Ala. Admin. Code 220-2 and the Code of Alabama · 2026-27
Alabama Hunting Laws
Legal and protected species, hunter orange or fluorescent pink, weapons by season, the Bait Privilege License and the public-land and CWD-zone bans, carcass import rules, Sunday hunting, 22 method rules, the rules for WMAs, SOAs and national forests, and the penalties in Title 9 of the Code of Alabama.
Photo: ZionNPS (CC BY 2.0)
Game the Alabama code opens to hunters
Alabama sorts huntable wildlife into game animals, resident game birds, migratory game birds, furbearers, frogs and a short list of unprotected birds. Some names on the game list, such as bear, mountain lion and red wolf, carry no open season at all.
The Alabama Administrative Code, chapter 220-2 (Game and Fish Division), is adopted by the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources under Code 9-2-7, 9-2-8 and 9-2-12; the Digest says the Code of Alabama and the Regulation Book are the final authorities.
Game animals (220-2-.06)
Bear, beaver, coyote, deer, opossum, eastern cottontail, swamp rabbit, raccoon, squirrel, nutria, fox, mountain lion (cougar), groundhog, bobcat, red wolf, feral swine (wild hog), alligator.
No open season for bear, mountain lion or red wolf; alligator only by limited-quota permit.
Resident game birds (220-2-.04(1))
Bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, wild turkey.
No open season for ruffed grouse.
Migratory game birds (220-2-.04(2))
Wild duck, wild goose, brant, Virginia rail, king rail, clapper rail, sora, coot, Wilson snipe, woodcock, mourning dove, white-winged dove, gallinule, merganser, sandhill crane.
Seasons within USFWS frameworks; HIP required.
Furbearers (220-2-.30)
Beaver, bobcat, fox, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, otter, raccoon, striped skunk, coyote, feral swine.
Trapping by licensed fur catchers; bobcat and otter tagged within 14 days.
Unprotected birds
English (house) sparrow, crow, starling.
Code 9-11-233. Rule 220-2-.92 also excludes non-native Eurasian collared doves and rock pigeons from protection; the Digest adds blackbirds (except rusty).
Frogs
Bullfrog, pig frog.
20 per person per noon-to-noon period; no commercial take from public waters.
Hunter orange or fluorescent pink in Alabama
The rule follows the gun deer dates, youth deer days and the muzzleloader week on private, leased and open-permit public land. Turkey hunters, migratory bird hunters and anyone in a stand 12 feet up or in an enclosed box stand are exempt there, but not on WMAs.
During dates and in areas open to gun deer season (including youth deer and special muzzleloader/air rifle seasons), everyone hunting any species on private, leased and open permit-public land must wear an outer garment above the waist with at least 144 square inches of hunter orange or fluorescent pink, or a full-size hunter orange or fluorescent pink hat or cap.
What counts
Solid colour visible from any angle; a small logo or printing on the front of a cap is allowed. Blaze orange, blaze pink and ten-mile cloth are legal; shades of red, camo orange and camo pink are not.
On WMAs and other managed land
On WMAs (including CHAs, SOAs, PDHAs and refuges) everyone hunting or trapping any species must wear 144 square inches of orange/pink or a full-size orange/pink hat at all times; only migratory bird hunters are exempt (220-2-.55(1)(y)).
Who may skip it
Fox, raccoon and opossum hunters at night; turkey hunters; migratory bird (including crow) hunters; hunters in a stand 12 feet or higher, in an enclosed box stand, or in an enclosed vehicle; walking no more than 20 feet directly between an operating enclosed vehicle and an exempt stand.
Youth hunts and the 2026 change
Youth and the accompanying adult wear hunter orange on special youth deer hunts. Fluorescent pink approved as an alternative to hunter orange for 2026-27 (Digest major changes). The regulation book of Jan. 2026 (220-2-.85) still says hunter orange only.
Sources: ADCNR hunter orange page; Digest, p. 33; Regulation Book, PDF p. 126, matched to the printed text November 1, 2026.
