Hidden in the Big Bend of Florida is a small coastal town called Steinhatchee.
Most folks that visit this area come here for the hunting, fishing and the awesome seafood served in the local restaurants around this tiny fishing resort. The grass flats in this area stretch from Cedar Key to Keaton beach, which gives this area some of the best fishing spots for spotted sea trout, scallops and red fish.

I moved to North Central Florida 25 years ago and while searching for a place to fish, I heard of this area from the locals in my home town now of Ft White. From the testimonies, I had to go there and see for myself.

Upon my arrival I noticed thousands of acres of forest that sprawled along the coast. Although it was the fishing that brought me here, as an avid hunter I had to find out if this land was accessible to the public. After further investigation I found out that it was accessible and hunting was allowed.

Protecting this paradise from the high rises and concrete jungles is the thousands of acres of Wild Life Management Areas that surround it. These properties were set aside by the state of Florida for public use and offer some excellent hunting, fishing and outdoor activities. Over the years I have had some fantastic hunting and fishing trips to this rural part of Florida.

One hunt in particular that will always stick with me was a hog hunt I was doing with a good friend of mine, Joe Crow from South Florida. The Tide Swamp Unit was the area we were hunting.

We had found some good hog signs the day before. That evening we returned to our motel. Excited by our find, we both got little sleep that night anticipating the hunt. When we returned the next morning it was cold, wet and dark. As an active member of the Primos Prostaff, I will have to be honest with you folks. I cannot tell a hunting story without mentioning something about the best game calls you could ever take to the woods. Folks, Primos calls are truly the best. BELIEVE ME THEY WORK. I always carry a suitcase full of hunting calls. Anyhow the call of choice that morning was the Model 321 Hog Squealer. I broke out two of these calls that morning and hung one around my neck and gave the other to Crow.

Laughing, he said "What do you want me to do with this?" Well, folks, not to my surprise it didn’t take long to make a believer out of Crow that the Hog Squealer was not a toy but a hunting tool. Joe bagged a beautiful 400lb boar that morning giving all the credit to the Model!

Thanks to the 321 Primos Hog Squealer and thanks to the state of Florida for setting this beautiful piece of land aside for public use.

Many seasons have passed since my first trip to Steinhatchee, but the memories of the hunting and fishing trips I was able to share with my friends and family will always be with me. Just last year a few friends and myself were able to acquire a small piece of land where we have built a camp. I was fortunate enough to be able to get it set up for this turkey season and will be looking forward to many more hunting and fishing escapades in this hidden paradise.

Below is a listing of some W.M.A’s in and around the Steinhatchee area:

The Big Bend WMA has several units that offer access for the outdoor enthusiast.

Hickory Mound Unit consists of 14,427 acres of coastal hardwoods and pine habitat located approximately 20 miles west of Perry, in Taylor County.

Jena Unit borders on the Gulf of Mexico southwest of Cross City. The 12,552 acre area consists of mixed hardwood/pine forest.

Spring Creek Unit totals 14,600 acres of mixed hardwood/pine habitat located 10 miles southwest of Perry.

Tide Swamp Unit borders the Gulf of Mexico just north of the Dixie and Taylor County line. The unit consists of 20,298 acres of costal hardwood and pine plantations.

Steinhatchee Falls unit consist of 7,046 acres of hardwood and pine plantations. This area is located on the east side of the Steinhatchee River sough of Tennille on US 98 and extends south to Jena.

All areas offer archery, muzzle loading, general gun, spring turkey, small game and migratory game bird hunting. Fishing is also permitted throughout the year.

For more info about Steinhatchee, copy and paste or click on this link:
http://www.steinhatchee.info/

© Copyright 2003 Donald Parker