Florida's Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area

lorida's Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management area provides habitat for the endangered Florida Panther and Crested Caracara. Other animals inhabiting this area are deer, hogs, small game and turkey. This wildlife management area is nearly 35,000 acres of slough, marsh, cypress, wet prairie, pine flatwoods, oak hammocks and oak-palm hammocks. When I first found out about the Okaloacoochee Slough, I wasn't sure how you say "Slough", looking it up online I found out it is pronounced "slew" or "sloo".

This is a beautiful natural Florida habitat. The Slough offers several activities including hunting. Hunting is allowed on designated days. I strongly suggest checking the website www.floridaconservation.org for more information about hunting and the available dates. They claim the Okaloacoochee Slough is excellent for hunting. There is also a walk in campground and two additional campgrounds for hunters.

There are 39 miles of trails you can travel on for wildlife viewing, hiking and biking. Allthough you should check with the website listed above before going to find out when hunting is taking place. They say fishing is available in some canals and a few rock pits but is not exceptional. I beg to differ. My husband and I visited a rock pit near one of the campgrounds and within ten to fifteen minutes he caught a 5 pound bass. Other animals viewed the day we were there were; an alligator, an anhinga, whie egrets, turkey vultures, great blue herons, many species of butterflies, and an otter. I was able to capture photos of Buckeye Butterflies, White Peacock Butterflies and Queen Butterflies.

When driving through the area, you should stick to the graded roads (maps are available at the entrances) and not the sandy roads unless you have a four wheel drive vehicle. In the winter months (dry season) even the sandy/dirt roads can be wet and muddy in some areas, causing a vehicle without four wheel drive to get stuck, and there are not too many people out there to assist you should this happen. Obviously if you go during the rainy season you should carry plenty of mosquito repellent. And bringing a camera with you is an absolute must. I did not view any restroom facilities either, just the occasional port-o-potty.

This is a really beautiful area. A way to see the 'real' Florida. Any garbage should be disposed of in dumpsters, if you cannot fnd one you need to take your trash out with you. Leaving garbage behind is not safe for the environment or the wildlife. This is not a zoo or your average park, and you should use caution if you see alligators or hogs or any other wildlife. They are not tame and should not be treated as such.

The Okaloacoochee Slough is located on CR 832, 3.5 miles from SR 29 between Labelle and Immokalee. For information on hunting: www.wildflorida.org/hunting

The Slough is also part of The Great Florida Birding Trail. The Great Florida Birding Trail is a collection of 445 sites throughout the state of Florida selected for their excellent birdwatching opportunities. You can view a map featuring the different sections of Florida involved in this trail here http://floridabirdingtrail.com/sectionsmap.html Click on a Florida county to read more information about the natural areas featuring a variety of Florida birds.

For more information on the Okaloacoochee Slough: www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/okaloacoochee.html
For information on hunting: www.wildflorida.org/hunting
For information on the great birding trail: http://floridabirdingtrail.com/