FlaBoy18

How much u thinkin? Cuz i dropped 100$ and had no luck

I AM THE WOODS

Yea its tough to get em, sometimes i get lucky or try to find people who can't use em and are willin to sell, problem is a lotta them boys that hunt there drop serious money, I'm talkin thousands to buy up all the hunts they can

I AM THE WOODS

Typically I put $50-$75 in app fees, keeps total cost under $200,I dont think its worth any more than that.

Tufrthnails

I dropped a $100 this year as well on GSW with no luck. I honestly don't understand why someone would drop $1000 on that hunt. add a few $ to that and you can get into a really nice lease in N FL and hunt it all season. Or you could hunt KY wma for $1000 really easily and the bucks are much better and especially the stuff I've seen come out of there the last 5 years.

I AM THE WOODS

Yea I was talkin to one ol boy in there last year, way he talked he had been huntin GSW for quite sometime, he said all its turned into is a rich ol guys hunt club, said a lot of those guys are on big money leases out of state killin 140-150 inch deer purty consistent, I dont quite understand what the thrill of goin in there huntin all the hunts would be if you had leases like that

Woodsman88

It's gettin about ridiculous with how much money these guys are dropping. Last year a guy told me he put in 3-400 per hunt and only got one I believe! I think it's bad enough we have to pay to hunt public land but that's another story. I'd be ok paying but limit it to one entry per person. That would increase the odds of all of us not spending 500+ on drawings.

VonSchmitto

Hello All!
I grew up outside of and hunted Eglin but haven't hunted in Florida for about 20 years (kids, job, responsible adult things - yuck) but have decided to hit it again.
Made my first scout trip to GS yesterday, mostly driving just to get the overall lay of the land but some extended walks. First place I walked (levee road south of main grade) I heard 2 toms gobbling and I thought that was promising. I applied for spring camping so I'm going to explore there more in case I get a draw. I was really surprised how dry it was. I live in Wesley Chapel so I know it hasn't rained much at all but was wondering if it's normally this dry in Winter? I scouted around the Oak stands on three-run grade and that had the "look" to me but that's just based on hunting in NW Florida. Something I noticed that seemed odd to me was that of the 30 or so parked vehicles I saw the big majority of them were on the main between Powder grade and Tillman Lake. Is it really better around there are is it just convenient being close to the Rock Ridge entrance? All in all, it looks to me like if someone is willing to put in the work, this could be a really good place.

Woodsman88

No it's not normally this dry I in fact I haven't seen it this dry in a long time. You are right if you put in the work you can be successful. There's no way around it, the swamp is a tough place to hunt. I've been blessed with 2 bucks this year from the swamp and I definitely worked for them. The rock ridge area stays busy because it's close access to the river and close to the gate. You have to keep in mind that even if there are 10 trucks parked in a given area, there is plenty of acreage for hunters to spread out. You may have to walke1-3 miles but it can be done.

I AM THE WOODS

Got that right, yea its absolutely crazy, I refuse to drop that kind of money, should at least create some type of preference system for the special opps,I guarentee 80% of those permits are bought up by the same high rollers every year, yea aint no way this guy is droppin 500 in app fees, Theres nice deer in there but still gotta put in a good amount of wrk to find them

saltydog7seas

I was out Saturday and Sunday with no luck again. I scouted an area a few weeks back that was a little over a mile in off Ellis. Decided to hunt it Saturday evening. I walked all the way back there and heard a dog as I got closer. Then I heard voices. When I got to the oak hammock that I was going to hunt there were several people in the middle of it. I walked around and saw a truck. I was really confused because there aren't supposed to be vehicles back there. Anyone come across anything like that before?
It was good to see FWC at the gate Saturday night. Shame I couldn't give them something to talk about.
As far as GSW, I drew quota for next weekend. I got lucky because I only put in two apps. I might not ever get another draw but I can't justify spending more than that.