Florida Bucks (not as bad as people think)

SADDADDY

Senior Member
here's a sample of what was shot down in the sunshine state during the 2004-2005 season :shoot:
Not to bad if I say so myself :pop:

2004-2005 SEASON LARGEST TYPICAL RACKS (FLORIDA)

Date Location No. Pts Score
11/26/2004 Marion County 12 PT 151 5/8
10/30/2004 Hamilton County 10 PT 145 1/8
12/26/2004 Jefferson County 13 PT 144 6/8
12/11/2004 Leon County 10 PT 144 6/8
12/28/2004 Bay County 9 PT 142 2/8
2/5/2005 Jackson County 10 PT 141 1/8
11/13/2004 Madison County 8 PT 140 7/8
11/13/2004 Jefferson County 10 PT 140 5/8
12/3/2004 Jefferson County 12 PT 139 6/8
11/26/2004 Jackson County 12 PT 138 4/8
1/19/2005 Alachua County 8 PT 133 6/8
2/12/2005 Bay County 12 PT 133 3/8
12/17/2004 Leon County 10 PT 132 6/8
12/22/2004 Bay County 10 PT 132 5/8
1/21/2005 Liberty County 10 PT 132 1/8
12/26/2004 Putnam County 12 PT 131 6/8
12/21/2004 Leon County 10 PT 131 2/8
2/6/2005 Escambia County 10 PT 130 6/8
11/21/2004 Fort McCoy WMA 11 PT 130 3/8
1/30/2005 Jackson County 11 PT 130 1/8
1/16/2005 Hillsborough Co 10 PT 127 6/8
10/3/2004 Marion County 8 PT 127 5/8
12/24/2004 Jackson County 11 PT 124 3/8
2/5/2005 Jackson County 9 PT 124
12/23/2004 Jackson County 12 PT 123 4/8
12/28/2004 Jefferson County 12 PT 123 1/8
12/26/2004 Marion County 8 PT 123
1/1/2005 Citrus WMA 10 PT 122 7/8
12/17/2004 St. Marks Nat’l Refuge 11 PT 122 6/8

2004-2005 SEASON LARGEST NON-TYPICAL RACKS (FLORIDA)

Date Location No. Pts Score
10/15/2004 St. Lucie Co 20 PT 153 7/8
12/19/2004 Indian River Co 9 PT 147 6/8
1/14/2005 Bay County 12 PT 144 3/8
 

Bucky T

GONetwork Member
My parents place is on the Bay/Gulf C. line in Mexico Beach. I always pick me up a Woods & Water publication down there, and I'm always impressed with some of the deer being pulled out of Florida.

Bay C. seemed to be leading the pack.

Tommy
 
H

HT2

Guest
Mike........

I hear ya bud........

I know there is some of them boys I would have "BUSTED" myself... :shoot: :shoot: :shoot:
 

Meriwether Mike

Senior Member
Those are some strong scoring deer. I would have pulled the trigger on them for sure :shoot: .
 

gabuckeye

Senior Member
Is that the best in the state? Heck Ga. has single countys that read like that every year. I know I have been hunting in Fl. over 30 years and never seen a buck dead or alive that would score over 100 B&C. I have lived in the woods most of my life. I have taken 15 in Ga. in 15 years that will score over 110 B&C. The problem in Fl. is everyone kills everything brown. You will never see a good deer unless you want to pay huge amounts of money to get in a good lease.
 

SADDADDY

Senior Member
gabuckeye said:
Is that the best in the state? Heck Ga. has single countys that read like that every year. I know I have been hunting in Fl. over 30 years and never seen a buck dead or alive that would score over 100 B&C. I have lived in the woods most of my life. I have taken 15 in Ga. in 15 years that will score over 110 B&C. The problem in Fl. is everyone kills everything brown. You will never see a good deer unless you want to pay huge amounts of money to get in a good lease.

is that the best in the state? kidding right :crazy:
that was a sample, the list goes on :huh: I hunted in Florida and lived in Florida all my life and seen many bucks that would put some of them scrawny Ga bucks to shame, I would have to say the opposite about Ga, I hadn't seen to many bucks on the hoof over 110 class in 15 years, I have taken more bucks over 120 class in South Carolina over the years and yet to see Georgia measure up or produce what I have killed in the past :shoot:

oh yeah I forgot :huh: us Florida boys are "it's brown it's down" maybe that's why I can't seem to see any big Bucks in SW Ga. :huh:

maybe I need to buy more corn :rofl:
 

Swamprat

Swamprat
Florida has some good bucks in the state, the main thing that most of the deer lack is the mass that you typically see in other states. Other than that width and tine length are comparible.

I know of 3 bucks killed last year that aren't even on the list. The people who shot them could care less about seeing their name printed. 2 of the bucks were in the high 140's and the 3rd was in the 150's.

And sorry not everyone in the state has the "brown it's down mentality" I passed up well over 20 bucks last year due to being below club rules that we set in place and will continue to set in place. Maybe Georgia had that mentality so they placed alot of counties in QDM regs to prevent the killing of every buck.
 

Trizey

Senior Member
I can take you to a place in Bay county and show you some really nice bucks. Most people have never seen bucks like this up close.

