• Hunters can track varied species of turkey in Florida.turkey image by Terry Reimink from Fotolia.com
  
  Florida has been known for excellent turkey hunting opportunities since the release of the Errol Morris documentary "Vernon, Florida." During filming, Morris interviewed veteran hunter Henry Shipes as he stalked turkeys throughout the area and conveyed how much fun turkey hunting can be. Knowing the requirements for hunting turkeys in Florida will help you bag one of these delicious birds.
  
  

Hunting Licenses

• Florida requires a special hunting license unless you meet the guidelines for an exemption. Exemptions are granted for those over age 65 or under age 16, those hunting on their own property, Florida residents on leave from the military and who are stationed outside of Florida and those with total and permanent disabilities. Hunters 16 and older but born after May 31, 1975, will not be issued a hunting license without proof of having completed a safety course, unless they are accompanied by a licensed hunter over the age of 21.
  
  You can purchase a license online from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), or buy it in person from a Florida county tax collector office or from a sporting goods store that sell hunting equipment. Non-resident license fees are higher than those for state residents. In addition to a hunting license, turkey hunters need a separate turkey license, which is available in the same locations.
  
  

Quota Permit

• The Osceola, Eastern, Merriam's and Rio Grande subspecies are the four major turkey types found in the United States.The Florida peninsula is the only home of the Osceola subspecies of turkey, and hunters, particularly Florida nonresidents, flock to the peninsula during the spring to have a chance to catch one. The Osceola is needed for the Turkey Grand Slam, which is completed by bagging at least one bird from each of the four subspecies over the course of a single year. Florida offers a special Spring Turkey Quota Hunt permit for Osceola turkeys to make sure the turkeys are not over-farmed. This permit is required to hunt turkeys within some Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). The quota permits are given out by a random drawing, and while the permits are free, they can only be used in conjunction with a WMA permit.
  
  

Wildlife Management Areas

• A Wildlife Management Area permit is required for hunting on land owned or leased by the FWC. Each WMA has rules regarding the types of weapons that can be used within its borders, and whether a Spring Turkey Quota Hunt permit is required for hunting Osceola turkeys.
  
  You can find Osceola turkeys in the following WMAs: Arbuckle, Big Bend, Big Cypress, Bull Creek, Devil's Hammock, Green Swamp, J.W. Corbett, Jumper Creek, Lake Monroe, Lochloosa, Log Landing, Richloam, Three Lakes, Upper Hillsborough, and the Upper St. Johns River Marsh.
  
  You can hunt Eastern turkeys in the Aucilla, Big Bend, Blackwater, Choctawhatchee, Econfina, Escambia River, Joe Budd, Lower Econfina River, Mallory Swamp, Ochlockonee, Osceola, Pine Log, Point Washington, Steinhatchee, Talquin, Upper Chipola River, and Yellow River WMAs.