Hunting in Florida

[OXN939]

They did bring the bear hunt back. Limited draw, ~180 tags, a few week season and they harvested ~52 bears. Antis still up in arms about the bear hunt though

But you can sell your tag to the antis for 5 grand if you draw!

This is my third year hunting exclusively public in FL and there is lots of good info in this thread. You can definitely kill deer, but A) will work harder for it than anywhere else in the country, and B) will want to lower expectations. This is a pretty solid shooter for public.

 

[CRJR45]

I live an hour south of Vero , Vero is a very nice area . I came from Michigan 14 years ago and I've seen a total of eight deer since moving here , 8 on the side of the road . Quite the difference from Michigan .

 

[Fowl Play]

Do you have family/ hunting buddies in Michigan? Good hunting spots already established up there? If I were you I’d purchase a lifetime license before I left and just make a 7-10 day hard core deer hunting trip up there every year.

Florida does allot of things well, public land deer hunting is not one of them (especially in South FL). Pick up a rod or a speargun and then you’re talking. Grouper, snapper, pelagics are way easier to get and taste way better than FL deer.

 

[CRJR45]

Do you have family/ hunting buddies in Michigan? Good hunting spots already established up there? If I were you I’d purchase a lifetime license before I left and just make a 7-10 day hard core deer hunting trip up there every year.

Florida does allot of things well, public land deer hunting is not one of them (especially in South FL). Pick up a rod or a speargun and then you’re talking. Grouper, snapper, pelagics are way easier to get and taste way better than FL deer.

That’s the Florida Catch 22 . You have to choose what you want .
Good hunting in the north , great fishing in the south .
The continental shelf goes off on a tangent, deep water fishing is like 12 miles off shore from Vero but only 2 miles off shore in Miami .
Don’t seem like much of a difference but trust me it is when it’s rough and you’re running in .

 

[Kilboars]

I live in West Palm Beach but hunt a friends property 4hrs away just below Ocala in Floral City. I only hunt Bow and shoot an 8pt every other year on average but hunt hogs year round which is a blast. You also have Osceola Turkeys, Bobcats, Coyotes etc and Vero has great inshore fishing.

You’ll want to put in for quota tags and look for private land for your FL hunts. I travel to MT for Elk and CAN for Moose each year, my wife and I like the meat much more than Whitetail.

Good luck. You’ll love the year round great weather and plenty to do outdoors.

Skull hill Archery in Okeechobee is a great shop.

 

[Spence1875]

I am a fellow Michigan man myself. Lived in Jacksonville for a few years. First timeout deer hunting there with my daughter maybe10 then we spotted 4 what I thought were coyotes moving through a brushy trail towards us. When the got closer realized they were does. Just seemed so small.

Agree with what most say tuff hunting as a rule in Florida.

 

[North of 60]

Be prepared for yearly hurricane threats, and insufferable heat/humidity most of the year...same as the rest of the gulf south.

 

[Andersen]

How is the hog hunt in FL?

 

[JDT1982]

I lived in Wellington (about an 90 mins south of vero) for 6 years. As others have said, not many opportunities for hunting, but some of the best fishing in the world. Tremendous saltwater (inshore and offshore), Lake Okeechobee bass fishing, and South of West Palm there are canals everywhere with Peacock bass.

 

[Huntress91]

my parents took us to Florida to visit my Uncles family and he took us along for his alligator hunt and it was so much fun.

It was kind of scary how close we would get to them but my uncle does it all the time and was really good at it.

My dad enjoyed it a lot to because he really only goes deer hunting.

Alligator tastes really good too. I was a bit nervous to try it hehe.

 

[North of 60]

If you liked alligator, try some fresh fried frog legs if you ever get the chance

 

[Huntress91]

If you liked alligator, try some fresh fried frog legs if you ever get the chance

I’ve only had those at a restaurant. I was told they were something else so that I would try it. I liked them but got mad that I was lied to hehe

I guess I would try them again if I was around someone that knew how to make them good

 

[CRJR45]

If you liked alligator, try some fresh fried frog legs if you ever get the chance

Lightseys in Okeechobee made the best frog legs years ago , when they were still on the river . Now I don’t know where to get them ?

 

[North of 60]

I would call seafood places locally and see if you find some...that goes for anywhere between FL and LA, or even into TX.