Hey Guys/Gals. I'm 22 years old and trying to move to Florida this year after college! I have been living in New Jersey for my whole life and I have hunted practically everything here. I have no experience with hunting in Florida, let alone anywhere in the South. I will be trying to move towards CENTRAL Florida. So any tips of what I should be aware of before I start bow and gun hunting there this season? Species of game still the same as New Jersey? Would love to get some tips from experienced people haha. Thank you so much and happy hunting!
Same species...whitetail, turkey, but also have wild hogs. You'll find the deer down here tend to be smaller bodied and racks are smaller. North Florida has some big boys, but it's basically same landscape as georgia. From Gainesville down.....small deer, small racks, hard hunts, EXPENSIVE leases, poor management of public lands.
I've never hunted Florida, but I do hunt South Carolina, and we get a lot of Florida hunters here. They will pay more than the market value for any lease or club, because its still cheaper than their home state.
If you can hunt around some orange groves, or good ag land that is your best bet for some decent hogs, turkey and big bucks. As far as big bucks go, we have them but they are a lot harder to find than up north. Make sure you buy a thermacell for the mosquitoes. Archery season starts pretty early so don't be surprised if you get caught up in an afternoon thunderstorm, I have many times. Best thing to do is find a place to hunt, see what kind of terrain it is(Palmettos, swamp, etc.) and plan and dress accordingly.
