Official Publication of the ACEOA

WWW.ACEOA.ORG

WINTER 2016

Gayle Morrow

in this issue...

PUBLISHER:

2016 2017 State Officers and Directors  3

EDITOR:

Brent-Wyatt West
8436 Crossland Loop, Suite 207
Montgomery, Alabama 36117

SALES OFFICES:
Chris Banks / Jim Downing
8436 Crossland Loop, Suite 207
Montgomery, Alabama 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)

From the President  5

From the Trenches  7
Annual 2015 Scholarships  9
A Special Deer Hunt  11
Combat Wounded Warriors  17
CEOs and Tree Stands in Coosa County  19
Hunters Complete Survey  23
Kids 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

ACEMagazine is the official publication of the

Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officer
Association. Purchase of advertising space
does not entitle the advertisers to any privileges
or favors from members. ACEMagazine does
not assume responsibility for statements of
fact or opinion made by any contributor.
This magazine is created and produced by
BrentWyatt West. Copyright 2016. 
All rights reserved.

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
ACEOA Magazine1

2016 2017 ACEOA State Officers

Executive Director

Rusty Morrow (Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Enforcement Retired)

2016 2017 ACEOA State Officers

Heath Walls President Vance Wood Vice President Rick Smith Secretary/Treasurer

DISTRICT I

Ernie Stephens Director Wendell Fulks Associate Director

Blount, Colbert, Cullman, Fayette, Franklin, L amar, L auderdale, L awrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Walker, Winston

DISTRICT II

Scott Kellenberger Director Jerry Fincher Associate Director Joel Glover Associate Director
Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, DeK alb, Etowah, Jackson, Marshall, R andolph, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa

DISTRICT III

Cliff Robinson Director Clint Tyus Associate Director Marcus Rowell Associate Director
Autauga, Bibb, Chilton, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Jefferson, Lowndes, Perry, Pickens, Shelby, Sumter, Tuscaloosa

DISTRICT IV

Tim Ward Director Patrick Norris Associate Director Brad Gavins Associate Director
Barbour, Bullock, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Macon, Montgomery, Pike, Russell

DISTRICT V

Edward Bo Willis Director Joe Goddard Associate Director

Baldwin, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Washington, Wilcox

ACE Magazine
Gayle Morrow Editor

For questions about your District Director, ACEOA, or membership contact:

Rusty Morrow, P.O. Box 74, Lowndesboro, AL, 36752, (334) 3919113, rusty_morrow@yahoo.com

ACEOA Magazine3

From the President

By Lt. Heath Walls

want 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 association, we assist our officers by
providing support in times of
need. We provide a benefit to
the family of a member/officer
if he or she is killed in the line
of duty. We give to families of
other law enforcement agencies in similar situations. We
give five scholarships to our
member/officers or their immediate family each year and
one scholarship to an associate 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 of
Conservation.
l

ACEOA Magazine5

From the Trenches

By Rusty Morrow, ACEOA Executive Director

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 didnt have much. Wasnt unusual to head out for
a morning or afternoon hunt and see nothing but water
that 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 many
happy faces.
Please enjoy these articles and remember it couldnt happen without our corporate sponsors. I cant 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 department
image. These are stories for another time.
You will see Keith has quite an imagination and it
comes out in his writing. Ive 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. Ive heard the BOOM
in the adjoining swamp. Its not something you forget.
At print time the House of Representatives passed the
Deer Bait Bill. Im sure the Senate has the same plans.
Its an amazing time that those houses have nothing else
to worry about than deer. I have an opinion but Ill 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 of
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.
Ill 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

ACEOA Magazine7

Annual 2015 Scholarships

Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officer Association
Scholarship rules can be found on the ACEOA website at www.aceoa.org

Justin Knight
Megan Leigh Kellenberger
ACEOA awarded the Lance Horner
Memorial Scholarship, a member
scholarship, to Meg, daughter of
Sherri (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 masters degree in social
work. Meg serves as the president
of Diversability, a student organization dedicated to improving campus access to students and guests
with disabilities.
Congratulations, Meg, and best
wishes to you.

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 f rom 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 in
Wildlife 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 Lt.
Cliff Robinson.
Austin is currently a senior
studying Mechanical Engineering
at Embr y-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 possibly 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, sustainable design and development,
and Kiswahili.
Congratulations, Austin, and best
wishes to you.
ACEOA Magazine9

A Special Deer Hunt

By Jane Rogers

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 and
Phillip 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 hunter with the opportunity to harvest
a deer, enjoy time outdoors hunting
and fishing. Three of the hunters
were friends of Childrens Hospital
in Birmingham, and the other three had not had the
opportunity to harvest a deer due to a range of family situations.

Anticipation grew as the sun set and temperature

dropped. It seemed everything was coming together for
continued on 13

ACEOA Magazine11

A SPECIAL DEER HUNT continued

a perfect opportunity to harvest some deer for these kids.

