
year we had hunters from Georgia, Florida, Mississippi
and Alabama. A total of 10 Bucks and 15 Doe were har-
vested. With the biggest Buck being an 8-point taken
by Wounded Warrior participant Joe Calley, he receiveda free shoulder mount. We had a great time of fellowship
and sharing Gods word with everyone. Chad and James
Hampton of The Twin Factor TV show which airs on The
Pursuit Channel were our guest speakers. They were able
to gather footage from the hunts during the event to show
on a future episode.
We would not be able to offer these individuals al
the things we do on these hunts if it were not for great
sponsors like the ACEOA. With their help we gave away
Caps, Bibles, Flashlights and a couple of Yeti Coolers ascontinued on 31
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OUTDOORS WITH FRIENDS – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 3
door prizes. Sunday school rooms are opened up again
for individuals who are unable to pay for hotels. We are
already looking forward to next year’s event. If anyone is
interested in this ministry feel free to contact Greg Ricks
(334) 465-5542. Thank you ACEOA. l
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ACEOA Magazine • 33
Sheepshead FishingBy David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,
Photos by David Rainer
I t was one of those fish-
ing trips that didn’t fill the
ice chest with trophy fish,
but it will forever be etched in
my memory.
Although there was still a chill
in the air, I decided to see if
I could locate a few speckledtrout for dinner several years
ago on a solo trip in Mobile Bay.
After hitting all of my usual
trout spots, I didn’t have a single
fish in the ice chest. Reconciled
to the fact that it might be burg-
ers on the grill instead of fried
fish for dinner, I had to pass
near the Grand Hotel on the
Eastern Shore.
Because of a significant sea-wall that surrounds the west side
of the hotel property, a series
of rock jetties are in place to
break up the waves and protect
the seawall.
Numerous casts around the
rocks with trout baits produced
zero fish. If I was going to fire up the fish cooker, I had to
come up with a different plan.
I’ve always found it prudent to bring along some natu-
ral bait on saltwater fishing trips when possible. I hada quart bag of fresh dead shrimp in the ice chest and
decided to give that a try.
I rigged a spinning reel with a 1/2-ounce slip sinker,
swivel, 1-foot length of leader and a No. 1 hook. I impaled
a piece of shrimp onto the hook and tossed it toward the
rock jetty.
Within seconds, I felt a tug on the line. I tightened
up the slack and set the hook. The fight was on and it
was quickly apparent from the vertical stripes I could
see flashing under the water
that I had hooked a sheepshead
a species that spends late winter
and early spring near inshore
structure in the coastal waters
of the Gulf of Mexico.
After finally traversing the
rocks to get the fish into openwater, I scooped it up with
the net and tossed it into the
ice chest.
The next foray into the rocks
led to one of those outcomes
anglers have to deal with when
fishing for sheepshead, nick-
named bandit fish or convict
fish. I reeled in a glistening
baitless hook. Obviously, the
“convict fish” comes from thefish’s striped appearance. The
“bandit fish” moniker comes
from the sheepshead’s ability
to steal your bait. It can pick
a shrimp off the hook with
barely a jiggle in the line.
If you toss a piece of bait into
a sheepshead haunt and don’t get a bite within a couple
of minutes, you might as well reel it in because you have
been robbed.
Another tip is to always carry plenty of sinkers, leadersand hooks because you are going to lose some tackle
when you’re fishing around barnacle-encrusted rocks
pilings or petroleum rigs. You might also have to use
15-pound line instead of the usual 10- or 12-pound line
Fluorocarbon line also handles the abrasion better than
monofilament. When it comes to hooks, anglers use
everything from No. 2 to 1/0 hooks. Because of the struc-
ture and the sheepshead’s tough mouth, you don’t want to
continued on 35
Sheepshead are plentiful along the
Alabama Gulf Coast in late wi nter and
early spring and make great table fare.
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SHEEPSHEAD FISHING – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 35
use a fine wire hook. Use something with some backbone,
which is also what you’ll need for your fishing rod. You
want a little give at the tip to keep from ripping the hookout of the fish’s mouth, but you’ll need strength in the rest
of the rod to be able to get
the fish out of the structure
as soon as possible.
By the time my small
bag of fresh dead shrimp
had been depleted that
day, there were eight nice
sheepshead in the ice chest.
I headed home, cleaned
the fish and fired up thefish cooker.
After a dinner of fried
sheepshead, my youngest
daughter finished her last
bite and said, “Dad, please
go catch some more of
those sheepshead.”
Right now is the time to
catch sheepshead along the
Alabama Gulf Coast. The
current weather pattern isfor warmer days, which will
make it pleasant to hit the
coastal waters in search
of sheepshead.
If you don’t have any live
or fresh-dead shrimp, sheepshead love fiddler crabs and
hermit crabs as well. Discard the hermit crab’s shell and
impale the crab on the hook. Some folks will even shuck
oysters and use pieces of the meat as bait.
If you look a sheepshead in the face, you’ll know where
it got its name. It has a set of teeth designed for nibblingbits of crustaceans like barnacles, snails and other crit-
ters, similar to the way a sheep’s mouth and teeth are
designed to nibble grass down to the ground.
Several years ago, there were no size or creel limits on
sheepshead because of the relative abundance and the
fact the fish only hang out on inshore structure for part
of the year. However, fishing pressure has increased as
the word has spread about the fishing opportunities with
sheepshead and its tasty white flesh.
Sheepshead aren’t the easiest to clean because of
tough scales and hide, but it’s worth the effort to a cer-
tain extent. That extent is size. The Alabama MarineResources Division (MRD) established a size limit of 12
inches, but I don’t advise
keeping that small a fish
unless you get near the end
of the day and the ice chest
is empty. A 12-inch fish is
not going to yield much in
the way of a filet. I prefer
to keep those 16 inches or
larger if I have that choice.
