Florida Bucks (not as bad as people think)

[hambone44]

Now, now, tampa. I did not intend to step on any toes. And you are right in your sarcasm of me "rolling out a red carpet". No, I do not have control of all property in North Florida to "forbid" people from using it, HOWEVER; I was simply pointing my frustrations at an ever increasing problem which North Florida "local" hunters are having to experience, and that is a problem which I am confident you can relate to: less available land, and more hunters. It just so happens that there are a vast many more central/south Florida hunters who are migrating up here to hunt on already limited land with already low buck to doe ratios, and when those who do come here, and do NOT practice QDM; we "locals" are left with an even poorer deer herd on our diminishing available lands. Yes, you have the right to hunt anywhere you wish within legal confines, but I don't believe you will ever have to experience the onslaught of North florida hunters in your part of the state, as we have, and if you did, you could maybe, just maybe, understand the frustration I am venting, as well as many others who have hunted here for many, many years, and witnessed the detrimental changes...but such is life..oh well....

OH and I'm sure you just roll out the red carpet for all those hunters. God forbid any hunters from down in central or south florida do their homework and figure out that NW Florida has better deer. I know they're THE LOCALS DEER and there not for anyone else. The fact is there are plenty of places in Florida that need people from out of town to help pay for THEIR LOCAL LEASE. Trust me I know I've been in a few clubs like that in Florida. THE LOCALS in these clubs don't want any OUT OF TOWNERS in THEIR CLUB. This is a problem in plenty of places all over the U.S. but I can tell you this you won't find me hunting in such a place. I went to Georgia for BETTER DEER and BETTER PEOPLE. To many LOCAL JERKS living in NORTH FLORIDA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[hambone44]

These were all collected last summer. I apologize for the poor quality of most, but I had stopped in the middle of the highway, and they were all in a big group. The shutter speed was set so slow so it would gather enough light to get the pics, but, of course, my hands were shakin' somewhat, and caused the blur. Trust me, I got a good look with my bare eyes, though, and they were some hosses out there in that bachelor group!

Cool pics, Hambone !!!

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


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 !!!
...Of course I got buttkis this past season as far as big bucks go, but I'm confident the next twenty seasons should be more productive .

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 for a family-membership and there's a waiting list on all of them.

 

[Swamprat]

Seems like West of the Apalachicola river the non local hunters tend to die down and most of them go to Leon and Jefferson counties. At least that is my perception. I don't run into a whole lot of central and south hunters around my area.

There is going to be people everywhere that do not take kindly to locals but for the most part I have never had a serious problem. If I get the feeling that someone on a club that I belong to doesn't like me being there I just go on about my business. Life is to short to deal with jerks.

Granted the north part of the state has the bigger bucks but I have seen some in central Florida that if they had the mass would score in the 140 - 150 range. I have done quite abit of surveying on some of the large ranches down there where for the most part the deer are unpresssured. With a 40,000 acre ranch and only 15-20 people hunting it you can see why the lease costs are so high. You pay for privacy.

 

[Swamprat]

Backwards

i meant there will always be locals who don't take kindly to out of towners or staters. course there is city people who think of us country folk as nothing but dumb white trash and they come rolling in with that higher than thou attitude and that we must bow down to their Lexus SUV

i have always tried to get along with every local no matter where i have hunted. there is some that want know part of you or your business and that is fine with me. just means they get a little less of my dollar

 

[hambone44]