All gathered around the outdoor fire pit for an extensive hunter safety discussion led by Chris Litton and
Conservation Officer Kirk Smith. The inexperienced hunters 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 was
time for dinner and smores.
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 better with a nice doe coming back with
a proud hunter. One disappointed
hunter was unable to find the deer
he 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 Enforcement
Officer Association, Officer Kirk Smith, Officer Vance
Wood, Lt. Colonel Chris Lewis with Alabama Conservation
continued on 15

ACEOA Magazine13

10ad21

TRI-COUNTY POOL SERVICE

5180GraceStreet
A SPECIAL DEER
HUNT continued
Millbrook,AL36054
334-285-9906

and Natural Resources, Mike Guillotte taxidermist and

Hunter Ed instructor Mobile County, Sergeant Major
Bennie McCord Retired, and Travis Motichek with Crane
Works. 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 251
there were
Hunts
Stateother
LineYouth
Road
S. conducted

GMJ Machine Company

Moore Electric
Company
700 Sprott Drive
Montgomery, AL 36117

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. Chris
Litton is organizing a group to complete a non-profit organization dedicated to provide opportunities for youth to
broaden their horizons for hunting and fishing in our great
state. Please contact him if you are interested in supporting this venture. clitton@cityoforangebeach.com
l

334-215-7200

A&J PLUMBING

Wilmer, Alabama 36587

71 Lee Road ~ Suite 304

Salem, AL 36877
334-298-4850

Plantation Fire Arms

Coastal Pump & Filter

Service

251-649-8287

2406 Highway 165

Eufaula, Alabama 36027

334-740-8325

P.O. Box 961

Semmes, AL 36575
251-509-9815

reno plumbing
& sewer service

Phillip Parker Sales

1113 Thomason Avenue

Birmingham, AL 35215

205-841-0985

11700Highway43
Russellville,AL35654
256-332-1076

ACEOA Magazine15

Combat Wounded Warriors

By Tim Ward

TRI-COUNTY POOL SERVICE

5180GraceStreet
Millbrook,AL36054
334-285-9906

10ad21

Moore Electric
Company
700 Sprott Drive
Montgomery, AL 36117

334-215-7200

GMJ Machine Company

A&J PLUMBING

251 State Line Road S.

Wilmer, Alabama 36587

71 Lee Road ~ Suite 304

Salem, AL 36877
334-298-4850

Plantation Fire Arms

Coastal Pump & Filter

Service

251-649-8287

2406 Highway 165

334-740-8325

P.O. Box 961

Semmes, AL 36575
251-509-9815

Sunfire Enterprises

Matthews Forest

The ACEOA Eufaula,

funds have gone
to good use
recently. The Combat Wounded Warriors just hosted their third group of veterans in
Alabama
36027
Harrisburg, Arkansas. They will host a total of six hunts to well deserved warriors. This picture was taken on January 10, 2016.

ACEOA Magazine17

CEOs and Tree Stands

in Coosa County
By Joel D. Glover

hat do es a Cons er vat ion

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 was
sponsored 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 problems
to 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 officers 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 encouraged
to be a good witness, collecting pertinent information and calling authorities
immediately. The officers fielded several
questions from the group.
One of the least enjoyable segments
of an officers job is working a hunting
accident. By far the most common type
of accident that occurs involves falling
continued on 21
ACEOA Magazine19

CEOS AND TREE STANDS IN COOSA COUNTY continued

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 from
an 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 broken 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 opportunity to provide this type of pertinent information to
the public.
l

ACEOA Magazine21

Hunters Complete Survey

By David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Photos by David Rainer

he white-tailed deer still reigns supreme for

Alabamas hunters. The Alabama Wildlife and
Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Divisions 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.
Thats 10 percent, which from everything I can
determine 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.

The turkey-hunting activity isnt nearly as

widespread as deer hunting in the state.

To illustrate how many hunters pursue white-tailed

deer in Alabama, of those 12,801 respondents, 98 percent
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 didnt surprise me. This
just 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.outdooralabama.com/january-2016-hunter-survey-results for complete results.
The answer choices for the questions about whether
the hunters supported the mandatory harvest reporting
of deer and turkeys were support, oppose and neither
support/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 didnt have an opinion, that meant
you didnt care and it was OK to do it. Thats the way
I look at it. Turkey hunters were at about 80 percent that
supported it or didnt 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 that
opposes this.
Because of some crossover voting from hunters who
pursued game on both public and private land, the
continued on 25
ACEOA Magazine23

