Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Relocating to western Florida

I’ve had an interest in the Apalachicola, FL area going back a while, check it out in a map. The wife & I went there last Dec to look the area over, no it’s never gonna be a spring break magnet. The area includes Mexico Beach to the West, a tad East, then the smaller communities away from the gulf to the North.

The nickname is ‘the forgotten coast’, 2 said don’t be telling anyone about it. Though it doesn’t have the plentiful beaches further west towards Panama City, there are enough. St George Island has areas to explore. Another to investigate is ‘Crooked Island’ beach.

I’m not into Southern FL, or any of the busier areas, this area suits me, may never be there full time. In general, FL rates better for living & retirement than AL or GA.

I don’t know about hunting grounds, but did hear the duck hunters shooting right from our hotel in town, Apalachicola.

I was born in the Panhandle. If you find lakefront, be sure to investigate whether or not the lake ever dries up. I kill time by exploring places to make my final home.In doing so, I pulled google satellite routinely and saw the completely dry lakes. Google Sand Hills FL and look at all the lakes in that area. Nearly everyone of those showed dry on Google 2-3 years ago. Those same lakes now appear to be full table. There's quite a bit of public land along the panhandle. Blackwater River State Forest, Eglin AFB, Choctawhatchee WMA, Apalachicola Wildlife Area, Tates Hell State Forest, Apalachicola NF, and a smattering of smaller WMAs. They'll all have hogs.

Before I'd had my fill of hurricanes, I had zeroed in on the area between Tallahassee and Panama City. Real estate is affordable, ready access to hunting and inshore fishing and not overdeveloped. Waterfront is a bit of a tough find there though. Water access (easy access to bayous isn't hard) If you are looking for larger Lakes, Lake Talquin is a good one. That puts you very close to Apalachicola NF and convenient to Apalachee Bay. The towns along the coast in that part of the state have a cool vibe about them. Not a lot of condos and such.

I'd never consider Jacksonville....Too much crime, too busy. Tallahassee is a mess of liberals due to FSU being there. This is the place that voted for Obama and where Andrew Gillum was mayor, which says all you need to know about it.

West of Tallahassee is where I would consider. Like someone said, you are not too far from good hunting in Alabama and Georgia and great fishing in the Gulf.

My experiences there are very much out-dated, but some things don't change, so...

Pay attention to how often the Panhandle gets hit with hurricanes and tropical storms. It's the Gulf's bullseye. I wouldn't want to be within miles of the coastline, and I'd have a whole-house generator permanently installed and fueled. But at least that part of Florida is out of the sinkhole region, mostly. If a map shows dozens of perfectly circular lakes, do NOT move there. Look up sinkholes if you want to be terrified.

The Panhandle is also the buckle of the Bible Belt. You can't turn on a radio without being hammered by a Baptist preacher. Anywhere near the beaches will be tourist centers, with all the pros and cons that brings. Traffic, high prices, and crime - along with great restaurants.

Eglin is the largest AF base in the world, with much of the panhandle being bombing ranges. The base even serves as the local airport for commercial flights. Some of the ranges are open to limited public hunting, but it's probably by draw these days (I have no current info about that). Florida is very generous with deer, hog, and turkey limits and seasons. When I lived there, you could tag a buck a day and no limit on hogs. Gulf fishing is excellent, with closer access to deep water than farther south on the gulf.

You should visit the places you are considering in late July or early August to see if you melt. If you are not catching a breeze off the coast, it's a miserable place.

If a house on a lake is a strong prerequisite,look-up Compass Lake…

You might take a look at some of the past hurricane tracks if you are looking in the western Fl area.

Distance from the coast can be a very good thing at times since every hurricane that enters the gulf exits over land. You won’t be safe an hour inland, but it is much better than being closer. South Georgia or Alabama would look good to me. Close enough to what you want, but a little more distance from the coast too.

I live about 50 miles inland from Hancock27 in Savannah. It can get sporty here when hurricanes come close, but nothing like what people will see in Savannah. Most of our hurricane activity is with glancing hits that are traveling up the coast to slam the Carolinas.

Just something else to think about. 50 miles in distance can mean a lot when you are dealing with a Hurricane.

Right now I am looking at Gadsden Alabama as my retirement spot.

Cheap cost of living, right on the edge of hardwood growth but still a temperate climate - a few scattered 70 degree days in February, and close to lakes and mountains.

I think I'm maybe 5 years away

In your circumstances, I’d be looking for somewhere around central South Dakota. (Oh, that’s just me. I’d melt in the south).

We fished out of Destin last spring. Our fishing guide was a self made kid, early 30s, hardcore redneck, keeps saving money and buying bigger boats. He lived outside of Navarre, said it wasn’t quite totally touristed out like everything east is, but it was getting close. There are way too many people there for me to live happily.

