A Turkey Hunter’s Paradise
Old Florida—the real Florida, the true Florida—can be a tough place to find. The state has reinvented itself so many times over—Disney Florida, Space Coast Florida, Golf Florida, Swamp Florida, Spring Break Florida, Retirement Florida—that its history and heritage can seem as faded as a daguerreotype, each new Florida iteration wearing away the details of the original. Few think of whip-poor-wills in an oak savanna when they think of the Sunshine State.
Unless, like Gray Drummond, you never left. A fifth-generation Floridian, Drummond has turned a vast sweep of family land—some 7,000 acres of North Florida pine flatwoods, magnificent live oak ridges, meadows, and marsh—into a sporting destination that puts as much emphasis on heritage as hunting. Florida Outdoor Experience offers Osceola turkey (a subspecies found only in Florida), deer, wild hog, and alligator hunts, all within a quick boat ride of world-class red-fish and tarpon grounds. It’s a top-shelf operation—a three-day turkey hunt runs $3,300, including all lodging, meals, and guides—with
