"No big deer in Florida". The hunt is on...

[Lostinthewoods]

Sounds like you're having a ball! Keep the report's coming.

Im making the best of my time while Im here! I'll keep them coming for sure.

Enjoying your thread. Interesting to think you're experiencing all that. 16 degrees and 40" of snow here.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It may sound crazy, but I would trade you temperatures and the snow any day.
I much prefer cold over the heat.

Florida has definitely impressed me so far.
When I found out I was moving here for work I became instantly negative.
I was working in New Mexico, hunting everything under the sun, exploring, hiking, shed hunting, etc.
It was also only a few hours to my whitetail/turkey honey hole in Oklahoma and turkey hunting in Kansas.
That quickly changed though because there is no reason to be upset about anything and I decided to make the best of it.
Driving also doesn't scare me so I can still easily hunt out west.
Back on topic though, Florida is definitely a unique area.
Maybe it's because I am in the Panhandle, but there are still great deer (plenty of them), tons of gobblers, long seasons and FISHING.
The best part is Im so close to TN and KY... there will be no shortage of deer hunting, exploring, and shed hunting for the next 3-4 years.






Tonight was eventful...ish.
The swamp area had many deer moving through it, but nothing cut to near me.
I messed around with my camera for a while just running practice scenarios if something came in.
The whole set up works so quietly and smooth. I did one test run and it looks good, but I'll need to slow down and practice a lot more!



Some more random pictures from walking around out there.
It's amazing what you can find out there..... turtles, ammo cans, etc.

 

[elkguide]

We live in an amazing world.

Best of luck.

 

[elkguide]

Keep us in the loop.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

So I need to go to bed, but I am torn on what I want to do tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the last day of gun season here.
Then the 30th-3rd will be off, followed by late season muzzleloader opening back up. (So I can bow hunt)

Im considering taking my new gun out that I put together early 2016.
I am righty with everything, but I shoot guns lefty.
In the beginning of 2016 I sold my right hand bow and bought a lefty bow.
I also sold off some right hand guns to put together a lefty gun.

Anyways, Im considering taking her out for a final hunt so I can give her a good clean and put her to bed!
Then I will bow hunt the rest of the season.

Pictures of the gun....

 

[Lostinthewoods]

We live in an amazing world.

Best of luck.

Yes, Sir!
We absolutely do!

 

[sn.outdoors]

Meanwhile in the rest of the world...

It's cold.

This pains me to say it, but, Florida doesn't sound too bad. (I just throw up a little )

It's just a matter of time before you cross paths with the big guy.

 

[FLAK]

I'm way down here in Central, Fl. and it REALLY sucks. And , like the OP I would
much rather be in Idaho, esp. Mtn. Home area. Close to Boise (big city) and
good hunting nearby. The heat/humidity down here(FL) is near unbearable sometimes.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I'm way down here in Central, Fl. and it REALLY sucks. And , like the OP I would
much rather be in Idaho, esp. Mtn. Home area. Close to Boise (big city) and
good hunting nearby. The heat/humidity down here(FL) is near unbearable sometimes.

It most certainly can be unbeatable! Add the mosquitos, ticks and spiders year round and... yoooowza!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I honestly though this morning was going to be it.
The weather was crisp for Florida (approx 42-44 degrees)

The wind was perfect for this little river crossing spot.
I watched the beautiful sunrise while drinking my coffee and listening to the songbirds.


Around 7 I saw a BLACK BEAR!!!!!! It was about 200 yards out, but I caught his or her movement and rushed for my camera.
I botched the recording a few times, but was able to catch the tail end of him or her running off.

[video=youtube;tT_IitQaB7U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT_IitQaB7U[/video]

If that wasn't cool enough I had 6 does pass by me. 2 came in at first and I could have thwacked them with a bow they were so close. (30 yards)
Then I had 4 more come in thirty minutes later. (65 yards)
Once again I botched the recording, but I caught the tail end of them too. :W:

[video=youtube;vOwsFi0YX5A]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOwsFi0YX5A[/video]

It'll take some getting use to, but I am going to get this recording down.