The 12-inch limit has todo with fish biology. One
criteria Marine Resources
uses to manage inshore fish
species has to do with its
spawning potential or the
number of eggs produced
MRD research showed tha
more than half the 12-inch
fish have the ability to pro-
duce the number of eggs
that will maintain a sustain-able population to ensure
anglers will enjoy this early-
season fishing opportunity
each year.
Because of the sheeps-
head’s tendency to congregate in large numbers along
jetties and other structure, it’s easy to sit in one spot and
fill an ice chest to the brim with fish. To keep the species
from becoming overfished, MRD set a daily creel limit o
10 fish per person. If you have a buddy or family member
fishing with you, that creel limit will leave you with althe sheepshead you want to clean.
Visit www.outdooralabama.com for information on
a saltwater fishing license as well as a map of the numer-
ous inshore fishing reefs that can be likely hangouts for
inshore species. l
Sheepshead sport a nice set of teeth to be able to crunch
barnacles and other crustaceans in the coastal marine habi tat.
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ACEOA Magazine • 37
Dear ACEOA,
I would like to take a moment and
personally thank you for your sup-
port of the Orange Beach Youth Dove
Hunt. While the hunt carries the City
name it is not actually a City spon-
sored hunt. It just helps us facilitate
the registration process out of the
Recreation Center. As mentioned inmy sponsorship request we do not
require a registration fee to attend the
hunt. We do ask for a $20 donation
per shooter just to help with some
of the costs such as food, shells, eye
and ear protection, etc. … like last
year most of the shooters could not
pay for one reason or another yet we insisted that they
attend. YOUR CONTRIBUTION ALLOWED US TO HOLD
THE HUNT ANYWAY!
I want to give a special thanks to Wesley Moore forhosting this hunt for the kids. His dedication to our local
youth is immeasurable and we cannot thank him enough
for his generosity!
The hunt was nothing short of a blast! After enjoy-
ing a wonderful lunch of roasted whole pig and baked
beans we gathered for the safety briefing. There, Danie
Musselwhite, Mike Guillotte, Wesley Moore, and myseldiscussed game identification, hunting ethics, field eti-
quette (i.e. low birds), and above all safety. I took this
opportunity to demonstrate carry positions, and showed
what could happen if they experi-
enced a barrel obstruction by using
dummy ammunition and by show-
ing them some blown up barrels to
reinforce the point.
Next we paired the kids with their
mentors/parents and headed to our
positions in the field. Almost immedi-ately shots started ringing out. Early
on we had several flights of mourn-
ing doves circle the field prompting
multiple volleys of fire from the kids
After that it settled into a steady
staccato of gunfire as birds came into
the field from all directions for pretty
much the rest of the day. Many shots
ACEOA Post Hunt ReportBy Chris Litton
continued on 39
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ACEOA POST HUNT REPORT – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 39
were fired but only around 25 birds were taken at the
end of the day. That being said many more birds spent
the night a little colder as the result of missing feathers.For a lot of the kids it was their first hunt and several
of those kids dropped their first birds during the hunt.
Some of the kids that did drop birds were jumping up
and down with excitement as they went into the field
to retrieve their birds. It was a sight to see. There were
a lot of sore shoulders and smiling faces when the hunt
wrapped up. There is no doubt that we now have some
new and very excited hunters to carry on the tradition
of conservation and shooting sports. All in all it was an
amazing day at Alligator Alley.
Your contribution was extremely generous and yourpledge to sponsor us for future hunts is above and
beyond. Once again “THANK YOU.” We are already
looking forward to next year.
If I can ever be of service, please do not hesitate to
contact me.
Regards,
Chris Litton
Sullivan Langston and Richard Bradbury. Jack Langston.
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ACEOA Magazine • 4
Feathers, Fins, and
Furs Outdoor EventBy Sgt. Joe Goddard
T he 7th annual Feathers, Fins, and Furs outdoor
event at Foscue Park in Demopolis was held on
July 25, 2015. With the help of at least 40 vol-
unteers, this year’s event drew 90 children, ages 8- to
17-years-old and their parents from all over the state.
Highlights included a raptor demonstration from AuburnUniversity “Raptor Trek” with live raptors and reptiles,
and Big Daddy Lawler’s radio show.
In addition, Mr. Tommy Atkins brought the State
Wildlife and Fisheries shooting trailer with .22’s, skeet
shooting, and archery. Many door prizes were given out
during the day, and a grand prize of a lifetime hunting
and fishing license donated by ACEOA was awarded to
continued on 43
Students shooting .22’s.
Archery.
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FEATHERS, FINS, AND FURS OUTDOOR EVENT – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 43
Caleb Parten from Demopolis for attending Feathers, Fins,
and Furs for seven years in a row.
To cap off the event, the group rode out to SoggyBottom Lodge in the afternoon to do skeet shooting,
bream fishing, and a live duck banding exercise. The
day ended with a big catfish cookout. Feathers, Fins, and
Furs is designed to get kids outdoors and learn about
wildlife, hunting, and many different wildlife techniques.
This important wildlife conservation event could not
be possible without the help of our local sponsors, the
ACEOA, Ducks Unlimited, National Turkey Federation,
Corps of Engineers, Local Conservation Officers, and
many more. l Tommy Atkins with Alabama Depa rtment of Conservation.
Group picture with CEO Curt Porter, CEO Matt Moran, Sgt. Joe Goddard, and CEO Jeff Shaw.
Presenting lifetime license to Caleb Parten, with CEO Curt Porter, CEO Matt Moran, and Sgt. Joe Goddard.
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ACEOA Magazine • 45
Deepwater Horizon
Oil Spill ContinuesTo Be A Problem
By David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
M
ore than five years ago, April 20, 2010, to be
exact, life on the Gulf Coast changed, and not
for the better.That is the date of the Deepwater Horizon drilling
platform explosion that killed 11 people and injured 17.
