Hunting in Florida

[Seips]

Wife and I are seriously considering a move to Florida, coming from Michigan I have grown up a whitetail deer hunter and don’t think I could ever give it up, not looking for spots (I’ll find my own) but is deer hunting in Florida enough to scratch the itch?

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I don't think there is a worse state for hunting. Great for fishing and non traditional hunting (gators, iguanas, pythons) but deer hunting is rough.

 

[06 SB]

Florida hunting sucks. It never really gets cold enough to get rid of the bugs or snakes (esp cottonmouths) so will need hip boots and snake gators. There are very few trees where you can climb and ladders tend to walk away. It can be done but it is not normal hunting.

 

[mitchamafied]

Wife and I are seriously considering a move to Florida, coming from Michigan I have grown up a whitetail deer hunter and don’t think I could ever give it up, not looking for spots (I’ll find my own) but is deer hunting in Florida enough to scratch the itch?

There’s plenty of deer hunting to do, just count on it being challenging on public land and you won’t be after giants. And if you’re in Orlando or south, your public options get progressively worse. If you just like to be in the woods, you have probably the longest season in the US. I don’t miss the heat at all though.

 

[Wolfshead]

Check out the southern outdoorsmen podcast/youtube.
They had a successful (I believe) Florida hunter on and he talked a lot about how he hunts down there.

 

[Poser]

I've lived and hunted in the Midsouth and in the Deep South, including lots of bottomland. If I had to live in Florida further south then the panhandle, I'm not sure I'd deer hunt there at all.

 

[stump06]

Do you have to live in Florida? Hunting in Alabama/Georgia/Mississippi is loads better than Florida. I live in Ga about an hour from the Fl line. If you have to live in Fl but want good deer hunting, I would not consider living below Ocala (I'd stay as far north as I could). As mentioned above, Southern Outdoorsman has an episode on hunting Fl.

 

[Seips]

We are starting our home search in the Vero beach area. I don’t have a problem driving and would probably buy a non red Georgia tag if needed, I’ve told her I was willing to move to Florida but I won’t give up my bow hunting.

 

[Seips]

Thanks for your replies guys.

 

[Boarmaster]

I live in SWFL. I have most of my adult life. 63 now for perspective.
Most deer hunters these days I know have leases and camps in AL or Georgia.

I had camps and leases for decades in FL but mostly they were turkey and hog leases with a lot of camping , cooking and atv riding. We never hunted many whitetails.

We always hunted whitetails some where else. Its pretty warm in most of the state during deer hunting season. Downright mostly hot and miserable actually.

If your reference is Michigan then you will find hunting much different in almost every way here in Florida including finding a place to hunt both public and private. I do a hunt every year in Ohio and have for 30 years. Previously public but now private. You wont find the same quality public opportunities down here as up there. Not as many friendly farms and wood plots either , if any. Thats why you find most hunters opting for leases or getting into a club ( which is just a group of hunters joining in on a lease).

If your planning on moving to the Panhandle or North Florida you will be a lot closer to great whitetail hunting with good deer numbers, pretty nice weather, very long seasons, very liberal bag limits and not many firearm restrictions. Lots of goid bow hunting as well. Just not in FL gererally speaking.

We all live too far from our lease in AL we are 9 hrs away. I have a career I can be out of town and work so I have an unique situation. If I didnt I would want camp to be no more than2-4 hours away so I could enjoy more weekend hunting from October thru Feb.

 

[bz_711]

Heard they are looking to bring back Black Bear hunting in FL.
Also you get the Osceola turkeys.

But I love FL for the beach...as addicted to bowhunting that I am I would prob travel West each Sept for Elk and to midwest each Nov for whitetails...and do everything I could to get a center console boat and get absolutely addicted to salt water fishing. Good Luck!

 

[Rich M]

Vero is pretty south. Check the WMAs and see what you can find in the area.

I'm in Orlando area - refuse to drive more than an hour to hunt deer. It takes me 3+ years to draw a quota for the WMA i hunt. Might be 3 or 4 right now. That gives me a 5 day archery, or 3 day ML or 3 day rifle. That's it for the year. Can also hunt a couple other areas that have quota, one is a week, and one is 3 days.

Vero isn't a bad spot - there are a few open hunt areas around there. Just be ready to hoof it.

I never had any issues with snakes or gators or hogs, just people.

A big buck is often a 12 inch wide 8 point with 4 inch tines. Match it with little body and you are good to go. Buddy of mine shot a nice southern buck and it weighed 99# on the hoof.

FL hunters can kill deer anywhere in the world - you gotta be good to kill deer and really good to kill larger than average bucks down here.

 

[BuckSmasher]

FL panhandle probably has pretty good hunting. Hogs also. I miss hunting hogs.

 

[CMF]

Heard they are looking to bring back Black Bear hunting in FL.
Also you get the Osceola turkeys.

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

 

[thinhorn_AK]

If I was moving to Florida, I’d forget about hunting and focus on tarpon fishing with a flyrod.

 

[Loper]

Everything that’s been said in this thread is valid. Don’t expect the same quality whitetail hunting that you have in Michigan. Also, the archery specific season is very hot. Most people that aren’t from Florida don’t like the heat and bugs that time of year and stay indoors. You may find it very different and not as enjoyable being in a tree for hours sweating and swatting bugs.

Heard they are looking to bring back Black Bear hunting in FL.

This was limited and I’d be surprised if it happens again next year. Florda had a bear hunt about 10 years prior, and then nothing until this year.

 

[iamthenick]

North fl by the ala / Georgia lines have pretty good hunting still.







These are all florida public land bucks.