Each spring, diehard turkey hunters travel to Florida to take advantage of the state’s abundant wild turkey population. As shown on the map below, the central and southern portions of Florida are home to the Osceola subspecies of wild turkey, while the northern portion has the Eastern subspecies.
Also shown on the map is State Road 70. This is important because south of State Road 70, the spring turkey season opens 2 weeks earlier than it does north of the road. In 2023, turkey season opened on March 4 south of State Road 70; hunters north of this line had to wait until March 18.
In the 6-minute YouTube video below, you’ll follow along with Hunter Wallis as he pursues Osceola wild turkeys with outfitter Florida Backwoods. (This outfitter guides near St. Cloud, Florida, which is north of State Road 70.)
I’m highlighting this hunt because the footage is outstanding, and it brings back several good memories. I’ve pursued Osceola turkeys twice and was fortunate to kill a mature tom on each trip. One hunt ended before the sun’s rays hit the pasture. Dozens of turkeys flew from the roost (100 yards away) and landed just beyond my decoys. Minutes later, a big tom strutted into shotgun range. My second hunt wasn’t so easy; I killed a big bird on day No. 3 after playing cat-and-mouse with a few longbeards in the Florida swamps.
As Wallis explains early in his video, Florida turkey hunters must be prepared for biting insects. I’ll never forget the young guide on my second hunt pulling a Thermacell out of his vest. I’d never seen one before (this was long ago), and I remember thinking, This kid doesn’t have a clue. That device can’t possibly work. I was 100 percent wrong. His Thermacell, which he placed between us, kept the mosquitoes away like magic. And I’ve relied on Thermacells during hot-weather hunts for turkeys, whitetails and black bears ever since.
From the outstanding owl hooting footage, to the Osceola longbeards sneaking through the palmettos, this video lights a fire in me to return. During most winters in my home state of Minnesota, I’m still ice fishing in mid-March. It’s time to start planning.