HUNTERS COMPLETE SURVEY continued

percentage of private-land hunters was 91 percent and
reporting mistakenly say the reason behind Game Check
public-land hunters, 13 percent.
is so the Enforcement Section can write more tickets for
That did not surprise me one bit, Sykes said. About
hunting violations.
95 percent of the land in the state is privately owned,
Hunters are the ones who want the laws to be
so that is what I would expect. More than 90 percent of
enforced, he said. I hear it every day. The ones abiding by the laws, like the three-buck limit, are wanting to
the hunters hunt on private land, which is another reamake sure their neighbors are
son we can gather data all we
want on the WMAs (Wildlife
doing the same thing. They are
Management Areas), but the
the ones who are crying out
survey shows the portion of
for enforcement.
hunting that goes on there.
We want the data. But the
Its not much. Thats why we
two go hand-in-hand. We get
have to have hunters on prithe data we need, and they get
vate land help us with this
the enforcement. Everybody
data. We cannot do it by samwins, especially the resource.
pling WMA hunters.
Sykes said there is a perfect
WFF proposed mandatory
example of what mandatory
harvest reporting through the
reporting can achieve on the
Game Check program three
Alabama Gulf Coast with red
years ago, but opposition led
snapper data.
to the implementation of a volLook at the success of
untary reporting system.
Snapper Check, he said. It
Sykes said he has proof that
was able to prove that the
the voluntary reporting system
federal government overestidid not receive anywhere near
mated the snapper harvest by
the support he had hoped.
double for two consecutive
years. Basically, methodology
In those three years of volWhite-tailed deer hunting is on almost every hunters
similar to what the feds used
untary reporting, WFF generated reports from just after
agenda during the fall and winter in Alabama.
on red snapper is being used
to estimate deer and turkeys.
the Christmas holidays. On
December 31, 2013, there had been 11,552 deer harvest
Thats unacceptable.
reports. On December 29, 2014, the reports had dwindled
Estimates of the Alabama deer herd range from 1.5
to 7,408. By December 28, 2015, only 6,341 people had
million to 2 million animals, but Sykes says those are
only rough estimates, stemming from anecdotal inforused Game Check to report deer harvests.
Voluntary reporting does not work, Sykes said. The
mation gathered from a small sample of hunter surveys,
participation steadily went downhill. Its human nature.
landowner visits and reports from hunting clubs.
We would like to improve our ability to inventory this
If youre not required to do something, more than likely
vital natural resource and also to determine the invenyoure not going to do it.
I dont want this department held responsible for
tory harvested by hunters on an annual basis to better
managing such an important resource, which accounts
manage this species, said Sykes, who pointed out that
for billions of dollars in economic impact to the state, on
almost every state in the U.S. has some type of mandaa guess. In this day and time, with the technology at our
tory reporting in the form of tags, check stations, online
fingertips, thats unacceptable. We need data to manage
reporting or telephone hotlines.
All but three states have some type of data gathering,
it properly.
Sykes said those who oppose mandatory harvest
he said. I dont want Alabama to be the last.
l
ACEOA Magazine25

Kids Korner
By Capt. Chris Lewis

Sarah showing off one of her bigger fish that she caught
this day. Went fishing in a pond in Macon county,
Keith Mann helped her pull in several nice fish.

Calista showing off her catch.

She named this one second serving.

Sarah Lewis fishing on Coosa River at Goldstar Park in Wetumpka.

ACEOA Magazine27

Outdoors With Friends

By Greg Ricks

he Outdoors with Friends disabled and disadvantage 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 attendance 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 harvested. With the biggest Buck being an 8-point taken
by Wounded Warrior participant Joe Calley, he received
a 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 all
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 as
continued on 31

ACEOA Magazine29

10ad22

HELMI LEFFLER
Lee
Road 646
OUTDOORS 675
WITH
FRIENDS
continued
Salem, AL 36874

door prizes. Sunday school rooms are opened up again

334-826-1678
for individuals who are unable to pay for hotels. We are
already looking forward to next years event. If anyone is

Powell Wrecker Service

4205 Nichols Lane
Prattville, AL 36067
334-361-2929
interested in this ministry
feel free to contact Greg Ricks
(334) 465-5542. Thank you ACEOA.

POLARIS COLLINS
AUTO PARTS

Jones Lawn Service

205 S. Henry Street

Guntersville, AL 35976
256-582-3217

256-312-4608

Will Hollingsworth
Attorney at Law
P.O. Box 6370
Talladega, AL 35161

256-362-6600

Edith Couch Counseling

1307 Christine Avenue
Anniston, AL 36207

256-235-7479

528 Vaughn Drive

Gadsden, AL 35904

McDaniel Fence
Company, LLC
1019 Lamberth
Alexander City, AL 35010

256-329-0649

ALLENS
HEATING & COOLING
1120 Weoka Road
Wetumpka, Alabama 36092

334-301-0432

ACEOA Magazine31

Sheepshead Fishing
By David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources,
Photos by David Rainer

