So what's your best piece of Osceola advice ???

[Yoder409]

Set up under a wild citrus (maybe orange, maybe grapefruit) and that way you got a good breakfast whether you kill or you don't.

I like it !!!!

[PalmettoRon]

You guys are tougher than me if you can eat wild citrus and enjoy it. Tried it from 2 different trees I found. The oranges were beyond sour. Pretty cool to find a tree in the wild producing fruit though.

[ChesterCopperpot]

You guys are tougher than me if you can eat wild citrus and enjoy it. Tried it from 2 different trees I found. The oranges were beyond sour. Pretty cool to find a tree in the wild producing fruit though.

That's really surprising to me. Those grapefruit like the one pictured were incredibly sweet. I usually hate grapefruit. Then I got under some wild Hamlin trees and lord them things was the best oranges I've ever eat. The man who owned the place ate them like apples, peel and all.


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[ChiefBubba]

You guys are tougher than me if you can eat wild citrus and enjoy it. Tried it from 2 different trees I found. The oranges were beyond sour. Pretty cool to find a tree in the wild producing fruit though.

Me too every one I've ever tried was sour as sour could be! Bubba

[guesswho]

You guys are tougher than me if you can eat wild citrus and enjoy it. Tried it from 2 different trees I found. The oranges were beyond sour. Pretty cool to find a tree in the wild producing fruit though.

That's really surprising to me. Those grapefruit like the one pictured were incredibly sweet. I usually hate grapefruit. Then I got under some wild Hamlin trees and lord them things was the best oranges I've ever eat. The man who owned the place ate them like apples, peel and all.


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You can pretty well tell if its going to be sweet or sour by the thickness of the peel.   If its a thick peel its probably going to be as sour as lemons.  If its a really thin peel then you have something sweet and edible.   

[RutnNStrutn]

Hunt in Florida

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Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

[RutnNStrutn]

You guys are tougher than me if you can eat wild citrus and enjoy it. Tried it from 2 different trees I found. The oranges were beyond sour. Pretty cool to find a tree in the wild producing fruit though.

That's really surprising to me. Those grapefruit like the one pictured were incredibly sweet. I usually hate grapefruit. Then I got under some wild Hamlin trees and lord them things was the best oranges I've ever eat. The man who owned the place ate them like apples, peel and all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You can pretty well tell if its going to be sweet or sour by the thickness of the peel.   If its a thick peel its probably going to be as sour as lemons.  If its a really thin peel then you have something sweet and edible.

That is true!! Thick peels are always sour in my experience. In fact, most wild citrus is sour. I used to be on a lease though that in yesteryear was a working orange grove. Man, I'm telling you the citrus in that place was awesome!!!!!!! I used to snack on it while hunting, and always brought along a bag to take some home with me. And the smell of the citrus blossoms in the spring!!! Took a lot of gobblers out of there too!

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

[roberthyman14]

So while you are in Florida.  Remember everything here will bite.sting,or eat you.  Everything has giant teeth.  Alligators and snakes are everywhere, whether its dry ground or wet ground.  Snakes love to get in palmetto bushes. You have an opportunity to see everything in the zoo.  Deer, turkey, lots of cool looking birds. Bears, bobcats, coyotes. And panthers.   If you kill early, go fishing.  We have giant bass, good blue gill, and all the tilapia you can handle.  Then the saltwater fish are even more fun.   DO NOT put your hand in any fishes mouth except a bass.  On Osceola turkey, well I have no advice. Plan on driving to that end of the state in a year or 2.  Enjoy your stay in Florida. 

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls

[Yoder409]

So while you are in Florida.  Remember everything here will bite.sting,or eat you.  Everything has giant teeth.  Alligators and snakes are everywhere, whether its dry ground or wet ground.  Snakes love to get in palmetto bushes. You have an opportunity to see everything in the zoo.  Deer, turkey, lots of cool looking birds. Bears, bobcats, coyotes. And panthers.   If you kill early, go fishing.  We have giant bass, good blue gill, and all the tilapia you can handle.  Then the saltwater fish are even more fun.   DO NOT put your hand in any fishes mouth except a bass.  On Osceola turkey, well I have no advice. Plan on driving to that end of the state in a year or 2.  Enjoy your stay in Florida. 

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls

Thanks for the warnings !!!

I've got snake boots already.  So good there.

I hunt with a shooting stick.........which will double as a palmetto bush whacker when I gotta sit down.  Probably won't have time for fishing this trip.  But next time around, I hope it's not such a whirlwind trip.  Stop and smell more roses.........

What are more prevalent ??  Rattlers or moccasins ??  Assuming the coral snakes are a non-issue........

