Hunting decline in Florida

[Pork Chop]

There was an interesting article in the paper today. It appears that the State of Florida is concerned at the reduced number of hunters. They are trying to figure out the cause. Could it be the fact that there are VERY few open places to hunt without a quota permit? Perhaps that some of the Wildlife Management Areas require a recreational use permit to be purchased to use them (the one only a few miles from my house is over $500 per year!)? Anyway, I hope that some positive steps come from it. Here is the article:

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/073105/spo_19379922.shtml

 

[bigbore442001]

It is an interesting article but I am not sure what one can do about the trends in society.

I have fond memories of hunting the Sunshine State. I used to go down to this ranch each winter or early spring to hunt wild hogs. It was a lot of fun and the place reminded me of what Florida once was, the image of "The Yearling" my Rawlins.

The problem is that Florida itself is facing a lot of development pressure. I know here in New England, many people who retire want to move to Florida. In fact you'll find examples of what is called cluster migration. It isn't to unusually to find groups of people who lived up north to move into one area in Florida. It is as if a whole neighborhood packed up and moved 1500 miles south.

There are the demographic issues as well. You have young people who are more inclined to computer games and other activities. As a boy my father taught me how to hunt. In today's society with a greater preponderance of broken homes, the mother frequently has custody. How many single mothers do you know will buy a gun or bow for their son? Not many. Also, the population of Florida is aging. Many people who hunted when they were younger are no longer able to do so because of age and health. So that adds to the numbers.

Then there is the pay to hunt issue. It is hard for many people here in New England to comprehend paying or leasing a place to hunt. It just isn't done here in the northeast. The cost is becoming prohibitive. So that excludes people of limited means or on a fixed income.

Like I stated, I am not sure how this trend will be turned around.

 

[Mulebrain]

Porky,

I live in Boca Raton, and hunting is very controlled. Back in the day you could hunt in the Everglades not any more!

The urban sprawl is killing this tradition.

I did recently find out that you can hunt wild boar all year, without permit in FL. I will be doing this soon!

http://www.ronsguideservice.com/boar.htm

Mule

 

[Pork Chop]

My problem is where to hunt. Wild Boar is considered domestic livestock in almost all of Florida - a few WMAs consider them game animals, so seasons apply. I don't have access to any private land. The WMAs only allow guns during specified seasons. Sigh...

 

[elcazador]

porkchop where are you getting this $500 dollars recreational permit figures at? I 've been keeping track of my expense/cost and license/permits for each year and I barely top out at 110.00 dollars for all of the hunting that I do. I spend more money on gas and food than licenses. The 2 biggest cost are the $15.00 duck stamp and the WMA permit stamp at $26.50. If you didn't count the fishing combo that I buy, the actual hunting license is cheap or cheaper than most other states that I've hunted in.

I think the big decline in the numbers is due to area and the game availability. The states has open numerous areas around the south zone ( Diner Island/Spirit-of-the-wild) , but for the most parts all of these areas are by quota only. I also live near boca and hunt primary the corbett/kissimmee/rotenberger/holyland/hungryland/bullcreek/triple-n-ranch and 3lakes on a few ocassions. I've never been drawn for a quota except twice and for area out of my 150miles range that I've set. Wild game are out their and available but sparse and very hard to hunt.

I also blame alot of the problems with florida hunting scene on FWC and the commisson management. I believe for the most part if they would put more money back into maintaining the areas that it will draw game which will drw hunters. As I always say to other hunters, they only thing that FL has for hunting are turkey & ducks and outside of that it's all fishing.

 

[Pork Chop]

Not all of the WMAs have the Recreational Use fees. The one closest to me does though. The details are here:

http://myfwc.com/hunting/rec_use_permits.htm

I was a bit off. The Recreational Use fee for 12 Mile Swamp WMA is only $425. They also limit the number of hunters that can purchase that permit to 200 iirc. In my mind, that makes it a state sanctioned hunting club. The regulations are here:

http://myfwc.com/hunting/wma/NE_Region/Twelve_Mile-2005-06.pdf

If I want to go to a WMA that does not have a requirement for quota permits or recreational use permits, I have to drive a pretty good haul over to either Osceola WMA or Ocala WMA. Both of those are National Forests iirc.