It also resulted in 134 million gallons of crude oil being
released into Gulf waters.
The ensuing damage to the Gulf Coast’s ecology and
economy is still being felt, and the process to acquire
compensation from BP for that damage has been an ongo-
ing effort.
Finally, however, there does seem to be progress as
outlined last week in a BP Settlement meeting at the Battle
House Renaissance Hotel in Mobile. Representativesfrom the Alabama Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources (ADCNR), U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ) and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration) gave updates on
the proposed settlements with
BP and how the record $20.8
billion would be distributed.
If the presiding judge approves
Phase III of the settlements, BP
will be required to pay $8.1 bil-
lion in natural resources dam-ages, including the $1 billion BP
agreed to pay for early resto-
ration projects. A Clean Water
Act civil penalty of $5.5 billion
will be assessed to BP. In addi-
tion, $4.9 billion will be paid for
state economic claims, and $1
billion will be reserved for local
economic claims. Other money
would cover Natural Resource Damage Assessment costs
unknown injury and adaptive management and costs
related to the False Claims Act.N. Gunter Guy Jr., ADCNR Commissioner, said in addi-
tion to the $1.3 billion in restoration funding due the state
there is also $1 billion to be paid by BP to Alabama for
economic damages.
“Those proceeds are in addition to and separate from
the BP settlement (Clean Water Act violations and Natura
Resource Damage) covered at this meeting,” Guy said a
last week’s gathering. “That money is separate from what
may have been received by local governments, private
businesses and private claims.”
Rachel Hankey, an attorney with DOJ, highlighted theproposed monetary settlement for the audience.
“The $5.5 billion penalty is by far the largest civi
continued on 47
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DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 47
penalty that’s ever been paid under the Clean Water
Act,” said Hankey, who pointed out that BP would not
be able to take any tax deductions for payments related
to these claims.
Jean Cowan from NOAA outlined how the damages
caused by the spill were assessed through an exhaustive,
comprehensive process.
“When we talk about this spill, we never lose sight ofthe fact that just on the night of the explosion 11 people
lost their lives and 17 more were injured,” said Jean Cowan
of NOAA. “That’s just during the explosion. We certainly
know that many more people suffered long-term injuries
due to exposure to the oil and suffered economic impacts
because of the loss of income through the incident.”
Cowan said the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource
Trustees will focus on the plants and animals along the
coastlines that were injured because of the spill.
“Our purpose is to make the parties responsible for
the spill compensate the public for the injuries to the Gulfand to restore the northern Gulf of Mexico to a condition
that it would have been in if it had not been for the spill,”
she said. “For the past five-and-a-half years we have
documented, on an ecosystem level, the injuries to the
Gulf of Mexico.
“How we describe ecosystem in this incidence is that
it is a highly interactive and interdependent network of
organisms, all the way from the microbes to the plants
and animals, as well as the physical environment in which
they live. We enjoy some of the
most incredible sport and com-
mercial fishing in the world. Wehave populations of dolphins
and endangered sea turtles. We
also have in the Gulf of Mexico
these rare and endangered
deep-sea corals that live a mile
deep on the sea floor. We also
have some of the most popular
beaches in the country.”
Cowan said the BP disaster
is the largest oil spill in U.S
history. She said the oil spreadfrom a mile deep in the Gulf up
through the water column 50
miles offshore and then moved
onshore to impact fragile coastal habitats. The spill cov-
ered more than 1,300 miles of shoreline.
“That’s more than the distance from New Orleans
to New York,” Cowan said. “In addition, oil slicks were
observed cumulatively over 43,000 square miles in the
Gulf of Mexico. That’s about the same size as the state
of Virginia.”
“To put it simply, wherever the oil went, it creat-ed harm.”
Cowan said Trustees assessed the injuries caused by
the oil spill by looking for impacts in a number of places
including the water column for fish and shellfish, ben-
thic resources on the ocean floor, the nearshore marine
ecosystem (estuarine coastal wetlands, subtidal oysters
beaches, shallow unvegetated habitats, gulf sturgeon
and submerged aquatic vegetation), birds, sea turtles
marine mammals and recreational use (boating, fishing
and beach-going).
She said the restoration process would come in fousegments — restore and conserve habitat; restore water
quality, replenish and protect living coastal and marine
resources; and provide and enhance recreational oppor-
tunities.
When the settlement is approved, BP will make the
initial payment one year after the settlement is approved
and will make annual payments for 15 years.
BP has also agreed to an additional $700 million for
continued on 49
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DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 49
unknown conditions and adap-
tive management to deal with
unforeseen problems that mayarise in the future.
“What that means is we know
that over the 15-plus years the
conditions are going to change,”
Cowan said. “By setting aside
this $700 million, it allows us
to have a safety net to address
future conditions.
“To give you an idea of
what’s in this plan for Alabama,
state officials and trustees willfocus efforts on coastal inshore
habitats. Additional projects
in Alabama can also include
restoration of living coastal
resources, such as birds and
marine mammals. There will also be opportunities to
enhance the recreational opportunities that were lost
because of the spill.”
The public will have the opportunity to comment on
all the restoration plans. The public comment period runs
through December 4, 2015. Visit http://www.gulfspill-restoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan/ to
submit a comment.
For an Alabama perspective on the oil spill restoration
efforts and projects, visit http://alabamacoastalrestora-
tion.org/ for additional information and to sign up for
email updates.
“We want people to know this site is there for them,”
said Commissioner Guy. “This is one of the best resources
for our people to stay in touch with what is happening
with these funds.
“Everybody has an opinion on what this oil spill did
but at the end of the day, this settlement brings closure
for all the Gulf Coast, and especially Alabama, and gives
us the ability to move forward on addressing natura
resource damages, addressing the needs of our coasta
communities and completing some really beneficial proj-ects over the coming years. Right now, we’ve got a little
more than $100 million in early restoration money, and
we’re moving forward with those projects.” l
PHOTOS: (David Rainer) Rapid deployment of protective
booms kept the oil from spreading into Mobile Bay, but many
areas of the Alabama Gulf Coast were significantly impacted
by the Deepwater Horizon incident.
