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Thanks Larry!! Who says hangin' at the local Bars is a waste of time never tried the hot spots in the Refuge here on the Florida Nature coast!!😎

Thanks Randy!! When I had the chance I didn't hesitate buying the shack and I've been enjoying this area for a long time....I've been living the dream here on the Florida Nature Coast....Have a great week!!

Simply me....Thanks!! I've got all sorts of critters roaming around the woods here on the Florida Gulf Coast.....Have a great week!!

Thanks " J "!! Bugs not really but I've got the movement sensors set at the highest settings and when the wind blows I can max out the SD card because of all the vegetation that is constantly moving!! I pulled the cards Friday and had some clips that were very interesting.....I had some species of BIG Spider webbing near the camera and the Infrared came on at night catching the spiders movement....... And the spiders appeared to look like they had been X-Rayed....It was amazing how well you could see those spiders. I would say that the cameras need to be away from light.....My house cams and my swamp cams are in black out conditions ....The night time Infrared which is barely noticeable does not attract flying critters when activated!!

Thanks Wayn!! I've been enjoying all the footage I've been getting out here on the coast......When I started I had no idea how diversified the wildlife was out here.....Hope this hurricane doesn't pose a problem!!

Thanks Rande!! The only species that hasn't made an appearance are the Bears and so far this year they are nowhere to be found in my camera locations.....In fact the concentration of the various species has been very low this year and I have no clue as to why!!

Gulf Grouper opens September 1st and closes September 16th if I get back from the Keys in time otherwise I'll miss another season!!

Thanks Nathan!! Now a days seems like everyday is a holiday.....I definitely like retirement.....Have a great weekend!!

Unfortunately I don't c retirement any time soon!

@@dogismyco-pirate I get it.....My job literally ran me in the ground because of travel and a change in management.....I'm a lot happier in retirement!!😎

Thanks Dave!! I never knew that this many species of wildlife existed this close to the house until I started this trail cam series.....Enjoy your weekend!!

Thanks John!! All of these critters use the marsh grass to travel back and forth to the Scratchin' Oak Tree which has become the focal point where the camera is focused on.....The Raccoons here make up the largest population of all the mammals.....The Bobcats were for awhile and here here lately there is a lot less traffic on all of the cameras.....Have a great weekend!!

Thanks Ron!! I've managed to film them all the wildlife except for the Bears which are down the road about 2 miles.....Have a great weekend!!

Thanks Judy!! That scratchin' tree is the focal point of the camera......LOL.....All the critters have a little itch and this little Oak Tree is the go to community back scratcher.....LOL....Enjoy your weekend!!

Thanks Marc!! I think every one of the critters knows where that back scratcher is... It's definitely the focal point of the camera location!!

Thanks Rob!! We al get that itch every now and then.....It's nice to have a back scratcher that you can rely on and to have it close by.....LOL....Have a great weekend!!

Thanks Clifford!! If I opened a BB-Q place out on US 19 I would never run out of pork.....The Refuge and the Weeki Wachee Preserve are eat up with these critters which originated from the Town of Centralia when the sawmill was there!!

Once domestic hogs that got loose,? ​@@WesLovelace

@@fishnski9211 The domestic hogs were set loose when the Town of Centralia which was centered around the sawmill and just across the road from the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge just after the start of the 20th Century when the mill shut down and the inhabitants left!!😎

Thanks!! I've got quite a collection of wildlife out here on the coast.....They are definitely a lot of fun to film.....Have a great weekend!!

Thanks!! Glad you could stop by and check out my latest fishing presentation here on the Florida Gulf Coast!!

DMP.....Thanks!! I'm fishing more in these spring fed creeks because the water temps are about 3-5 degrees cooler in the back country than the outside islands!!

DMP.....Thanks!! I've been checking a cam near the house and there hasn't been anything to speak of but I haven't looked at the other 4 cams in over 2 months.....I might check them at the end of the week!!

LSJ....Thanks!! Now that was a good day in the Refuge!! I just took the weekend off especially with the frog strangler Sunday PM. I've got the Scallop gear in the boat to run up to Ozello this AM if this weather looks to be OK......

Thanks " J " !! They do that.....The bigger the tail the more the fishpower....I'm all smiles when it feels like a Spot Tail Sub.....Have a great 4th!!

NCIF.....Thanks!! ......LOL.....Here lately it's been the Invasion of the Dinks with the big fish showing up in the Spring Fed Creeks.....This boiling skinny water has really made the difference from the 2 months prior.....I hear the Scallops calling me from St. Martins in the morning......LOL!!

Thanks EA!! The back country seems to be the best bet with cooler water and darker color due to the influx of Tannic Color from the swamp.....The outside edges have only been producing small Reds.....I jumped a 100 lb. Tarpon last week up near Haulover Bay in about 6 ft. of water.....First time I been able to flip at a moving fish this year!!

Thanks Randy!! The heat has been brutal so I'm using the early or late high tides in any of the creeks that have started to darken because of the Tannic stain washing out of the swamp and any creek that has lower water temps!!

TOTWF.....Thanks!! I've been concentrating on creeks that are in the proximity of cooler water and those that have started to darken due to more Tannic color coming out of the swamp.....This sun has been brutal lately!! Good to hear you're managing the slams.....I've not had much luck with finding the Specks......I did jump a 100 lb. Tarpon last week on the outside islands!!

Yes the sun has been! Was out this morning on the outgoing tide and with no wind it was hot!! After those two slams, I have had a skunk and just one spec today, but missed several reds that just wouldn’t stay on.

