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| Hunting in the field Photo by Derek Malou on Unsplash |
A real estate professional who focuses on student housing development, John Vawter provides oversight of all the development projects of Capstone Collegiate Communities, LLC, in his role as principal. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Capstone manages 18 off-campus communities. When away from work, John Vawter loves to go hunting with his two boys.
Alabama is known for its rich diversity of wildlife. It is also a top destination for hunters, in part because of its long hunting seasons. Thanks to the variety of the state’s wildlife, hunters can hunt at least one wildlife species in each month of the year.
Under Alabama's laws, public hunting areas in Alabama fall under two categories: Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) and Special Opportunity Areas (SOA). The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries under the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is tasked with the development, maintenance, and management of WMAs. WMAs comprise a total of 721,000 acres of land, with the areas ranging in size from 400 to 91,263 acres. Hunting in a WMA requires a hunting license, a Management Area License, and a Management Area Permit.
SOAs have smaller areas than WMAs in terms of acreage. Hunting permits in SOAs are granted by random draws. Each year, counties offer limited slots to successful hunters and their guests. These hunters have the special opportunity to hunt for two to four days in a dedicated 300 to 400-acre area. In 2018, for instance, Crow Creek in Jackson County offered adult archery deer hunting for one hunter and a guest, while Cedar Creek and Portland Landing in Dallas County offered deer and turkey hunting for one hunter and a guest.
Alabama is known for its rich diversity of wildlife. It is also a top destination for hunters, in part because of its long hunting seasons. Thanks to the variety of the state’s wildlife, hunters can hunt at least one wildlife species in each month of the year.
Under Alabama's laws, public hunting areas in Alabama fall under two categories: Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) and Special Opportunity Areas (SOA). The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries under the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is tasked with the development, maintenance, and management of WMAs. WMAs comprise a total of 721,000 acres of land, with the areas ranging in size from 400 to 91,263 acres. Hunting in a WMA requires a hunting license, a Management Area License, and a Management Area Permit.
SOAs have smaller areas than WMAs in terms of acreage. Hunting permits in SOAs are granted by random draws. Each year, counties offer limited slots to successful hunters and their guests. These hunters have the special opportunity to hunt for two to four days in a dedicated 300 to 400-acre area. In 2018, for instance, Crow Creek in Jackson County offered adult archery deer hunting for one hunter and a guest, while Cedar Creek and Portland Landing in Dallas County offered deer and turkey hunting for one hunter and a guest.
