Question for people that have hunted Osceolas

[hard county]

I'm planning to head to Florida this spring to try to finish my grand slam. I'm wanting to do a public land hunt somewhere in southeast Florida. Within a 100 miles or so of okeechobee. Wmas in that area are Avon park, three lakes, kicco, triple n ranch.

My questions, how do you know which wmas are quota only, do you have any recommendations on where to go if we don't get drawn again? Im planning on putting in for the redraw that's open now. Also I'm pretty sure you can't but is it possible to do a party hunt in Florida? There are several of us that would like to go.

 

[spoon]

The only one I know about is Triple N raffle hunt. You can purchase tickets at 5.00 a piece. They only allow one out of state hunter per week with only 3 hunts per year. I was lucky to get drawn 2 years ago

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Start building your points for quota. Both FL quotas I've been on have been a circus but birds were there.

 

[th88]

Use their WMA finder to answer your questions:

Search

ocean.floridamarine.org

 

[Bgoodman30]

Avon park is not a WMA its Air Force base. Civilians can pay to hunt but their fee went up exponentially after Covid. There are first come first serve quota WMA that don't usually fill up.

 

[RoyalPrudent]

you'd honestly be better off coming up with dough for a private land hunt in my opinion.

 

[gladesman60]

The only one of those that you listed that are not quota is 3 Lakes. It will be extremely crowded the first couple weeks. After that go during the week cause the weekends will still be busy. Near 3 lakes is Bull Creek, also not quota, also heavily pressured.
Avon park is not under FWC regs, they do their own thing,
Triple N is a Special op area. Draw has long been done. Fort Drum is also a special op area closer to Okeechobee than Triple N but the draw there is also done.
Kicco is a regular quota hunt area. The regular draw is over but permits are usually available on the redraw each week. If you are basing out of Okeechobee you can try the Kissimmee PUA areas. A series of small properties along the river that are non-quota. Most have walk in access. You could also try Corbett WMA down near Palm Beach. Only open on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesdays. A lot of Corbett is best accessed by swamp buggy if it is an extremely wet spring. Good luck all these areas get pounded really hard.
I have hunted and killed turkeys in all of these areas, except Avon park, before I moved up here to Tennessee.
If you decide where to go PM me and I can try and steer you to starting point.

 

[megalomaniac]

Hate to say it, but you are likely wasting a week of vacation to load up and hunt the nonquota public lands south of Orlando if your goal is to finish your slam. Now if you just want to have a blast stomping around in the swamps and don't care if you hear a gobble during the week, it will be worth it.

I did find a place that is nonquota that has birds when I was down there a few years ago.... but without an airboat to access, you have to walk around 6 miles through swamps, cross 3 20ft wide creeks that have to be swum (6 to 8ft deep) or kayaked across.

 

[hard county]

you'd honestly be better off coming up with dough for a private land hunt in my opinion.

We like to try to figure it out ourselves, if I could find something I could self guide on a big spot of private ground I'd be open to it but I'm not interested in shooting one out a window in a food plot. Nothing wrong with that just not the hunt I'm looking for.

 

[hard county]

The only one of those that you listed that are not quota is 3 Lakes. It will be extremely crowded the first couple weeks. After that go during the week cause the weekends will still be busy. Near 3 lakes is Bull Creek, also not quota, also heavily pressured.
Avon park is not under FWC regs, they do their own thing,
Triple N is a Special op area. Draw has long been done. Fort Drum is also a special op area closer to Okeechobee than Triple N but the draw there is also done.
Kicco is a regular quota hunt area. The regular draw is over but permits are usually available on the redraw each week. If you are basing out of Okeechobee you can try the Kissimmee PUA areas. A series of small properties along the river that are non-quota. Most have walk in access. You could also try Corbett WMA down near Palm Beach. Only open on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesdays. A lot of Corbett is best accessed by swamp buggy if it is an extremely wet spring. Good luck all these areas get pounded really hard.
I have hunted and killed turkeys in all of these areas, except Avon park, before I moved up here to Tennessee.
If you decide where to go PM me and I can try and steer you to starting point.

Man thank you so much, I hope I can return the favor. We don't have extremely high hopes but I'm looking forward to getting after them

 

[hard county]

Hate to say it, but you are likely wasting a week of vacation to load up and hunt the nonquota public lands south of Orlando if your goal is to finish your slam. Now if you just want to have a blast stomping around in the swamps and don't care if you hear a gobble during the week, it will be worth it.

I did find a place that is nonquota that has birds when I was down there a few years ago.... but without an airboat to access, you have to walk around 6 miles through swamps, cross 3 20ft wide creeks that have to be swum (6 to 8ft deep) or kayaked across.

I do have a decent kayak if it comes to that, I've heard in some areas it's pretty necessary, planning on bringing it regardless.

 

[RoyalPrudent]

I do have a decent kayak if it comes to that, I've heard in some areas it's pretty necessary, planning on bringing it regardless.

I mean, unless you're planning on doing something like this it will be nigh impossible unless you catch a suicidal bird off the roost. (which happens for me every few years, but you know what I mean.

 

[Bgoodman30]

I've been down there twice and my buddy and I each finished our slam on pressured public land. It can be done but takes some serious scouting and finesse tactics.

 

[megalomaniac]

I've been down there twice and my buddy and I each finished our slam on pressured public land. It can be done but takes some serious scouting and finesse tactics.

That's awesome! Congrats! Was it an open hunt or quota draw?

It's possible... I was able to call in a bird for my buddy 3 or 4 years ago on open public, but it took an airboat to access and a LOT of bouncing spots to actually find a bird.

But even the birds on draw hunts are well earned!

There are some folks who will 'guide' others down there on family private lands that are real hunts for a reasonable fee, not sitting on plots or 101y away from a feeder. Maybe they will chime in here or on old gobbler if you ask there.

 

[Bgoodman30]

First come first serve quota WMA not drawn. Ol timer gave me a tip at camp the night before. Three yelps that's it… It worked had locals all around scratching at em…

 

[Chickenrig]

If you can drag a boat and bikes try the Kissimmee chain of lakes public hunt area . Cypress lake ,lake kissimmee ,the river from 60 South,hunted them for years off an airboat and killed a good pile of birds .
Good luck
Them swamp chickens are tuff on a boy

 

[Turkeychaser]

Anyone need a partner for 2025 spring hunt in Florida? I have two points toward the draw.