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ACEOA Magazine • 5
Limestone County
Youth Dove HuntBy Sgt. Wendell Fulks
On a hot September Saturday in Limestone County,
we were again able to share the hunting experi-
ence with the youth in our community by hunting
some doves. This was the 5th consecutive year that we
were able to have this hunt. A huge thank you to Brent
Shaw, once again, for providing the land for the hunt.Your continued support of this worthwhile event is very
much appreciated. Even though the birds were scarce
the fellowship we all enjoyed wasn’t lacking at all. Weare truly blessed to have willing and dedicated people
that come together each year to ensure that this event
is a success.
We started the day with Kym Champion registering
hunters and making sure they entered their name for
the awesome door prizes. Ron and Jean Eakes provided
assistance by allowing the kids to hone their marksman-
ship skills and warm up those shotguns by shooting
continued on 53
Kym Champion registering hunters.
Wendell Fulks, operating Skeet.
Ron Eakes, operating Skeet.
Taylor Gray, Travis Gray’s son.
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LIMESTONE COUNTY YOUTH DOVE HUNT – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 53
skeet. Thank you, Ron and Jean, for allowing the kids
the opportunity to get in some practice before the hunt.
We then enjoyed lunch followed by a safety talk by Sgt.
Travis Gray, then the drawing of names for door prizes
before departing to the field.
Door prizes were a hit, as always, with the kids. Every
registered youth hunter that showed up received a gift
provided by the ACEOA. Thanks for your continued sup-
port ACEOA! Congratulations go out to Evan Dockery
and Colton Rayburn who each received the grand prizewhich was a $25 gift card from Academy Sports. Gavin
Martin was the recipient of the grand prize package which
included a dove stool with single post and dove decoy
along with a set of 6 dove decoys and a large T post
decoy display.
I would like to take a moment and acknowledge the fol-
lowing sponsors for your continued support of this annua
youth hunt. Brent Shaw – Shaw Farms, Will Woller –
Duke Baker and Woller Land Company, ACEOA, Academy
Sports in Decatur, Bill Mansell with Little Debbie Snacks
Larry Barnett with Larry’s Pistol and Pawn, Matthew
Kyle with Chick-fil-A® in Athens, Pastor Shane Lewis with
Somerville Baptist Church, SSGT Anton and SGT Leusch
with US Army Recruiters Decatur Post, Bob Harp with
Pepsi in Decatur, and Tim Green with Regions Bank.Thanks again to all of you!
In closing, I would like to thank the DCNR employees
who assisted with this event to make it a success. There
is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that some-
times goes unnoticed. Thanks to Kym Champion, Sgt
Travis Gray, and CEO Steve Pepper for your continued
support and dedication in promoting hunting for our com-
munity’s youth. l
continued on 55
Limestone Youth
Dove Hunt 9-19-15Thirty-five youth, eight first timers, three girls
Sponsors included: Brent Shaw / Shaw Farms, Will
Woller/Duke Baker & Woller Land Company, ACEOA,
Academy Sports Decatur, Bill Mansell w/Little Debbie
Snacks, Larry Barnett w/Larry’s Pistol and Pawn
Huntsville, Matthew Kyle w/Chick-fil-A of Athens, Pastor
Shane Lewis w/Somerville Baptist Church, SSGT Anton
& Sgt. Leusch w/U.S. Army Recruiters Decatur Post, Bob
Harp w/Pepsi of Decatur, Lee Howard w/Krystal’s of
Decatur, Tim Holland w/Hometown Market of Decatur,
and Tim Green w/Regions Bank
Grand Prizes: Academy $25.00 gift card — Evan
Dockery, Colton Rayburn
Grand Prize Package: Dove stool w / single post and
dove decoy, and set of 6 dove decoys, & Large T Post
decoy display – Gavin Martin
• Ron & Jean Eakes came out w / DCNR shooting
sports trailer
Workers: Sgt. Gray, Sgt. Fulks, CEO Pepper, Lonnie Gray,
Taylor Gray, Palmer Fulks, Kym Champion
CEO Steve Pepper with Palmer Fulks.
Grand Prize Package winner with Steve Pepper.
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LIMESTONE COUNTY YOUTH DOVE HUNT – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 55
Youth Group photo with Sgt. Fulks and Sgt. Gray.
Travis Gray and Wendell Fulks, Safety Brief.
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ACEOA Magazine • 57
The Rusty ChroniclesBy Keith Mickle
The Poachers Meet Rusty …
Iheard this story (the first time) as I sat in a store
catering to true believers in the US Constitution with
emphasis on the 2nd Amendment. You betcha, I was
in a gun store! I was attending an impromptuu class
presented by Central Alabama’s finest “outdoor profes-
sors” (those “professors” are called “rednecks” by some,
“good ole boys” by others). That morning’s class was;“Which Centerfire Cartridge is BEST suited to drop a deer
in its tracks.” Every “professor” was defending his chosen
caliber with much gusto.
Good cheer, laughter, sarcasm and comments flew
thicker than mud from an ATV tire. Like: “Your kiddy
bullet is so wobbly you couldn’t hit a barn door at 50
yards AND it’s so puny it’d bounce off a squirrel!”
Good cheer slammed to a halt in our little class when a
“professor” sarcastically stated; “Personally, I believe the
.375 H&H Mag. is the ONLY proper caliber for deer! Ha,
ha! Wait, would our Game Warden arrest us for using anelephant gun on deer?” “Oh No! Not our guy! That’d be
a pistol caliber for him! Snicker!”
Two relatives had been silent observers of the “class.”
One was a Yankee, wearing hunter education clothing.
