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Griffon
PostPosted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 12:52 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 19 Apr 2014
Posts: 429
Location: Maine

Hooking up the camper and heading to various spots in Florida in mid Jan. Anyone hunted quail down there? No interest in the canned preserve hunts. Your thoughts.
Thanks

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jswanson
PostPosted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 1:20 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 830
Location: Adirondak Mtns

If you should change you Ming about preserve hunts, try treasure coast hunting , near Stuart, fl.

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steve f
PostPosted: Mon Dec 18, 2017 2:57 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 02 Nov 2015
Posts: 147
Location: N. Georgia

I grew up in the Fl Panhandle and go back several times a year. Wild quail are pretty much gone. A lot of land was owned by the timber companies, more than half the land in a county sometimes, and you could drive out any dirt road and hunt for free. Nowadays a lot of the land is tied up in leases to hunt clubs, or private owners who have it posted. Sorry to be so pessimistic but a quail preserve is your best shot (no pun intended) at getting some quail.
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Griffon
PostPosted: Mon Dec 18, 2017 6:47 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 19 Apr 2014
Posts: 429
Location: Maine

thanks for the info.

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steve f
PostPosted: Mon Dec 18, 2017 8:17 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 02 Nov 2015
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Location: N. Georgia

You might go to a WMA and get your dogs some exercise (if you have dog(s)). You could scare up a covey, although it's kind of long shot.
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Griffon
PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 10:14 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 19 Apr 2014
Posts: 429
Location: Maine

It's interesting looking at Florida's F&G site there must be some quail in their WMAs because they have a daily limit of 12 birds and a lengthy season. As always it's going to take some leg work and dog work.

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fn16ga
PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 12:03 pm  Reply with quote
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Location: Florida

I believe that Fred C. Babcock / Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area is managed for quail hunting .

Never hunted quail there though , some of the other WMA's can be quite good , maybe a phone call to the FWC will help .
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pbr streetgang
PostPosted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 5:51 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Dec 2006
Posts: 90
Location: At the edge of a Florida marsh

Good place to go with your camper is Three Lakes WMA. There are some birds but you gotta scout and walk aways. Also we had a record rainy season and numbers are down....But there are some birds to be had.
At Three Lakes WMA which is about 45 minutes south of Orlando they have a Quail management area and also have RV camp sites. It’s one of the largest WMA’s in the state and not much pressure.
When you get down here, pm me and I’ll show you around. I have a small Munsterlander to lead the way and a sweet sixteen to harvest the wily suspects.
Not sure if you’re a veteran but out at Avon Park bombing range they have a season hunt pay pass and supposedly there are birds out there. Someone mentioned the hunt club in Palm City which I live near and they do a pretty good job of things but it is a canned hunt.
Now there is another option.....Snipe. Oh man. I’ll put you on snipe no problems. You’ll have an eight bird limit in no time. Quail numbers might be down but snipe can be had! And Bella is crazy about snipe
Peace. Ted.

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Griffon
PostPosted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 12:44 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 19 Apr 2014
Posts: 429
Location: Maine

I appreciate your offer, I'll PM you. The snipe hunt isn't a flashlight and burlap bag is it?

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jswanson
PostPosted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 1:59 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 03 Feb 2008
Posts: 830
Location: Adirondak Mtns

Flash lite and a bag? Didn't they give you a horse shoe and RR spike to ring it with to cal em in. That's how we did it. But Ted I'll bite whats a snipe?? Educate this poor mountain boy if you will.

Joe

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Gil S
PostPosted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 3:32 pm  Reply with quote
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Location: Lowcountry Ga.

Wilson Snipe are a sporty bird to shoot and even better to eat. Here's stats from the USF&W survey results state by state at page 58:

https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/pdf/surveys-and-data/HarvestSurveys/MBHActivityHarvest2015-16and2016-17.pdf
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pbr streetgang
PostPosted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 4:26 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Dec 2006
Posts: 90
Location: At the edge of a Florida marsh

Seriously? No snipe hunters here.
It’s the woodcock of the marsh. They are fun. Flush and fly fast. Size of a dove. Brown mottled coloring, long beak and they all come to Florida for the winter. Season lasts till the 15th of February. Bag limit is 8. After one hunt you’ll be hooked. Well that’s if you like to get wet and muddy. Bella loves them. They hold for about a second and then they are off. So for her it’s like a flash point and flush. Fast 7 1/2s work well. Sometimes I drop to 6’s if the wind is up and they are getting out there.
The great thing is if the quail thing isn’t happening you can always bag snipe. Always. Just find any flooded cow pasture, softy muddy earth edge near ponds, or any central Florida prairie field and chances are you’ll kick them up.

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pbr streetgang
PostPosted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 4:37 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Dec 2006
Posts: 90
Location: At the edge of a Florida marsh

Oh another thing Griffon you may want to check on is the WMA small game dates. This is why I mentioned Three lakes because it’s one of the ones that remain open for small game/ quail for the entire season. I believe most shut down after the the first of the year. I would identify where you are headed first and check whatever nearby WMA there is and make sure they are open for small game during your stay here. Could be a deciding factor. If anybody else needs info or wants to hook up let me know.

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Chicago
PostPosted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 5:01 pm  Reply with quote
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[quote="pbr streetgang"]Seriously? No snipe hunters here.

I take them when I find them, but I see 1 snipe for every 500 woodcock and maybe less than that. Most of that is probably because I hunt grouse cover but that includes swamp edges and I have shot four or five in my life. I have read for years about the snipe hunting down south, but never made the drive. Sort of like chukar hunting out west, always thought about it and never did it.

In the Spring I do find them where I train my dogs in pretty good numbers. I only see them for a few weeks so I gather they are passing through, but those training grounds dry up pretty fast and they may just move across the road to the protected wildlife marsh. They will be right out in the middle of the prairies that are semi flooded in the Spring.

I would hunt them if they stuck around for the bird season, but for the most part they are gone.

Good Hunting,
Mike
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John E
PostPosted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 5:17 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 21 Sep 2017
Posts: 13

Griffon,
PM sent

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