Weapons by season and game
Rifles with expanding bullets, buckshot and slugs are legal for deer from the gun opener; the muzzleloader and air rifle week allows .40-caliber muzzleloaders, .30-caliber pre-charged air guns, arrow rifles and archery gear. Turkey loads must be number 2 shot or finer from a shotgun, and duck and goose hunters must shoot nontoxic shot.
| Season or game | Legal | Not legal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deer archery season | Long bows, recurves, compound bows and crossbows meeting 220-2-.03 (bows 30 lb peak draw; crossbows 85 lb with working safety; broadheads 7/8 inches, 2 sharpened edges). | Firearms while bow hunting, except handguns carried for protection and in either-sex gun season (220-2-.10); electronics on bows except lighted pins, crossbow magnification and computing rangefinders. | Digest, p. 34 |
| Special muzzleloader and air rifle deer season | Muzzleloading long guns and handguns .40 cal or larger; pre-charged pneumatic air guns .30 cal or larger; PCP arrow rifles with 7/8 inches broadheads; bows/crossbows. | Centerfire rifles and shotguns with buckshot/slugs. | Digest, p. 34 |
| Gun deer season | Centerfire rifles and handguns with mushrooming ammunition; PCP air guns .30+; PCP arrow rifles; shotguns 10 ga or smaller with buckshot, slugs or single round ball; muzzleloaders .40+; bows/crossbows; permitted raptors. | Rimfire rifles for deer; fully automatic firearms. | Digest, p. 34 |
| Turkey | Shotguns (incl. muzzleloading) 10 ga or smaller with standard No. 2 shot or smaller; bows/crossbows. | Rifles, buckshot or slugs on turkey (may be carried when stalk hunting deer and turkey together, not used on turkey); firearms from an elevated stand (9-11-245); dogs (9-11-238). | Digest, p. 34 |
| Migratory birds | Shotguns 10 ga or smaller plugged to 3 shells with No. 2 shot or smaller; waterfowl with steel or other USFWS-approved nontoxic shot (T or smaller per the waterfowl guide); bows/crossbows; permitted raptors. | Lead shot in possession while waterfowl hunting; rifles, pistols; unplugged guns. | Digest, p. 34 |
| Raccoon and opossum at night | Shotguns with No. 6 shot or smaller; .22 rimfire; with lights and free-running dogs. | Other arms at night. | Digest, p. 34 |
| Bobcat, groundhog, unprotected wildlife, fox, coyote, feral swine | Rifles any caliber; handguns; shotguns 10 ga or smaller; PCP air guns .25+; bows/crossbows; muzzleloaders any caliber; PCP arrow rifles; spear or sharpened blade; permitted raptors. | Lights/night vision except in the nighttime swine/coyote season with the license. | Digest, p. 34 |
| Other game birds and animals (squirrel, rabbit, quail etc.) | Rimfire or air rifles; muzzleloaders any caliber; bows/crossbows; shotguns 10 ga or smaller with No. 4 shot or smaller; handguns; blowguns (breath-powered); slingshots. | – | Digest, p. 34 |
| Bullfrog and pig frog | Air rifles .25 cal or smaller; gig or spear; bows/crossbows; hand or dip net. | – | Digest, p. 34 |
| Alligator | Hand-held snares, snatch hooks (hand or rod/reel), harpoons with line, bowfishing gear with line for capture; dispatch with shotguns (shot no larger than #4) or bangsticks .38 cal or larger. | Shooting unrestrained alligators; bait; capture gear in assisting boats; other firearms in the hunting party (handguns for lawful personal protection allowed); discharge within 100 yards of residences, ramps or campsites in Mobile/Baldwin and on listed lakes. | ADCNR alligator season page |
| General | Laser range finders with computational capabilities; laser sights for legally blind hunters under 220-2-.02(1)(c). | Fully automatic firearms; lights or lasers projecting forward of a gun/bow and night vision or thermal equipment while hunting any species, except with the nighttime feral swine/coyote license during that season; refusing to show firearms/ammunition to officers. | Digest, p. 34 |
Deer archery gear
Bows 30 lb minimum peak draw, crossbows 85 lb with working safety, broadheads 7/8 inches with 2 edges; no electronics except lighted pins, crossbow magnifying sights and computing rangefinders. Gun and bow may not be carried together except in either-sex gun season (handguns for protection allowed).