t was one of those fishsee flashing under the water

ing trips that didnt fill the
that I had hooked a sheepshead,
ice chest with trophy fish,
a species that spends late winter
but it will forever be etched in
and early spring near inshore
my memory.
structure in the coastal waters
Although there was still a chill
of the Gulf of Mexico.
in the air, I decided to see if
After finally traversing the
rocks to get the fish into open
I could locate a few speckled
water, I scooped it up with
trout for dinner several years
ago on a solo trip in Mobile Bay.
the net and tossed it into the
After hitting all of my usual
ice chest.
trout spots, I didnt have a single
The next foray into the rocks
fish in the ice chest. Reconciled
led to one of those outcomes
to the fact that it might be burganglers have to deal with when
ers on the grill instead of fried
fishing for sheepshead, nickfish for dinner, I had to pass
named bandit fish or convict
near the Grand Hotel on the
fish. I reeled in a glistening,
Eastern Shore.
baitless hook. Obviously, the
Because of a significant seaconvict fish comes from the
wall that surrounds the west side
fishs striped appearance. The
of the hotel property, a series
bandit fish moniker comes
of rock jetties are in place to
from the sheepsheads ability
break up the waves and protect
Sheepshead are plentiful along the
to steal your bait. It can pick
Alabama Gulf Coast in late winter and
the seawall.
a shrimp off the hook with
Numerous casts around the
early spring and make great table fare.
barely a jiggle in the line.
rocks with trout baits produced
If you toss a piece of bait into
a sheepshead haunt and dont get a bite within a couple
zero fish. If I was going to fire up the fish cooker, I had to
of minutes, you might as well reel it in because you have
come up with a different plan.
Ive always found it prudent to bring along some natubeen robbed.
ral bait on saltwater fishing trips when possible. I had
Another tip is to always carry plenty of sinkers, leaders
a quart bag of fresh dead shrimp in the ice chest and
and hooks because you are going to lose some tackle
decided to give that a try.
when youre fishing around barnacle-encrusted rocks,
I rigged a spinning reel with a 1/2-ounce slip sinker,
pilings or petroleum rigs. You might also have to use
swivel, 1-foot length of leader and a No. 1 hook. I impaled
15-pound line instead of the usual 10- or 12-pound line.
a piece of shrimp onto the hook and tossed it toward the
Fluorocarbon line also handles the abrasion better than
rock jetty.
monofilament. When it comes to hooks, anglers use
Within seconds, I felt a tug on the line. I tightened
everything from No. 2 to 1/0 hooks. Because of the strucup the slack and set the hook. The fight was on and it
ture and the sheepsheads tough mouth, you dont want to
was quickly apparent from the vertical stripes I could
continued on 35
ACEOA Magazine33

SHEEPSHEAD FISHING continued

use a fine wire hook. Use something with some backbone,
Sheepshead arent the easiest to clean because of
which is also what youll need for your fishing rod. You
tough scales and hide, but its worth the effort to a certain extent. That extent is size. The Alabama Marine
want a little give at the tip to keep from ripping the hook
out of the fishs mouth, but youll need strength in the rest
Resources Division (MRD) established a size limit of 12
of the rod to be able to get
inches, but I dont advise
the fish out of the structure
keeping that small a fish
unless you get near the end
as soon as possible.
By the time my small
of the day and the ice chest
is empty. A 12-inch fish is
bag of fresh dead shrimp
not going to yield much in
had been depleted that
the way of a filet. I prefer
day, there were eight nice
sheepshead in the ice chest.
to keep those 16 inches or
I headed home, cleaned
larger if I have that choice.
The 12-inch limit has to
the fish and fired up the
fish cooker.
do with fish biology. One
After a dinner of fried
criteria Marine Resources
uses to manage inshore fish
sheepshead, my youngest
species has to do with its
daughter finished her last
bite and said, Dad, please
spawning potential or the
go catch some more of
number of eggs produced.
those sheepshead.
MRD research showed that
Right now is the time to
more than half the 12-inch
catch sheepshead along the
fish have the ability to proAlabama Gulf Coast. The
duce the number of eggs
current weather pattern is
that will maintain a sustainfor warmer days, which will
able population to ensure
make it pleasant to hit the
anglers will enjoy this earlycoastal waters in search
Sheepshead sport a nice set of teeth to be able to crunch
season fishing opportunity
of sheepshead.
barnacles and other crustaceans in the coastal marine habitat. each year.
If you dont have any live
Because of the sheepsor fresh-dead shrimp, sheepshead love fiddler crabs and
heads tendency to congregate in large numbers along
jetties and other structure, its easy to sit in one spot and
hermit crabs as well. Discard the hermit crabs shell and
fill an ice chest to the brim with fish. To keep the species
impale the crab on the hook. Some folks will even shuck
from becoming overfished, MRD set a daily creel limit of
oysters and use pieces of the meat as bait.
If you look a sheepshead in the face, youll know where
10 fish per person. If you have a buddy or family member
it got its name. It has a set of teeth designed for nibbling
fishing with you, that creel limit will leave you with all
the sheepshead you want to clean.
bits of crustaceans like barnacles, snails and other critters, similar to the way a sheeps mouth and teeth are
Visit www.outdooralabama.com for information on
designed to nibble grass down to the ground.
a saltwater fishing license as well as a map of the numerSeveral years ago, there were no size or creel limits on
ous inshore fishing reefs that can be likely hangouts for
sheepshead because of the relative abundance and the
inshore species.
l
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.
ACEOA Magazine35