I do not have anything personal against anyone, it is a subject of frustration, I suppose. When we all get the potential for being pushed into a smaller and smaller corner to hunt where we have hunted all our lives, i think we would all react in frustration. This is not locals against out -of -town folks, but it is about my ideals about the inevitable to come. There is nothing I or anyone else can do about teh overcrowding..it is just a sad fact. I am sure if I felt I could go elsewhere and hunt more land and bigger deer, i would do the same, and it would probably make those "locals" vent a bit.
Quoting earlier;
tampaspicer,I did not intend to step on any toes. And you are right in your sarcasm of me "rolling out a red carpet". No, I do not have control of all property in North Florida to "forbid" people from using it, HOWEVER; I was simply pointing my frustrations at an ever increasing problem which North Florida "local" hunters are having to experience, and that is a problem which I am confident you can relate to: less available land, and more hunters. It just so happens that there are a vast many more central/south Florida hunters who are migrating up here to hunt on already limited land with already low buck to doe ratios, and when those who do come here, and do NOT practice QDM; we "locals" are left with an even poorer deer herd on our diminishing available lands. Yes, you have the right to hunt anywhere you wish within legal confines, but I don't believe you will ever have to experience the onslaught of North florida hunters in your part of the state, as we have, and if you did, you could maybe, just maybe, understand the frustration I am venting, as well as many others who have hunted here for many, many years, and witnessed the detrimental changes...but such is life..oh well....

I've always tried to get along with all hunters local and non-local. That's just who I am. It's when they start with the it's my woods crap that really gets me fired up. I can get along with anyone and hunt with anyone as longs your etical and treat me like a human.

 

[CPiper]

If anyone thinks that FL, SC, GA, AL ... The SOUTH ... is going to produce huge amounts of 170+" Booners has another think coming!!
Age, Genetics and Nutrition are ALL lacking in The South.
Comparing FL bucks to bucks from Iowa, Kansas or other BIG deer areas is like comparing apples to pecans.

Otherwise, GOOD bucks from FL!!
I think I know where some pics are that go with them scores, I'll look em up and see if I can post em tomorrow.

Headed SOUTH for the evening!!

 

[striper commander]

My dad lives in jefferson county and there are some big deer there. Thomas county ga borders jefferson and thomas county has several booners. My dads buddy runs a 13,000 acre quail plantation there and they are all wild birds some people from up north own it all they do is shoot quail and ducks. There is some monsters on that plantation i am trying to see if i can get in on some deer hunting nobody hunts them. I have been fishing there huge bluegills and bass.

 

[hambone44]

here's a "decent" Florida buck...haha...to say the least

 

[Just 1 More]

Hambone,,, Post some pics of your big florida deer you got hangin on the walls...

 

[Swamprat]

The buck that James Stovall killed was a freak of nature for the area he killed it. It was taken in the West Unit of Green Swamp WMA I think the first year that it opened. It will be a while before anybody shoots a deer like that in Florida.

The biggest buck that I have seen in Florida was on the Mormon Ranch while I was doing some survey work. It was one week after gun season had ended and I caught him in a drum rolled myrtle field with 3 does about 200 yards from cover. I came up on the field and saw 4 deer and knew one was a buck, he lifted his head and I bout wrecked the 4 wheeler. All I saw was points and about 22-24" of width with tines at least 12" long, they all ran to a swamp finger in the middle and I raced ahead to cut them off on the other side. I was about 50 yards to late but he was a solid 10 that weighed probably 175 lbs which is outstanding for that area. I have seen other bucks at Orlando International Airport and the Disney Wilderness Preserve that were 20-22" wide with great tine length. Also I saw a buck hanging that was shot on the Econ River just south of Oviedo in the late 80's that was a 19" wide 10 point that weighed 205 live.

For the most part the central part of the state has some bucks that are outstanding but lack the mass to give that extra boost to make them 140 class deer.

 

[gabuckeye]

Lthomas

Yes a few good bucks come off of WMA's and yes the huge buck in the photo from Green Swamp was a WMA. I believe that was the first year it was opened to hunters in many years. I have hunted WMA's in North, Central and in the pan handle of Fl. The only thing large there I have ever seen is the crowds of people who shoot anything that moves.

I'm also not SKEERD to go and hunt the deepest swamps or the thickest woods and do so often. I do see larger deer when I am deep in the Fl woods but nothing like I see or kill in Ga.

Yes there are some nice bucks taken in Fl but as I said before it is on very private land or on a lease that cost 5 thousand or more with a long waiting list. The average person hunting in Fl is never going to have any where near the chance at a 110 class buck as in Ga.

