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Quail flushed in the dingy light, and for a second this lifelong bird hunter had to remember he was after spring gobblers. The glow of white sand roads skirting swampy stuff with croaking gators offered some comfort. That first gobble jumpstarted my heart.

Florida is a refuge for the hardcore turkey hunter, where northern gobbler chasers go to escape the still–falling snow. I'd been shoveling white stuff the day before. Now my biggest concern was keeping a low profile on the bird to my immediate west.

He didn't gobble much, and when he hit the ground, he didn't pop off at all. For like an hour. Time to find another bird.

On a bench of sorts, high elevation for Florida, I cold called to pull a gobble out of something down the incline. Some will tell you not to get aggressive with pressured Florida toms, but it's hard to change old habits. I took that bird's temperature; he was running hot.

My deal: I'd yelp, then go silent, listen to that throaty gobble, cluck, lay off. At one point I ran a mouth call and slate, imitating two hens. Maybe this is what unhinged him. Maybe he would have come anyway. I tracked his gobbles as they came up the cut in the woods, shotgun ready.

When that Osceola stepped up into the light, long–legged and striding tall into range, then popping into a strut, morning sun making his feathers glow, I held off a few seconds just to admire the view.

Options, Options

The Osceola, or Florida wild turkey, lives south of the panhandle. The Sunshine State is the only home to this subspecies—rumors of late speak of naturally expanding populations drifting further north, but I digress.

Hardwood hammocks near cypress swamps provide roosting cover in the peninsula region. Piney woods, creek bottoms, open fields and pastureland flanking wooded areas offer additional habitat.

There are special–opportunity public hunts that require advanced planning. Hunter numbers are intentionally limited in these spots by Florida to preserve the resource, and to provide a quality hunt for the person trying to nail their Osceola for a Slam. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is the place to begin as you hatch your plan (850.488.4676; www.myfwc.com).

Want to increase your odds? One tactic is to apply for later hunts, ranging from the second to the last week of the season.

You'll also need to decide which three spring turkey zones to hunt. This 2008 season, these include the South Zone (March 1—April 6), Central Zone (March 15–April 20) and Northwest Zone (March 15–April 20, excluding Holmes County, where the brief season is set at March 15–17).

Plan ahead. Tentative dates for the 2009 spring gobbler season in the South Zone are March 7–April 12, while hunts range from March 21 to April 26 in the Central and Northwest Zones.

Florida hunts are all day, one–half–hour before sunrise to sunset campaigns, but not on public Wildlife Management Areas where daily opportunities close at 1 p.m.

Public Hunts

Green Swamp West WMA provides good Osceola do–it–yourself public "special opportunity" hunts in the Southwest Region. It's 50,000 acres in Lake, Polk and Sumter counties. Osceolas here roost in the piney flatwoods, hardwoods and swamps. You'll need high boots for water walking here, bug dope for the pests. Keep your ThermaCELL unit handy (www.thermacell.com).

Daily temperatures range from 40 to 90 degrees, seasonally. Trails offer access and mobility here, as do unpaved service roads. You can go old school and camp at designated areas. Contact the Southwest Management District, Brooksville office for more information: 352.796.7211.

Lake George Dexter/Mary Farms (near Daytona), Fort Drum, Lake Panasoffkee, and Triple N Ranch are four Northeast Region public options (still below the Osceola–Eastern "intergrade" line). Spring turkey hunts are established for three zones (A, B & C) and early, mid– and late–season. Again to avoid pressure, hunt later. Permit numbers are limited. As competition goes, rising early helps you find birds during daybreak's peak gobbling. At times though, late–morning starts can find you hunting willing turkeys with less hunter pressure. Homosassa, set in the North Central Region, also provides spring turkey hunts on a permit basis.

For more information regarding these public lands and others open to Osceola hunting, log onto: www.MyFWC.com/hunting. Want a great public land Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission map? Click on the MyFWC site as well. This will help you visually plot your Osceola course.

Permission, Please

As knock–on–the–door hunts go, cattle ranches, if you can access permission at these locations, often hold Florida turkeys. Make some local connections, and with landowner permission, you might be hunting fresh gobblers that have rarely, if ever, been targeted. I hunted one such ranch where the landowner sanctioned off a portion of his property for such efforts—didn't kill an Osceola that time, but the hunt was fun. Rule #1: You don't have to kill a gobbler every time out. Kick back. Enjoy the ride.

Maybe you're reading this in Florida, or the Deep South, and only have a short drive to hunt these birds. Maybe you know of some Osceola gobblers, but they're on posted land. Maybe you're a visitor from the north hunting public land and want to improve your odds with some fresh longbeards.

Florida landowners post property for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, if approached right, they'll permit limited numbers of hunters on their land—maybe you. Get an introduction from a mutual friend. Explain what you'd be doing on their property, and the times you would be there.

Some hunters even create brochures to explain their backgrounds to property holders—travel with this in your truck, or take it when you fly to hunt Florida. Some landowners might accept "trespass fees" or grant you one–day, limited access (it doesn't hurt to ask). That might be all you need to score. If you do tag a gobbler, make a point of thanking them again. Build that relationship.

Treat these leased/private Florida hunting grounds with the respect you'd want on your own property and you'll have land to hunt Osceolas for the rest of your life.

Got Land?

Think like that turkey. If possible, set up on Osceola gobblers so that when the bird appears, it will be in range of your gun or bow.

If you were roosted in a hardwood stand over a murky swamp, how would you fly down? You'd likely hit dry ground, then work your way to the fields where you could strut for the hens. Plot that longbeard's likely movements, and set up along that possible path of travel.

Florida gobblers also sometimes tend to move along predictable routes of travel when working to your call. Stay ready to shoot when that bird's head and neck are fully exposed. Bowhunters can opt for rear–entry Texas heart shots, or wing butt placement. Some archers still aim for the head–hit or miss.

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