ACEOA Post Hunt Report

By Chris Litton
Dear ACEOA,
I would like to take a moment and
personally thank you for your support of the Orange Beach Youth Dove
Hunt. While the hunt carries the City
name it is not actually a City sponsored hunt. It just helps us facilitate
the registration process out of the
Recreation Center. As mentioned in
my 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 for
hosting 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 enjoying a wonderful lunch of roasted whole pig and baked
beans we gathered for the safety briefing. There, Daniel
Musselwhite, Mike Guillotte, Wesley Moore, and myself
discussed game identification, hunting ethics, field etiquette (i.e. low birds), and above all safety. I took this
opportunity to demonstrate carry positions, and showed
what could happen if they experienced a barrel obstruction by using
dummy ammunition and by showing 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 immediately shots started ringing out. Early
on we had several flights of mourning 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
continued on 39
ACEOA Magazine37

ACEOA POST HUNT REPORT continued

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 your
pledge 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.
ACEOA Magazine39

Feathers, Fins, and

Furs Outdoor Event
By Sgt. Joe Goddard

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 volunteers, this years event drew 90 children, ages 8- to
17-years-old and their parents from all over the state.
Highlights included a raptor demonstration from Auburn
University Raptor Trek with live raptors and reptiles,
and Big Daddy Lawlers radio show.

Students shooting .22s.

In addition, Mr. Tommy Atkins brought the State

Wildlife and Fisheries shooting trailer with .22s, 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
Archery.

continued on 43

ACEOA Magazine41

FEATHERS, FINS, AND FURS OUTDOOR EVENT continued

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 Soggy
Bottom 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 Department of Conservation.

Presenting lifetime license to Caleb Parten, with CEO Curt Porter, CEO Matt Moran, and Sgt. Joe Goddard.

Group picture with CEO Curt Porter, CEO Matt Moran, Sgt. Joe Goddard, and CEO Jeff Shaw.
ACEOA Magazine43

Deepwater Horizon
Oil Spill Continues
To Be A Problem

By David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

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 Coasts ecology and
economy is still being felt, and the process to acquire
compensation from BP for that damage has been an ongoing 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. Representatives
from 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 billion in natural resources damages, including the $1 billion BP
agreed to pay for early restoration projects. A Clean Water
Act civil penalty of $5.5 billion
will be assessed to BP. In addition, $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 addition 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 Natural
Resource Damage) covered at this meeting, Guy said at
last weeks 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 the
proposed monetary settlement for the audience.
The $5.5 billion penalty is by far the largest civil
continued on 47

ACEOA Magazine45

DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM continued

penalty thats 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 of
the fact that just on the night of the explosion 11 people
lost their lives and 17 more were injured, said Jean Cowan
of NOAA. Thats 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 Gulf
and 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 commercial fishing in the world. We
have 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 spread
from 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 covered more than 1,300 miles of shoreline.
Thats 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. Thats about the same size as the state
of Virginia.
To put it simply, wherever the oil went, it created 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, benthic 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 four
segmentsrestore and conserve habitat; restore water
quality, replenish and protect living coastal and marine
resources; and provide and enhance recreational opportunities.
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
ACEOA Magazine47

DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM continued

unknown conditions and adaptive management to deal with
unforeseen problems that may
arise 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
whats in this plan for Alabama,
state officials and trustees will
focus 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.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/restoration-planning/gulf-plan/ to
submit a comment.
For an Alabama perspective on the oil spill restoration
efforts and projects, visit http://alabamacoastalrestoration.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 natural
resource damages, addressing the needs of our coastal
communities and completing some really beneficial projects over the coming years. Right now, weve got a little
more than $100 million in early restoration money, and
were 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.

ACEOA Magazine49

Limestone County
Youth Dove Hunt
By Sgt. Wendell Fulks

n a hot September Saturday in Limestone County,

we were again able to share the hunting experience 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

Wendell Fulks, operating Skeet.

Kym Champion registering hunters.

Ron Eakes, operating Skeet.

much appreciated. Even though the birds were scarce,

the fellowship we all enjoyed wasnt lacking at all. We
are 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 marksmanship skills and warm up those shotguns by shooting
Taylor Gray, Travis Grays son.

continued on 53
ACEOA Magazine51

LIMESTONE COUNTY YOUTH DOVE HUNT continued

Limestone Youth
Dove Hunt 9-19-15
Thirty-five youth, eight first timers, three girls

Grand Prize Package winner with Steve Pepper.

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 support ACEOA! Congratulations go out to Evan Dockery
and Colton Rayburn who each received the grand prize
which 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-

CEO Steve Pepper with Palmer Fulks.

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/Larrys 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/Krystals 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

lowing sponsors for your continued support of this annual

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 Larrys 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 sometimes goes unnoticed. Thanks to Kym Champion, Sgt.
Travis Gray, and CEO Steve Pepper for your continued
support and dedication in promoting hunting for our communitys youth.
l
continued on 55
ACEOA Magazine53

LIMESTONE COUNTY YOUTH DOVE HUNT continued

Travis Gray and Wendell Fulks, Safety Brief.

Youth Group photo with Sgt. Fulks and Sgt. Gray.

