"We moved turkeys to that area in 2002," Perrin said, "and we've been monitoring them. We've just put in a proposal for three 3-day hunts there, which still will have to get approval."

Also, several other new areas will be coming on line in the spring of 2009, particularly in the Northeast Region.

"About five or six areas that will be coming on line for turkey hunting in 2009," Perrin confirmed.

PRIVATE LAND
So where can you go for your gobbler this year? Just about anywhere!

"Based on last year's harvest, private lands are doing well across the state," Perrin said. "It would be hard for me to target any particular area. The popularity of turkey hunting has stimulated a lot of management for turkeys specifically. Most private lands are under lease or are hunted by the landowners, and they're doing a lot of management specifically for turkeys."

Because turkeys are generalists, they adapt to a variety of habitats statewide. Some of the areas Perrin sees as particularly good for turkeys are the south-central Florida counties where there's still a lot of cattle ranching associated with good native habitat.

"You see some cattle ranches that still have oak hammocks in them," he said. "Some of those ranch lands in Osceola and Okeechobee counties, as well as Glades and DeSoto counties tend to have some real good turkey populations. Hardee County is another one. The cows tend to keep that habitat open."

In the northern part of the state, there are also lands that produce a lot of turkeys, Perrin added.

"Out in the Panhandle, some of the better counties would be Calhoun and Okaloosa counties," he said. "And of course, Gadsden, Leon and Jefferson counties right around Tallahassee are all good.

"When you get into those counties, you get more into a forested community, with a lot of planted pines that shade out the understory.

"I think prescribed burning is a pretty useful tool to help create openings that are good for turkeys in these areas," Perrin continued. "And there are a lot of rivers and floodplain habitat that's pretty valuable for them."

As you work farther east and get into the northern peninsula, Marion County and the Ocala National Forest provide good places to look for turkeys. "Other good counties are Flagler, Volusia, and Levy counties," Perrin said. "All those counties are good areas for turkeys."

PUBLIC AREAS
Besides all the turkeys on private land, there also are a number of public areas with good populations.

"A lot of whether or not an area is good has to do with the habitat," the biologist noted. "It's always a juggling act when you deal with public lands. With areas that have quota permits, the harvest is more controlled, and that tends to benefit the turkey population. And then, some of our management areas are just more conducive to turkeys.

"Quite often, our management areas are owned by another state agency," he added, "and from a wildlife perspective, their management may be directed a little differently than what we might do.

"All those things are part of what ultimately determines how good an area is for turkey hunting."

In the North-Central Region, Perrin recommended hunters take a look at Andrews, Camp Blanding, Flying Eagle, and Goethe WMAs. "Those tend to be some of our better areas in that region," he said.

Part of what makes those areas special are the quota hunts, so that a limited number of hunters are allowed on them at any given time, relative to the turkey population.

Out in the Panhandle, Perrin pointed to Box R WMA. "That's a fairly new WMA, that's only in its second year," he said. "It's not well known, and I think it has more potential than is being realized. It was owned by St. Joe Timberland Company, and is down near the town of Apalachicola.