Osceola Turkeys with William Sullivan on the Lands
of General Van Fleet
Public-Land Turkey Hunting
 Editor’s
Note: William Sullivan, president of the Florida chapter
of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), has hunted
turkeys in Florida all his life. During the first of
March in 2007, I hunted with him on property formerly
owned by General Van Fleet, a general during the Korean
War, who entertained most of the generals from the Korean
and the Vietnam wars on this property. Too, the lodge
on this property has been used by the Queen of England,
Presi dent
Eisenhower, the President of Korea and many other national
and international dignitaries.
Question: William, what makes the Osceola different
from all the other turkeys?
Sullivan: There’s really not much difference between
the Osceola and the other turkeys. They do all the same
things that every other turkey does. But what makes
the Osceola so difficult to hunt is that he has a very-small
home range in Florida. Too, gaining access to hunt him
is very difficult for most individuals. There’s
some public land in Florida where you can hunt him,
but the birds on this land receive a lot of hunting
pressure. The public land Osceola is generally a very-quiet
turkey, however, if he doesn’t receive much hunting
pressure, he’s as vocal as every other bird. Because
of the high humidity and dense foliage, many hunters
who have hunted him before believe that he’s much
further away than he is. In the palmetto swamps in Florida,
the sound of his gobbling doesn’t travel as far
as it does in big hardwoods and ridges. One of the biggest
problems I have with people who come into our area to
hunt is they spook a lot of birds because they assume
the birds are farther away than they actually are, like
the turkey you took, John. When we heard him gobble,
he sounded like he was 1/4-mile away, but realistically,
he was probably no more than 150-yards away.
Question: Is there any good public land where a person
can come from another state and hunt Osceolas?
Sullivan: Absolutely. There’s some really-good
public hunting here in Florida, and some of it is on
the special-opportunity hunts the state holds at Green
Swamp West WMA. Another place is Dexter/Mary Farms near
Daytona. But one of my favorites is Avon Park Air Force
Bombing Range near Sebring, Florida.
Question: What are the restrictions for hunting Avon
Park Air Force Bombing Range?
Sullivan: This a rea
is 106,110 acres, but a little less than 90 acres is
huntable, because the rest of it is closed for an active
bombing range. The military runs the hunting program,
and you have to apply to be able to hunt there. You
apply at www.avonparkafr.com,
download the application and then submit it with a minimal
cost application fee of $15. If you’re drawn,
you pay a fee for the entire year that’s about
$250, but then you can hunt there from the beginning
of bow season through gobbler season. The only downside
to Avon Park is that you have to come to a safety session
prior to hunting season. I’ve been hunting there
since I was a child, and I have to take the same safety
briefing in early September before bow season each year.
The Air Force covers what to do if you find unexploded
ordinance and other safety rules and regulations that
you have to know to hunt there. Even if you live in
New York, you can apply, and if you’re drawn and
come to the safety briefing in September, you can hunt
there all season. You have to pass a hunter’s-safety
course, regardless of your age. So, there’s a
little bit of hassle in hunting Avon Park, but if you
want to take an Osceola turkey on some prime public
hunting land that’s not overcrowded, this is your
park. My second pick is Green Swamp West WMA, north
of Lakeland off County Road 471.
To hunt with William Sullivan, you can write him at
2830 Blackwater Oaks Dr., Mulberry, Florida 33860, or
call him at home (863) 425-6104, or on his cell at (863)
640-1395, or you can email him at wesnwtf@aol.com.
Tomorrow: Green Swamp West
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