PK_ wrote:Idk about fruit up in north FL but there used to be lots of orange groves next to public in south FL and the bucks stomachs would be full or oranges, whole oranges. Not sure how they digest them but it sure looked strange to cut open a stomach and have a sack of produce in there.
As for the OP I am pretty certain of where you are referring.
If it is where I am thinking, there is a lot of elevation and topography and I would pay exactly 0 attention to it as far as bedding. All the human traffic is from up too and the deer react accordingly. You are right in looking for the wet areas. Look along those swamp transitions there are several areas with white oaks. They dropped a good crop this year.
Even if it isn't the same place the info is pretty universal. The best starting point is where the human intrusion ends(or drastically decreases).
I will echo what others have said. Hunting individual 'beds' can be a fruitless endeavor down here. Yes the bedding area principals absolutely transcend but things are just more ambiguous and fluid down here from what I have found. Plus Florida has crazy rut dates all over so you can hunt a buck that is heavily nocturnal and somewhat nomadic or drive an hour or two and hunt bucks that are in full rut and daywalking...
It's takes a lot of digging and a ton of work but there is some decent public hunting to be had in different parts of the state.
Good luck and welcome.
Yes, I'm sure you probably know the area. There are two tracts in this management area. The Southern one I have hiked quite a bit, but like I said in the original post, i have only hiked the one to the north once. The reason, I'm more concentrated on that one, is one of my hiking buddies lives in that area. He hikes them both a lot. When I asked him if he ever sees a lot of deer sign, he said go to the northern one. He said he has observed a lot more deer sign there. Thanks for the info and welcome! I'm glad there are a few Florida folks here.