 

[SADDADDY]

huh?

Comparing FL bucks to bucks from Iowa, Kansas or other BIG deer areas is like comparing apples to pecans.

you would have to be high on crack to even think about comparing Florida deer to any other state in the South or anywhere else for that matter - I was trying to show the non-believers that there are some good deer killed Down Florida way, cause I am always hearing people talk about how small the deer are down here

http://www.wildflorida.org/hunting/buckregistry/default.htm

I try to shed some positive light on Florida seeing how many are so quick to Bash anything that has to do with Florida

 

[Swamprat]

As far as where I live, if you put it in geographical perspective I have a great chance of killing a 140 class deer. Do not think that every good buck killed last year or previous years was on there. Some of us like to keep it to ourselves.

We have a buck running around where I live that will score 140 - 150. I have seen him twice, once at about 7:00 at night and the other time around 6 in the morning. This in an area that has properties ranging from 1 acre lots to 80 acre ag fields. just about everybody has seen him at one time or another but he is for the most part nocturnal. There is a lot more like him in these parts.

Our lease contains quite a few bucks that will score 110 - 140 and a few are harvested each year. We have 1800 acres with 11 members, we could add more but we prefer to pay more to keep membership down. Yes the leases in central Florida and around Tallahassee can get expensive but these people pay to have anywhere from 500-2500 acres per member.

The people that have the big ranches in the central and south part of the state do not want a ton of people on them so they keep membership low and the quality high. There are leases where the have more acres per member than what some of you all have for 25 people. Take what you pay total for say 2500 acres divided between 10-25 hunters, now take that 2500 acres and pay it by yourself. Taxes ain't cheap on a 40,000 acre ranch.

 

[SADDADDY]

maybe that is the key to killing some 120+class bucks

in Florida
12am + spotlight + 22mag + 6pack of beer + a 50 lb bag of corn

 

[Swamprat]

in Florida
12am + spotlight + 22mag + 6pack of beer + a 50 lb bag of corn

I think that is the Georgia method.

I guess we Florida folk get tired of the bashing and lack of respect that we get. You don't here from me bashing Georgia fishermen as they come down and catch our fish. Just remember the St. Johns flows upsteam for a reason

 

[SADDADDY]

just joke'n around

feller's

it's all good

 

[Swamprat]

No..........

It's time we all stood up and cried......

GROUP HUG

 

[mkg 1023]

mkg 1023 I'm not bitter and my comments were not meant for most. I've hunted all my life in North Florida. I'm stating my opinion about what I have seen and heard with my own eyes and ears. I relise there are bad apples in every bunch but Georgia has been a much better experience for me than North Florida. I know how life works and I know how to play the game of life. It's eat or be eatin.

Tampa curiousity killed the cat, but i gotta ask. What county were you hunting in NorthFlorida? If what you are saying happend on Public land up here i certainly don't doubt the experiences you have had. I think i would give up hunting if i had to hunt on public land up and around here.

 

[CPiper]

Comparing FL bucks to bucks from Iowa, Kansas or other BIG deer areas is like comparing apples to pecans.

you would have to be high on crack to even think about comparing Florida deer to any other state in the South or anywhere else for that matter - I was trying to show the non-believers that there are some good deer killed Down Florida way, cause I am always hearing people talk about how small the deer are down here

http://www.wildflorida.org/hunting/buckregistry/default.htm

I try to shed some positive light on Florida seeing how many are so quick to Bash anything that has to do with Florida

And I agree!!
It just makes me go and when I hear southern hunter's asking why and how FL, SC or some other southern state cannot or does not produce alot of Booners and the only theory they come up with is "let him go so he can grow".
Iv seen some STUD deer from Florida and you done well to shed some positive light on that area. I just wanted to point out that it is "unfair" to compare Southern deer to their Northern cousins, thats all!

 

[Just 1 More]

The only other thing you need is to be holding them antlers in the picture

In this case... "****" stands for BEER SWALLOWING