NEW!!! need some help/advice!!

Auspay26

Hey all! I am a Marine Corps infantry vet and just moved down from northern Illinois this past year and have been getting excited about this upcoming archery deer season starting here in Florida for zone A at the end of the month (July 31). I know it will be way different hunting than what I am used to in Northern IL, but I would love to give it a go down here in FL. 

So I live up in Hillsborough County, near Tampa, and I know I would be considered in zone B, but I looked up some WMA's south in zone A, and came across Babcock Ranch and part of Kissimmee River WMA just Northwest of Lake Okeechobee and south of SR-70. Babcock ranch obviously looks a lot bigger and more promising.

 I have my Hunting license, WMA permit,  & Deer permit, is there anything else I need to get to make sure I am "legal" before I go out there? 

Any advice for me would be greatly appreciated! 

***Also would love to go out and try some hog hunting so any help with that as well! 

H20dad

Kissimmee is your only option on your list as it doesn’t require a quota permit. Be sure you know the boundaries, only a small portion of Kissimmee is in the south. Go visit it, then you will understand why quota permits are not required. 

Getting a quota permit to hunt on public land is the hardest part of Florida hunting. Hire a lawyer now to help you to read and understand what each unique brochure actually means for which wma you are hoping to hunt.  Years of planning and preference point building will eventually give you the chance to hunt before you are in the nursing home. Some sarcasm here, but not all of it. 

daveyc

sent pm

Auspay26

H20dad haha lol no worries thank you for the info and help. that little portion of Kissimmee looks a little ehhh, not many trees (on the satellite map).

So Babcock requires permit quotas?? now is that like deer tags? or like the amount of hunters the ranch will allow in? 

H20dad

Auspay26 said:

H20dad haha lol no worries thank you for the info and help. that little portion of Kissimmee looks a little ehhh, not many trees (on the satellite map).

So Babcock requires permit quotas?? now is that like deer tags? or like the amount of hunters the ranch will allow in? 

Entry

altuck

I do not hunt in that part of the state. My advice to you is 
1 Get a copy of the hunting regulations, read them, understand them.
2. Get the WMA brochure for the areas you plan to hunt, read them, understand them.
3. Remember the information you get on any forum is suspect.

Have a great time and enjoy hunting in Florida.

james 14

Most of FL's hunting areas limit hunting access to only those who possess the appropriate quota hunt permit for that area and hunt date. Some require it for only certain dates while others require it for all hunts on the area. The South Zone is the absolute hardest part of the state to access and hunt.

If you check the brochure for each WMA, it'll tell you which permits are required for each hunt. Pay particular attention to if the hunt requires a quota permit. Some areas have daily quotas, which are first-come-first-served at the gate each morning.

I would strongly suggest looking for an area in Zone B or C and using the time between now and when that area opens to scout it.

Also, IMO, one mistake many hunters (new and old) in FL make is not understanding which stage of the rut the deer they're hunting are in. It varies wildly across the state, and there is non-quota hunting available during the rut.

Pinman

Auspay26 - Dont pay too much attention to the general hunting regulations, they are geared more towards private land. For public land you want to key in on each individual WMAs regulations, they are all different. 

If it says Quota permit under any season and dates like the example below,
then you need a Quota Permit for that area (like Babcock Ranch) in order to hunt there and for the game "legal to hunt".  You apply for Quota Hunts in June.  

ie; "Archery Season: July 30-­ August 2, August 6-9 Permit, Stamp and License Requirements ­ Quota permit, hunting license, management area permit, archery permit, deer permit (if hunting deer). Legal to Hunt ­ Deer with at least 1 antler having 3 or more points (each point 1­inch or more in length) OR a main beam length of 10 inches or more, antlerless deer (which includes does and bucks with antlers less than 5 inches in length, but not spotted fawn), wild hog, gray squirrel, rabbit, raccoon, opossum, beaver, coyote, skunk, nutria, and non­protected birds. Regulations Unique to Archery Season ­ Only archery equipment may be used for hunting.  Hunting with crossbows is prohibited (except by disabled crossbow permit)."

Theres probably better opportunities for you east and north than there will be south.  

Theres also more opportunities if you do a little research on seasons and limited entry hunts (I cant give away the store )

Thank you for serving this great country of ours. Good luck!

