Florida Non-Rez Turkey Permit Data (2017-21) - Better go while you still can!

[deerhunt1988]

I foresee non-resident opportunities being limited in the future. If I was a resident, I'd be contacting my wildlife officials to help put a curb to this growth, at least on the public land side of things.

[Roost 1]

Everybody who owns 5 acres in FL is claiming to be an outfitter these days, I'd like to see the harvest rates comparisons for those years.

[FLGobstopper]

Speaking as a FL native and resident for 45 years I believe they really haven't a clue how to, nor do they care much for managing our native wildlife. Turkeys here are but a drop in the bucket compared to our fisheries, beaches, golf courses, theme parks, etc, etc.

It's a shame, but the way people are moving here in droves, habitat in disappearing and the lack of open lands I think the reality is that if somethings do not change it won't just be the opportunity for non-residents and residents that will be disappearing but the actual turkeys themselves.

Unfortunately, I think the attitude of our wildlife commission is mostly apathetic at best. The only management they really do is severely regulate hunters through seasons and limit opportunity. In some areas we still have a good amount of birds, but it's an absolute miracle and does not have anything to do with our wildlife or turkey management practices. FFWC has no idea! I could go on and on and on... Please don't bring up the NWTF and their involvement in FL either because that's a joke as well.

[WV Flopper]

  I find it ironic that Florida boasts about the most public land East of the Mississippi river, but most of it you have to draw a quota tag for to turkey hunt. What you don't have to draw a tag, for is packed with hunters.

[Dtrkyman]

I have virtually zero interest in hunting Florida, too many other opportunities for me and I really don't care what color his feathers are.

Fl. is safe from me for the foreseeable future!  Have at it boys!

[Jimspur]

I killed a bird about 30 years ago at Green Swamp WMA - that place
was a freakin' zoo back then. Most overcrowded place I've ever seen.

You had to put your truck in line the evening before to ensure you
could hunt. I ain't been back.

[arkrem870]

Thanks Dave

[joey46]

  I find it ironic that Florida boasts about the most public land East of the Mississippi river, but most of it you have to draw a quota tag for to turkey hunt. What you don't have to draw a tag, for is packed with hunters.

100% correct.  Many of the WMAs have quotas of as little as 3 per hunt.  With the preference point system you may draw once every five years.  Having lived in three states and hunted probably six I can say uniquivictly there is no public hunting harder than Florida.

[joey46]

Everybody who owns 5 acres in FL is claiming to be an outfitter these days, I'd like to see the harvest rates comparisons for those years.

You won't see a comparison since FL does not do any tag or report on turkey.  Some WMAs have check stations but most don't.  When you see FL harvest numbers it's a wild a$$ guess.  Zero reporting from the five acre private land "guides".

[owlhoot]

I foresee non-resident opportunities being limited in the future. If I was a resident, I'd be contacting my wildlife officials to help put a curb to this growth, at least on the public land side of things.

Any chance that graph shows that in 2020 covid hit an Florida limited access to the state and hunting lands?
Non-residents didn't go then and for 2021 said we are going this year by golly. Kind of a knee jerk reaction.
Add the ones who planned on 2020 but didn't go with the ones who planned on going 2021.

[deerhunt1988]

I foresee non-resident opportunities being limited in the future. If I was a resident, I'd be contacting my wildlife officials to help put a curb to this growth, at least on the public land side of things.

Any chance that graph shows that in 2020 covid hit an Florida limited access to the state and hunting lands?
Non-residents didn't go then and for 2021 said we are going this year by golly. Kind of a knee jerk reaction.
Add the ones who planned on 2020 but didn't go with the ones who planned on going 2021.

FL did limit some access on some public lands during 2020, but I can't remember if any completely closed to turkey hunting. I do know several campgrounds across the WMA system were closed.

Most states saw a slight dip in non-resident sales in 2020 due to COVID. The uncertainty of the disease, travel restrictions, etc.

[silent tom]

Hey Dave-
Was the money you made off of YouTube Florida videos worth all the attention you brought?

[Fdept56]

  I find it ironic that Florida boasts about the most public land East of the Mississippi river, but most of it you have to draw a quota tag for to turkey hunt. What you don't have to draw a tag, for is packed with hunters.