Banned for deer hunters
No hunting from vehicles on public roads; no lights on guns/bows or night vision except in the nighttime swine/coyote season; no deer from public waters; no deer at night; no fully automatic firearms; no hunting within 50 yards of a public road with centerfire rifles, slugs/shot larger than No. 4 or .40+ muzzleloaders (except landowners/family on own land); no hunting within 100 yards of another's dwelling without permission.
What makes a buck
Antlered buck: male deer with one or more antlers visible above the natural hairline. Unantlered: all other deer. A point is an antler projection 1 inches or longer; the main beam tip counts.
Sources: Digest, p. 20; Digest, p. 34; Regulation Book, PDF p. 43, matched to the printed text November 1, 2026.
Alabama bait, feeding, carcass and Sunday rules
Alabama lets hunters take deer and feral hogs over bait on private or leased land, but only with the Bait Privilege License ($18.95 resident). Bait stays illegal on every kind of public land, for turkeys and migratory birds, and anywhere in the CWD Management Zone, where even supplemental feeding is banned. Sundays carry no special restriction.
| Topic | Alabama rule |
|---|---|
| Deer and hogs over bait | Legal on privately owned or leased land only with a Bait Privilege License (all ages, no exemptions): resident $18.95, nonresident $65.25. |
| 100-yard line of sight | Bait over 100 yards away and out of sight of the hunter is presumed not to be a lure on private land (220-2-.157). |
| Public land | No hunting with the aid of bait on public lands (WMA, SOA, USFWS, USFS, TVA, Corps) or anywhere in the CMZ. |
| The 10-day rule | Other baited areas stay illegal until all feed has been gone 10 days (220-2-.11(1)(g)). |
| Turkey and penalties | No baiting for turkey or other protected birds/animals (9-11-244(a)). Penalties for baiting deer/turkey: $250-$500 and up to 1 year license revocation first offense; $500-$2,000, 1-year revocation and possible 10-30 days jail after (9-11-246). |
| Doves and waterfowl | Federal rules: no baited areas for waterfowl/doves; area baited 10 days after removal; normal agricultural operations, standing crops, food plots planted per Extension recommendations and manipulated natural vegetation are legal for doves. |
| CWD Management Zone | No baiting or supplemental feeding of wildlife in the CMZ (exceptions: ag/food-plot seed, feed in active hog traps, bird/squirrel feeders within 100 feet of a residence). |
| Carcasses from other states | No whole cervid carcasses or parts from any other state, territory, province or country; only deboned meat, cleaned skull plates with bare antlers, bare antlers/sheds, capes without brain/spinal tissue, upper canines and finished taxidermy/hides (220-2-.25). Live cervid import banned. |
| Deer urine lures | Out-of-state natural cervid urine banned unless from certified facilities (220-2-.161). |
| Sundays | No Sunday hunting restriction. Code of Ala. 13A-12-1 (acts prohibited on Sunday) was repealed by Act 2015-70 effective April 21, 2015; seasons run on Sundays (for example CWD sampling weekends, Saturday-Sunday dog deer days on USFS land). Area-specific day rules exist (Mobile-Tensaw Delta WMZ closed Mon-Tue; some WMA hunts on set days). |
Sources: Code of Ala. 9-11-244; Code of Ala. 9-11-246; Regulation Book, PDF p. 153; ADCNR CWD sampling page; Code of Ala. 13A-12-1, matched to the printed text November 1, 2026.
Alabama method rules, 22 in all
Grouped by what they govern, each card states the rule in short form with a link to the Regulation Book page, Digest page or Code of Alabama section it came from.
Vehicles, roads, dwellings and permission
Vehicles and boats
No hunting, driving or rallying wildlife from automobiles, aircraft, trains, motorboats or other mechanically propelled devices; hunting from a floating craft or a vehicle allowed only once the motor is off and motion has stopped; never from a vehicle on a public road.
Public roads
No hunting or shooting from, on or across a public road, highway or railroad or its right-of-way; no hunting within 50 yards of the right-of-way with a centerfire rifle, slug or shot larger than No. 4, or a .40+ muzzleloading rifle (landowners and family on own land excepted).