JohnnyBandit

Auspay26 said:

Hey all! I am a Marine Corps infantry vet and just moved down from northern Illinois this past year and have been getting excited about this upcoming archery deer season starting here in Florida for zone A at the end of the month (July 31). I know it will be way different hunting than what I am used to in Northern IL, but I would love to give it a go down here in FL. 

So I live up in Hillsborough County, near Tampa, and I know I would be considered in zone B, but I looked up some WMA's south in zone A, and came across Babcock Ranch and part of Kissimmee River WMA just Northwest of Lake Okeechobee and south of SR-70. Babcock ranch obviously looks a lot bigger and more promising.

 I have my Hunting license, WMA permit,  & Deer permit, is there anything else I need to get to make sure I am "legal" before I go out there? 

Any advice for me would be greatly appreciated! 

***Also would love to go out and try some hog hunting so any help with that as well! 

Welcome to the forum...... Where you are at.... (I also live in Hillsborough County.)

You have other options that are no farther or even closer to you than Babcock. And do not have limited entry permitting...

Ocala WMA.... (same as Ocala National Forest....) I do not archery hunt but it does not look like there are no quota permits... I would stay out of the Pipeline Unit..  But it is not too bad during archery season.....

And there are a lot of deer in some areas...

Richloam WMA which is the same as Withlacoochee State Forest.... Lots of deer..... No Quota or Limited Entry.... You have to be careful in Richloam.... The main forest roads are pretty good.... But the ground is soft (loamy soil) and the Jeepers off road people hit it hard at night.... In General gun it is quota for the first nine days... After that it is wide open... But also the wild west.... A dog hunting area and the dogs and hunters may run all over you... But if you decide to hunt in there in general gun... I have some strategies.......  I had a quota permit for the first nine days and stand/still hunted among the dog hunters...

Three Lakes WMA.... After the first two days over Archery.....  There are like 350 Daily use no cost permits.... First come first serve..... If you get to the gate early, you will get a permit....

And I may have another option for you.... There is a very limited entry hunt.... CLOSE to you... The entry is controlled by a county... Not the state...I think you can still get in on the permit.... I am going to make some calls in the morning... I will PM you....

I am not about doing any scouting...For anyone else.....

That being said.... I am fourth generation Florida bred.... I hunted hard for 40 years..... Life caught up to me.... I hunted some last year....

All that being said... I  spend 20 or more hours a week in the woods.... Since you are a Marine.... And giving service To our country.... It would be an honor .... To take you out in the woods and show your around.....

I ask nothing in return.,..But keep in mind.... I go early..... But I doubt being a Marine..... Meet me at 3;30 AM is going to bother you....

Also.... You should Keep in mind... I am old and fat.... I dip a lot of snuff.,.... I have quality vehicle..... But understand... I tend to ramble on..... And again I do not point out specific deer.... But am willing to share

Hit me up....John 813-545-0915...

I am not a fan of three lakes.. but if you want to go look around... I will go there....

Just don't ask  to drive my truck through the tunnel... I agreed once... I doubt I could take it again...'''https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDgoaK-YiQQ

AlwaysLearningMore

It's a quota hunt but it looks like there are a few archery permits available as reissues at Babcock/Webb, at least as of this morning for the Sept. 10-14 hunt, which includes two days of antlerless.  That is a very different property than Babcock Ranch Preserve even though it's right across Highway 31.  The Webb gets pretty hairy during General Gun when buggies are running everywhere but it's not too bad during Archery.

Duck_Slam123

Hey Devil look I never hunted Kissimmee area but Babcock is a pretty good place for archery. I got lucky and was able to stalk a hog during archery but it’s tiring because you’re humpin through a lot of swamp. Try scouting that out because there are plenty of hogs and try to set up a tree stand. Deer wise I haven’t seen a good size buck there in the past few years but they are out there. If you hunt general gun I would avoid it because of all them **** buggies shooting and missing everything that moves. I hope this helps a bit -Jay

ANUMBER1

I hate when all the **** still hunters are in the woods..

Turner River Terror

I'm a Still Hunter on a solid asp Dog Club.
About 400 of them total and they are born and bred Dog hunting folks.
I kinda look at them as a benefit to me..When 10 .30 or so rolls around and the Bucks are hiding and bedded..Here comes Ole blue to get them up.
Might run right by me.... winning