ACEOA Magazine55

The Rusty Chronicles

By Keith Mickle

The Poachers Meet Rusty

heard 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 Alabamas finest outdoor professors (those professors are called rednecks by some,
good ole boys by others). That mornings 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 couldnt hit a barn door at 50
yards AND its so puny itd 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 an
elephant gun on deer? Oh No! Not our guy! Thatd 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 Yankees 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.
Cuzs slurred voice let all who would listen know that
ANY man should be able to hunt whenever he wanted,
and WHERE EVER he wanted. The professors started
questioning the Cuz.
Professors: Weve put money into our deer lease property for years?
Cuz: Deer belongs to anyone who can shoot em no
matter where they are!
Professors: Weve been growing those deer for
our kids.

Cuz: Your kids better shoot em fore somebody

else does.
Professors: Weve got Game Wardens that are
our friends.
Cuz: Thats your problem! Game Wardens! I hate
em, hate em all!
Cuz stomped off toward the decoys leaving The
Yankee looking depressed and deflated who said to no
one in particular, My Cuz is a man filled with a lotta
hate, hes 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, whatdya 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 wasnt born in Alabama.
A Lowndes County good ole boy said: Mister you
couldnt hide that fact any bettern 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 careless hunters. His two favorite fear creatures were, The
Colossus Barred Owl, its naked skull cap caused by generations 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.
Cuzs second favorite fear creature was the Giant Bama
Yeti a creature tall as a cypress tree, silently wading
continued on 59
ACEOA Magazine57

THE RUSTY CHRONICLES The Poachers Meet Rusty continued

through deep swamp water so it could sneak up on victims, pluck them from the ground pulling them high into
the canopy of oak or hickoryto be slowly consumed.
The morning of the hunt the truck was hid. A mile of
wadding through palmettos and beaver dams put us at
Cuzs 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 couldntt even fly. Sitting there I realized 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: Aint nobody know how to get here. Too
hard. And folk is too scared. Folks fraid The
Owlll git em or the Yeti! Ha ha! Now
shut up.
Time passed. Sitting in the dark
I realized I was never going back to
NYCs Manhattan Islandwhy 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 of
wings, 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. Thenjust silence.
I could feel the danger wrapping around me. Shapes
emerged, and then faded with breaking dawn and drifting
fog. Spanish moss didnt move there was no breeze. The
silence was broken only by the occasional foggy water
droplets 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 headthe prehistoric Colossus Owl!
Its white boney talons gripped the right rail within
inches of Cuzs snoring headDew 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
mealoddly shaped like a mustache. I tried to scream
Colossus Owl but all that came out was, the sound of
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?! Thenthe
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 drunken
eyes SNAPPED open to see the Owl face
6-inches away.
In those next five seconds, many animals 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
everythingHe was screaming; Its the
Colossus Owl! Its The Owl!
Thats when the Owl spoke its first words.
Oh, for Gods sake! Shut! Up! Im 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 mustachehe looked almost human!
Upon waking Cuz had jumped to my side of the stand,
from the smell I thought Cuzd spilled Doe urine on himself. (I soon realized it WAS urinebut not from a Doe.)
When Cuz regained his composure, he started yelling at
Officer Rusty, who was still at the edge of the stand.
Cuz:You cant prove thats my corn.
Officer Rusty: Youre 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 havent littered anything here!
continued on 61
ACEOA Magazine59

THE RUSTY CHRONICLES The Poachers Meet Rusty continued

Officer Rusty: Yes you have, this Ladder Stand is litter.
Cuz: Wellif this is my Ladder Stand, you climb
down off it!
Officer Rusty: I aint, standing on your stinking ladder stand.
Cuz slid to the right peeked over the rail at Officer
Rustys feet planted firmly on the GROUND! Thats 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 mist
swirling and closing around Officer Rusty as he waded
away though deep swamp water, ducking under cypress
limbs. Thats when I realized: Holy moly, there really is
a Bama Yeti!
l

10ad21

TRI-COUNTY POOL SERVICE

5180GraceStreet
Millbrook,AL36054
334-285-9906

reno plumbing

Moore Electric
Company
700 Sprott Drive
Montgomery, AL 36117

334-215-7200

ACEOA Magazine61

Phillip Parker Sales

I Hate Litter
By Lt. Cliff Robinson

hate litter. You do too. Ten out of ten people think littering is wrong. Dont believe the stat? Ask ten people.
Litter is one of the scourges on earth thats hard to
stop. Everyone is opposed to litter but yet we all see
the horrendous problem. Its 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. Its in the general criminal code as its intent is for any and all law enforcement
agencies 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 deputies. 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 officers primary
duties are wildlife, fishing, and water safety law enforcement 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 becomes
a 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 commendations. 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 seen
a 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 first
vehicle 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 potential
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
continued on 65
ACEOA Magazine63

I HATE LITTER continued

we worked the detail again the following day and got four
more violators.
I shared our story with several news outlets. The
Tuscaloosa 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
just finished
675
Leehad
Road
646 the interview

