Finally going to Florida (private land)

[BB30]

So I'm from Ms hunted it all my life. Last subspecies on the list is the Osceola. Booked a last minute trip.

Just wanted to pick yalls brains on things to pay attention to/look for that could potentially help.

Most of what I hunt in Ms is big timber. Don't hunt a lot of pasture land nor do I get the opportunity too.

From what I understand most of the property is a mix of live oak flats and cattle pasture.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[guesswho]

Take a thermacell.  They seem to like to roost over water if available, love sandy roads, and don't overlook shaded areas.   I've seen them spend hours under a single live oak in a pasture.   Doesn't  take them long to seek shade.  If you see a gator don't grab him by the head, or tail.   

Listen to your guide, he should have all the MRI you need.   Good luck!

[Gooserbat]

Always take a thermocell.  Lisen to Guesswho. Not that he's smarter just he had a lot of experience at his millage.

[tomstopper]

Always take a thermocell.  Lisen to Guesswho. Not that he's smarter just he had a lot of experience at his millage.

And not to mention, I am pretty sure he is the one that created a great decoy named badonkedonk (spelling may be off on that one lol)

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

[Sir-diealot]

Best of luck to you.

[guesswho]

Always take a thermocell.  Lisen to Guesswho. Not that he's smarter just he had a lot of experience at his millage.

And not to mention, I am pretty sure he is the one that created a great decoy named badonkedonk (spelling may be off on that one lol)

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

Been working on, and field testing a white headed Badonkadeke now.

[tomstopper]

Can't wait to see it lol

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

[CAPTJJ]

Been working on, and field testing a white headed Badonkadeke now.

Copycat, lol.

[outdoors]

Just got back from the ending of gun season
HUNTIN public land  , PREASURE is very high.......
And a lot of guys are already hearing a lot of GOBLIN GOING ON ....

[Swather]

Remember the saying, "Red next to yellow will kill a fellow".  Red next to yellow means that it is a Coral Snake, not a king.  But don't gent anxious, you are more likely to see an Eastern Diamondback or a Water Moccasin.  Besides, the Coral Snake is not particularly aggressive and has a small mouth and fangs.  The biggest risk they present is when you accidentally sit on one of the little rascals or sit down next to one and put your hand on it.  So don't sit on palm fronds under which they are hiding and don't use a bear hand to clear them.  Snake boots are a good idea even though it gets hot down there early.

I can tell you a funny story or two about guys that had to change their undergarments because they looked down and found they had a Coral Snake curled up next to them and almost put a hand on one. 

The Osceolas are generally smaller than an Eastern, and if the private land is managed well, they will not be as wary and difficult.  I have a friend that has bad hearing and cannot discern pitch and variations in his yelps, he particularly is crappy on a mouthcall and still kills one every year on a private operation with strictly controlled hunting.  Naturally, the birds on land with more hunting pressure will be more educated and wary and bad calling is not likely to get it done.

At bottom, if you have experience killing difficult Easterns you should be able to kill an Osceola on a managed property.  The one thing that may be difficult is the set-up to avoid getting busted by birds that see you moving a long way off.  They have big cow pastures there and actively grazed pastures do not have a lot of undergrowth in shallow stands of trees.  Those Osceolas have good peripheral vision like the others and if they see movement a long way off, they will get spooked.  Being good on a mouth call is a definite advantage in those situations because there is less movement than a box or pot.  Getting your gun into a comfortable and manageable position at the outset to eliminate restless movement from fatigue, a body part "falling asleep", etc. is something to think about too. 

[RutnNStrutn]

Remember the saying, "Red next to yellow will kill a fellow".  Red next to yellow means that it is a Coral Snake, not a king.  But don't gent anxious, you are more likely to see an Eastern Diamondback or a Water Moccasin.

Definitely water moccasins, followed by pygmy rattlers, then coral snakes and lastly diamondbacks, that's the order in which I see them the most.

[RutnNStrutn]

Sounds like you'll be hunting classic, old school Florida. Should be a beautiful place to hunt. Osceolas absolutely love cruising around pastures. It can be really difficult once the gobblers group up with hens out in the pastures. You'll call, they'll gobble, but they rarely leave the hens. In that situation, annoy the hens to get them to come kick your hen decoy's butt, and the gobbler will follow them in. In early season, a strutting deke or jake works well.
Thermacell, snake boots, a leafy suit if you have one and quality decoys. I know a lot of guys are anti-decoy, but if you don't get on the Osceolas early, the best bet is to sit over decoys in an open area (like the cattle pastures), or in areas they regularly travel. Running and gunning doesn't work so well in FLA, because the Osceolas are tight beaked. I'd bring a Gobbler Lounger or other comfortable chair.
Private land you can hunt all day, so definitely try to roost them. Then work in as close as you can to them the next morning. If you succeed in roosting them, get in very early, set up a deke or two where they can see them, and often they will pitch right down to your dekes. On a good gobbling morning, Osceolas will gobble for an hour and a half or so, then it will quickly fade off to the occasional gobble, then by mid-morning they're pretty much done talking. That's when sitting over dekes in an open area is a good bet. They still move around good, they are just quiet about it.
Binoculars are a must, especially in open areas like you'll be hunting!! A good bino system to keep the binocs strapped to your chest is best. Don't be afraid to crawl around a cluster of palmettos, or circle around a pasture in the woods to get into a better position. Use the terrain to your advantage when possible.
You didn't say what time of the season you'll be down here. Early season can be warm, moderate or down right cold. Late season is generally just plain hot and humid. As Guesswho said, when it's hot, they like loafing in the shade. So look for them to be in the oak hammocks. Ticks can be bad in areas, so spray your hunting clothes down with Permathrin before you come down.
Hope some of that helps. This should be an awesome hunt for you. Enjoy!!!