Spotlight on Fall Turkey Hunting in the Sunshine State

Spring is the magic season, but Florida also offers fall hunting for Osceolas and Easterns.

October 10, 2025 By Ian Nance

I sailed a carbon arrow over the rump of a hen at Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and regret this whiff 15 years later. From my Summit climber and bald cypress roost, I heard her kicking through the crackling leaves as she emerged from the understory. It was true then and remains so today that during fall archery seasons some WMAs allow hunters to bag both hens and toms. Taking hens, however, is prohibited any time on private property unless she sports a beard.

But this gal lacked a beard, and though my bloodlust for hens is rather low, I appreciate the rarity and novelty of such circumstances. Alas, the broadhead missed its mark as my last chance scurried off into the pines, the illuminated nock mocking me from the forest floor. Every bow season since, I’ve longed for redemption.

Yes, Florida has a fall turkey season, though not as celebrated here as in other states and certainly lacking the renown of spring gobbler. Using FWC’s handy-dandy online Hunter’s Toolbox to compare harvest data, only 338 turkeys – including 28 hens – were reported by honest hunters between August 3, 2024, and February 2, 2025, which encompassed all legal fall seasons. Some 11,395 birds were registered during the combined 2024 spring gobbler seasons.

Turkey tracks in the sand. — Scouting for fresh sign such as tracks is important for fall turkey hunting. (Photo by Ian Nance)

These numbers reflect several daunting aspects of fall turkey hunting. One, opportunities are few. On private property, they can be hunted concurrently with deer seasons, but many hunters, especially in Osceola territory, prefer saving them for spring. For public land, WMA regulations vary widely, however most will allow turkeys to be taken with archery tackle, as mentioned above, but typically not during general gun or muzzleloader seasons.

Finally, there are the birds themselves. If you think the spring hunt is challenging, try it when their sexual instincts aren’t piqued. Sure, they’ll gobble in the fall, but it’s infrequent. Adult toms flock together, preferring dense woods. They are not typically spread out individually, attracting attention across the fields and other open spaces that they dominate during March and April.

Truthfully, most hunters score because of sheer happenstance—a gobbler ambles by and the crosshairs take note. Brand me a misfit or philistine to the Spring Turkey Culture, but if I’m hunting private property during general gun season that allows a fall harvest, I’ll happily tote my .25-06 that’s accounted for multiple gobblers without wasting a forkful of meat. If you’re of a similar mind frame, shoot controlled-expansion ammo and aim either for the base of the neck or above-and-forward of the thighs.

See: Florida Fall Turkey Seasons

For those intentionally hunting fall turkeys, basic lessons from spring can be applied. Scouting remains critical, especially for active roosting sites which tend to vary more during autumn and winter. Once located, the idea remains the same—set up close and call. How to call and how much, as with the spring trials, depends on who’s giving the advice.

Some prefer calling sparingly while others don’t mind opening it up, trying to engage a turkey’s social nature. The through-line, though, in a fall hunter’s repertoire is the use of the “kee-kee-run” call, a series of high-pitched yelps, which is especially effective for drawing in jakes.

Another tactic requires surprising and flushing flocks of birds. Afterwards, the hunter will call with a series of yelps and kee-kee runs, which imitates the noises they make as they try to reassemble the flock. In other states, dogs are used to flush birds through the thick brush, but Florida prohibits this, and I can’t see myself bounding over palmetto flats trying to scatter these fleet-footed birds with much grace.

Regardless of your methods, if you luck into a chance to fall turkey hunt in Florida, give it a try. At the very least, stick a call in your back pocket and see if you can lure one by your treestand once the deer action cools.

Fall turkey hunting area. — Scouting roost areas is critical for fall hunts. (Photo by Ian Nance)

Public Land Spring Turkey Regulation Changes

While fall is not prime turkey time, November 1-30 is when public land hunters will need to apply for limited-entry Spring Turkey quota, Special-Opportunity, and National Wildlife Refuge hunts. New this year, at their February 2025 meeting, FWC Commissioners approved a series of rule changes for the 2025-26 hunting season relating to public land turkey hunting.

Non-resident hunters are now prohibited from turkey hunting during the first nine days of the spring season at the non-quota units of Big Cypress, Herky Huffman/Bull Creek, Jumper Creek, Three Lakes, and J.W. Corbett WMAs. Non-residents must also purchase a non-resident annual hunting license instead of a 10-day non-resident hunting license, and a maximum of 10% of spring turkey quota permits will be issued to non-residents.

For all hunters applying for quota permits, the state will now allow preference point-only applications. And, after previously awarding points for returned permits, individuals who do so will now only receive the number of preference points they had prior to applying. Furthermore, people who return Phase I permits will be prohibited from applying for a permit for that same hunt during the reissue period. With these changes, it is hopeful people will be more deliberate with their selections when completing an application and not remove opportunities for others.

Click for more information on fall turkey hunting in Florida.