I've got real nice video from less than 75 yards from a bachelor group in velvet, the week of the 4th of July. This was a group of five, with the biggest being a really nice 10 w/ one split brow tine.
 

hambone44

Senior Member
Although not great in quality, due to low light and slow shutter speed without a tripod, which caused some camera shake, you can definitely tell from the attached photos of North Florida deer I took last year that there are some "fairly decent" bucks in Florida. A couple of the attached were taken with a trailcam, and the others were taken in early August in a man's back yard at night under a security light from the highway. All these deer were in velvet at teh time of the photos, with still soem growing time to go.
 

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hambone44

Senior Member
Yeah, LThomas, it IS brighter, and what I can make out is miiiggghhhty large most anywhere.
Lthomas said:
Hambone44. I made the one titled ohmygosh a bit easier to see. I touched it up a bit. It is easier to make it out.
 

mkg 1023

Senior Member
There are numerous big bucks being harvested in Fla each year and i can tell ya people are starting to wise up and keep them to themselves if there are smart. at least that is the way i see it up here in northflorida. You see when you brag and talk and tell everybody bout your buck killin then you get folks intrested in what YOU got. They way it is now up here in Northflorida we are gettin over run with PEOPLE. St. Joe/Arvida is a hunters nightmare there developing up here as fast as you can say scat. Lots of folks loosin there leases that they have had for 30 plus yrs. The folks that still have leases are keppin a very low profile and not wanting attention like big bucks being killed off there lease. Cause you see when you brag about your good fortunes in the deer woods you get folks intrested in what you got and how they can get it. Trust me i know i've seen it first hand more then once. MONEY TALKS.So let me say this there are good 120-135and bigger class bucks runnin around in Fla that is for sure BUT the sad thing is there is lots more people movin up and in everyday. So keepin them gooduns under your hat makes more and more sense.
 

hambone44

Senior Member
I'll second that.
mkg 1023 said:
There are numerous big bucks being harvested in Fla each year and i can tell ya people are starting to wise up and keep them to themselves if there are smart. at least that is the way i see it up here in northflorida. You see when you brag and talk and tell everybody bout your buck killin then you get folks intrested in what YOU got. They way it is now up here in Northflorida we are gettin over run with PEOPLE. St. Joe/Arvida is a hunters nightmare there developing up here as fast as you can say scat. Lots of folks loosin there leases that they have had for 30 plus yrs. The folks that still have leases are keppin a very low profile and not wanting attention like big bucks being killed off there lease. Cause you see when you brag about your good fortunes in the deer woods you get folks intrested in what you got and how they can get it. Trust me i know i've seen it first hand more then once. MONEY TALKS.So let me say this there are good 120-135and bigger class bucks runnin around in Fla that is for sure BUT the sad thing is there is lots more people movin up and in everyday. So keepin them gooduns under your hat makes more and more sense.
 

Gone Fishin

Senior Member
Go thru that list and remove every county that borders another state. It quickly becomes a very, very small list.
 

hambone44

Senior Member
Sir, your point is? Are you saying that the big deer killed in the counties bordering Georgia/Alabama indicates they all came from those states and just happened to step across the line into Florida, and that there are otherwise very few nice deer? Or correct me if I assumed wrong. Thanks. :huh:
 

mkg 1023

Senior Member
tampaspicer said:
There are some good deer taken in Florida each year. Alot are killed in the panhandle. There are good deer killed else were but you better have some $$$$$ to hunt these kind of places. The panhandle is your best bet for the money but it takes me longer to get to the panhandle than it does for me to hunt in places in Georgia than will produce 140 class and up deer on a regular basis. I know that there are plenty of 120 class deer in Florida but I'm looking for that 140 class and up. Now tell me which state has more 140 class and up Florida or Georgia?
I don't think anybody is gonna disagree which state has the bigger body and horned bucks would they? :huh:
 

hambone44

Senior Member
Oh, Georgia definitely! Trust me...we would much rather all the 1000's of central/south Floridian hunters just keep driving northward across the line to Georgia...we would much rather have the "120's" and up North Florida deer left to the hunters who live here. This is the problem we are having now. We here in North Florida are already having to accomodate so many hunters from downstate , b/c there aren't any woods left down there for you all to hunt, so, yes...head on to Georgia. These are just the facts. :fine:
 
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mkg 1023

Senior Member
Easy there big boy. You are obviously bitter about something, but don't go lumpin everybody in NF into one group you got bad apples everywhere even in Georgia. You had you a bad experince it sounds like, but then again you are young buck yourself get ready for plenty more in your life. After all it's just a deer.
 

red tail

GONetwork Member
gET ER DONE FL GUYS. lOOKS LIKE YA'LL DOING GOOD.
 

MoeBirds

Senior Member
Cool pics, Hambone :cool: !!!

Though I thought I was experiencing acid-flashbacks on a couple of them :bounce: !!!


Hunted in Florida for years and never saw any deer of that caliber on any of the No. Fl. leases I belonged to. (dead or alive !?) though I'm familiar with Woods and Water mag. so I know some bigguns are killed of course. They're just too few and far between for me personally. This is why I not only began hunting in Georgia, I actually moved to Georgia, to hunt :D !!!
...Of course I got buttkis this past season as far as big bucks go, :banginghe but I'm confident the next twenty seasons should be more productive :bounce: .

I know those Morman-leases in Central Fl. have some dandy bucks on em too ;) !!!....Only problem's they start at around $5,000.00 per year I hear, on up to $15,000.00 :hair: for a family-membership and there's a waiting list on all of them.
 
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