 

[Pork Chop]

Let me add to that. The reason that I see the Recreational Use program as a state sponsored hunting club is that the holders of the permits don't have to "compete" for the available permits. If you click on the PDF file link that I posted, the regulations state that the holders of the permit can renew for up to two years providing that they do it before the permits would go on sale for Joe Sixpack...

 

[elcazador]

That's new for me, I never heard of this before. Those fees make the Avon Park hunting grounds seems mighty cheap.

But still alot other locations exists that aren't recreational user permits. States of Florida has about 7-9 million aces of hunting area thru out FL

 

[arcticap]

Weren't there quite a few years of drought & then fires not too long ago that may have impacted some areas of the state & hunting in general? Also, how about the affect of hurricanes and the devastation in areas? Don't you think that puts a damper on whole counties? Florida is huge, but also has more than it's share of natural disasters. Couldn't this have a significant impact even if only 10% of the state's hunters or hunting lands are affected? :hmm:

 

[Pork Chop]

The county that I live in has three WMAs. One just opened this year. 12 mile swamp has the recreational use permit. Guana River WMA has a limit of 200 quota hunters per season. The new one - Matanzas - is limited to 75. The nearest WMA that has no quota restrictions is either Santa Fe Swamp (Muzzleloader only!, but also walk in only...), Osceola (over an hour away), or Ocala (ditto.) Don't get me wrong, Osceola and Ocala are big and offer a lot of opportunities, but they are a bit inconvenient. I hope to check out Santa Fe swamp as it is a LITTLE closer (only about 50 minutes away) and apparently less used due to the muzzleloading only restriction.

 

[noahmercy]

As a Florida-born individual who spent 30 years in the Slumshine State, I'd like to weigh in on a few possible contributing factors.

#1- the deer in the southern 2/3'rds of the state are generally smaller than German Shepherds. Folks from other states (particularly the midwest) don't feel like it's worth shooting a deer when you're only going to get 25 pounds of meat out of the deal.

#2- there are quite a few WMA's, however they are only for those who like the "group experience"...you know- being able to see another hunter from almost any point in the hunting area.

#3- as mentioned above, the Florida Fish and Game folks have no clue about spending revenue on anything but anglers. They barely recognize that hunters exist in that state and refuse to improve accessability or improve habitat.

#4- the temperatures are high, even during hunting season. This means that if you're not close to a locker, you run the risk of meat spoilage. Also, northern transplants (the bulk of the individuals who hunt in Florida) often don't feel it's hunting season when it's 80 degrees outside.

That being said, Florida has awesome hog hunting, great fishing, and possibly the best turkey hunting in the nation (if you're willing to work hard).

:thumbsup:

 

[Mulebrain]

As a Florida-born individual who spent 30 years in the Slumshine State, I'd like to weigh in on a few possible contributing factors.

#1- the deer in the southern 2/3'rds of the state are generally smaller than German Shepherds. Folks from other states (particularly the midwest) don't feel like it's worth shooting a deer when you're only going to get 25 pounds of meat out of the deal.

#2- there are quite a few WMA's, however they are only for those who like the "group experience"...you know- being able to see another hunter from almost any point in the hunting area.

#3- as mentioned above, the Florida Fish and Game folks have no clue about spending revenue on anything but anglers. They barely recognize that hunters exist in that state and refuse to improve accessability or improve habitat.

#4- the temperatures are high, even during hunting season. This means that if you're not close to a locker, you run the risk of meat spoilage. Also, northern transplants (the bulk of the individuals who hunt in Florida) often don't feel it's hunting season when it's 80 degrees outside.