Thanks Icy!! My biggest problem is trying to avoid some of these monsters with the prop.....I'm constantly eyeballin' the surface during my runs and this is a common occurrence during just about every trip in the Refuge....Have a great weekend!!😎

Thanks Ron!! I enjoy finding the Manatees and there's a reason they are so plentiful....It's called no people.....Us mammals gotta stick together.....Sea ya!!

Thanks Dave!! I really enjoy filming the back country aquatic life and it seems like I'm finding all this wildlife on each trip up north.....The scenery holds my attention up there.....Have a great weekend!!

Thanks Wayn!! You know I see Manatees or Dolphin on most of my trips up north and a lot of these inshore species are lookin' for the cooler spring fed creeks around here.....Sea Ya!!

Thanks Kerry!! Which Manatee were you talkin' about.....LOL!! I know if I'm a fish I wannabe somewhere that's got some cool water and there are plenty of freshwater creeks here on the Florida Nature Coast!!

Thanks John!! If memory serves me I think you can include the Aardvark.....That's an ant eater with a long snout indigenous to Africa.....It's definitely a strange family tree.....LOL...Have a great weekend!!

Thanks Don!! I really enjoy filming the wildlife in habitat.....Especially Manatees.....I see them on almost every trip.....They are known as the gentle giants!! In reference to the Bull sharks I've seen 2 in the last month.....One was at least 6 feet and the other was about 2 feet.....I found both in less than 5 feet of water.....This species is not affected by the freshwater.....I do know that 6 footer followed my top water right to the boat.....That was a reel beast in the bushes.....LOL....Have a great weekend!!

@@WesLovelace Wow, that would not have been a good time to be wading in the shallows. Thanks and have a great Independence Day, my friend. Don 👍🏽🤠

Thanks Rob!! Sometimes the spring fed creeks can hold a variety of fish species because the water temps are considerably cooler than the Gulf temps!! Here lately I seem to be a Manatee magnet and that manatee that swam by the boat was a freight train.....LOL......Have a great weekend!!

Thanks Martin!! It is and with a 2 mile walk and beingattacked by thousands of Skeeters it's even better now that I made it back to the house without having to have a transfusion.....LOL!!

@@WesLovelace it's the no see ums that eat me up.

Thanks JJ!! You can't really see the Manatee's back but it was brown and crusty indicating a lot of time in the saltwater and of the mammals age.....This critter was about the size of my boat......LOL......Now that's a biggin'!! In the summers down here with inshore water temps near 90 degrees if you know where the spring fed creeks are you have a chance of hookin' up with multiple species and over the years I've found a lot of these locations both inside and outside of the Refuge!!😎

Thanks!! I'm having a great time navigating, fishing and enjoying the scenic beauty here on the Florida Gulf Nature Coast!!

Thanks Lee!! I'm amazed at natures ability to transform skin pigmentation based upon the chemical make-up of the water that are navigated by the different fish species.....Have a great weekend!!

Thanks Vincent!! There's no doubt I could stay in Fish Fingers for a long time......In the case of these inshore species they are highly regulated and I take a lot of pleasure in Catch and Release......That being said when the offshore species are in season I have no problem stocking up for a fish fry.....Sea Ya!!

@@WesLovelace cheers.

Thanks Rande!! I see enough Cottonmouths and Gators to know I might not make it out of the swamp alive....But if you bring yours I'll be happy to let you Xplore.....LOL!!

Thanks Naf EX!! Nothing like having a wilderness to roam around in here on the Florida Gulf Coast!!

NCIF.....Thanks!! You know every time I head north to the Refuge I know that I made the right decision to live in this area.....Have a great week!!

@WesLovelace can't imagine you ever second guessing yourself on that decision.

Thanks Brandon!! On Snook April to December and on rare occasions into January if it's a warm weather.....I know I caught Snook last December in the Refuge. Redfish I catch year round.....Seems the smaller Reds are more prevalent in the winter and the larger fish show up from April to December but I do catch a size variety all year. Speckled Trout are sporadic.....This species has been decimated in the last 5 years in part to shrimp trawling at night on a daily basis.....It's difficult for me to get the slam because Specks are hard to find......Use to be I could catch and release dozens of quality fish on every trip into the Wildlife Refuge during the winter months.....Those days are gone!! Thanks for the interest ....Feel free to drop a question anytime.....Sea Ya!!

Brandon just a short side note ...All the rivers over here are Spring fed for the most part and water temps are 72.2 year round.....The Gulf is usually about 65 degrees in the winter and this drives every species into the back country and when the water temps are 87 degrees as they are now this tends to hold more fish in the back country.....From my standpoint it's a win-win for me because I specialize in the Chassahowitzka NWR year round.....I have access to over 60 sq. miles of limited access and some great fishing!!

I've done really well in the spring. I was just wondering if it was just as good during the hot months. Spring this year was awesome 👌 thanks for the info!

JGF.....Thanks!! Early access to an airboat and later with my tunnel hull allowed me to get a handle of over 50 sq. miles of Federal Refuge and it's still producing some great results 30 years later.....Enjoy your weekend!!

Thanks J !! This is where I had the opportunity to start my journey of Xploration in the wildlife refuge.....It has since paid me back countless times.....Have a great weekend!!

Thanks Nathan!! There's a lot to see once you transition from the mangroves to the chord grass when you get to the tree line!!

Thanks LSJ!! I was in there on a big tide and I had to run in tilt drive until I got thru all the switch backs!! I've got some pics of Sheeps, Drum, Reds and Trout on the dock.....Being able to get my start on an air boat made all the difference in my future!!

TOTWF....Thanks!! There aren't many of the creeks along the Nature Coast in the Refuge that originate from springs found in the interior.....There is a lot of history that dates all the way back before the 20th Century.....This is a spectacular area here on the Central Florida Gulf Coast!!