Northeast Region
If they have to pick two counties with good deer herds in this region, biologists give the nod to Sumter and Osceola. Sumter County has a good mixture of oak hammocks, swamp floodplains and open ranch lands. All are great habitat for deer. There is no shortage of public hunting lands here, either. Of the five public areas, Half Moon, Jumper Creek and Lake Panasoffkee offer good areas to hunt.

Osceola County has several public hunt areas as well, but some of the best hunting is on and around the cattle ranches. Where there is good habitat on the ranches, deer have a chance to reach maturity and grow big antlers.

Southwest Region
The county with the most deer in this region is probably Polk. Deer do well in the varied habitat found here, including some citrus groves, cattle ranch lands, and public lands. Green Swamp WMA has long been a favorite area for a lot of hunters from the greater Tampa area.

South Region
Okeechobee and Glades counties have a lot of cattle ranch operations and tend to be more open, providing the best options in this region. A big buck that moves anywhere at all in the daytime is at risk.

The flip side is most of the ranches are not hunted as heavily as you might think. Also, trespassing is not tolerated, so bucks often reach maturity down here.

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREAS
Joe Budd WMA
It has been a little over three decades since the core of the Joe Budd area in Gadsden County near Tallahassee was purchased by the state. It has proven to be a deer factory for archery and muzzleloader hunters. Over the years, there have been some additional land purchases, all of which are equally good deer habitat.

The decision to allow hunting on the area with only archery or muzzleloaders might raise some eyebrows today, but Joe Budd's regular hunters love the arrangement.

Joe Budd has great deer habitat. It is a mix of maturing oak woodlands, pines and creek bottoms.

The area is open to a combination of three-day archery and muzzleloader hunts. Early quota hunt applicants may secure one of the coveted special quota hunt permits; others have to get in line for the 120 daily permits that are given out each Thursday at the check station.

While good camping areas are hard to find near most WMAs, the High Bluff Campground is just down the road from the Joe Budd entrance. Campsites cost $5 per night and overlook Lake Talquin.

Croom WMA
The Croom WMA covers just over 20,500 acres in Sumter and Hernando counties. The area has a good deer population and hunters should see deer during both the early muzzleloading and general gun seasons. A regular quota hunt permit is required to hunt the area the first nine days of the gun season, but open to all after that.

Some of the favorite areas for Croom regulars to hunt are the hardwood bottoms and drains along the Withloacoochee River. Others enjoy hunting the pine flatwoods on the western side of the area south of Croom Road. A portion of the east side of the area is closed to all hunting.