Public Lands in N Florida

[paulnack]

My 1st whitetail season coming up and I've got general gun permits to hunt a number of public lands around Tallahassee. Granted these were grabbed on leftover tag day, so I'm wondering how productive these WMAs will be. I pulled: Aucilla, Big Bend Hickory AND Spring Creek, Pine Log, and Apalachee.

I'm not asking for spots; I plan to dedicate plenty of time to scouting on my own. But it would be nice to know where my efforts will be best spent. Anybody with experience in the area, could you rank my permits from greatest chance of success to least? My approach will be to hike in with a climbing stand. Thanks in advance.

 

[Tufrthnails]

I’ve hunted big bend and Aucilla. I wouldn’t consider them premium tags, but I saw deer in both. Passed on two young bucks my last time at Aucilla a few years ago. And saw does at big bend. Lots of hogs at big bend in and around the cabbage palm hammocks.

 

[paulnack]

I’ve hunted big bend and Aucilla. I wouldn’t consider them premium tags, but I saw deer in both. Passed on two young bucks my last time at Aucilla a few years ago. And saw does at big bend. Lots of hogs at big bend in and around the cabbage palm hammocks.

So it’s not hopeless Thanks for the info. Were you working these areas hard? Scouting, cameras, multiple days in the stand?

 

[Tufrthnails]

So it’s not hopeless Thanks for the info. Were you working these areas hard? Scouting, cameras, multiple days in the stand?

No 4 day blind hunts for the most part. I love the challenge of hitting a new WMA or two a year. With good scouting I’d expect you to do well at either. I wanted to hit Pine log last year, but didn’t have time and had to turn my permit in. Be sure to check the transitions were edges are formed. Especially if you have point were three kinds of foliage meet. And where the edges form points and bowls. Hard transitions are great soft blended transitions inside hammocks can be good as well for finding sign. Fl is extremely hard to summer and spring scout because it’s so green and thick. Most of my scouting happens late season and small game.