Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Longbeard
Those Osceola hunts are getting out of hand!!!
Pretty soon it will cost you 5000 bucks to kill one  |
No doubt Osceolas are pricey. It's the old story of supply and demand. Unlike other subspecies that reside in multiple states, this bird lives in 3/4 of one state. Landowners know that many hunters want the Grand Slam and they have to go to Florida to get the Osceola subspecies. Consequently they charge the outfitters higher lease prices and the outfitters in turn have to charge more for their hunts.
I killed my first Osceola in 1988 in the Green Swamp WMA. If I remember right, there were around 14 birds taken and 300 hunters. I was lucky. To help some friends, I put some X's on a map and handed it over to them. They went down there the next two years and they never heard a bird gobble. The Osceola is the one Grand Slam subspecies that is best to bite the bullet and go through an outfitter as it may take you multiple trips to score on public land. I know there are exceptions to this but as a general rule, I feel this is the case.
The Florida bird is beautiful with their black wings and long legs, spurs and beards. They are crafty buggers and tend to not gobble as much as some of the other subspecies.
Wherever you decide to go - good luck.
Larry
Osceola turkey outfitters