Anyways, with all the does coming in I was CERTAIN that a buck was going to come in.
I was sitting on pins and needles just waiting for a big old boy to come in.

No dice though. I left my stand around 11 because I wanted to come home and help my wife out. I cleaned the whole house and gave her a nice nap break.
Now I am trying to decide if I want to go bow hunt or rifle hunt this afternoon.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I don't know how any of you guys hunt, but one of my favorite things to do is hike in hike out with my climber.
I like leaving zero evidence that the area is even hunted because then people don't touch it. I can't tell you how many stands, blinds, scent sticks, etc I've found out here.

Another reason I enjoy this set up is because I can go in as deep as I want and have no boundaries. There have been days where I'll hunt the morning, pack up and hike in even deeper. Or you're able to change on the fly if need be.

It's a good thing I train for elk hunting because even with adding on this extra 15lbs of recording stuff, it's still a breeze.
Sometimes we limit ourselves with how hard we can hunt when we don't train!
I refuse to do that!

Here's a picture of what I packed in this morning and me setup about 25ft up.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

This is going to be a very long week.
The last part of the season opens Saturday and goes until the 14th.

Temps are good for here, reports are bucks are moving, and I am just READY!!!
I'm hoping the winds change a bit so I can check cameras on Thursday.

 

[elkyinzer]

Good luck man, I hope you stick that big one! Been following this one closely, I dig all the "oddball" whitey hunts set in the more unique parts of their vast range.

 

[Superkodiak38]

I have a friend in north Florida about 2 miles south of the Georgia line, deer, turkey's, bears and hogs. I love it there but I only go in January so normally the bugs are done and the snakes and gators are sleeping. It's nice, good luck and don't be afraid to shoot some does !

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Good luck man, I hope you stick that big one! Been following this one closely, I dig all the "oddball" whitey hunts set in the more unique parts of their vast range.

Thank you, Elkyinzer for following along.
Hunting whiteys in uncommon areas is a ball.

Let me show you some pictures from the area I hunt in Oklahoma.
It's about as non-standard as it can get.....

It's a bow only area that has zero trees large enough for tree stands. So everything is ground hunting.
It's very open with low shrubs and "trees".
Cedar trees are common out there, but not the kind I am used to up in New England.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

This place has me wrapped around it's finger. Before I found it the area had single digit harvests reported every year.
People don't like going out there because it's not easy to hunt... CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.
What I found was a low pressured, unique, and fun archery only area with...... a little treat inside of it...

 

[Lostinthewoods]

 

[Lostinthewoods]

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Sorry for the photo-dump, but I absolutely LOVE THIS PLACE.

Muler deer, turkey, whitetail, and hogs in the most unusual and unique place I've ever found.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I have a friend in north Florida about 2 miles south of the Georgia line, deer, turkey's, bears and hogs. I love it there but I only go in January so normally the bugs are done and the snakes and gators are sleeping. It's nice, good luck and don't be afraid to shoot some does !

I agree with this being the best time to hunt because I'm not a fan of the bugs!!!
As far as the does go, that's the one thing I don't agree with down here.
Florida only allows does to be taken early season and during bow season.
For the zone I'm in I can only hunt them October 23- November 23.
Based off three months of observations I can see the buck to doe ratio in crazy.
I can sit in almost every spot and expect to see multiple does.


Oh well, not in my control so I'll just shoot a bunch in October!!!

 

[Jdog]

I was stationed at Hurlburt Field from 2011-2014 and hunted Eglin Range often. I wasn't expecting much at first but like you, pleasantly surprised at the number of deer. I never tagged a good buck but plenty of does. Like you, I was blown away when I saw BIG black bears there...had no idea. Like most, we lived in Navarre and had BIG black bears in our neighborhood hammering the trash cans often. I've killed a few bears in my time and was impressed with the size of those rascals there!

Good luck, I always hunting in Jan/Feb there when most other states were done.