Cap, shirt, vest covered with safety patches and logos. The
other was the Yankee’s cousin, “Cuz.” He was a rat tail
wearing, obviously intoxicated, sullen, muddy, unwashed,
foul mouthed, angry version of the Duck Commander.
At the mention of “Game Warden” “Cuz” went ballistic
beating the hate drum for the laws and Game Wardens.
Cuz’s slurred voice let all who would listen know thatANY man should be able to hunt whenever he wanted,
and WHERE EVER he wanted. The “professors” started
questioning the “Cuz.”
Professors: We’ve put money into our deer lease prop-
erty for years?”
Cuz: Deer belongs to anyone who can shoot ‘em no
matter where they are!
Professors: “We’ve been growing those deer for
our kids.”
Cuz: “Your kids better shoot ‘em ‘fore somebody
else does.”
Professors: “We’ve got Game Wardens that are
our friends.”
Cuz: “That’s your problem! Game Wardens! I hate
‘em, hate ‘em all!”
Cuz stomped off toward the decoys leaving “TheYankee” looking depressed and deflated who said to no
one in particular, “My Cuz is a man filled with a lotta
hate, he’s been like that ever since we both got arrested
for poaching.” All the “Professors” went silent as every
eye settled on The Yankee.
The master professor said; “Hey boy, what’dya mean
when ya say, “we” “poaching” and “got arrested”?
The Yankee opened his story with; “You may not know
this, but I moved here several years ago from New York
I wasn’t born in Alabama.”
A Lowndes County good ole boy said: “Mister youcouldn’t hide that fact any better’n you could hide a mule
runnin’ in the Kentucky Derby.”
The Yankee giggled, said he arrived in Alabama over
two decades ago, at the time he was having to live with
his Cuz, who invited him to go deer hunting when he was
new to Alabama. He told his story like this:
Two decades ago my Cuz could AFFORD to belong
to Deer Clubs, but Cuz took PRIDE in POACHING, and
TERRIFYING his newly arrived NYC relative (Me the
Yankee) with stories of the evil & hideous animals that
grew, morphed and waited in dark swamps for care-less hunters. His two favorite fear creatures were, “The
Colossus Barred Owl , its naked skull cap caused by gen-
erations of the feather and skin being ripped off as they
flew through branches in pursuit of prey. It had huge
glassy eyes that had the unusual habit of shedding tears
as its boney talons held its victims until they were still
Cuz’s second favorite fear creature was the “Giant Bama
Yeti” a creature tall as a cypress tree, silently wading
continued on 59
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THE RUSTY CHRONICLES • The Poachers Meet Rusty … – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 59
through deep swamp water so it could sneak up on vic-
tims, pluck them from the ground pulling them high into
the canopy of oak or hickory … to be slowly consumed.The morning of the hunt the truck was hid. A mile of
wadding through palmetto’s and beaver dams put us at
Cuz’s two man ladder stand an hour before daylight.
The seats were kept dry by several empty corn sacks,
the yellow contents scattered all around. The fog was so
thick mosquitoes couldn’t’t even fly. Sitting there I real-
ized why I was invited, my half drunk Cuz needed help
getting a deer back to the truck. Well, I was outdoors and
enjoying it. I whispered to Cuz: “What if we get caught?”
Cuz said: “Ain’t nobody know how to get here. Too
hard. And folk is too scared. Folks ‘fraid TheOwl’ll git ‘em or the Yeti! Ha ha! Now
shut up.”
Time passed. Sitting in the dark
I realized I was never going back to
NYC’s Manhattan Island … why would
I? This Alabama hunting thing had me
hooked for life. The hot or cold, the
smells, the sights and sounds. Oh the
sounds I heard that morning, the raspy
squawk of Blue Heron. The 1-2-3 arrival
of unseen Wood Ducks: first The swirl ofwings, second their hushed splash in black water
below, third their victory squeals to let all know they have
arrived. Snoring? What? Snoring? My drunken Cousin
had passed out.
Then the sound of something unseen moving toward
us sloshing black water in the dark. Slosh, silence. Slosh,
silence. Then … just silence.
I could feel the danger wrapping around me. Shapes
emerged, and then faded with breaking dawn and drifting
fog. Spanish moss didn’t move there was no breeze. The
silence was broken only by the occasional foggy waterdroplets falling from oak leaves. Within a heartbeat the
cadence of dripping water increased and rattled down
on the right side of the deer stand when a shadow fell
over me and my sleeping cousin. I turned and looked …
Horror struck me to my soul! It was more hideous than
my cousin had described, it was perched on the rail next
to his sleeping head … the prehistoric Colossus Owl!
Its white boney talons gripped the right rail within
inches of Cuz’s snoring head … Dew glistening on the
shinny bare skull that was haloed by wisp of downy
feathers resembling blond hair. The lifeless eyes had tears
streaking down them just as my Cousin had described!!!Under its huge beak were the remains of some dead furry
meal … oddly shaped like a mustache. I tried to scream
“Colossus Owl” but all that came out was, the sound o
a bike tire going flat. “Cooooss Ooooo!”
Oh, I could see in its eyes it had malicious intent! Well
maybe not? More like MISCHIEVOUS Intent?! Then … the
right foot of the Owl reached out and plucked our only
rifle outta sight!? The empty foot returned, upright index
Talon to its beak, as grinning teeth appeared under the
“dead animal mustache” as I was “Shushed” to silence!?
It leaned close, poking Cuz until those drunkeneyes SNAPPED open to see the “Owl” face
6-inches away.
In those next five seconds, many ani-
mals died in that swamp. Fish jumped
onto dry land. Deer, fowl & fox bolted
in blind terror smashing into trees. My
Cuz let out a girly scream unlike any
the South has heard that had terrified
everything … He was screaming; “It’s the
Colossus Owl! It’s The Owl!”
