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Post by tskiller on Feb 6, 2009 12:22:33 GMT -5
The family may be going to Florida in the next couple of months and I was wondering if anyone here had any experience on public ground there. We will be staying in the St. Pete, Tampa area. Thanks.
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Post by gobblerstopper on Feb 8, 2009 0:21:34 GMT -5
Hunted down there last spring with a couple of buddies. Don't know about the St. Pete area, but if you email this guy, flhawghuntr@bellsouth.net and tell him that Andy said to help you out with finding a WMA in the area, he will help you. I'll try to remember to ask him if I talk to him tomorrow. |
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Post by mullis56 on Feb 8, 2009 15:05:57 GMT -5
I'm going to be there this spring, I hunted a WMA between Tampa and Orlando few years ago never again.
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Post by NON-TYPICAL on Feb 9, 2009 23:21:19 GMT -5
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Post by tskiller on Feb 10, 2009 12:15:16 GMT -5
I'm going to be there this spring, I hunted a WMA between Tampa and Orlando few years ago never again. All right, I'll bite. Why not? |
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Post by mullis56 on Feb 10, 2009 20:56:24 GMT -5
Too packed with hunters. Saw 8 out in the field one morning not too fun!
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Post by swat1018 on Feb 11, 2009 1:39:30 GMT -5
If you don't have a permit, you will be forced to hunt the non-permited WMAs = Very Crowded
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Post by gobblerstopper on Feb 15, 2009 12:20:10 GMT -5
Three of us got drawn for a three day hunt last spring. The first day there were several people there, the second he had it to ourselves after 9:00 and the third day (with a chance of rain) we were the only one's to show up. The first couple of days I was there we hunted another non quota hunt on a WMA. We got there about 2 hours before daylight and watched a couple of trucks come down the main road from where we were. We walked about an hour before light and never ran into anyone else. I guess some management areas are better/worse than others. My buddy found a different one for this spring that his boss has been hunting for several years. You have to take a boat about 100 yards across a slough to get to the majority of the land. He has never ran into another hunt or saw another boat on the other side. Wish I could go back this spring.  |
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Post by mullis56 on Feb 15, 2009 14:13:06 GMT -5
gobblerstopper-did you guys do any good down there?
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Post by swat1018 on Feb 16, 2009 4:20:30 GMT -5
Yea. Crowds are the main problem, no shortage of birds. But even with the crowds if you try and get in the WMAs the first few days of the season it doesn't seem as bad. I hunted 3 days and killed 2 nice toms last year on a non-quota WMA. Like most public hunting, walk (or mountain bike) as far as you can away from any access point.
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Post by ff1126 on Feb 20, 2009 0:06:53 GMT -5
I hunted a WMA in Florida a couple of years ago, and I as well say "Never Again". I have some friends that live there, and with there help I was able to get on a bird. The hunt would start out lining up at the gate a couple of hours before opening time(04:30). The gate would open up and it was off to the race, trying to get to you parking spot before anyone else. We would take mount bikes and ride 4 miles, then walk another mile. That was the only way to get away from the other crowd. I also hunted a couple of draw hunts and they were not much better. Here's a pic of the bird that I got.  |
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Post by gobblerstopper on Feb 22, 2009 21:12:38 GMT -5
mullis, we hunted on day on a non-quota property. Got skunked. ended up working a flock of hens that we saw thru the oaks, but no gobbler with them.
First day of the quota hunt I followed my buddy around getting to know the place. We spotted a couple of gobblers late in the morning about quitin time.
We split up the second day and he hunted the spot where we saw the two gobblers. He called both birds in at the same time that we had saw them the day before. Passed on them thinking, if they were there two days, they will be there the third for me to take one.
Last day, our buddy from Alabama shot his bird and we worked the two that we had watched two days in a row for most of the morning.
I didn't fill my tag, but I flew down there and back for $70, drank a couple of Yuengling's and had a great time. In my book, beat paying $1500 or so to get a couple of birds.
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Post by mullis56 on Feb 22, 2009 21:39:52 GMT -5
Not too bad of a trip! Better then work!
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Post by gobblerstopper on Feb 23, 2009 2:03:47 GMT -5
It was fun. Wouldn't mind doing it every year. I learned a lot while I was there and found several other places to hunt since that I am sure we could have more success at. Seems like it is about the same everywhere, the more you walk, the less people you see. Seems like all the birds want to hang out by the roads though.  |
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