HELMI LEFFLER

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! The10ad22
TV crew
was 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

Powell Wrecker Service

Salem, AL 36874

4205 Nichols Lane

Prattville, AL 36067
334-361-2929

POLARIS COLLINS
AUTO PARTS

Jones Lawn Service

205 S. Henry Street

Guntersville, AL 35976
256-582-3217

256-312-4608

334-826-1678

APEL STEEL

528 Vaughn Drive

Gadsden, AL 35904

ACEOA Magazine65

Holly Pond Animal

Criminal Littering Cases in 2014

By 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 shipping label and doctor bills all having the same address.
I was able to make contact with the individual whose
name and address was in the garbage. I issued them

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, Alabama
While 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 suba 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.

continued on 69

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
ACEOA Magazine67

CRIMINAL LITTERING CASES IN 2014 continued

jects 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 subject
that 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 littering. 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.

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

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 someones 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

three had the same name and address. I made contact

with 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.
continued on 71

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
ACEOA Magazine69

CRIMINAL LITTERING CASES IN 2014 continued

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 admitted to dumping the trash. I agreed to give him the opportunity 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

10ad22

Will Hollingsworth

ACEOA Magazine71

McDaniel Fence

Red Snapper Management

By David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

f regional management of
the red snapper fishery in
the Gulf of Mexico is going
to be realized any time soon,
its apparently not going to be
through the Gulf of Mexico
Fishery Management Council.
The Gulf Council met recently
in Orange Beach, Alabama, and
Amendment 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 abandoned
Amendment 39 was because
changes to the document were
so widespread that it had very
little resemblance to the amendment 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 management that it wasnt going to be much of a benefit,
Blankenship said.
Blankenship said the National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) had included provisions that really wouldnt 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 didnt 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. That
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. It
just 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 of
red snapper.
The directors of the marine
resources divisions of the Gulf
states, including Blankenship,
are in Washington this week to
try to keep regional management a priority for the perspective 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 allowing access for the fishermen, both charter and recreational
as 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 Gulf
Councils Reef Fish Committee. Greene had a similar
assessment of Amendment 39.
It was a good concept, but when you have five
extremely competitive states, its hard to get everybody to
continued on 75
ACEOA Magazine73

RED SNAPPER MANAGEMENT continued

agree on allocation, Greene said. I think there was good

intent, but it did stray far away from the initial concept.
NMFS wont 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 for
44 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 recreational 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 quota
should the proposed reallocation get
final approval.
One piece of the news that benefits 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 in
the 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 recreational
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 wont 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
l
tail).
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 recreational
anglers.
ACEOA Magazine75

Wildlife Cooperatives Can

Increase Hunting Success

By Jerremy Ferguson, Technical Assistance Coordinator,

Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries

ost of us can only dream about owning or

controlling enough property to contain even
a single deers movements, much less those
of an entire population. To achieve this goal, one would
need access to several hundred or up to a few thousand
acres, 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 and
harvest 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 structure 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 goals
should 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 weights;
increasing 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 evaluated annually and fine-tuned as the cooperative advances.
Communication and morale is vital to the success of
any cooperative. Typical ways of keeping participants interested and committed are through
annual reports, newsletters, group workdays
and scheduled hunts. It is important to
remember that each participant has different time constraints, and mistakes are
part 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 management and people working together toward a common goal
provides the greatest potential for success. So, instead
of constantly complaining about the management taking
place on neighboring land, reach out to your neighbors.
There might be more common ground than you think. Be
open-minded, discuss management ideas and try working
together toward common, realistic goals.
l

ACEOA Magazine79

E.V. Smith 2015

Youth Dove Hunt
By Lt. Heath Walls

.V. Smith is an agricultural research center for

Auburn University. They have hosted youth dove
hunts in conjunction with the Department of
Conservation for several years. They decided this year
to wait until October to hold their youth dove hunt. The
ACEOA provided lunch for the approximately 70 participants this year. Due to a small weather front that came

through and with the help of an overcast day quite a few

dove happened to migrate through on the day of the hunt.
Everyone had a chance to shoot at birds and the kids had
a good time. Thank you, Greg, with E.V. Smith. We look
forward to working with you again soon and giving more
kids the opportunity to go hunting.
l

ACEOA Magazine81

Meaher State Park

Receives Improvements
By David Rainer, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

f youve ever watched a show on HGTV called Tiny

House Hunters, then you have an idea of what visitors to Meaher State Park will experience when they
rent one of the parks new ultra-efficient cabins.
This week, Alabama State Parks, the Eastern Shore
Chamber of Commerce and the City of Spanish Fort,
held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the latest improvements at Meaher, which sits at
waters edge on the north end
of Mobile Bay, on the Battleship
Parkway in Spanish Fort.
Two new rental cabins, Redfish
Retreat and Catfish Cabin, were
unveiled at the ceremony, and
its obvious the space available in
the 350-square-foot cabins has
been set up for maximum utility.
Some of the folks on the HGTV
show were looking to reduce living expenses, and Lisa Laraway,
Gulf State Park Superintendent
and manager of the state parks
in southeast Alabama, said that
definitely played a role in the
construction of the two new
cabins, which are built on pilings for an 8-foot elevation
overlooking Ducker Bay on the east side of the lower
Mobile-Tensaw Delta.
Laraway said money in state parks has been extremely
tight in recent years, and she and former Meaher park
manager Mark Pillion noticed some prefab buildings on
the way up Highway 59 near Bay Minette.
We checked those buildings and they were affordable, Laraway said. One of those buildings had been
converted into the companys office. We purchased the
buildings, and they built them and brought them to the

