admin @ Fri, 2006-09-08 11:00
We've finished our preseason scouting and hung our tree stands along well-traveled deer trails, hopefully next to a mature white oak that'll begin dropping acorns soon.
Finally - the time of year we've been waiting for is here - the beginning of football season, and better yet, opening day of hunting season, specifically archery.
Archery season provides a great opportunity to take a trophy whitetail and is arguably one of the best times to do so, along with hunting the rut. If you're stealthy enough and have done your homework, you've got a good chance of having a nice one walk out in front of you.
Hunting season comes in first in the South Hunting Zone where archery season begins Sept. 9 and ends Oct. 8. Next up is the Central Zone which runs Sept. 23-Oct. 22. In the Northwest Hunting Zone, archery season begins Oct. 14 and ends Nov. 12.
If you're a Florida resident, a hunting license costs $12.50. Nonresidents may pay $46.50 for a 10-day license or $151.50 for 12 months. The archery permit costs $5 for in-state and out-of-staters.
All of these are available at county tax collectors' offices, retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies, or by calling toll-free 1-888-HUNT-FLORIDA or clicking MyFWC.com/license.
The most common game to take during archery season are deer and wild hog. During this period, deer of either sex are legal game, regardless of antler size (except for spotted fawns). The daily bag limit on deer is two. Bag limits on WMAs can differ, so consult the area brochure.
Wild hogs are considered livestock on private lands and - with landowner permission - can be hunted year-round with no bag or size limits. On most WMAs, there's no bag or size limits, and hogs are legal to take during any hunting season except spring turkey.
In addition to hunting big game, it's also legal to shoot gobblers or bearded turkeys during archery season. Only one can be taken per day and there's a two-bird fall-season limit. It's against the law to hunt turkeys in Holmes County during this period, and you can't shoot turkeys while they're on the roost, over bait, when you're within 100 yards of a game-feeding station or with the aid of recorded turkey calls.
If you're quite the marksman, gray squirrel, quail and rabbit are three other species legal to take during archery season, and there's a daily bag limit of 12 for each.
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