father son hunting trip

[Kirk]

Time is getting close for my son and I to travel to FLorida to hunt. We have permits to hunt STA1 on saturday 12/22 and ST5 on Sunday.
Would Clewiston be the closest city to stay in?
Also we are bringing our kayaks. What kind of lighting do we need to be Coast Guard acceptable. Read their regulations and it looks like a flashlight would work.

[N. Cook]

Flash lites have been acceptable....what folks normally do not have is a "sound device"...so get a cheap coast guard approved whistle. Be sure to have life jackets...

Clewiston is close to STA 5, but a bit of a drive east to STA 1 W....No place is cheap in Florida during winter....Best Western is ok and Clewiston Inn. There is a KOA that is moderately priced....all are on the web with info...just Google Clewiston hotels.

[Kirk]

Thanks for the info. Found a Motor Inn there for 50-60 a night. Does not look fancy, but we are coming down to hunt. Have relatives in Port Saint Lucie, but it would be a drive and hate to wake them up in the middle of the night while we leave.

[standby]

make sure you are at sta 5 BEFORE 5 am !!!!!!!! one minute late and your out of a hunt,and your permit is forfit.i have seen it everytime im there, there is always that one guy.

[Phil T]

You'll be much closer if you get a place in Belle Glade or on Southern Blvd. in WPB (west of 95). STA 1W is only 60 miles from Port St. Lucie and it's I95 and the Tpke. all the way. it's not a bad drive.

[Kirk]

Thanks I will do a search on Belle glade. It's my inlaws that live in Port Saint Lucie, the father in law is cool but his wife is not to flexible about us traipsing around the house in the middle of the night. We are hunting ST5 Sunday so I was looking for a place to stay between 1 and 5.

[N. Cook]

If you have gear you leave outside you need to be careful of the motel....not a good area, especially Belle Glade....A place that caters to anglers, ie Martins Marina is ok....

There is an hour's drive between STA 1 and STA 5 any where you stay. STA 1 is east, almost to West Palm Beach, on Rt. 80 with a turn off south on Rt. 880 at the blinking yellow lite (if you get to Lion Country Safari's sign you have gone too far east.) Allow well over an hour as fog and whatever can make it longer from Clewiston. I actually shoot for a 4 am arrival for morning hunts on STAs and have come close to missing the 5 am deadline.

STA 5 is very near Clewiston, just turn south at Rt. 835 just east of town,...about a 30 minute drive....but as mentioned above, leave early and allow a lot of time so not to lose your permit.

[Kirk]

Thanks I will also check in to the Martin marina. The only thing that I will be forced to leave on the truck at night are the kayaks. Which I plan to chain down to the bed, atleast to slow someone down. Told my son that we may have to take turns sleeping in the truck with a shotgun.
Plan to be there early. Don't want to lose our spots. Been looking forward to this hunt for a long time.

[standby]

pm me if you need some area tips, btw 2 seperate permits , thats 4 hunters came late to sta5 this afternoon and guess what happened:angry2:there is no camping allowed but if your going to sleep in your truck you might as well go down there and wait down at the checkstation and inspect the inside of your eyelids, its first come first serve with parking spot selection, that means first in line gets the spot they want.... almost all of the spots will yield you a good hunt.