"Talkin' Turkey"

By Tony Young
Media Relations Coordinator
Division of Hunting and Game Management
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

If you haven't already started, it's time to brush up on your turkey calling, 'cause spring gobbler season's here. Whether you prefer to use a mouth call, box call, slate or any combination, March means it's time to start talkin' turkey.

One of the most coveted and sought-after game species in Florida is the Osceola turkey, also known as the Florida turkey. This unique bird is one of five subspecies of wild turkey in North America.

The Osceola lives only on the Florida peninsula and nowhere else in the world, making it extremely popular with out-of-state hunters. It's similar to the eastern subspecies (found in the Panhandle) but tends to be a bit smaller and typically a darker shade with less white barring on the flight feathers of its wings.

The white bars on the Osceola are more narrow, with an irregular, broken pattern, and don't extend to the feather shaft. It's the black bars of the Osceola that actually dominate the feather. In conjunction, secondary wing feathers also are darker. When the wings are folded across the back, the whitish triangular patch formed is less visible on the Osceola. Osceola feathers also show more iridescent green and red colors, with less bronze than the eastern.

The National Wild Turkey Federation and the FWC recognize, in their respective turkey registry programs, any wild turkey harvested within or south of the counties of Dixie, Gilchrist, Alachua, Union, Bradford, Clay and Duval, to be the Osceola subspecies. Eastern turkeys and hybrids are found north and west of those counties in the Panhandle.

The highly anticipated Spring Turkey Season already is underway in the South Hunting Zone and runs through April 6. In the Central and Northwest hunting zones, except for Holmes County, it runs March 15 – April 20. In Holmes County, the season runs March 15-17.

Hunters may take bearded turkeys and gobblers only, and the daily bag limit's one. The season and possession limit on turkeys is two, except in Holmes County where the season limit's one.

Shotguns are your best choice when hunting turkeys, but if you're so inclined, you may use other firearms, including rifles, muzzleloaders and handguns, or you can try your luck with a bow or crossbow.

Shooting hours on private lands are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset, but on wildlife management areas (WMAs), you must quit hunting at 1 p.m.

Of course, you can use turkey decoys to help entice that stubborn old tom, but you're not permitted to hunt turkeys with dogs, use recorded turkey calls or sounds, or shoot them while they're on the roost, over bait or when you're within 100 yards of a game-feeding station.

Besides a hunting license, you'll need to buy a turkey permit. For Florida residents, that costs $5. For all the out-of-staters seeking an Osceola to complete their "Grand Slam," the permit costs $100.

If you plan to pursue a gobbler on one of Florida's many WMAs, you also must purchase a management area permit for $26.50. Don't forget to obtain a WMA brochure for the area you wish to hunt at MyFWC.com/hunting or from local tax collectors' offices, because dates and rules can differ for each area.

Florida offers numerous public hunting areas, and if you didn't apply or get drawn for a special-opportunity or spring turkey quota permit, don't fret 'cause there are several WMAs that don't require them. With a hunting license, management area permit and turkey permit, you may spring turkey hunt on the following areas:

Panhandle Florida (Eastern turkey's range)

Apalachicola National Forest – 581,837 acres in Franklin, Leon, Liberty and Wakulla counties. Camping allowed.

Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area – 81,754 acres in Franklin and Gulf counties. Camping allowed. Management area permit not required.

Aucilla WMA – 47,532 acres in Jefferson and Taylor counties. Camping allowed.

Big Bend WMA:

Hickory Mound Unit – 14,427 acres in Taylor County. A no-cost, daily use permit is required and available at the check station.

Spring Creek Unit – 14,600 acres in Taylor County.

Tide Swamp Unit – 19,538 acres in Taylor County. A no-cost, daily use permit is required and available at the check station.

Blackwater WMA – 191,148 acres in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. Camping allowed.

Eglin Air Force Base – 265,000 acres in Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties. Hunting and camping allowed only by permit from Jackson Guard Natural Resource Office by calling 850-883-1152. Only shotguns, bows or muzzleloaders may be used.

Escambia River WMA – 34,476 acres in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Camping allowed.

Joe Budd WMA – 11,039 acres in Gadsden County. Saturdays and Sundays only. There are 20, no-cost, daily quota permits available at the check station on first-come, first-served basis. Only bows or muzzleloaders may be used. Camping allowed.

Lower Econfina River WMA – 2,837 acres in Taylor County. Season runs March 15-23.

