Don Francis "Well managed, lots of deer, quiet, primitive weapons only." 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. Jointly managed by the Division of Forestry and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Joe Budd is one of the few places in the state where only primitive weapons—bows and muzzleloaders—are permitted for hunting deer, hogs, and turkeys. 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 pine-oak forest.

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