Robert Brent WMA is situated near the town of Hosford on the border of Gadsden and Liberty counties. This area is largely underutilized, in spite of its general gun season that extends to Jan. 31, and its archery/muzzleloading season that runs from Feb. 15 through 25.

This region has experienced lots of timber harvesting over the years. Much of the habitat may not appear ideal for whitetails, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Herbaceous and woody plants in various stages of succession provide a smorgasbord of browse for deer that call this WMA home.

However, these grown-over clearcuts can be thick and vast. You need to do some serious scouting to figure out what deer are feeding on in them. In this WMA, scouting the edges of clearcuts with a focus on locating deer sign mostly associated with does can narrow down the areas to hunt

Moving back to the east, Osceola WMA in Baker and Columbia counties is one of Florida’s largest tracts of public hunting land. Its general gun season extends into early January. About two-thirds of the property is closed to dog-hunting and designated for still-hunting only.

Most of the habitat consists of longleaf pine with a palmetto ground cover. The deer population in this WMA is considered sub-par, but hunters who put in time scouting can produce consistently.

Focusing on “edge” habitat where pine flatwoods meet wetlands is a solid strategy for this area. There are a few creeks that drain to the St. Marys and Suwannee rivers, along with a few large adjacent swamps where deer tend to concentrate their feeding activity. Look for areas that have been recently burned and produce a variety of succulent browse. Those burn areas that terminate adjacent to a wetland are great places to begin your scouting efforts.

These WMAs are just a few that offer late-season hunting opportunities during the months of January and February. A total of 18 such WMAs in the northern portion of the state offer archery/muzzleloading options in February. Most do not require a quota permit. A full list of these can be found in the 2007-08 Florida Hunting Regulations booklet, available wherever hunting licenses are sold. That information can also be accessed on line at www.myfwc.com. Then follow the link to “Hunting.”

DON’T GIVE UP!
I’m still amazed at how few hunters take advantage of North Florida’s late season to harvest a buck. Arguably, the possibility of connecting with a buck gets better and better as the season wanes. With some areas in the peak of the rut during February, I can think of no better reason to be in the deer woods right up to the last day of hunting season!

Don’t overlook North Florida’s late-season deer-hunting opportunities. Hunt hard and don’t give up.