Mallory Swamp WMA – 29,463 acres in Lafayette County. Season runs March 15-30.

Ochlockonee River WMA – 2,790 acres in Leon County. Saturdays and Sundays only. Only shotguns, bows or muzzleloaders may be used.

Osceola WMA – 266,270 acres in Baker and Columbia counties. Camping allowed.

Pine Log WMA – 6,911 acres in Bay and Washington counties. Season runs March 15-30. Camping allowed.

Point Washington WMA – 12,414 acres in Walton County.

Santa Fe Swamp Wildlife and Environmental Area – 5,627 acres in Bradford County. Only bows or muzzleloaders may be used.

Steinhatchee Springs WMA – 20,909 acres in Lafayette, Dixie and Taylor counties. Season runs March 15 – April 6. There are 40, no-cost, daily quota permits available at the check station on first-come, first-served basis to hunt the first nine days.

Talquin WMA – 3,053 acres in Leon County. Saturdays and Sundays only.

Twin Rivers WMA – 9,288 acres in Madison, Hamilton and Suwannee counties. Season runs March 21-23 and April 11-13. There are 12, no-cost, daily quota permits available at the check station on first-come, first-served basis.

Upper Chipola River WMA – 7,377 acres in Jackson County. Camping allowed only by permit from Northwest Florida Water Management District by calling 850-539-5999.

Peninsular Florida (Osceola turkey's range)

Arbuckle WMA – 13,531 acres in Polk County. Season runs March 18-20 and April 1-3. There are 10, no-cost, daily quota permits available at the check station on first-come, first-served basis. Camping allowed only by permit from Division of Forestry by calling 863-635-7801.

Big Bend WMA-Jena Unit – 12,522 acres in Dixie County. A no-cost, daily use permit is required and available at the check station.

Big Cypress WMA – 565,848 acres in Collier, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Season runs March 1 – April 6. Camping allowed.

Bull Creek WMA – 23,646 acres in Osceola County. Camping allowed.

Devil's Hammock WMA – 7,635 acres in Levy County. Season runs March 15-23. There are 15, no-cost, daily quota permits available at the check station on first-come, first-served basis.

Green Swamp WMA – 49,768 acres in Polk, Sumter and Lake counties. Hunters must have a quota permit to hunt the first weekend, but there are 200, no-cost, daily quota permits available at the check station on first-come, first-served basis for the remainder of season. Camping allowed.

J.W. Corbett WMA – 60,288 acres in Palm Beach County. Season runs March 1 – April 6, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays only. Camping allowed.

Jumper Creek WMA – 10,512 acres in Sumter County. Camping allowed.

Kissimmee River Public Use Area – 23,433 acres in Glades, Highlands, Okeechobee, Osceola and Polk counties. Area is split between Central and South hunting zones. When hunting the South Zone, the season runs March 1 – April 6. For camping information only, call the South Florida Water Management District at 800-250-4200, ext. 3019. Management area permit not required.

Lochloosa WMA – 11,149 acres in Alachua County. Camping allowed only by permit from St. Johns River Water Management District by calling 386-329-4404.

Richloam WMA – 58,146 acres in Hernando, Pasco, Sumter and Lake counties. Hunters must have a quota permit to hunt the first nine days, but those without may hunt the remainder of the season, beginning March 24 through April 20. Camping allowed only by permit from Division of Forestry by calling 352-754-6896.

Three Lakes WMA – 52,976 acres in Osceola County. Camping allowed.

Upper Hillsborough WMA – 5,178 acres in Polk and Pasco counties. Wednesdays and Thursdays only. There are 75, no-cost, daily quota permits available at the check station on first-come, first-served basis. Camping allowed.

Upper St. Johns River Marsh WMA – 119,419 acres in Brevard and Indian River counties. Camping allowed.

If you take a turkey with an 11-inch beard and 1 ¼-inch spurs, get your name listed in the FWC's Wild Turkey Registry by applying for an "Outstanding Gobbler Certificate." There's also a "First Gobbler Certificate" awarded to hunters under age 16 who harvest their first gobbler, regardless of beard or spur measurements. Applications for both are available at MyFWC.com/hunting.

Whether going solo after that elusive old tom or double-teaming a pair of birds with your buddy, March means spring gobbler season's here.

Here's wishing all of you a successful Spring Turkey Season. Remember to introduce someone new to the sport of hunting when you can. As always, have fun, hunt safely and ethically, and we'll see you in the woods!