Bowhunter hit in a lot of good points, Florida’s hunting lands are tiered, generally, the tougher the hunt is to draw, the less pressure it will have and higher game density.
Like western states, Florida awards points if you are unsuccessful, points increase your opportunities in following years. It’s important to apply each year, even if you aren’t going to hunt. Hunts can be turned back in for a point if you can’t go.
Also, you can still draw hunts right up until the day of the hunt. The afore mentioned turn in hunts are put up for draw and re-issued each Saturday. If you get a Managemt Stamp and establish an online I.D. with FWC, you can compete for re-issued hunts now, and until the hunts occur. Re-issues do not count in the point system, and you can apply for, and hold, as many as you want. No better way to scout than to hunt.
I have driven all the way to Hickory Hammock north of Lake Ochachobbee to have a crack at the monsters they were pulling out of there. Heard good things about JW Corbett. The Big Cypress and Glades are extremely tough terrain and truly require specialized transportation to navigate. Not for a beginner.
Florida hunting is generally tree stand hunting, you might want to start looking at those. Very tough to sneak up on a deer on foot here, limited visibility and noisy walking. Setting up an ambush from an elevated platform is the way it’s done for the most part here. I’ve killed deer on the ground, but it’s rare.
Different stands work better in different situations. My go to is an aluminum climber. It’s about 25 lb, but very easy to climb with and comfortable to sit in . Ladders are good for beginners, easy to set up, more of a pain to get in, especially if you are hunting deep woods. Some guys like hang ons and climbing sticks , I don’t. Get you and your scent up off the ground where you can see.
I have hunted Florida WMA’s for over 40 years, almost exclusively, my opportunities to hunt private land have been few and far between. I’ve hunted from Pensacola to Ochochobee.
I’ve killed a few deer too!
Ask away.