Expect to be hot and disappointed, lol. You’ll be dying to get back to Illinois. I’d be planning a annual 1-2 week trip for a rut hunt in your home state.
Hunting here is not awful if you’re used to it, but by comparison to what you’re used to it will likely be a rude awakening.
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There are quite a few of us here hunting in Florida. The deer are significantly smaller in both body and antler. They have a seemingly infinite amount of sanctuary in monotonous swamps and young pine plantations. There are venomous snakes everywhere. You will be sweating.
But that doesn't take the enjoyment out of hunting here and it is still a blast once you adjust expectations. You can easily get away from people with a kayak, some waders, or busting some serious brush. There are some decent bucks hidden in this thick stuff. I don't make it down to the Tampa area often, but NW Florida has a lot of public land.
If you travel a little in Florida, you can chase the rut and have a very long deer hunting season.
Hog hunting season never ends on private land. The fishing is outstanding.
We have a pretty liberal tag system if you can find the bucks. If you archery a bit you can get a couple does. It’s fun, it’s hunting, I grew up here doing it, it’ll just be different for you. I’m not down in the Tampa area but there public land everywhere and private too. I know Tampa area had some bad red tide issues and fish kills, extra restrictions put on the catch limit. But FL in general has tons of great fishing between fresh and salt water. You’ll have fun.
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Chasing tales outdoors podcast is a good reference. One guy lives around Gainesville and the other around me in Northern Florida. If you are going public the quota draws for deer start around May 15th i believe. (gofloridaoutdoors.com) Spring turnkey quote has already ended but you can still maybe get lucky on the picking up reissues.. You could expect to pay anywhere from 5-20$ an acre for private in my area of Northern Florida. Pm me if you have any questions. Also a really cool archery hunt is St Vincent NWR around Halloween 3day hunt. You can usually just by the tag they rarely sell out. Most people that go to that are scouting for Sanbar Deer and there is some nice whitetail hunting there.HI all,
I am moving from Illinois to Florida for a two year field assignment for work. I will be in living in the suburbs of Tampa. Does anyone here deer hunt in Florida? I plan to hunt anyway but, a little info or what to expect would be helpful.
Thanks.
Chasing tales outdoors podcast is a good reference. One guy lives around Gainesville and the other around me in Northern Florida. If you are going public the quota draws for deer start around May 15th i believe. (gofloridaoutdoors.com) Spring turnkey quote has already ended but you can still maybe get lucky on the picking up reissues.. You could expect to pay anywhere from 5-20$ an acre for private in my area of Northern Florida. Pm me if you have any questions. Also a really cool archery hunt is St Vincent NWR around Halloween 3day hunt. You can usually just by the tag they rarely sell out. Most people that go to that are scouting for Sanbar Deer and there is some nice whitetail hunting there.
Find a blood bank before you go to the woods around here during archery, else get a couple of therma cells . I am in the tampa area so drop me a pm if interested. Also check out the myfwc.com for more information on hunting and fishing in florida.
I'm in Lakeland, fl. You have the right attitude to hunt FL. Enjoy the woods/ swamp. Snakeboots are a must, Thermocell is a must, and a good mode of navigation is a must. I use ONX and it is phenomenal. Prior to that I used a Garmin 62stc, prior to that an old green screen Garmin 10 I think, prior to that good old compass and map. I still have a compass in my gear. Swamp can turn you around in a heartbeat.
Thanks for the tips. I do not want to get lost in a Florida swamp. It’s easy enough to get turned around anywhere, heck, I got turned around two weekends ago on public land in Illinois. I will take your advice though, snake boots, thermocell for mossies and a navigation tool.
Florida makes up for the small deer with hogs turkey and big fish. That said not all Florida deer are tiny. The kill respectable deer in all of Florida but north Florida, particularly Hamilton and Madison hold some really good deer. Like even good for Illinois deer. They just aren’t behind every tree.
That one in the back is a freak for sure. The one in the front is closer to what I would call normal for the area.View attachment 21904
You are correct. These are not mine but a friend sent the pic.