Four does lingered in a cut cornfield with 45 minutes of shooting light remaining. By rangefinder, they fed at 325 yards, not impossible with my .300 Win. Mag., but daunting in the wind and rain. Eventually, they wandered well out of range as I watched through the Nikon binoculars. My son, Harrison, was disappointed. Truthfully, I started second-guessing myself despite the conditions, but I’m more than familiar with what can go wrong with long distance deer hunting. Over the last… Re...
The December 2018 FWC Commission Meeting will be held the 12th & 13th in St. Augustine. The Commission will welcome public input regarding agenda items using the approved speaker registration process and time limits. To review the agenda, please click here. The bulk of the hunting discussion will take place Thursday, but I would like to call attention to the proposed action on shore-based shark fishing taking place Wednesday. On the outside, it might not appear to have much to… Read Mo...
Florida has long been in need of a harvest reporting system. North Carolina has used one for years. I enjoy reviewing harvests of the past years on their website. Sure have shot a lot of button bucks up there. Oops. There’s nothing terribly tricky about their system. You notch a spot in the paper license to legally move and transport your kill. Corresponding with that notch is a harvest number you can call in or enter online. This provides invaluable… Read More »
The post From the Upc...
Hank Shaw is a talented wild game cook. I guess. Never had him cook for me. He is an excellent writer, though. His books are educational, well-written, and well-illustrated. Frankly, I’m a touch envious. Anyway, I defrosted a batch of bobwhite from a recent North Carolina hunt hoping to do more than the standard fried quail. I found his roast quail recipe online. Hank must also be gifted with plenty of extra time. For his recipe, he dry-plucks his quail,… Read More »
The post To...
Where I grew up deer hunting on private lands in Manatee and Hardee County, the season was all but over by December. Thanksgiving hunts might’ve produced a spike. The rut was winding down. Hunting pressure had bothered the animals. Though the calendar showed deer hunting continued through January, this was a time for hogs, predators, and Fall Turkey. This is how I’d assumed it was all over Florida until I grew older and the Internet evolved into a useful hunting… Read More ...
Dad did make it on his Upper Hillsborough WMA archery hunt without me over the weekend, though he didn’t put anything in the cooler. He wanted me to be his pack mule. He needed my expertise, I think. As you might recall from last week, Dad turned 65 and was exempt from requiring a quota permit. Upper Hills is one of a few WMAs that allows this exemption. He had applied for the quota, wasn’t drawn, but was still able… Read More »
The post More Information on Exempt Hunters ...