???'s on hunting boar in Florida

[GammaDriver]

Hey all!

I'm getting this itch that I want to hunt something challenging, and wild boar seem the ample future dinner... but I don't really know how to go about it. My buddy, a police officer, wants to do it, too.

I used to hunt deer up in Pennsylvania, but I think this would be different, so I'm here to ask for help, tips, and pointers. (I don't need help with the gun choice, that has been researched enough and I know what I'm leaning toward getting.)

Could anyone lead me to internet sites that teach one how to hunt them, where in south or central Florida we could go that would be productive for new, unguided, boar hunters, or ... and I do mean this ... anyone know of someone around Indian River, St. Lucie, Palm Beach, or Broward counties who wouldn't mind being a guide for a little profit?

We would like to hunt on game lands, as opposed to private properties, and I really don't want to hire those big $$$ guides. I'm not looking for buggy rides, lunch, dogs, etc., just woods hunting for non-trophy, edible boars.

Thanks for any help.

[noway]

1st let me start at the bottom and work up.

Plenty of public hunting lands in Palm beach county but that area is closed as Jan 1-07 for the 2006-7 seaosn. Done over with. After that your best bet would be Okeechobee/Highland counties and martin/glades for private lands. Plenty of places to go for hogs and private lands are year round ( not a game animal ).

2nd, alot of private-land hunts don't just run dogs or drive around in a buggy, so don't lump them all in the same bunch. You can find outfitters from all over the area that offers specialize hunts. Call ask the questions, tell them what you want and then go do it.


3rd if you haven't hunted boar, I would reccommend trying an outfitter about 10miles west of hwy70/98 inOkeechoobee. ( outwestfarms ask for lee or javier ) He can set you up with whatever you want; stalk buggy stand even a stabbing spear episode.

http://www.outwestfarms.com/



4th if you want public and still looking for lunch, try the PUA land along the Kissimmee river and/or bullcreek WMA up near Halo Paw and melbourne area. I think both of these area stil l have general gun running and if not they allow hogs in sml game season which runs out to Feb-March'ish. Neither one of these areas aren't to far from PBCH.

For a site with links and info, try www.myfwc.com for starters and they have links to outfitters. I personally have shoot on Outwestfarms at least 10times now and used about 5 other guides services down here in the SE/SW florida area.

Lastly, I would reccommend a guide if your just now getting your feet wet. Hogs are one difficult animal to hunt. Their nose is just as good or better than a deer, they are not as tall as a deer, nor graze around as much as a deer. You can't for the most part just go out and kill a hog like you would a squirrel.

On a scale of ten, they are a 9 when it comes to hard animal to hunt and I would put a deer a #6-7 ;)

On public land that are hot pressure it might just be next to impossible to find a hog during light out hours. I personally hunt hogs in and around the PUA area on public and private lands year round, but so far I haven't had any luck getting a hog on public this season and the season is winding down pretty quick. Now that the deer season for the most part is over inthe southzone , I will concentrate on smallish black bodies call a hog ;)



good luck ......




:wavey: