Successfully Hunting Public Land in Florida

Florida Sportsman Senior Member JesseJames offers some helpful tips for hunting public lands in our state. In so doing, he also invites comments from other hunters. The thread, here, is a good read.

"Here's some of the keys I came up with that should apply to archery/muzzle/modern," writes JesseJames:

1. Scout - Take advantage of any opportunity to get into the woods before the season opens to locate spots. Don't get locked into one particular area. Have back-ups of back-ups of back-ups.

2. Be Willing to Walk - The farther you're willing to go the more chance of success you'll have. A lot of people will only go a few hundreds yards into the woods. If you're willing to leg out a mile or two it can pay off. If you're willing to brave that swamp/marsh/briar thicket that a lot of other guys won't you're increasing your odds of killing something.

3. Invest in a climber - Ladderstands are nice but they lock you into one position and trying to relocate one opening morning in the dark is a noisy and time consuming ordeal. A climber gives you the mobility and flexibility if someone shows up in the next tree over one morning.

4. Communicate - Talk to the other guys you consistently see when scouting or hunting. If someone is using the same parking area when scouting then take a minute to talk to them. Find out where they're looking and what they're plans are so there aren't any surprises opening morning. Small groups of hunters can coexist in a relatively small area if they're all talking.

5. Hunt on Weekdays - While it's not always possible take advantage when you can. There are days when I've felt like I had the entire WMA to myself.

6. Sit Longer - A lot of people get stuck in the AM/PM routine. If you have the patience to sit all day then you're only bettering your chances. Besides people moving in and out of the woods may push something your direction.

7. Respect - People will walk in on you. Newer hunter's will stumble around and step on every branch they come across. Be the bigger man. Use those back up spots. Help someone out if they need it. Remember why you're out there in the first place.