Showed a pic of a nice 10 point be shot with his bow right off the beach on public ground. When not fishing he is guiding duck hunts. Asked how he got into that for his “job”. “Well, I was too lazy to work, so I fish abd hunt.”

if you move down here, you're going to dodge Tornadoes 6 months out of the year and the other 6 months you're in the Hurricane Bullseye. My wife and I moved back here after 28 years Navy and I can tell you this: Had I really taken a hard look at the weather, we wouldn't be here. this place is a weather Toilet.

we grew up here, all our Family has been here, and we can't remember ever having this much devastation. Just in the last 3 years The wife and I have been here, my moms place 20 miles away got pretty much Obliterated last year. we lived through 3 major Hurricanes in 2 years (they ran out of names for the Hurricanes in 2020) and Tornadoes tore up about 40 houses on Hwy 14 (10 miles from us).

It is only a matter of time before everything you own is destroyed, you can run and dodge but statistically, the odds of a Tornado hitting a specific point in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Georgia, is pretty freaking high.. Highly recommend taking a look at that aspect of it.

[quote=RockyRaab]My experiences there are very much out-dated, but some things don't change, so...



The Panhandle is also the buckle of the Bible Belt. You can't turn on a radio without being hammered by a Baptist preacher. Anywhere near the beaches will be tourist centers, with all the pros and cons that brings. Traffic, high prices, and crime - along with great restaurants.

oh yeah, forgot about that. you better love Jesus. you're gonna get that shoved down your throat whether you want it or not.

You going to have a boat to fish and hunt off of?

I don't know the area but you might want to have access to quality medical care. Speaking as an old guy.

The panhandle area from Dustin to west of Pensacola is all good & much different than either of the coasts of mid & south Floreeda.

Much more laid back, redneck country; I've spent a lot of time in Pensacola & like it very much& it's my favorite part of Florida.

As Florida goes, property values are better than many other parts.

Only big & sure issue is that, at some time, you will have to deal with hurricanes or major storms less than hurricane strength.

MM

Defuniak Springs sounds like it meets your criteria. Several lakes nearby, fairly close to the Gulf and good hunting to the north. An easy drive to P'cola, Panama City, Ft. Walton Beach.

My family roots are up that way. It's a pretty cool area. I'd be inclined to look just a little further north toward Centre. Lake Weiss is a massive lake. It's at the foot of Lookout Mountain and the Little River Canyon. Lakefront is moderately affordable. Acreage is cheap. Little River Canyon WMA is right there.

Hurricanes are certainly part of the puzzle. Fortunately I have a very nice Motor home and Hurricanes come with a week of warning. I can just drive north someplace for a month until things settle down and go back. Insurance covers the rest, I'm not gonna live the rest of my life worried about replaceable possessions. The RV is a game changer for me. I can go anyplace and have everything I have in a home and actually a bit more luxurious in some ways. Including the Rubicon behind it when I travel.

EarthQuakes and Volcano eruptions, crime, tornados, no warnings. Those you cannot evade easily. Hurricanes although devistating are easily avoided. I was sent a Map of various colours showing Past flood level in one colour and proposed maximum flood zones in another color. That makes housing choices a lot easier. Surprisingly much of western Florida seems to be flood zone. However there are lots of pockets of dry ground scattered around. Especially around Tallahasse and Lake Talquin.

Welcome back.

Been missing one of the voices of reason.


Okie John

JJ, I understand you having the motor home and being able to leave.

Here in La. hurricane deductibles are higher than our normal insurance coverage. So often after paying your deductible you come out in the negative if looking for replacement cost. Flood insurance is different as well.

I live 3 hours north of the Gulf and people here are still rebuilding from last year. Things can be replaced but it’s a pain in the azz, and costly at times.

I live in Tallahassee and work at the university. My sons and I dive the coast near St Marks, I can tell you quality water days are very limited and bull sharks are everywhere, we mainly spearfish but good visibility days are rare. BTW, my GF is also a dive instructor. As far as hunting goes, you have the national forest near by but I won't step foot in there during deer season as the dog hunters run the place, just not safe. You may have some limited draw luck on public areas but I've given up on hunting around here. I don't hunt hogs but I know there are many places in FL that offer pay to hunt opportunities. There appears to be way more hunters in FL these days and limited places to hunt. The best land is in the large plantations that run from Tallahassee north to GA but they are all private and are mostly managed for quail. They have lots of really big deer but hunting them is only for the well connected. FL is a great state with a good governor but most elections are close as the state is pretty evenly divided politically. Tallahassee is a very liberal city for what it's worth. My recommendation for hunting and diving would be west of Tallahassee closer to Pensacola. Good luck with your search!

Edit: After walking outside since my post, I realized why I can't wait to get out of FL. The governor is great but he won't be here forever, it's too hot to do anything outside from May-September and there are too many people for my taste. Traffic is getting worse by the day and is seems more and more people are moving to FL. I can understand retirees coming from the NE to escape the cold and heating bills, I would too, but for me it's just too hot and humid, I don't even want to go outdoors in the summer. It's too hot to go out on the boat, even the water to warm and not comforting. We mostly dive in the winter in wet suits when the water temp is below 60. Better visibility and much more comfortable. You may save on your heating bills but your AC will run non-stop May-September. I'm still looking for my "last home" and it won't be here, somewhere West but I'm still looking.