"It's an area that's long and thin, and there are a lot of hunting clubs around it. So the deer are able to walk back and forth between the hunting clubs and the WMA and benefit from the feeding that the clubs are doing."

Prescribed burning leads to a lot of habitat diversity on Twin Rivers, which also contributes to a good herd.

"There is river swamp and a lot of restored native habitat," Johns added.

Biologist Chris Wynn said some of the best habitat for deer on private land can be found in the northern tier of counties. That includes Madison and Hamilton counties. However, that doesn't mean good pockets of deer can't be found elsewhere.

SOUTHWEST REGION
Year after year, two WMAs in this region rise to the top of the list of public lands that produce impressive records of giving up whitetails. These are Arbuckle and Avon Park Air Force Range WMAs.

Arbuckle consists of 13,500 acres surrounding the lake of the same name in Polk County. The WMA straddles the Lake Wales Ridge, where the sandy soil supports bayheads, sand pine scrub terrain and cypress domes.

The area has quotas for the firearms season and for weekends during the archery and muzzleloading sessions, but first-come, first-served daily permits are available on weekdays during the primitive weapons hunts.

Avon Park near Frostproof is another of the military installations that is open for deer hunting. In total, it covers just shy of 219,000 acres. But all of that is not open to hunting.

To be legal, bucks on the base must have at least 3 points on one side, and no modern rifles can be used to hunt.

The base gives up between 150 to 200 whitetails in an average year. Due to land management on the post, deer habitat is excellent.

As for private lands in this region go, Pasco County is the traditional hot area for deer. DeSoto County in the area of Arcadia, particularly around Fisheating Creek, is also a good area for deer on private land.

SOUTH REGION
Biologist Mike Anderson said that one of the best WMAs for deer in the South Region is Dinner Island Ranch.

"Most of Dinner Island is improved pasture, dotted with live oak hammocks throughout," he described it.

This area is fairly new for hunters, having been acquired by the FWC in 2003 and first opened to hunting during the 2004-05 season.

"Dinner Island has a nice deer herd, with some good quality compared to other areas in the region," the biologist continued.

"It's a limited hunt, with restrictive quotas. The first year, hunters took 41 bucks, and 24 the second year. Last year, they took 41 bucks again."

Another area to look at is J.W. Corbett WMA. "Historically, it's one of the nicer areas on the region," Anderson noted. Hunters took 123 bucks off Corbett last year. Big Cypress also is a good area to look for deer.

"This is the area where hunters took the most deer last year," Anderson pointed out. "Hunters killed 238 bucks during the 2006-07 season."

As for private holdings, Hendry County has always been good in this region.