Florida deer hunter

[sonofafish]

Is there any Florida archery hunters out there?

[Tommyt]

I bow hunt Fl . I'm itching for the 20th to set a pin on something other than foam 
I'll take a deer or 2 but really like Hog hunting
Tom

[sonofafish]

I am in the same boat. I off to Green swamp on the 26,but love the deer.Hogs I have to say I well and have past up. For one I raise them and if I wish to eat one I'll go out back and get one. But I have killed my fare share of them. My kids on the hand love to shot them,about 10 years ago a farmer here in town called me up to get rid of some. I hunted this land all my life and that year he planted some melons and man did that bring  in the hogs. Some of the biggest ones I have ever seen. I shot six big old bores well over 300 and one had to be 400 to 500. I bit that year we shot over 200. But the reason I had to stop is that same year I lost ten of my good hogs four of them show hogs and the Vit. made me burn all my clothes.We lost a lot that year but did have some fun. A good friend shot two with one shot over 200 yards and I shot one at a good 300 yards.Wish the state or someone would come up with a vaccine for the wild bore dis. because I would love to be back out there.

[Tommyt]

Burcilous (spl.ck.) ?
What is this with hogs  I've heard some real scary things and truthfully shakes me up
I've killed  lot I say a lot one season I killed 18 I remember another season 12
 I cleaned and ate every one ,I do wear Gloves ,one thing I heard was not even drag them with out gloves ?
Please let me know what made you burn your Cloths
Tom

[sonofafish]

A lady from the state dept. of agriculture, she told me you could not get it out and I need new camo any how.But she come around about once a year to check out are pins and to draw blood from are hogs.I do know a dog can get it,but a human has to get in a cut or blood.

[Tommyt]

  Todays News someone Dumped Asbetos out there
I don't think it will hurt the hunting
 Do you hunt the Swamp yearly or is this a one shoot thing
I'm in Clearwater if you ever want someone to go along to remove hogs
(like the melon patch) let me know

[catdaddy]

eglin airforce base has a decent deer population

[Tommyt]

PM sent on the green swamp

[sonofafish]

Tommyt, oooooooooooh my that is so impressive, cool find and thank you. I am on my way there next week end. I will have my daughter with me so do not think I'll be able to get her out 6 miles maybe a mile or two.Thanks again Todd

[Tommyt]

Enjoy !! that Guy is a Excellent Hunter
take a Kid Hunting Terrific
Good luck
Tom

I struck out this weekend the woods where barren  I'll be back lol

[Land_Owner]

I am reading all of the bow hunting posts to see if this "Old Dog" can learn a new trick although I may be too deeply seated in the ways of the sniper (where I can reach out there and touch 'em).  A lot of the hunting shows are bow related (perhaps in locations teaming with deer) and the hunters don't seem to have difficulty getting up close and personal with some major bucks.

On my land, we've taken five bucks (during modern gun seasons) over 19 years of ownership.  Hogs count in the hundreds.  Does in the teens.  All with a rifle.  Perhaps we're patterned, but the evidence says there are plenty of deer.

I don't know whether the precautions I take prior to the season are wrong (I don't think so), whether the Poachers are driving the game away, wheter getting on stand during bow season (in Sept.) is coincident with the FL rut vs. post rut in Nov. (gun season), or just what the factors are that might make deer hunting (buck hunting) more successful for me.

[Swampman]

The rut here occurs during mid-Jan & mid-Feb.  Hunt Valentine's day if you can.

[Land_Owner]

I don't necessarily agree.  I have shot does with fetuses scaled that indicate fertilization was in late July.  What is used to determine "peak" of the rut if our deer are breeding over a very wide range of dates, some might argue "all the time"?

[Tommyt]

Landowner
 Where you are Located in the State may differ a lot Take the Far West Pan handle and then Lake O or further South to the handle the rut will undoubtedly be different ,However July seems a bit hard to understand the fawn would show up in Mid winter
This link http://www.whitetails.com/deer_info/deer_anatomy.cfm says 200 days which is close enough too 6 months which most people say. I won't say I dis Believe but maybe you opened one that was real Ugly and just Took it for the fact that she couldn't when all the rest did. 

[Land_Owner]

...July seems a bit hard to understand the fawn would show up in Mid winter...

...maybe you opened one that was real Ugly and just Took it for the fact that she couldn't when all the rest did...

What "Winter"    I've been here all of my life.  It doesn't get COLD here, not really.  Cold, what's that?     I remember as a boy bundling up in the mornings.  By mid-day the bundling was all off and it was back to short sleeves.  The "cold" here is nothing for our fur coat wearing deer except a chance to kick up their heels and move around.  BTW, the Atlantic Ocean, Banana River, Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, and St. Johns River are all within 20 miles of one another with my place in the western 1/3.  I suspect the "heat sink" of water has a stabilizing effect on the weather keeping it warmer perhaps.

The doe killed last year was not the first one with fetuses and not the first showing late Summer gestation dates.  Apparently the deer east of the St. Johns River in East Central Florida are getting it done earlier, and perhaps all the time, but certainly more "testing" has yet to be performed.   

[Tommyt]

Thats Interesting It seems that as in all Nature the have become creature of their environment ,I'd like to blame the Mouse and all the rest for the land development but that Mouse keeps our tax's down 

Apparently the deer east of the St. Johns River in East Central Florida are getting it done earlier, and perhaps all the time, but certainly more "testing" has yet to be performed.

[Swampman]

...July seems a bit hard to understand the fawn would show up in Mid winter...

...maybe you opened one that was real Ugly and just Took it for the fact that she couldn't when all the rest did...

What "Winter"    I've been here all of my life.  It doesn't get COLD here, not really.  Cold, what's that?     I remember as a boy bundling up in the mornings.  By mid-day the bundling was all off and it was back to short sleeves.  The "cold" here is nothing for our fur coat wearing deer except a chance to kick up their heels and move around.  BTW, the Atlantic Ocean, Banana River, Mosquito Lagoon, Indian River, and St. Johns River are all within 20 miles of one another with my place in the western 1/3.  I suspect the "heat sink" of water has a stabilizing effect on the weather keeping it warmer perhaps.

The doe killed last year was not the first one with fetuses and not the first showing late Summer gestation dates.  Apparently the deer east of the St. Johns River in East Central Florida are getting it done earlier, and perhaps all the time, but certainly more "testing" has yet to be performed.   

I've seen it hit 9 degrees, with ice crystals sticking up 2" out of the frozen ground while I was dog hunting on Blackwater.

[Land_Owner]

I didn't say it never got cold.  Of course if one listens to the Chamber of Commerce it never get below 72 degrees F...below which a Native Floridian will freeze to death...I know, I've done it several times!

I watched "lake effect" snow flakes fall in November '03 as we constructed a house on Merritt Island.  That was interesting!

I've stomped through 3/4" sheet ice on the marsh surface of Lake Poincett in Brevard County to make a place for ducks to land (hehe)...what a morning's hunt!  Limited out fifteen minutes into legal shooting hour!

And yes, I've bundled up for hours while on stand as the wet cold here permeates like no where else on earth (and through the Coast Guard I've been to both North and South Poles - really...I have!). 

However, in comparison Florida "cold" is a warming trend for deer hunters in the midlands and north.  Our deer are thinner skinned and thinner coat to offset the heat.

When the rut occurs in different parts of the State is a mystery to me.  Perhaps the FWC knows?