Dwellings
No hunting within 100 yards of another's dwelling without permission; no projectile striking a dwelling, occupied building or commercial vessel (landowner/family on own land excepted if no projectile strikes others' property).
Landowner permission
Hunting on another's land requires the landowner's written permission in possession or being accompanied by the landowner (day: 9-11-241; night: 9-11-242). Do not trail wounded game onto land without permission.
Night, lights, calls and decoys
Night hunting
No taking protected birds or animals at night except fox (lights and dogs), raccoon/opossum (lights, dogs), feral swine/coyote in the special season with license, frogs and alligators.
Deer at night and in water
No taking deer at night by any means including lights (9-11-251); no taking deer, dead or alive, from public waters (9-11-250).
Electronic calls
Electrically amplified turkey, dove or waterfowl calls are illegal (possession in the field too); electronic crow and predator calls allowed.
Decoys
No live decoys (except banded pen-raised quail as call birds in recovery pens). Turkey decoys only in spring turkey season (allowed all spring in 2026-27); no mechanical or electronic turkey decoys, including handheld or gun-mounted fanning/reaping decoys.
Stands, traps and fair chase
Scaffolds and stands
Scaffolds legal for gun hunting all game except turkey and for bow hunting all game.
Traps, snares, poisons
No pitfalls, deadfalls, cages, nets, snares, poison or explosives for protected birds/animals (licensed fur catchers may trap furbearers under 220-2-.30).
Fair chase and exotics
No hunting animals that cannot evade the hunter (tied, caged, released <10 days, remote/computer-aided); no hunting nonindigenous animals for fee or recreation except feral swine, nuisance species or animals lawfully held before May 1, 2006.
Fire, smoke, chemicals
No hunting with fire or smoke; no gasoline or noxious chemicals to drive wildlife from dens.
Floodwaters
No taking resident birds/animals taking refuge in floodwaters or on flood-created islands under 40 acres (waterfowl excepted).
Dogs and feral swine
Dogs and deer
Dog deer hunting only where allowed; collar with name/address/phone; no casting from rights-of-way without adjoining owner permission; no tampering with dog collars; Talladega NF permit and GPS collars.
Feral swine
Live feral swine may not be released or transported; all captured feral swine must be killed on site; no releasing domestic swine.
After the shot
Harvest record and Game Check
Carry a harvest record; record deer/turkey before moving; report within 48 hours; only one harvest record.
Retrieval and waste
Reasonable effort required to retrieve crippled game and count it in the bag (220-2-.13).
Sale of game
No sale of game birds or animals or parts except lawfully taken deer hides, hooves, squirrel skins/tails and finished products.
Importation of carcasses
No cervid carcasses or parts from other states/countries except deboned meat and cleaned parts.
Cervid urine
No natural out-of-state cervid urine while hunting unless from qualifying facilities.
Officers and other hunters
Inspection
Game bags, coats, vehicles and equipment are open to inspection by conservation officers.
Interference with hunters
Interfering with lawful hunting or fishing (stimuli to affect animals, tampering with equipment) is a Class C misdemeanor (9-11-270 to -274).
Alabama rules by kind of public ground
WMAs, Special Opportunity Areas, the national forests and the Delta each add rules on top of the statewide ones: area permits and daily check-in, all-season orange, set dog days and the Apalachee refuge closure. Each land page carries the details for its own ground.
Wildlife management areas
WMA hunters 16+ need a free WMA AREA Permit (app or paper), a daily permit/app check-in, plus the WMA license for deer, turkey and waterfowl. WMA hunters check in/out through the Outdoor AL app or paper daily permit; bonus bucks validated at check stations.
Bait on public ground
No hunting with the aid of bait on public lands (WMA, SOA, USFWS, USFS, TVA, Corps) or anywhere in the CMZ.
National forest deer dogs
USFS lands: stalk only, except dog hunting on USFS lands in Calhoun, Clay and Talladega (Talladega by permit) Thu-Fri to 2 p.m. and Sat-Sun; none Mon-Wed except Christmas/New Year's Day; none on Piney Woods/Ivory Mountain (Clay).
