Hunting in Florida

[stringmusic]

Hello everyone...

I will be graduating from college in May and relocating to the Orlando area.  The fishing is supposed to be great but I am starting to get a little freaked out by the loss of my midwestern whitetail hunting.  
Does anyone on here hunt in Florida?  Are there any good places in central Florida?  I would appreciate any advice. My plan is to research areas before I move there.

Thanks!

[gregg dudley]

Go to myfwc.com and click on the huhnting link.  It will take you through a bunch of options, but what you want to look for is central florida wildlife management areas.  Each area has unique rules and regs.  Some require a quota draing permit and some are open for general use.  There are some great hunting opportunities to be had in the state.  With a little effort, you should be in the thick if things.

[Mike Gerardi]

Florida has whitetails. Maybe a bit smaller but buddies of mine hunt them every year. Plus Florida has some great hog huntin. I have hunted in central southern Florida, just north of alligator alley in a place called The devils Den. The place is crawling with hogs , turkey,and whitetail.  You get into some good hog huntin and you just might forget about the deer for a season or so.

[John Nail]

check out 3 lakes WMA. Hogs and deer. LOTS of Turkey

[tradlongbow]

Lots of hogs.

Also checkout Traditional Bowhunters of Florida.
 www.TBOF.org  
Its a great club with the best people. We have two big shoots a year, one in March and the other in August.
Hope to see you there.

Also, Congratulations with graduating from college.

Darren

[gregg dudley]

Darren,

Good job plugging the club!  See you in a few weeks.

Gregg

[stringmusic]

It sounds pretty interesting.  So do you guys hunt only private land? Or do you spend much time in the areas mentioned?  Does anyone have any success deer hunting?  Thanks for the help!

[alligatordond]

Mr Music,

I hunt private lands but there are extensive opportunities on public lands. A good friend took 3 deer during the archery season at Bull Creek WMA just south of Orlando. It will take some time to get used to but Three Lakes WMA, Bull Creek WMA, Ocala National Forest are good places to start. If you really get into the Florida lifestyle, get an airboat and explore the St Johns River marsh. Many good deer are taken there annually but it's mostly boat access.Be prepared for high temps and humidity, lots of mosquitos, spiders( I hate spiders!!)the occasional snake and more than a few gators. You won't see the deer numbers you may be used to nor will the size be remarkable by midwestern standards. A really large Central Florida whitetail will run 160-180+ lbs with the rack scoring net 100-120 inches. I know of one 141 inch buck taken off our property with the siting of a few 130 class bucks last year. ( I was THIS close to getting a shot!!) Joining TBOF is a must. Great people with a great deal of experience in Florida.

[alligatordond]

We also have a very long season. You could hunt from early Sept into Feb. somewhere in the state. No season limit. And if you want to know about fishing , well, drop me a line. I grew up on the Indian River.

[stringmusic]

Its looking promising.  I know the deer hunting will not compare to the midwest, but as long as I can find some action to get into I will be very happy.

[alligatordond]

Remember thats just the deer hunting. We have world class turkey hunting( Osceolas)and great hog hunting for those who are so inclined. Contrary to popular belief, Florida still has a great deal wild backcountry.

[tarponnut]

The central Florida hog hunting is great!(private mostly but some public areas are also very good).
I hunt in the southern Everglades for deer. I see a lot but getting in range or patterning them is a challenge, which of course, is all part of the fun.
I highly recommend joining TBOF!Good luck.

[gregg dudley]

There are a lot of leases in FLorida as in all of the SE.  The public land hunting, is good though and there are plenty of TBOF members who consistently take game on public land year in and year out.  Your investment in boot leather will pay off.  Just like everywhere else, after the initial enthusiasm of opening day fades, the woods become decidedly less crowded.

[stringmusic]

I am hoping to get there are start doing some scouting and pick a few places to hunt.  The boot leather is no problem...I enjoy the long hikes

[oscarh]

1st off,,are you familiar with Florida's weather???? It is HOT and STICKY in the summer,from April to October,that said---there are some fine places in central florida to hunt.Pigs being the best,Turkeys following.I have lived here for 14 yrs and dont bother with the deer.there are several WMA's in the area,Bull Creek is a descent area.Tosohatchi and Buck Lake are 2 of the best around,,BUT VERY WET and LOTS of snakes.I try to get to Ohio every year for my deer hunting.When you get down here if you want to look me up.I'm on the east coast at Kennedy Space Center.I'm currently trying to find some good pig property to hunt,so maybe we can stick some pigs.KEN