Alabama — where you can actually hunt
Alabama sells tags over the counter — there's no draw. So the question is where: which counties have public land you can walk onto and hunt. And “public land” isn't one thing — a national park or a refuge is closed or permit-only, so we count only what's truly open, and show the rest honestly. Pick your species below.
What “huntable” means here
National forest, BLM, and state game lands / WMAs are open to hunting (state wildlife-agency lands are managed forit); state forests generally are. National & state parks and military land are closed; wildlife refuges are permit-only — those are excluded from the number.
By huntable public land
Most huntable counties first
Ranked by open public land — state game lands / WMAs and national forest are the open categories that push a county up. The mix shows what kind; deer harvest (Alabama DCNR reported deer kill) shows where the animals are.
| County | Huntable | Land mix | Deer harvest | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleburne | 27.5% | National Forest 16.2% · State Game Lands / WMA 11.3% | 1,108 | |
| Winston | 22.3% | National Forest 14.8% · State Game Lands / WMA 7.4% | 2,249 | |
| Lawrence | 20.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 13.8% · National Forest 6.7% | 1,904 | |
| Bibb | 19.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 10.5% · National Forest 9% | 3,743 | |
| Clay | 17.4% | National Forest 11.5% · State Game Lands / WMA 5.9% | 2,006 | |
| Jackson | 12.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 12.1% | 4,628 | |
| Colbert | 10.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 10.5% | 1,677 | |
| Covington | 9.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.2% · National Forest 3.6% | 4,749 | |
| Talladega | 9.6% | National Forest 9.1% · State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 2,792 | |
| Baldwin | 8.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.7% | 6,172 | |
| Hale | 7% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.3% · National Forest 1.6% | 2,001 | |
| Perry | 7% | National Forest 6.7% | 3,399 | |
| Calhoun | 6.7% | National Forest 3.9% · State Game Lands / WMA 2.8% | 1,788 | |
| Lauderdale | 5.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.8% | 3,470 | |
| Chilton | 5.4% | National Forest 5.4% | 3,888 | |
| Escambia | 4.9% | National Forest 4.8% | 2,952 | |
| Barbour | 4.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.7% | 4,342 | |
| Coosa | 4% | State Game Lands / WMA 4% | 3,223 | |
| Mobile | 3.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.7% | 2,863 | |
| Lowndes | 3.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.5% | 3,191 | |
| Tuscaloosa | 3.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.1% · National Forest 1.2% | 5,279 | |
| Shelby | 3.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.1% | 3,224 | |
| Walker | 3.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.1% | 4,383 | |
| Macon | 2.9% | National Forest 2.9% | 3,106 | |
| Autauga | 2.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.7% | 3,289 | |
| Lamar | 2.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.3% | 3,265 | |
| Limestone | 2.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.2% | 2,220 | |
| Monroe | 2.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.1% | 3,573 | |
| Cherokee | 2.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.5% · National Forest 0.6% | 2,814 | |
| Geneva | 1.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.9% | 2,074 | |
| Elmore | 1.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.4% | 2,610 | |
| Marion | 1.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.4% | 3,488 | |
| DeKalb | 1.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.3% | 2,792 | |
| Greene | 0.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.9% | 2,655 | |
| Bullock | 0.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 4,187 | |
| Sumter | 0.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.5% | 2,322 | |
| Dallas | 0.3% | — | 5,608 | |
| Franklin | 0.3% | — | 1,904 | |
| Morgan | 0.3% | — | 1,146 | |
| Tallapoosa | 0.1% | — | 3,265 | |
| Houston | 0% | — | 2,996 | |
| Etowah | 0% | — | 1,650 | |
| Conecuh | 0% | — | 3,433 | |
| Madison | 0% | — | 2,402 | |
| Cullman | 0% | — | 1,829 | |
| Wilcox | 0% | — | 3,856 | |
| Blount | 0% | — | 1,800 | |
| Clarke | 0% | — | 4,532 | |
| Crenshaw | 0% | — | 3,820 | |
| Montgomery | 0% | — | 3,510 | |
| Washington | 0% | — | 2,722 | |
| Pickens | 0% | — | 3,831 | |
| Jefferson | 0% | — | 2,538 | |
| Choctaw | 0% | — | 2,378 | |
| Pike | 0% | — | 3,565 | |
| St. Clair | 0% | — | 2,554 | |
| Lee | 0% | — | 2,561 | |
| Marshall | 0% | — | 1,193 | |
| Randolph | 0% | — | 1,876 | |
| Dale | 0% | — | 2,036 | |
| Coffee | 0% | — | 2,608 | |
| Fayette | 0% | — | 3,126 | |
| Marengo | 0% | — | 3,472 | |
| Butler | 0% | — | 4,202 | |
| Russell | 0% | — | 4,234 | |
| Henry | 0% | — | 4,081 | |
| Chambers | 0% | — | 2,522 |
huntablePct = state WMAs + national forest as a share of the county (Alabama DCNR GIS + PAD-US, EPSG:5070); deer = Alabama DCNR reported deer harvest by county. Turkey = ADCNR Game Check spring gobbler harvest by county (2025-26), sums to the published statewide total (20,103); Game Check under-reports actual harvest. National & state parks, military land, and permit-only refuges are computed but shown as the “mix,” not counted huntable; confirm the specific tract with the state agency.
Alabama — best of, ranked