Florida
Not available
Wild Turkey Population
Osceola estimate; Easterns live in the Panhandle; also some hybrids
Turkey Subspecies
Estimated 25,056 spring hunters
Number of Licenses Sold Annually
$27
Resident annual hunting license ($17) and turkey permit ($10).
Cost of Resident License and Permit
$171.50
10-day non-resident hunting license ($46.50) and turkey permit ($125). An annual non-resident hunting license is $151.50.
Cost of Non-Resident License and Permit
Photo by Chase D'animulls
Want to kill an Osceola spring gobbler? Florida is your only option. The Osceola is the most narrowly distributed of the turkey subspecies, but much sought after. After all, you need one for your Grand Slam.
The so-called intergrade line in northern Florida is widely discussed as the border of demarcation for the Osceola. Conventional thinking through the years, along with biological data, has put Easterns in the Panhandle and Osceolas to the south. All are wild turkeys, of course. They haunt swamps full of Spanish moss. They roost in piney woods. They favor cattle pastures and go shut-mouthed on feeling pressure. They go where gators lurk. Poisonous snakes. Florida hunts are livelier because of it. Highway 70 is the timeworn line of demarcation for Osceola turkey hunters, as Florida annually establishes seasons based on it, with the "south of State Road 70" dates starting two weeks before those in the north. Special youth hunt weekends follow the same spacing.
The overall turkey population here remains strong. During Spring 2023, Florida hunters shot 11,382 birds.