That’s when the Owl spoke its first words“Oh, for God’s sake! Shut! Up! I’m Rusty Morrow
Conservation Enforcement Officer. You two are under
arrest for Hunting Without a Permit, Hunting Over Bait
Trespassing and Littering. Officer Rusty calmly removed
and replaced his Aviator (Owl Like) Glasses, after drying
the foggy “tears,” brushing Spanish moss from his balding
head and mustache … he looked almost human!
Upon waking Cuz had jumped to my side of the stand
from the smell I thought Cuz’d spilled Doe urine on him-
self. (I soon realized it WAS “urine” … but not from a Doe.)
When Cuz regained his composure, he started yelling aOfficer Rusty, who was still at the edge of the stand.
Cuz:”You can’t prove that’s my corn.”
Officer Rusty: “You’re hunting over it.”
Cuz: “I might have permission to hunt here.”
Officer Rusty: “Got it in writing? No? That covers the
Trespassing too.”
Cuz: “Well I haven’t littered anything here!”
continued on 61
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THE RUSTY CHRONICLES • The Poachers Meet Rusty … – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 6
Officer Rusty: “Yes you have, this Ladder Stand is lit-
ter.”
Cuz: “Well … if this is my Ladder Stand, you climb
down off it!”
Officer Rusty: “I ain’t, standing on your stinking lad-
der stand.”
Cuz slid to the right peeked over the rail at Officer
Rusty’s feet planted firmly on the GROUND! That’s when
I smelled something other than urine!
We humbly broke down the ladder stand, took our
citations and started dragging everything back the way
we came in. As I looked over my shoulder I could see misswirling and closing around Officer Rusty as he waded
away though deep swamp water, ducking under cypress
limbs. That’s when I realized: “Holy moly, there really is
a Bama Yeti!” l
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ACEOA Magazine • 63
I Hate LitterBy Lt. Cliff Robinson
Ihate litter. You do too. Ten out of ten people think lit-
tering is wrong. Don’t believe the stat? Ask ten people.
Litter is one of the scourges on earth that’s hard to
stop. Everyone is opposed to litter but yet we all see
the horrendous problem. It’s against the law to litter.
The litter law is in the general criminal code of the state
of Alabama. Title 13 as those in law enforcement are
familiar. The code is 13A-7-29. It’s in the general crimi-
nal code as its intent is for any and all law enforcementagencies to enforce it. One needs to understand that the
apprehension of litterers is not as easy as you may think.
It only takes a second to toss something out of a car
window or just a few minutes to unload a truckload of
garbage. The window of opportunity to make the catch
is extremely small.
Conservation enforcement officers (game wardens) are
in a unique position to be successful at the apprehension
and prosecution of litter violators. We work rural areas,
at various times of the day, in less conspicuous vehicles
than most law enforcement officers such as county depu-ties. We are often doing surveillance for hunting without
permission or hunting from the road and are able to
witness illegal dumping in progress.
While a conservation enforcement officer’s primary
duties are wildlife, fishing, and water safety law enforce-
ment it makes practical sense to add litter enforcement to
that list. It is, after all, conservation related. If it affects the
environment it affects fish and wildlife too. Litter is first of
all a health hazard to wildlife, fishes, and people. It can
contaminate water sources and provide breeding grounds
for diseases. Litter can be ingested by wildlife or becomesa choking hazard or entanglement. Additionally, litter
destroys the aesthetic beauty of Alabama the Beautiful.
That, in turn, devalues hunting lands. Who wants to buy
or lease illegal garbage dumps for their outdoor pursuits?
Throughout my career I have been blessed in the fact
that my supervisors without fail have been supportive of
my litter law enforcement efforts. Oftentimes it has been
highlighted at evaluation time or been part of commenda-
tions. To date I have been involved in approximately 100
litter cases. Since becoming a Lieutenant in district three
five officers, including myself, have received the People
Against a Littered State Law Enforcement Officer of the
Year Award.
In March of 2005 Sgt. Draper (now lieutenant) and
I worked an illegal dump site near the town of Woodstock
in Tuscaloosa County. Sgt. Draper had recently shown
me the area and it was without any doubt the worst
case of illegal dumping I have ever seen and I have seena lot! The area was perfect to survey. I would be able to
overlook the mile long dumping site from a hill and there
were plenty of hiding spots for Sgt. Draper. I was going to
video the detail as it unfolded that day. I was anxious, so
naturally I arrived early. It was an extremely windy day
the Saturday before turkey season would open. It was too
windy for a boat patrol and not a good day to scout for
turkey bait due to likelihood of being spotted by hunting
club members that may put out turkey bait on that day
So this would be strategic use of our time.
I had been on site less than five minutes when the firsvehicle appeared. It was a truck with a bed full of garbage
pulling a trailer full of garbage. I frantically called for
Sgt. Draper as I began to video the outlaws. In just a few
minutes the truck and trailer were empty. Sgt. Draper
was on his way as fast as he could. The truck began
to pull away. Then to my relief I was able to see Sgt.
Draper coming down the road with lights and siren. He
got them! He issued citations for littering and they had
outstanding warrants. Woodstock Police picked them
up and took them to meet a county unit so we could
continue our detail.We ended up making eight arrests that day and the
only reason there were not more is several other potentia
violators would pass by while we were writing tickets and
of course move along. After we ended the detail I searched
the dump and pulled out some utility bills. We then went
to interview that person and obtained a confession and
later obtained and served a warrant. We were so pumped
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we worked the detail again the following day and got four
more violators.
I shared our story with several news outlets. TheTuscaloosa News ran the story on front page for two
days and The Centreville Press ran it on the front page.
Interviews and my video ran on six television stations. The
public was calling the district office and the Montgomery
office with accolades. But the best part was the very last
TV interview. Sgt. Draper had just finished the interview
and he and the news crew went down the road a little
ways to turn around. What did Sgt. Draper see as he was
coming back by the dump? Another dumper! The TV crewwas then able to film an arrest in progress!
