MORE DEER COVERAGE • 2004 Deer Outlook, Part 1 • 2004 Rut Report in North American Whitetail Forums

By Carolee Boyles

As far as whitetails go, Florida isn't a state that's well known for producing big bucks. But every now and then, one comes along that makes the experts shake their heads. With the increase in hunt clubs instituting some sort of quality deer management program, those experts may be shaking their heads more often these days.

Even in Florida, there are trophy bucks to be hunted. Sometimes it's just a matter of finding out where they are. More often it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

Biologists say the three most important factors in the development of big deer and big antlers are genetics, nutrition and age. One reason Florida does not produce many really giant deer is poor nutrition. Statewide, our relatively infertile soils produce small deer with small antlers because the vegetation the animals feed on is low in minerals. But a few areas with good soils and balanced deer herds have the potential to produce a trophy buck or two.

If you want a trophy-class buck, you need to hunt somewhere with a record for yielding big deer; areas that have produced good bucks in the past are likely to do so again.

Fortunately, we have a source to go to for information on where to find big deer in the state. That source is the Florida Buck Registry. Established by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the FBR provides hunters with the opportunity to have antlers scored and placed on a list of big bucks taken in the state. By studying this registry, we can get a picture of where trophies historically have been produced. Also, by checking the bucks placed on the list in the past five years, we can see where the big boys have come from recently.

Although this is the best method we have for looking at the numbers of big deer on private land taken statewide, it's not perfect. Adding a buck to the FBR is strictly voluntary. Since some hunters do not want to publicize their big deer for a variety of reasons, there may be any number of bucks out there hanging on walls that qualify for the registry but have never been placed on it. Nonetheless, the list is complete enough to identify some hot counties where you can begin looking for your trophy.

When we start talking about the wildlife management areas, the picture gets a little murkier. Most of the WMAs with the potential for producing big deer are managed under either the Special Opportunity Hunt system or the Quota Hunt system. For those tracts, it is too late to get permits for this year. However, once the season is over, information about those areas can give you an idea of where to start looking for next year's buck. Many WMAs are open for foot traffic throughout the year, so you can spend the spring looking for a good place to hunt next year. However, certain caveats apply. Not all WMAs are open, and there may be regulations about where you can and cannot go during different seasons of the year. Obtain and read the brochures for the WMAs that you are interested in, and know the rules before you head out.

Photo by Jeff Palmer

The final ingredient making Alachua so good for deer is that it's primarily private property matched with that top-notch soil. Although there's less row-crop agriculture now than there has been in the past, and a good bit of land has been converted to pine plantations, the county still supports a good deer herd with its fair share of big bucks.

According to biologists, the genetics are there for big deer, and there is a lot of edge effect with a mixture of pine plantations, hardwood forest and prairie. That means a lot of browse for the deer.

Despite increasing urbanization of many traditional hunting areas, Jackson County is still quite rural, containing a lot of industrial timberland and private farmland. The nutrition for deer here is better than in other parts of the state, especially in areas where farmers are using a lot of fertilizer on crops that deer also feed on. This is an excellent county in which to hunt if you can get access to private land.

Much of the private timberland is controlled by hunt clubs, which obviously are interested in managing the deer herd. Many of the clubs have instituted quality-deer management programs and are giving the deer a lot of supplemental food and letting bucks get some age on them.

On the other hand, the area proves that good management can offset a lot of deficiencies. More and more land owners and hunt clubs are developing programs and instituting rules such as a one- or two-deer bag limit and restrictive antler size limits. They're letting the bucks get older and taking some of the does off the property so the herd is closer to the number of deer that the available habitat can support.

Also, like Bay County, Calhoun has an increasing number of hunt clubs, and those groups are doing a good job of managing their deer.

The combination of good soil, large tracts of undeveloped land, and a substantial agricultural base continues to provide conditions for producing big deer. Despite the county's proximity to the Tallahassee, which brings threats of urbanization, this remains a good place in which to look for big bucks, particularly if you can get onto private land.

There are also a lot of cattle ranches in this county just north of Tampa Bay in the FWCC's North-Central Region. Although improved pasture is not great for deer, cattlemen tend to burn native range on a rotation that's good for whitetails.

Deer hunting on Green Swamp is by quota only during the first nine days of general gun season, which runs from Nov. 13 through Jan. 9. After that, you need a daily permit, which is available on a first-come, first-served basis at the check stations each day. There are 750 daily permits available for each day of the archery season, and a similar number are available for each day of the general gun season. Archery season runs from Sept. 25 through Oct. 24 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. General gun season runs Nov. 13 through Jan. 9.

General gun season on Richloam runs from Nov. 13 through Jan. 9, and a regular quota hunt permit is required for the first nine days. There are 900 quota hunt permits available for that period. After that, the WMA is open for walk-in hunters who don't have a permit. During archery season, which runs from Sept. 25 through Oct. 24, no quota permit is required.

For more information about hunting on Eglin AFB, write to Natural Resources Division, ACC/EMSN, 107 Highway 85N, Niceville, FL 32578. They can also be reached by telephone at (850) 882-4164 or (850) 872-4164.

Archery, muzzleloading gun and general gun seasons are offered on the area. Archery season runs Oct. 8-10 and Oct. 15-17. A special quota hunt permit is required for the 75 archers allowed each day.

During muzzleloading gun season, there are also 75 special quota hunt permits available. Muzzleloader season runs Oct. 29-31.

General gun season on Half Moon WMA runs Nov. 13-15 and Nov. 19-21. Only quota permit holders are allowed on these two hunts. For each of these sessions 75 quota permits are issued.

Half Moon WMA is one of the areas on which the FWCC is testing the three-point rule. In order for a buck to be legal, it must have at least one antler with three or more points that are 1 inch or more in length.

Archery season runs Oct. 16 through Nov. 14 on the area. No permit is required.

Muzzleloading gun season is very short, lasting only Nov. 19-21 in the still-hunt area only. No permit is required for this hunt either.

General gun season gets a little more complicated. Because this area is in the Northwest Region, general gun season follows the traditional dates of the region. The season runs Nov. 25-28 (Thanksgiving weekend) and Dec. 11 through Feb. 2. You must have a regular quota hunt permit if you're hunting Nov. 25-28, Dec. 11-19 or Jan. 17 through Feb. 2. There are 1,425 regular still-hunt permits and 775 regular dog-hunt permits available for those hunts. Also, a special quota permit is required to hunt on the field trial area Jan. 21-23. There are 75 of these special permits available for this hunt.