I'm headed to Florida in six weeks time to try fora Florida bird.
This Canadian boy has never been to Florida in my life...
I am sooooooo pumped....
Never have I seen a gator in my life either...
So I'm pretty excited to tell ya the truth....
Kill a Florida bird and then next year I will try to figure out a place in Texas to finish the slam.
It's getting close to the most wonderful time for a hunter :fud:
Perry
Watch out for those gators. Moccasins too. Where are you hunting?
Quote from: Gobblerjim on February 17, 2014, 09:13:46 PM
Watch out for those gators. Moccasins too. Where are you hunting?
Polk county
Would I be correct to say Auburville
40-50 miles south of Orlando
Cool man good luck. That's osceola country. I'm a couple hours south of there.
good luck , hope you get a nice one
I live in nw fl. its a great time to be here as it not too hot yet. I was up in Canada several years ago working and its a lot different weather for sure .I was there in late may and it snowed for a week,but I gotta say it is really beautiful country.Good luck on your hunt
Hope you have a great time and the birds gobble their heads off. I'm in north central florida and the season can't get here fast enough.
Good luck and Good hunting
Don't forget your ThermaCell!! In fact, get an extra!
Gman
I am one mile north of the Fla line and it was low 70's and should be that way except for one day in the upper 70's later this week. I am thinking that they will start sounding off by next week for sure.Hope you have a great time.
One bird that you will probably see plenty of is the Snow Bird. ;) They are thick around the beach areas right now and stay until spring training is over.
Thanks guys for the great comments...
Something tells me after this hunt I'm gonna wanna go back
I've heard so much on how it's such a different and beautiful place to hunt
I'm pumped....
If you are driving I believe it is also around lovebug season. Be ready to "wash" you vehicle daily! I was not prepared
for them!
Quote from: Tbrom on February 18, 2014, 07:16:12 AM
If you are driving I believe it is also around lovebug season. Be ready to was you vehicle daily! I was not prepared
for them!
No...I am flying into Orlando and being picked up at the airport and going from there......
Good luck, we are heading to Florida too around the 13th or 14th. I'm looking forward to the trip . The only things worrying me are mosquitoes and cotton mouths.
good luck those Osceola's is the best of all turkey to hunt, IMHO.
Quote from: Tom Threetoes on February 18, 2014, 08:05:05 PM
Good luck, we are heading to Florida too around the 13th or 14th. I'm looking forward to the trip . The only things worrying me are mosquitoes and cotton mouths.
Bring a thermocell. Plan on using a whole fuel a day if it's warm out. If it's cool there not so bad. The moccasins are not that bad. It's dry season now so usually they're by the waters edge. Saw a bunch of Pygmies and a coral snake last year. I heard they are starting to gobble. I'll be hunting march 1st.
Quote from: Gobblerjim on February 17, 2014, 09:13:46 PM
Watch out for those gators. Moccasins too. Where are you hunting?
And the panthers.
Oh ya panthers too. Lol
Perry, if you don't already have one, buy yourself a Thermacell!! They are outstanding on mosquitos, even in Florida swamps!! A nice pair of snake boots is a good idea also, especially if you are going to Texas next season.
Quote from: Tom Threetoes on February 18, 2014, 08:05:05 PM
Good luck, we are heading to Florida too around the 13th or 14th. I'm looking forward to the trip . The only things worrying me are mosquitoes and cotton mouths.
thermacell will take care of the mosquitoes. Best $20 you could ever spend.
Use to live right beside Polk county and hunted it quite a bit. As has been said, mosquitos can be bad. Auburndale is where you are thinking of, not Auburnville. Polk Co. is a pretty wet swampy county with a lot of cow pastures, so I would recommend some knee high waterproof boots. Osceolas are normally not as vocal as easterns and will slip in quiet on you quite often so always be ready. Oh, and has already been mentioned earlier, watch out for cottonmouths. They're plentiful in Polk Co. Last but not least, good luck! One more question, you hunting private or a WMA?
Quote from: darn2ten on February 19, 2014, 10:08:39 PM
Use to live right beside Polk county and hunted it quite a bit. As has been said, mosquitos can be bad. Auburndale is where you are thinking of, not Auburnville. Polk Co. is a pretty wet swampy county with a lot of cow pastures, so I would recommend some knee high waterproof boots. Osceolas are normally not as vocal as easterns and will slip in quiet on you quite often so always be ready. Oh, and has already been mentioned earlier, watch out for cottonmouths. They're plentiful in Polk Co. Last but not least, good luck! One more question, you hunting private or a WMA?
[/quote
I have a termacell and I well prepared in that aspect.
Yes Auburndale is the area and I have a gentleman that's taking me out to hunt.
He has private and he hunts public land I beleive as well...
As for the cottonmouths... I wouldn't know what one looks like but it's on my mine that's for sure...
Yeah I've been told that the birds are not as vocal there but I will have to wait and see.
We've got the Thermacells, sounds like we need to load up on refills. TT
I'm just very curious of what I'm going to see...
Also very excited.....
My season starts up here in Ontario on April 25th and they way this winter is going I might be hunting in the snow at that time .....so Florida is going to be awesome I'm sure..
Someone mentioned panthers I have a spot or two out in the swamp , that is so bad with panthers you walk down the trail with a loaded .40 cal pistol in your hand ..... No joke , when you see a 200 pound big male at 20 feet , you will understand they can shred a 250 wild boar in a split second - I also can't sleep out in a open campfire for fear of the same -
My buddy has a property right in the middle of the panther preserve , and you MUST hunt in a pop up blind , big cats everywhere
But anyways the gobblers are going bezerk right now with the gobbling down here , it's getting warm - and it's on !