All suspects pled guilty and paid $250 fines and
court costs. The fines were remitted to the Wildlife and
Freshwater Fisheries Division since we were the arresting
agency. A great weekend of enforcement! l
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ACEOA Magazine • 67
Criminal Littering Cases in 2014By CEO Jeff Shaw
October 14th, 2014 •Dam Road, Demopolis, Alabama
While on patrol, I discovered household garbage that
had been dumped at the end of Dam Road on the edge
of the river bank. I went through the garbage and I found
a school report card, an Amazon shipping box with ship-
ping label and doctor bills all having the same address.
I was able to make contact with the individual whosename and address was in the garbage. I issued them
a statutory notice for them to provide proof or evidence
that they did not dump the trash. As agreed with my
local District Attorney, I also gave them a 10-day option
to clean up the trash and no charges would be filed. The
trash was cleaned up a week later.
October 30th, 2014 •County Road 10, Sumter County, Alabama
While on patrol, I discovered household garbage that
had been dumped on County Road 10. Looking through
the garbage I found prescription bottles and expired EBT
cards having the same name and address. I made contact
with the individual. I issued them a statutory notice for
them to provide proof or evidence that they did not dump
the trash. As agreed with my local District Attorney, I also
gave them a 10-day option to clean up the trash and no
charges would be filed. The trash was cleaned up that day
November 15th, 2014 •Siloam Road & Waters Street,
Sumter County, AlabamaWhile on patrol I investigated some garbage what had
been dumped in a creek that crosses Siloam Road. In
the garbage I found power bills and phone bills that had
the same name and address. On my way to the sub-
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ject’s address I came across more garbage in a creek
crossing Waters Street. I looked through that garbage
and I found the same name and address of the subjectthat I was in route to. I made contact with the individual.
I issued them a statutory notice on both locations for
them to provide proof or evidence that they did not dump
the trash. Because of finding trash in two locations I did
not give them an option to clean up the trash without
fines. I issued the subject two citations for criminal lit-
tering. Later the next month they were found guilty in
Sumter county court and ordered to pay fines and court
cost and clean the trash up.
December 26th, 2014 •Dirt Road off of County Road 42,Sumter County, Alabama
I went into property off of County Road 42 to check
a deer hunter. I came across garbage from some-
one’s Christmas morning that had been dumped in the
woods on the side of the road. Looking through it I found
several Christmas giftwrapped boxes two still had the
shipping labels attached. One had a name and address.
The other box had a UPS tracking number. I was able to
track the number and I got a name and address. I went
to the addresses that I got from the boxes. The subjects
denied dumping the garbage but thought they knew
the family member that was responsible. I issued them
a statutory notice for them to provide proof or evidence
that they did not dump the trash. As agreed with my
local District Attorney, I also gave them a 10-day option
to clean up the trash and no charges would be filed. The
trash was cleaned up the next day.
May 10th, 2015 •Siloam Road, Sumter County, Alabama
While on patrol I came across newly dumped trash
in the middle of the Siloam Road. Looking in the trash
I found two power bills and one credit card receipt. All
three had the same name and address. I made contactwith the subject at his home. I issued him a statutory
notice for them to provide proof or evidence that they
did not dump the trash. As agreed with my local District
Attorney, I also gave them a 10-day option to clean up
the trash and no charges would be filed. The items and
trash was cleaned up a week later.
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August 20th, 2015 •Ben Kid Road, Cuba, Alabama
While going to an alligator complaint on the Ben Kidd
Road, I found where someone had dumped trash and
some old car parts. After investigating some of the items
in the trash. I determined they had come from a local
business. After confronting the business owner he admit-
ted to dumping the trash. I agreed to give him the oppor-
tunity to clean it up. He did clean it up a short time later.
August 24th, 2015 •Gainesville Dam, Gainesville, Alabama
CEO Trasher of Greene county and I watching fishing
activity from the bank below the river dam. I witnessed
a person that was fishing throw a bottle onto the ground.
I waited until she was getting in her car to leave the area
I approached her question her about the bottle. I issued
her a citation for littering. The case is still pending. l
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ACEOA Magazine • 73
Red Snapper ManagementBy David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
I f regional management of
the red snapper fishery in
the Gulf of Mexico is going
to be realized any time soon,
it’s apparently not going to be
through the Gulf of Mexico
Fishery Management Council.
The Gulf Council met recently
in Orange Beach, Alabama, andAmendment 39, which has to do
with regional management, was
tabled after it lost support from
the representatives from the five
Gulf states.
Chris Blankenship, Director of
the Marine Resources Division
of the Alabama Department
of Conservation and Natural
Resources (ADCNR), said the
reason the states abandonedAmendment 39 was because
changes to the document were
so widespread that it had very
little resemblance to the amend-
ment as originally proposed.
“From the states’ perspectives, it really got to the point
in the document that it was so far away from where
we originally started with the idea of regional man-
agement that it wasn’t going to be much of a benefit,”
Blankenship said.
Blankenship said the National Marine Fisheries Service(NMFS) had included provisions that really wouldn’t afford
states many management options.
“NMFS has what they call a Conservation Equivalency
Plan,” he said. “The states would have to submit that plan
to NMFS, and they would either OK our management
regime or not. If they had a problem with our plan, we
had no recourse. It would go back to being managed by
the feds. It really didn’t give us the flexibility we wanted
in regional management.
“Basically, what it got down
to was we would be able to pick
the days we wanted to fish. Tha
was about it. They would give
us a quota. They would only
allow us to do certain things to
manage it as far as daily catch
rates and things like how we
measure those catch rates. Itjust got to the point where it was
not going to be advantageous
for the states to pursue it.”
Blankenship said the states
will continue to work through
Congress for legislation that
would give the Gulf states
true regional management o
red snapper.
