New to the forums...anyone hunt near Gainesville FL?

[Ticket2ride21]

Hi everyone! Name's Dave. This is offically my first post so im definately the noob. I was just saying hi and I mainly joined the forum because I need to make some hunting friends. I am origionally from GA and did quite a bit of hunting there. I also hunt in VA when I visit my mother who lives there. My true love though is bird hunting. I have been quite a few times now and it's official....im addicted.
Anyways, my problem is that I live in Gainesville, FL now (GO GATORS!) and nobody seems to do much hunting around here. I mean, the dove here look like softballs with wings...THEY ARE HUGE! I was basically just wondering where's a good place to hunt, and if anyone would like some company. Im a good ole boy, im 24, not stupid/invincible, and very reasonable. I'd like to make some decent hunting friends. I've met a few people around here, but they seem to want to ride around and shoot things out of the truck...which looked fun....oh i dunno..maybe 10 years ago?
I know im not alone....the birds here are huge...someone must think like me lol. I am also looking in to hunting hogs. That looks like a blast (no pun intended) and I have plenty of "tools" to use while hunting. Of course you can never have enough...
Anyways...offically..."Hi fellas".

~Dave

[rihmfire]

I am not near Gainesville....But I am a gator....Graduated in 83!
I'm south of Daytona Beach..and do most of my hunting around here and in my club, northeast of Ocala...You might want to venture out west of town....towards newberry or alachua...Got my bird dog...an english
setter from cedar ridge kennels in newberry...I think they still have a quail
hunt operation...Florida has over a million acres of public land...all you have to do is get a quota permit....Go to myfla.com to get the info..
But you should look into getting into a hunt club....Check out the local gun range and ask around....pick up a copy of woods and water...or
go to the local gun shop...Someone will hook you up with something..

[bryant1]

Welcome! I just graduated in 06 from UF. I didn't hunt much around Gainesville, as my hometown was only 1.25 hrs away. Friends of mine would go to a WMA near G-ville, sorry but i don't remember the name of it! I remember them talking about it was pretty good, but alot of hunters went to it (has to be listed under the FWC's website somewhere). As for the dog comment - A couple of years ago I got into deer-dog hunting and it's a blast!

Have you passed by the agricultural field near the Southwest Rec center and Park & Ride 1? I had a crop science class there two summers ago, and a group of us hunters always talked about how easy it would be toshoot a limit of doves in that field.