[roberthyman14]

So while you are in Florida.  Remember everything here will bite.sting,or eat you.  Everything has giant teeth.  Alligators and snakes are everywhere, whether its dry ground or wet ground.  Snakes love to get in palmetto bushes. You have an opportunity to see everything in the zoo.  Deer, turkey, lots of cool looking birds. Bears, bobcats, coyotes. And panthers.   If you kill early, go fishing.  We have giant bass, good blue gill, and all the tilapia you can handle.  Then the saltwater fish are even more fun.   DO NOT put your hand in any fishes mouth except a bass.  On Osceola turkey, well I have no advice. Plan on driving to that end of the state in a year or 2.  Enjoy your stay in Florida. 

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls

Thanks for the warnings !!!

I've got snake boots already.  So good there.

I hunt with a shooting stick.........which will double as a palmetto bush whacker when I gotta sit down.  Probably won't have time for fishing this trip.  But next time around, I hope it's not such a whirlwind trip.  Stop and smell more roses.........

What are more prevalent ??  Rattlers or moccasins ??  Assuming the coral snakes are a non-issue........

Moccasins for sure.  But there are plenty of rattlers.  That being said, good chance you might not see eithier 1.  My biggest worry is mornings sitting down in the dark, diamondbacks and timbers are kinda wanting yo be left alone.  Those little pygmy rattlers definitely have little man syndrome.  Don't be affraid but don't be unaware. 

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls

[roberthyman14]

This was about 10 am at the end of the season. She was crossing a main dirt rd.   Never rattled, just wanted to be left alone. Ever after I started throwing pine cones at her to get her coiled up and singing.   I let her live.  She's old and probably never see a human again.  Moccasins must die, every last one of them. 

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Calls

[dzsmith]

you should have no issues on private land. ive always heard they are harder to call, but I have personally had no issue calling them. If you've hunted a pressured eastern turkey in heavy hills, then this shouldn't be an issue for you.

[randy6471]

Over the years I've hunted 4 of the sub species (no Mexico for me) and every spring for about the last 10 years, I've been traveling from Pa to Fla to hunt with a buddy at his place. Actually, I'm there now, waiting for the 20th, like a kid waitin for Christmas!

What I notice most (as others have mentioned) is they just don't seem to gobble as much after fly down.

Also, I usually like to be aggressive with both my hunting and my calling, but down there I really dial it back. Mid morning is good and we often call in just as many or more birds later in the morning, as we do right off of the roost. We have a couple set ups like you described, one being along a power line and the other at an intersection of a couple woods roads leading between food plots. If we don't do anything early, we just move to those locations, set out a couple of decoys, kick back and just do some soft calling.

Bottom line is they're turkeys...be patient, enjoy it and I'm sure that you will have a great hunt!

[Yoder409]

Over the years I've hunted 4 of the sub species (no Mexico for me) and every spring for about the last 10 years, I've been traveling from Pa to Fla to hunt with a buddy at his place. Actually, I'm there now, waiting for the 20th, like a kid waitin for Christmas!

What I notice most (as others have mentioned) is they just don't seem to gobble as much after fly down.

Also, I usually like to be aggressive with both my hunting and my calling, but down there I really dial it back. Mid morning is good and we often call in just as many or more birds later in the morning, as we do right off of the roost. We have a couple set ups like you described, one being along a power line and the other at an intersection of a couple woods roads leading between food plots. If we don't do anything early, we just move to those locations, set out a couple of decoys, kick back and just do some soft calling.

Bottom line is they're turkeys...be patient, enjoy it and I'm sure that you will have a great hunt!

Good advice.........all of you.  Thanks !!!

I'm guessing the perceived lack of gobbling on the ground could be from centuries of dodging predators in super-tight, brushy conditions.

[saltysenior]

So while you are in Florida.  Remember everything here will bite.sting,or eat you.  Everything has giant teeth.  Alligators and snakes are everywhere, whether its dry ground or wet ground.  Snakes love to get in palmetto bushes. You have an opportunity to see everything in the zoo.  Deer, turkey, lots of cool looking birds. Bears, bobcats, coyotes. And panthers.   If you kill early, go fishing.  We have giant bass, good blue gill, and all the tilapia you can handle.  Then the saltwater fish are even more fun.   DO NOT put your hand in any fishes mouth except a bass.  On Osceola turkey, well I have no advice. Plan on driving to that end of the state in a year or 2.  Enjoy your stay in Florida. 

Prostaff member for Old Crow Custom Cal



  you forgot to mention Bigfoot , Scorpions , Fire Ants , lightning . Red Bugs and Quicksand..