The directors of the marine
resources divisions of the Gulstates, including Blankenship
are in Washington this week to
try to keep regional manage-
ment a priority for the perspec-
tive leaders in Congress.
“For the State of Alabama, what we would like to see
is where we do the stock assessment and we manage
the fish off the coast of Alabama,” Blankenship said. “We
think if we can manage red snapper from start to finish
that we can adequately protect the fish stock while allow-
ing access for the fishermen, both charter and recreationaas well as commercial. We think we can make a better
system for everybody.”
Capt. Johnny Greene, who runs the charter boat
Intimidator out of Orange Beach, is chairman of the Gul
Council’s Reef Fish Committee. Greene had a similar
assessment of Amendment 39.
“It was a good concept, but when you have five
extremely competitive states, it’s hard to get everybody to
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RED SNAPPER MANAGEMENT – continued
ACEOA Magazine • 75
agree on allocation,” Greene said. “I think there was good
intent, but it did stray far away from the initial concept.”
NMFS won’t likely announce the 2016 red snapper
season dates until April, but Blankenship expects the
dates to be similar to last year because the quota has
changed very little. In 2015, private recreational anglers
had a 10-day season, while charter boats fished for44 days.
Last year was the first time the private recreational
anglers and charter boats had separate seasons, which
prompted a lawsuit from the Coastal Conservation
Association (CCA) challenging the sector separation.
However, the suit was unsuccessful when a federal
judge ruled the Gulf Council had the authority to make
the changes.
Despite catching about 35 percent of the red snapper
landed from the Gulf of Mexico, Alabama has only about
100 of the 1,400 charter boats with Gulf reef fish permits.One thing the Gulf Council did at a previous meeting
was to reallocate the quota, previously 51 percent for the
commercial sector and 49 percent for the recreational
sector, which includes charter boats and private rec-
reational anglers. The new allocation, which has been
published in the Federal Register and is awaiting final
approval from the U.S. Commerce Department, would
give the recreational sector 51.5 percent of the quota and
the commercial sector 48.5 percent. The total quota for
2016 is 13.96 million pounds. NMFS
is withholding 352,000 pounds
from the commercial sector quotashould the proposed reallocation ge
final approval.
One piece of the news that ben-
efits Alabama was a provision in
the federal legislation that extends
Alabama state waters to nine miles
from the previous 3-mile limit. Sen
Richard Shelby spearheaded the
effort to make all five Gulf states
fisheries management boundaries
the same at nine miles.“With the nine miles of state
waters, the department (ADCNR)
will have more options for managing
the fishery than before,” Blankenship
said. “The 9-mile limit puts us on equal footing with
Florida and Texas. More importantly, it makes it easier
for the fishermen because we have a consistent 9-mile
boundary. For the last few years, there has been a dispute
between the state and federal governments as to where
state jurisdiction ends and the federal jurisdiction begins
“Senator Shelby was able to include the legislation inthe omnibus spending bill, and state officials are working
with our congressional delegation to make that 9-mile
limit permanent.”
In other Gulf fisheries action, the Gulf Council moved
forward with an amendment that would increase the daily
creel limit on king mackerel from two fish per person
to three fish per person. Blankenship said recreationa
anglers have not reached the quota on king mackerel for
several years. The proposed king mackerel limit still has
to go out for public comment and won’t likely change
until the 2017 season.Also, in a previous Council meeting, the size limit
on amberjack was increased from 30 inches fork length
to 34 inches fork length (from tip of nose to fork in the
tail). l
PHOTOS: (David Rainer) Although anglers are reporting an
abundance of red snapper, it appears the snapper season is
again going to be a short one for the private recreationa
anglers.
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ACEOA Magazine • 79
Wildlife Cooperatives Can
Increase Hunting SuccessBy Jerremy Ferguson, Technical Assistance Coordinator,
Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries
M ost of us can only dream about owning or
controlling enough property to contain even
a single deer’s movements, much less those
of an entire population. To achieve this goal, one would
need access to several hundred or up to a few thousandacres, depending on the habitat type and quality. Due to
the fragmented land ownership pattern across Alabama,
having access to this much property in one area is tough.
Hunting clubs and managers across the state and country
have begun forming cooperatives to help them better
reach their goals.
Cooperatives are groups of landowners,
managers and hunters who collaboratively
work toward common wildlife oriented
goals. These usually include education
of the group, habitat enhancements andharvest strategies. Through cooperation
and consolidated efforts among neighbors,
smaller tracts of land managed together
have the advantages of the cooperative in
its entirety.
Cooperatives can vary in acreage, organizational struc-
ture and number of members. Goals of the cooperative
will often be set at its initial formation and will evolve as
the habitat and wildlife management goals develop. It is
important to remember to work together toward common,
published goals and to monitor progress. These goalsshould be specific and measurable so annual progress
reports can be compared. Participants in the cooperative
should be ready to commit to the program for a minimum
of three years and should not expect overnight results.
Depending on management strategies, habitat types and
participant commitment, positive results may take up to
five years or longer.
Set realistic goals such as the following: increasing
lactation rates and/or average adult doe body weightsincreasing average body weights and/or antler score for
3.5-year-old bucks; improving acres of quality habitat; or
reducing yearling buck harvests. Goals should be evalu-
ated annually and fine-tuned as the cooperative advances
Communication and morale is vital to the success of
any cooperative. Typical ways of keeping partici-
pants interested and committed are through
annual reports, newsletters, group workdays
and scheduled hunts. It is important to
remember that each participant has dif-
ferent time constraints, and mistakes arepart of the process of education. Along
with these mistakes come improvements in
the habitat, hunting, life-long relationships
and, after seeing results, a positive influence
on neighboring landowners.
Forming a cooperative can be a time-consuming
and trying process but the results are worth the effort
Increasing the amount of acreage under similar manage-
ment and people working toge