Talladega National Forest permit
New for 2026-27: every individual dog deer hunter on Talladega National Forest lands in Talladega County needs a permit (youth 15 and under hunting with a permitted adult/group exempt); permit number on vehicles in 3 inches block numbers; GPS tracking and correction collars on all dogs; dogs must stay on permitted USFS land. Within 1 mile of the Talladega NF, written permission needed for dogs to cross private land (220-2-.112).
Special Opportunity Areas
Limited-quota draw; cost = Alabama hunting license + WMA license before registering (plus HIP/stamps for migratory birds). Selected hunter and guests get a dedicated unit for 2-4 days.
Mobile-Tensaw Delta ducks
No hunting and no gas-powered motors from the second Saturday in November through the second Saturday in February (I-10/US 90 at Chacaloochee Bay to the western channel of the Apalachee River).
Alabama animals with no season or full protection
11 listings, from the black bear, whose killing is a Class A misdemeanor with a three-year license revocation, to the protected bats, salamanders and darters of rule 220-2-.92, and the fox squirrel and quail closures on parts of the national forests.
Black bear
No open season. Hunting, wounding, killing, trapping or attempting to in closed season, or selling/transporting bears or parts, is a Class A misdemeanor: first offense $2,000-$5,000 and/or up to 1 year; later $3,500-$5,000 and 6 months-1 year; 3-year revocation of hunting and fishing licenses; vehicles and weapons may be confiscated. Incidental take during lawful activity excepted; legally taken out-of-state bears may be possessed.
Mountain lion (cougar)
Designated game animal with no open season.
Ruffed grouse
Resident game bird with no open season.
Red wolf
Designated game animal (220-2-.06); no season in the 2026-27 sources.
American alligator
Unlawful to possess, take or kill alligators, skins, meat, eggs or parts except as provided (limited-quota hunting season, nuisance control hunters, licensed farms).
Nongame birds
All nongame birds protected except crows and non-native starlings, house sparrows, Eurasian collared doves and rock pigeons.
Protected nongame mammals
Brazilian free-tailed, eastern small-footed, gray, Indiana, little brown, northern long-eared, northern yellow, Rafinesque's big-eared, southeastern and tricolored bats; southeastern pocket gopher; West Indian manatee; Alabama beach, meadow jumping and Perdido Key beach mice; pygmy and smoky shrews; Appalachian cottontail; marsh rabbit; spotted skunk; long-tailed weasel; Allegheny woodrat. Take, possession or sale needs a permit.
Protected nongame reptiles, amphibians and fishes
Rule 220-2-.92 lists protected fishes (for example Alabama sturgeon, Gulf sturgeon, many darters), amphibians (for example eastern hellbender, Red Hills salamander, gopher frogs) and reptiles; possession of more than one box turtle and sale of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are restricted.
Fox squirrel (Bankhead and Tuskegee National Forests)
Closed on the Bankhead and Tuskegee National Forests (Tuskegee new for 2026-27).
Bobwhite quail (Bankhead National Forest)
Closed on the Bankhead National Forest.
Live cervids and listed exotics
No import of live deer, elk or other cervids; no possession, sale, import or release of listed animals (mongoose, wild rabbits/hares, out-of-state coyote, fox, raccoon, skunk, wild rodents, wild turkey strains, bear, mountain lion, bobcat, pronghorn, nondomestic pigs/peccaries/bovids except bison). Release of any turkey into the wild prohibited.
What an Alabama wildlife violation can cost
Most game violations are misdemeanors with fines set in Title 9 of the Code of Alabama. Hunting without permission, night hunting and road hunting carry four-figure minimum fines and can cost the license, and night hunting brings a mandatory three-year loss of hunting privileges.
Closed season / illegal take
Misdemeanor: $250-$1,000 fine and up to 6 months jail (same for wild turkey taken illegally or in closed season).
Hunting without permission (day)
First offense at least $1,000 and possible 1-year license revocation; later offenses at least $2,000, 1-year revocation and 10-30 days jail.
