Tell me about hunting in Florida

[Eric S]

95% sure I'm moving to Florida next year about this time. The Satellite beach area to be exact. I'm not real happy about this but my mom lives there and is getting older so it's time to do this.
My question(s) are public land and the opportunities. What are they and is there much of it? Are there hogs and deer available or will I need to buy in on a lease? I really hope not. That idea really bothers me. Am I wrong for feeling that way? I'm moving from Idaho where more than 2/3 of the state is open to the public for hunting and fishing( my other passion is fly fishing). Am I in for a severe case of culture shock or will I be pleasantly surprised ? I have been scouring the internet for all the info I can get and would really appreciate some input from some like minded people. Pleaser don't hold back I want to know as much as I can.
Thanks,
Eric

[bigbadjon]

Check out myfwc.com. There are pretty numerous public land opportunities as well as quota and draw areas. That said I think Florida got very crowded all of a sudden and I would look for private land if possible. Leases here are somewhat scarce and pricey until you get closer to Georgia. Not very many people flyfish here in freshwater but if you want to pick up saltwater I think you have found a great destination. Florida is almost certainly the apex of sport fishing.

[Shedrock]

I would move your mom to Idaho if I was you. Is that possible? I could not handle not having elk, mt. goats, sheep, antelope, mule deer, whitetails, ect, all in one great state.

[SELFBOW19953]

Eric,

You will be moving to some of the best inshore saltwater flyfishing in the country.  They have tarpon, snook, seatrout, drum (red and black), in the Indian River, Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River.  Many of the areas are accessible by boat, canoe, kayak-some don't allow outboard motors.  A guy named John Kumiski guides in that area.  He is a wealth of information and is very helpful.  Google him or spottedtail.com.

It's a lot fun to fish for bass, bream, crappie in freshwater.  Lots of gar and mudfish (called a bowfin or grindle up north)-lots of teeth and a nasty disposition-too.

Once you make the adjustment, you'll love the fishing.

[bawana bowman]

Eric,

Like selfbow said the fishing around here is fantastic. I live in Cocoa along the Indian River, always plenty of trout, redfish, snook, and others available. Plenty of offshore fishing available out of Port Canaveral if you want it. The St. Johns River is also right here, great fresh water fishing. More types of fishing than most can even handle.
I'm not real into fishing these days, but there is a local fly fishing club with lots of members. Alligatordond lives in Melbourne across river from Satellite Beach, avid fly fisherman, believe he is Pres. of the club. They probably do excursions to the Keys and other areas.

There are plenty of areas to hunt, some are quota only, some are open without quota permits. As of now we're still allowed a 2 per day limit for deer, no limit for hogs. If you plan to hunt the season when you move here you'll need to apply for quota permits in May or June, if you get in touch before that time I can tell you about the areas near by which are quota only so you can decide which you'd like to try. We are also on a guest permit system at this time. If you get down and weren't able to draw a permit, if I drew I'd be happy to take you along as a guest, then you'd get to hunt and learn the areas.

Hogs are year round on private property and in areas other then WMAs, can be tricky if your not certain where you are. But there are also a lot of inexpensive private ranches which will allow hog hunting. Some for a trespass fee, some charge per hog, some daily hunt fee plus per hog.

I've been hunting and fishing this area since 1965. I have access to (private) hog hunting property, some of which also has deer and turkey. Let me know when your coming, be glad to help you learn the area.  Most of the best Osceola turkey hunting in the State is within a 1 to 2 hour drive of Satellite Beach.

Hunting this area of Florida is nothing like hunting out West. Marsh, swamps, Cypress heads, Pine forests, hardwood hammocks, palmetto thickets. A lot of thick dense woods, some visitors can't believe we can even hunt some of these areas. It's definitely different, but you'll learn to love it!

[Boglee]

Basically what banana said. I spent my whole life on mosquito lagoon and the banana river and I can tell you the fly fishing is unparalled. You'll probably have to buy an 8 wt or 9 wt rod if you dont already have one as our fish have teeth. Order or purchase a "Top Spots" map and send it to me and I will mark it up for you with places that you can wade fish or put in a canoe/kayak. All my family still lives in the Port Orange area (I now live in Tampa) so I still fish the area pretty regular. With regard to hunting, go North on Hwy 95 until you get around Flagler County as the state gets a little more rural and there are a lot more hunting opportunities. Most clubs are somewhere in the neighborhood of 1800 to 2000 a year in these areas. With that said there are some clubs closer to you but membership fees will almost quadruple or more in price. Personally, I hunt South Georgia nowadays since I can be there in 5hrs and the size of the deer is significantly bigger. I do know of some clubs in Flalgler, St Johns, and Duval counties so let me know and I'll see if they have any openings. There is also a local magazine/newspaper called woods & water. They advertise for club members all over the state. Also, look for small pockets of land like 45 acres and see if you can gain access as most of the large tracts of land are already taken by leases. It's a great state to hunt with lots of hogs and turkeys. Also, taking a buck in Florida is a trophy regardless of the size. Get snack boots!

[bowless]

Sounded pretty good until the snake part:)

[arrowlauncherdj]

Little deer, lotsa hogs, better get a lease. Dont know why that bother you... But its a fact of life in the south. No lease = severely restricted opportunity IMHO. Most land here is private with a few large WMA's scattered around. With the diversity you're leaving you will be very disappointed with the limits piblic lands will offer.

Dave

[Hoyt]

The good leases in that area have very long waiing list, take very deep pockets and a death to move up on the list.