That being said, Florida has awesome hog hunting, great fishing, and possibly the best turkey hunting in the nation (if you're willing to work hard).

:thumbsup:

I love it! "The Slumshine State" I tend to agree, and I live in probably the most desirable area Boca Raton. Many folks here are well "mannerless"! I am ready to cut my ties!

I am thinking the North West!

 

[CrackStock]

I have a job application out for a position in Ft Lauderdale.

If it is really that bad, I will cancel it Monday.

I sure wouldn't want to add to the overpopulation of that area!

Nobody seems interested in MLs in this part of the Carolinas, but at least I have places to hunt. They look at me and my guns funny, but they let me hunt without any trouble.

Thanks for the warning.

CS

 

[JackAubrey]

I have read this post w/ considerable interest having relocated to Florida from Texas in June.I live just outside Ocala.I get the distinct impression there simply are't the opportunities here in Fla unless of course one wishes to spend a sizeable sum of money for a guide service.I find the rule book vague and the few people I have spoken w/ have contradicted the rule book.I hunt w/muzzleloaders,archery and crossbow exclusively,but have been told I can only hunt w/these during the special seasons,yet I have not found any mention to this effect in the rule book.Possiby I missed it?The licenses are not what I would consider expensive.Fishing is most probably king in Fla.I think I will go back to Texas to hunt.Jack

 

[Pork Chop]

You can use the muzzleloader any time during General Gun. The same is true for archery. Folks telling you otherwise are out to lunch.

Since you are in Ocala, the Ocala National Forest is near you and it is a HUGE area. From what I hear, there is good hunting there. Maybe our trails will cross paths out there! I hope to get out there at least once.

 

[Hoyt]

Jack..get you some good strong socks to hold on to when you hunt Ocala..and be prepared for one of nature's true spectacles.
The best way I can describe it...a freak show. I wouldn't even drive through Ocala National Forest during hunting season without body armor.

 

[Swampman]

If they would reduce the number of legal bucks harvested to one per year and require it to have at least 4 points on one side, the number of hunters would increase. Urban sprawl has really hurt the hunting where I live.

 

[Hoyt]

If there's a reduced number of hunters in this state it ain't around where I hunt..there's more every yr. and it gets harder and harder to get away from the crowd.
Florida has some good bucks..I didn't think so when I first started hunting here back in the early 70's, I thought little basket racked bucks were all I had to look forward to..but that is not the case. Here in Central and SW Central Fl. bucks in the 170 to almost 200lbs. are killed every yr. on public land. The problem is it's almost impossible to get to where they go soon as the season opens.

 

[mikee51848]

I'd wager that this (reduced license sales) is a nation-wide trend.

 

[elcazador]

Antler restriction will not automatically increase hunters , you got to have deer with sizeable antlers to place restrictions. Where I hunt in SE and south central areas, the picking are slim.

Also the FWC should re-invest in foodplots and minerals to supplement the deer intake, this alone with increase antler growth,size and condition and would increase hunters. If the state had a good deer population with something worthy of pushing an arrow, PRB, or bullet in, then hunters would be flocking out in massives to hunt our seasons.

The saddest thing to see when hunting deer in this states is a Spike Buck. I never heard or understood the meaning of Spike Buck untill I moved to FL 7 years ago.

I've seen the difference with deer size and condition when going out to my friend's lease in central FLA and his other lease in GA. They have about 3 1/2-to-1 acre food plots on 400 acreage of land, minerals licks, and other supplements and they invest alot of money year round to keep the deer healthy and coming back, other than the turkeys demolishing the foodplots they do pretty good overall. Their deer are big body, and nice antlers.

On public lands, it the total opposite. The few areas that I have seen food plots was mis-managed, and not maintain that great. I spoke too a few biologist and they don't know or don't care or come back with the excuse of money. Some of the areas that had good plots that received constant attention, had some of the best deer that I ever seen.