Ocala WMA
It is not the biggest public area in the state, but the Ocala WMA covers a whopping 382,400 acres in Lake, Marion and Putnam counties. Following the initial nine-day quota period, hunters are free to hunt most of the area throughout the general gun season.

Wildlife biologist Mike Abbott worked the area until recently and said Ocala has a good deer herd, but it is subject to a lot of hunting pressure. Because of that, the deer tend to be predominantly young animals. Over the years, however, it has still produced some nice bucks.

"The thing that's helped Ocala is it has a lot of scrub habitat. About 70 percent of the area is sand, pine-scrub habitat with scrub palmettos," Abbott said. "When you have good acorn crops, a lot of the deer are loaded with fat."

Another thing that helps Ocala's deer herd is the presence of clear-cut areas. Clearcuts tend to be viewed with scorn by some hunters, but the open sections are invaded by young scrub oaks and green plants that deer readily feed on.

Green Swamp WMA
For hunters in west-central Florida, Green Swamp is a good public deer-hunting choice. It covers just over 49,750 acres in Lake, Polk and Sumter counties. Last season, hunters killed 55 deer on the property.

If you want to hunt Green Swamp, it is best to apply in early June for one of the coveted regular quota hunt permits. Following the nine-day quota period, anyone can hunt the area by picking up a daily permit at the check station.

HIGH-DEER-POPULATION COUNTIES FOR 2005-06
Northwest Region Gradsden, Jackson
North Central Region Columbia, Clay
Northeast Region Sumter, Osceola
Southwest Region Polk
South Ocheechobee, Glades

Green Swamp WMA has large sections of pine flatwoods with cypress heads. It also has some beautiful stands of stately old oaks. In good mast years, you can stand among the oaks in the fall and hear the sound of acorns hitting the forest floor.

Biologists suggest hunting sections where two types of deer habitat meet, such as along a pine forest and hardwood creek bottom junction.

Big Cypress WMA
In extreme South Florida, the 565,800-acre Big Cypress WMA is the best local area to hunt. There are multiple hunt units with such memorable names as Corn Dance, Turner River, Deep Lake, Loop, Bear Island and Stair Steps.

Much of Big Cypress is covered with standing water and marsh. The best hunting, whether using track vehicles or airboats, is on the isolated and elevated islands and hammocks.

Osceola WMA
This WMA is located on the lands of the Osceola National Forest, an area encompassing 266,300 acres in Baker and Columbia counties. It is rugged terrain in places, which probably accounts for its high black bear population.

The area is pretty evenly divided between dog-hunt and still-hunt sections. A regular quota permit is necessary on the dog-hunt side during the first nine days of the season. Some of the best deer killed on Osceola were taken last fall and winter from the few remaining oak ridges. There are a few of these ridges remaining on the southern half of the area.

The best hunting on the Osceola WMA is found near the creek bottoms and cypress heads.

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STATE HARVEST FIGURES