Hunting without permission (night)
Same penalties as daytime trespass hunting (fox hunting with dogs only excepted).
Night hunting
Class B misdemeanor: $2,000-$3,000 first offense, up to 6 months jail, mandatory 3-year revocation of hunting privileges.
Deer at night / from public waters
First offense at least $500, 1-year revocation, 3-10 days jail; second at least $1,000, 3-year revocation, 10-30 days; third+ at least $1,000, 5-year revocation, 30-60 days.
Baiting and unlawful methods
General: $25-$100 (second $50-$250, third $100-$500, possible jail). Baiting deer or turkey: first $250-$500 and up to 1-year revocation; later $500-$2,000, automatic 1-year revocation, possible 10-30 days jail.
Road hunting / shooting across roads
First offense at least $1,000; later at least $2,000 and 1-year revocation.
Hunting without a license
Residents: Class C misdemeanor, $75-$250; lending/transferring a license same. Nonresident penalties in 9-11-51(c).
Revoked license / license fraud
Hunting while revoked, or borrowing, lending or altering a license: Class B misdemeanor.
Black bear
Class A misdemeanor, $2,000-$5,000 and/or up to 1 year; 3-year license revocation.
Wild turkey with dogs
$25-$50 per offense.
Live deer importation
Maximum fine raised to $5,000 per violation (Digest).
Sources: Code of Ala. 9-11-236; Code of Ala. 9-11-241; Code of Ala. 9-11-235; Regulation Book, PDF p. 1, matched to the printed text November 1, 2026.
Alabama hunting law questions
Which guns and calibers may Alabama deer hunters use?
Centerfire rifles and handguns with mushrooming ammunition; PCP air guns .30+; PCP arrow rifles; shotguns 10 ga or smaller with buckshot, slugs or single round ball; muzzleloaders .40+; bows/crossbows; permitted raptors. Rimfire rifles for deer; fully automatic firearms.
Do bowhunters need orange during gun season?
Yes, on private, leased and open-permit public land, unless in a stand 12 feet or higher or an enclosed box stand. On WMAs everyone except migratory bird hunters wears it at all times.
Do I need written permission to hunt someone else's land?
Hunting on another's land requires the landowner's written permission in possession or being accompanied by the landowner (day: 9-11-241; night: 9-11-242). Do not trail wounded game onto land without permission.
Can I shoot a turkey from a tree stand?
Not with a firearm. Scaffolds and elevated stands are legal for gun hunting all game except turkey, and for bowhunting all game.
Are electronic calls legal in Alabama?
Electrically amplified turkey, dove or waterfowl calls are illegal (possession in the field too); electronic crow and predator calls allowed.
What is the penalty for hunting without permission?
First offense at least $1,000 and possible 1-year license revocation; later offenses at least $2,000, 1-year revocation and 10-30 days jail.
Can I use a thermal scope for hogs?
Only during the special nighttime feral swine and coyote season on private or leased land, with the nighttime license. Otherwise lights, lasers and night vision or thermal gear are illegal while hunting.
What parts of an out-of-state deer may enter Alabama?
No whole cervid carcasses or parts from any other state, territory, province or country; only deboned meat, cleaned skull plates with bare antlers, bare antlers/sheds, capes without brain/spinal tissue, upper canines and finished taxidermy/hides (220-2-.25). Live cervid import banned.
Does fluorescent pink satisfy the Alabama orange rule?
Yes, from 2026-27: fluorescent pink is approved as an alternative to hunter orange, either 144 square inches above the waist or a full-size cap.
May I release a trapped hog somewhere else?
Live feral swine may not be released or transported; all captured feral swine must be killed on site; no releasing domestic swine.
From the agency itself
ADCNR writes its standing rules into chapter 220-2 of the Alabama Administrative Code, and the Official 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest repeats them for the license year that runs September 1 to August 31. Where a Digest summary and the Code of Alabama disagree, the Code and the Regulation Book govern.
Other photos on this page: NPS Photo (Public domain); Ted Sakshaug (CC BY 2.0); the real Kam75 (CC BY-SA 2.0); John Wolf (CC BY-SA 2.0); LongitudeLatitude (CC BY 2.0).