"No big deer in Florida". The hunt is on...

[Lostinthewoods]

I forgot to post this last night.
I hunted a thick area that I know the bucks are crossing in and out of.
To get to this area you had to walk down a half mile trail and then cut in the woods about another half mile.
The last half mile was nothing, but thick hip level brush and tall trees. I liked the area because I knew most people wouldn't be hunting it. That was certified when I walked by 4 ladder stands on the easy, first half mile and found no stands and minimal climber disturbance in the last half mile.
Once I got to the end of that last half mile it started to open up in this beautiful area. It had the characteristics of a staging area and I really liked it. It also bordered off limit zones so I knew that provided them the opportunity to go in and out of safe zones. Definitely a cool spot.

Anyways on the way out, while trudging through the hip high brush with my 65lb pack on, I found this little gem!
I love finding sheds when you least expect it!
There is never a dull day in the woods.

This is also why I can't wait for the season to end so I can learn this whole section. I've found a great area, but I still don't know the entire system out here. I plan on walking and making sense of everything. That way come next year (pending he's not down), I am going to be right inside his house and it'll only be a matter of time before he slips up.

When I killed my biggest buck in Oklahoma, I spent June (when I first found him) through November 28th slowly working in on him.
Then on November 28th he slipped up and it was game over!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Well ladies and gentlemen, that's a wrap.
The bruiser won the battle, but I give you my word.... he did not win this war.

This was such a fun little season in Florida, but it's only just begun.
Im pleased with what I was able to uncover in just a few months of time here, but I now have a whole season to really break the area down and get a good understanding of it.

I'll let the woods settle for a while and then it's go time.
Come this time next year we will be picking out what form this Florida stud will be going on.....

Keep your eyes out in the Live/hunt stories thread.
I plan on running a journal this year that will include more scouting of him, hunting of him, plus fun hunting in another 5-9 states!



I appreciate everyone following along with me and hope everyone has a fun and successful 2017.


Take care,

Daniel

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Well it's been a fun thread nonetheless

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[realunlucky]

Enjoyed following along. That's how they get to so damn big by making few mistakes. Can't till next year

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[Jdog]

Im at Hurby now. Im one of the rare few who would rather be at Cannon than here.
I am pleasantly surprised with the deer population though. After these few months here, I am confident that I'll be able to really knock them down come October. I've got some really good areas that seem to be crawling with does, so I will be excited to fill the freezer up. It's definitely a target rich environment.

The bear was very impressive and you're right, they are way bigger than I would have ever expected for Florida. Ûu
It was very enjoyable and I hope I get to see more in my time here.

If I am able to put this buck down I'll tell you where I got him.... you will get a good laugh.

If you want a hog spot let me know.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Ill leave this as my final post because Im gonna start my journal soon, but look who made it through the season.....
I can't wait to search for those sheds and see him next year.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

So photobucket shut down the third party sharing.

Some of you may be wondering why I'm bumping this and posting this...
Well last year I had a baby during the good part of the Florida hunting season, so I didn't have much time to chase this bruiser. Well fast forward to now....

Guess who is back and bigger?

He's a main frame 12 with split G2s on both sides (14 point).

I'm not going to run a thread on this and I'm going to keep pictures very minimal... until I put him down.

I bow hunt and I personally believe he could make a top 5 archery typical buck....
I can't score for crap, but he's a dandy and I'm going to hunt him hard or smart....


Hopefully the next update you see is him under my Mathews.


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[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Wow just wow. He's a beast!

Live2hunt custom shelters

 

[PNWGATOR]

Best of luck and hope you kill him!

 

[sn.outdoors]

Just so everyone knows... Dan hasn't slept for a year. Not because of the baby, but because he knows this buck is out there.



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[Jdog]

what a buck--on public land makes it even cooler. Being that it's FL, that's an outright giant.

I hope you kill him--I love the chess game with big bucks.

Good luck!

Hey, did I ever give you that hog spot?

geese, what a buck.

 

[robby denning]

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[Lostinthewoods]

......... I can’t wait to close this dang book

After reviewing all the sheds I’ve got since I moved here, I firmly believe I have a shed of his from 2014, 2015, and now 2017.
You can’t age deer from sheds, but the 2014 shed is certainly from a deer that’s older than 3 and that’s based off everything I’ve seen since Ive been here. So assuming he was 3-4 in 2014 that means he will be 7-8 this year..... it’s time...


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[MatheusB]

Great story. Something similar happened to me, I was told that there was not any big deers at a certain area and when i went there, I hunted the biggest deer i have ever hunted

 

[TreestandMaineiac]

Lostinthewoods Are you still in Florida?

 

[NME]

Holy cow that is awesome. I hope you get him! When you mentioned the release I laughed because the same thing happened to me once. Good luck brother!

 

[Davem6869]

nice!

 

[eaglemountainman]

Is it true that in Fl, to hunt the WMA's for deer with a rifle, you have to put in for a draw in March for a specific week to hunt in the fall? Or can you just show up on public land and hunt when you want?

 

[ShakeDown]

Is it true that in Fl, to hunt the WMA's for deer with a rifle, you have to put in for a draw in March for a specific week to hunt in the fall? Or can you just show up on public land and hunt when you want?

Each WMA has their own sets of rules. It is nearly the equivalent of hunting different states out West for the most part. Read up on the individual brochures.

 

[Shrek]

Florida makes public land hunting complicated. I’ve quit hunting Florida for the most part and just drive to Georgia. I’d feel different if I lived in the panhandle like the OP but I don’t. The panhandle of Florida is referred to as LA for good reason. It’s not really like the rest of Florida in very good ways.