Guys, this might be a stupid question, but when you say panthers are those the same thing as cougars/mountain lions? Seems like I remember some guys saying they've seen black panthers too.
Rio fan , this is a very hot topic down here right now , - years ago the fwc released some Texas cougars to beef up the genetic stock of the Florida panthers - well there is a population explosion of panthers now , and the fwc is full of bs over it
The panther project is the sacred cow of the fwc , it provides many people with jobs , and anytime they want to block public access to somewhere or they need money they whip out the panther card - if the mystique of the endangered panther was ever to wear off the money would dry up and so would the jobs ---- panthers =$$$$$ the state still claims there is 15o panthers but I suspect they may be approaching 1000
The panthers we have down here , from 20 years ago were so inbred that many had only one testicle or were suspected to be infertile - after they brought in the Texas cougars , they exploded in population , and they also wiped out the hogs and deer for entire vast regions of southern Florida - they raid mini farms and eat peoples goats and hogs, and just this year a lady was walking her dog over by ft Meyers and a panther ran up grabbed her dog , dragged it into the bushes where the horrified lady had to listen to her pet dog being eaten , popping and snapping of bones etc..... The fwc just covers it up - the day is coming very soon.... Where someone's child is going to be dragged off by this sacred cow cat hear me now and believe me latter
Word on the street is panthers love northerners and Canadians. Taste like chicken. Meow
Old Gobbler, thanks for all of that information...very interesting!
:TooFunny:
Quote from: Gobblerjim on February 21, 2014, 09:55:23 AM
Word on the street is panthers love northerners and Canadians. Taste like chicken. Meow
Quote from: Old Gobbler on February 20, 2014, 10:25:46 PM
there is a population explosion of panthers now , and the fwc is full of bs over it
The panther project is the sacred cow of the fwc , it provides many people with jobs , and anytime they want to block public access to somewhere or they need money they whip out the panther card - if the mystique of the endangered panther was ever to wear off the money would dry up and so would the jobs ---- panthers =$$$$$ the state still claims there is 15o panthers but I suspect they may be approaching 1000
:icon_thumright: :agreed:
OG is right on with this assessment!! I live in
central Florida, and I have seen 3!!! One time I was turkey hunting in Flagler County and watched a panther cruise through the woods. I had binoculars on him, so I know exactly what it was. The 2 other times were in Seminole County, both crossing State Road 46 near the St. Johns River.
Each of the 3 times I was excited to see a panther so far north, so I called FWC. Each time they told me that I was mistaken, and that I'd seen a bobcat. ::) ::) ::) I explained to them that I had shot bobcats, and know the difference between a bobcat and a 150+ pound brown cat with a long tail. They stuck to their company line and told me that panthers are only in south Florida, and that there were only 60 of them in Florida. ::) ::) ::)
Another friend of mine was hunting in Brevard County a few miles from 2 of my panther sightings. He found a freshly killed adult deer, covered in grass (like big cats do) and BIG cat tracks nearby. He also called FWC, and they also told him it was a bobcat. ::) ::) ::)
FWC is full of BS about the panthers. Like OG said, they just don't want to give up control over land, or the Federal money. ::)
Quote from: Gobblerjim on February 21, 2014, 09:55:23 AM
Word on the street is panthers love northerners and Canadians. Taste like chicken. Meow
Lmfao....that's not going to scare this country boy
Hey....what's going on with the hockey in the Olympics?
I've missed the last few days...lol
Oh you know what happened in the Olympics. I'm partial to Canadians. My father is from Ontario.
You south Florida guys can keep the panthers and pythons. Man, I hope that stuff never works it way up here to North Florida. But I suppose one day it will.
I have lived here all my life.. only saw 1 panther.. and that was in more central FL ... remote spot along the bank of Lake George while bass fishing. I have never seen one in N FL.
This is a panther on panther attack -if the males see each other , its a fight to the death -- the preferred method is to get their mouth over the other panthers head and crush their skull , and that's what happened to this male panther -- they get plenty of these every year , and that's the ones they find !
Picture courtesy of a property my good buddy owns -- cats every where down here
(http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t456/oldgobbler3/IMG_0811-1.jpg)
(http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t456/oldgobbler3/IMG_0812.jpg)
(http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t456/oldgobbler3/IMG_0809.jpg)
Wow...
Talked to a south Florida native once while hunting FL and he mentioned a lot of things OG has. Said he sees panthers on nearly half his deer hunts in extreme south FL. We didn't know whether to think he was crazy or telling the truth. After reading this thread, it appears his words were legit!
don't worry about the alligators, cottonmouths, panthers, pythons, bulls, rattlesnakes and mosquitoes ..
The worst thing you can run into if unprepared are redbugs.. :z-twocents:
Lol guys I have a friend who has guided turkey's for five years at a place called chappys outfitters...
My question is I'm hunting south if Orlando
I'm assuming I'm in "pure oseceloa" country.
Either way people I am very much so looking forward to it..
Kill a bird...see some gators....ride on a airboat and I will be happy
Hog hunt would top it off
Chappy's hunts are generally in Glades County, no arguments about "true" Osceolas there...
The "true" Osceola line (if you want to call it that) is a good ways north of Orlando. So anything around Orlando is ok.
definitely get a pair of snake boots for piece of mind. I had a close with a diamondback three weeks ago with my twin 2 year old boys.
I had to chime in. The weirdest thing when you see a panther is they don't seem to be afraid of humans anymore. My buddy and I saw two together during archery season and we had to shoo them away but they wouldn't move fast at all. They're so used to being darted that its like they know whenever they see a human. This one went into the tall grass and just stood there watching while my buddy setup his stand. Not comforting at all, but I honestly don't think they're brave enough to try anything stupid. A concealed weapons permit and a sidearm is advised.