100% correct.  Many of the WMAs have quotas of as little as 3 per hunt.  With the preference point system you may draw once every five years.  Having lived in three states and hunted probably six I can say uniquivictly there is no public hunting harder than Florida.

Point creep is about to become a huge issue. I've got a few points saved but I think I'm going to keep acquiring them for a few years because I'm afraid it will become a 1-3 time draw for a lifetime. Something needs to be done for the residents as this is completely unfair. Even being a nonresident, I really like how the special opp is set up.

[deerhunt1988]

  I find it ironic that Florida boasts about the most public land East of the Mississippi river, but most of it you have to draw a quota tag for to turkey hunt. What you don't have to draw a tag, for is packed with hunters.

100% correct.  Many of the WMAs have quotas of as little as 3 per hunt.  With the preference point system you may draw once every five years.  Having lived in three states and hunted probably six I can say uniquivictly there is no public hunting harder than Florida.

Point creep is about to become a huge issue. I've got a few points saved but I think I'm going to keep acquiring them for a few years because I'm afraid it will become a 1-3 time draw for a lifetime. Something needs to be done for the residents as this is completely unfair. Even being a nonresident, I really like how the special opp is set up.

They set up normal quota hunts like special opps, it really will be a 1-3 time draw for a lifetime. As much as it sucks, it needs to be done for the residents.

I have the draw data from 2017-2021 and its UGLY, especially for south Florida. Hunts that you used to could draw every other year or so in the early 2010s are now taking 3-4 points and applications for certain areas have nearly TRIPLED from spring 2017 numbers.

[FLGobstopper]

Any chance that graph shows that in 2020 covid hit an Florida limited access to the state and hunting lands?
Non-residents didn't go then and for 2021 said we are going this year by golly. Kind of a knee jerk reaction.
Add the ones who planned on 2020 but didn't go with the ones who planned on going 2021.

That's a part of it. The outfitters have to recoup some of that money lost from 2020. I think a lot people didn't travel due to Covid and then 2021 season FL was one of the first states open and took the brunt of it as a result. Next 2 years will be a better gauge. However, I think the amount of traveling hunters has gone up with the ability to "work from home" or the woods or wherever these days.

Being honest, I've been pretty mobile and flexible with my work schedule for a few years and Covid only made it easier and or more acceptable in some aspects. I hunted a bunch in 2020 and even more in 2021! Mainly because I missed a trip where the primary state closed to NR hunters and kind of made up for it this year. With my ability to do so I'll probably continue each season and I'm sure there's a bunch of other guys just like me.

The thing that people don't see in numbers in FL and I'm sure many other states is how many people were in the woods in 2020 even on highly regulated public land. There was a ton of people in the woods in FL from what I saw in 2020 7 days a week, that you don't normally see that were likely off work. Other states might be different and I know of the ones that I hunt more regularly they are vastly different when it comes to game management. But, the FFWC does such a great job (insert sarcasm) at setting regs using the main strategy to simply limit the avg law abiding hunter. There's lots of assumptions in that! However, they do an absolute crap job at actually enforcing those quotas on probably 75-80 of those lands and have no idea how many people show up to hunt during and even after those quotas. I've witnessed this for years and 2020 was a zoo on public land for mostly residents in FL. There is no way that all the people I witnessed were legally allowed to hunt those areas and FFWC has no clue how many hunters, how many birds, what the harvest rate is, etc.

The big reason is there is just enough spot light on the osceola turkey that it generates dollars and revenue for travel and it makes great photo opps for the "big dogs" of the commission and "conservation" organizations. The message is kind of like Nebraska, "We have lots of turkeys and they're doing great! Come here and shoot all you want". Sure... when you're paying out your A$$ to do it!

Seems like the management philosophy is, "what you don't know won't kill you". Well, when you don't know how many, what's happening and or where it's happening then your management philosophy is working. And when those $2,000-3,000 turkeys keep falling each and every year and the photo opps keep rolling, "We're all good"! But until those ranches and the "bid dogs" start feeling the squeeze there's going to continue to be that ignorance is bliss mentality in FL.