In case you’ve been living in a bubble, hurricane season is upon us. Hurricane Matthew recently swept through the southeast carrying heavy winds and torrential rain. To find out how this affects hunting and hunting outfitters, I spoke with two outfitters that felt the ferocity of the recent storm. Lee Lightsey of Outwest Farms Inc. and Jim Boone of Red Bluff Lodge live nearly 500 miles apart, but both felt the affects of last week’s storm. However, what they had to say about the hunting might surprise you.
Hurricanes Can Make the Hunting Better
Lightsey and the other folks at Outwest Farms in Okeechobee, Florida guide hunters to alligators of any size as well as hogs and Osceola turkeys. When asked how the hurricane affected the hunting in his area, Lightsey said, “It actually may help. It makes the different waterways that have structures on them, they call them locks, it makes them flow. Then the gators come to those spillways because the fish gather up when they flood. You get that large amount of water running out and it congregates the gators up.”
Speaking about hurricane Matthew, Lightsey said, “They were calling for it to hit Thursday night/Friday morning in the a.m., I had six hunters from Pennsylvania drive down. They left [Pennsylvania] Thursday about three in the afternoon. They drove down knowing the storm was fixing to hit the coast. [They] got here and tried [Friday] afternoon, hunted, and it was beautiful. All our rain was Thursday night. We ended up getting six gators and about 14 hogs. We had a pretty good time.”
Boone said, “Hunting during a hurricane is a wonderful thing that only those of us in the south get to experience. My customers that were here hunting killed a lot of animals, and some big ones too. Hunting during a hurricane is great.”
(Photo courtesy of Red Bluff Lodge taken during Hurricane Matthew)
For Outfitters, Hurricanes Mean Lost Revenue and Extra Work
For many hunters, the idea of riding out a hurricane in hunting camp is far from appealing. Unfortunately for outfitters, this can mean a monetary hit. Boone said, “When the first storm warnings were issued and the evacuation alerts happened, we ended up having ten guests not be able to come. We were lucky enough to reschedule them, but still, it was revenue not realized, which is tough.”
Boone went on to say that it will take months to fully clean up the damage Mathew laid down. He said, “We’ve got about 80 miles of interior roads and fire break. We’re just picking a road and trying to go down it and trying to chainsaw the stuff off and clean things up.”
What Should You Do If a Hurricane is Forecast
As usual, the best bet is to trust your outfitter. They’ve seen the storms in the area and have a general idea about their severity and the affects on the hunting. For example Lightsey said, “We’re located in the center of the state. We’re blocked. We’ve got about sixty or seventy miles to either coast. So we’re kind of protected. We’re not going to feel the full affect of it like the coast will.” Boone encourages his customers to make the trip if they can do so safely because “the hunting is phenomenal.”
Safety First
Both Lightsey and Boone were quick to point out that their clients’ safety comes first, Lightsey said, “I’d would just as soon not have anybody in camp in a bad storm, but the way they predict these storms anymore, it’s not like we’re going to have somebody in camp and one just shows up. It’s not like being in the middle of the bush in Alaska. We’d be somewhat prepared to know to get them out of here if we knew it was going to be serious.” Boone said, “As long as you’re safe and you’re traveling safe, there’s no reason you can’t hunt during a hurricane. If we were to get a direct hit, I probably would have told the customers to not come down. I’m concerned about the safety of the customers and if I feel like they’re going to be in any type of jeopardy then I’ll ask them to reschedule.”
Both outfitters lost power during the recent storm. So if you do decide to hunt during a hurricane, don’t expect the same level of luxury lodging as you’d see in milder weather. However, the improved hunting conditions might make it worth your while to ride the storm out.
To book a hunt with Outwest Farms, contact them at www.guidefitter.com/floridahuntingoutfitter.
To book a hunt with Red Bluff Lodge, contact them at www.guidefitter.com/redblufflodge.
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