The general gun hunting season is long-since over, spring turkey hunting hasn't begun in most areas. It's a nice time of the year due to pleasant temperatures and animals seemingly less reluctant to move about during the day.

Managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the idea is to sustain wildlife and at the same time provide camping and visitation amenities to visitors. We're talking here about a system that includes more than five million acres of land. Hunting actually helps keep the carrying capacity -- the ability of an area to support a certain number of predators and prey -- in check. In fact, this has helped reverse wildlife declines with deer, alligators, turkeys and even bald eagles. We actually have more than 10 times as many whitetail deer in Florida than we did 70 years ago, thanks to full-time game management. Some of these management tools include species restoration, habitat management and restoration, surveying and monitoring, fishing and hunting seasons and regulations, outreach and education. That's why WMAs are favored by 3.1 million anglers who fish in Florida and 226,000 hunters. Others who do likewise are hikers, cyclists, horseback riders, paddlers and other nature lovers.

My favorites include the Babcock-Webb WMA in Charlotte County right off I-75, Big Cypress off U.S. 41 in Collier County, Dupuis that rests on the border of Palm Beach and Martin counties, Three Lakes in Osceola County, Branan Field between Duval and Clay counties, Apalachicola and Eglin AFB WMAs in the northwest. Dupuis is especially remarkable, with a huge variety of trees, plants and lots of deer. On my last visit I saw at least 20 deer bounding about right off the main tram roads that run through the area as well as ducks, wading birds and endless numbers of rabbits -- some of which I could often approach very closely on the trails.