"Well managed, lots of deer, quiet,
primitive weapons only."
- Quote by long-time hunter explaining why
he returns each fall to hunt on Joe Budd.
Within a few miles of Florida's growing capital
city of Tallahassee along the north shore of Lake Talquin is the
11,039-acre Joe Budd Wildlife Management Area. The area is
jointly managed by the Florida Forest Service and the Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission. During the small game season
on the area, modern guns other than centerfire rifles are permitted
and hogs are legal as well as during the archery and
archery/muzzleloading gun seasons. The weekend hunts attract people
from as far away as Key West as well as local residents, some of
whom have returned every year for over 20 years.
At the Joe Budd Aquatic Education Center, thousands
of students experience aquatic ecosystems first hand.
During the more than 300 days each year when the
area is closed to hunting, you can hike, bike, or horseback ride on
roads along the rare slope forests and through the stands of old
growth pines. In the spring the rare orange azalea and
silky-camellia bloom in the slope forests, and the breeding calls
of the hooded warbler and Swainson's warbler can be heard in the
View the Conceptual
for Joe Budd Wildlife Management Area.