Hunting and Fishing

In addition to the many activities the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta (MTRD) offers, hunting and fishing in the Delta are unparalleled. The abundance of wildlife attracts visitors from around the globe to this ecological wonderland in pursuit of the perfect game.

The Mobile-Tensaw River Delta is surrounded by brackish water that is filled with speckled trout, redfish and more. Brackish water is has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater – so it invites a diverse group of fish, not found in many parts of the world.  Something else that makes this unique body of water special is that you can also find freshwater fish like BASS, bream and others in the MTRD. From deer, to ducks, to gators, the animals that inhabit the Delta will give even the most experienced hunters and anglers a thrill.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources works hard to ensure that there is an abundance of land and opportunities for all people, regardless of age or interest, to experience the great outdoors for years to come in the MTRD. Plan your trip and come see what makes the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta one of the most special places for outdoor adventures in the world!

History

A long time ago in a region not all that far away, separate and distinct rivers slowly began to merge in their southward flow through the land that we now call the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta. Several million years later — as bayous, marshes, forests and streams formed — human beings were drawn to the area in pursuit of its rich supplies of game and fish.

Native Americans who populated the Delta 5,000 years ago included the Alabamas, the Mobilians, the Taensas, the Creeks and the Choctaws. Eventually, they were joined by Spanish explorers in the mid-1500s and then by French settlers in the early 1600s, who made the region their home. Today, the Delta is dotted with a sprinkling of homes and fishing camps, leaving most of its scenic lands open to fishing, hunting and other outdoor recreation.

Rivers & Forests

If you’ve never visited the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, get ready to be blown away by what you see.

Especially, be prepared to learn that the rivers that feed it – among them the Mobile, the Alabama, the Tensaw, the Spanish, the Middle, the Apalachee and the Blakeley – have traveled many miles to empty themselves into the Delta, bringing rich soil and nutrients to nourish spawning seafood, other forms of sea life and assorted mammals and migratory birds. The Delta is also fed by an array of streams, creeks and bayous.

It is also home to thousands of acres of swamp forests, maritime forests, pine savannas, seasonally flooded bottomland hardwood forests and forested wetlands that attract thousands of species of migratory birds, reptiles, fish, insects and other creatures – not to mention anglers, boaters, hunters and hikers.

E.O. Wilson – noted scientist, prolific author and native of Alabama — credits the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta with having “more species of plants and animals than any comparable area anywhere in North America.”

Words alone can’t do the Delta justice, however. In fact, when it comes to Alabama’s ecological wonderland, perhaps no other adage applies to it as well as “Seeing is believing.”