Cary Wildlife Management Area

Managed in cooperation with the Florida Forest Service.

Cary WMA is located west of Jacksonville in Nassau and Duval counties and consists of over 11,000 acres of forested uplands and swamps. The area is managed for many uses including hunting, wildlife viewing, horseback riding, camping, hiking, biking, environmental education and picnicking.

The area is open from 1½ hours before sunrise until 1½ hours after sunset, except for those in possession of a camping permit from the Florida Forest Service.

Hunting

The area offers several hunts with a quota permit on limited days including archery, muzzleloading gun, general gun, wild hog and spring turkey. For hunt dates and regulations, see the Cary WMA regulations brochure and visit MyFWC.com/Hunting.

Wildlife

Many kinds of wildlife can be found on Cary WMA including gopher tortoises, fox squirrels, bobcats, white-tailed deer and pinewoods tree frogs. Those looking for birds might see turkeys, pileated woodpeckers, great horned owls, barred owls and yellow-throated vireos.

Add your bird observations to the Cary State Forest eBird Hotspot.

Recreation

There are equestrian and hiking trails on the area. A nature trail and boardwalk winds through the flatwoods and a cypress swamp within an area closed to hunting. Visit early in the morning or in the evening for the best opportunities to see wildlife. For more information on recreation, see the Florida Forest Service's webpage for Cary State Forest.

Camping

For information about camping, visit the Cary State Forest webpage.

More Information

For an area map, hunt dates, permits and rules about dogs, view FWC's regulations brochure for Cary WMA.

For information about fees and road closures, see the Florida Forest Service’s webpage for Cary State Forest.