park. Then our people, just two staff members, completed

the inside of each cabin.
The space is kind of tight. Each unit can accommodate
a couple, with maybe a small child or two on the pull-out
couch. Or, if you have a couple of guys who want to come
down and go fishing, each one could have his own cabin.

Laraway hopes that when word gets around, visitors

in the area for Mardi Gras will utilize the cabins. If the
cabins attain the business Laraway expects, more cabins
could be in the parks future.
As soon as we make some money and we see these
are going to be successful, which we think they will, well
make plans for future cabins, she said. We have room
for six to eight cabins, but well probably build two at
a time as we go along. We probably wont plan for any
more to` share a staircase. Well make them separate,
continued on 85
ACEOA Magazine83

MEAHER STATE PARK RECEIVES IMPROVEMENTS continued

and well also possibly build one or two with a loft for
extra sleeping space.
The cabins have heating and air conditioning as well
as a convection microwave to do some cooking. There
is a full-size refrigerator, queensize bed, loveseat, chair and
a bathroom with a shower.
There is no stovetop or oven,
but you have all your linens,
Laraway said. And youve got
a flat-screen TV with the basic
channels. Its very comfortable.
And youre going to see all
kinds of wildlife here. You can
sit out on the deck and see egrets
and pelicans, and youll probably
see an alligator or two when the
weather is warmer. And were
right across the road from the
5 Rivers Delta Resource Center,
which truly is the Gateway to the
Delta. You can catch a boat there

for a tour of the Delta, or you can go west

to Mobile for shopping and dining, or you
can travel east to Spanish Fort and Daphne.
Plus, theres a lot of great seafood right here
on the Causeway. When you come to a place
like this, youre really not spending that much
time in the cabin. Visitors will be doing something outside most of the time. But we are
going to have a deck on every one of them
so people can sit and watch nature in this
beautiful Delta.
Meaher is currently accepting cabin reservations. Rates are $99 per night weekdays
and $110 per night weekends. There is a twonight minimum stay on weekends and holiday
rates apply. For reservations, e-mail Meaher
State Park at meaher.statepark@dcnr.alabama.gov or call (251)626-5529. Meaher
State Park is located at 5200 Battleship
Parkway East, Spanish Fort, Alabama 36577.
Spanish Fort Mayor Mike McMillan said
despite the growth his city has had in recent
years, its still good to add to the publics ability to view the wonders of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.
Life is good in Spanish Fort, Mayor McMillan said.
We are stewards of the Causeway because it is in our
continued on 87

ACEOA Magazine85

MEAHER STATE PARK RECEIVES IMPROVEMENTS continued

jurisdiction. That gives us the opportunity to do it the
right way. And Meaher State Park and the Mobile Delta
are such beautiful places with all the natural beauty. A lot
of people dont realize what we have here.
Im looking forward to sitting on these cabin decks
one of these days and just relaxing.
The 1,327-acre Meaher State Park offers day-use and
picnic areas, a boardwalk, two nature trails, 62 improved
campsites, and boat ramp access, which is within a quarter-mile of the Blakeley River. Boaters can then turn north
to explore the Mobile-Tensaw Delta or steer south to
experience the vast open water of Mobile Bay.
Other new camping facilities have come online recently
at another state park. Reservations are now being accepted for a new camper unit at Frank Jackson State Park in
Opp, Alabama, and work is currently being finalized on
two additional camper units that will be available later
this month. For reservations, visit www.alapark.com or
call Frank Jackson State Park at (334) 493-6988.

Each three-bedroom camper units is non-smoking and

sleeps up to six guests. The units are furnished with a full
kitchen and utensils, central heat and air conditioning,
satellite television, a picnic table and grill. Bed linens and
pillows are not provided. Rates start at $85 per night and
there is a two-night minimum stay on weekends.
The park also offers RV and primitive camping, hiking,
swimming, fishing and boating access to the 1,000-acre
Lake Jackson. Each October, the park hosts the popular
Trail Masters event Scarecrows in the Park. For more
information, visit www.alapark.com/frank-jacksonstate-park.
l
PHOTOS: (David Rainer) Meaher State Park on the Causeway
in Spanish Fort, Ala., recently unveiled two ultra-efficient
cabins that have 350 square feet of living space. Alabama
State Parks, City of Spanish Fort and Eastern Shore Chamber
of Commerce officials attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

10ad21

GMJ Machine Company

ACEOA Magazine87