A night hunting trip to Myakka River State Park with colleagues

Hunting requires some professional equipment and knowledge, especially when hunting at night. In this article, I will share with you my night hunting trip with my two colleagues Amy Doris and Daisy at Myakka River State Park last month, and how we improved our hunting results and experience with wildguarder infrared binoculars.

Myakka River State Park is one of the oldest and largest parks in Florida, covering 58 square miles, with rich wildlife and diverse natural landscapes. It is the first river in Florida to be designated as a wild and scenic river, flowing through a pristine wetland, prairie, forest and pine forest. It is not only a good place for hunting, but also a good place for various activities such as sightseeing, hiking, cycling, boating, aerial trails and so on.

In order to have a successful hunting trip here, we need some essential equipment, the most important of which is infrared binoculars. Infrared binoculars allow us to clearly see the contours and movements of animals in the dark, thereby improving our hit rate and safety. We chose wildguarder infrared binoculars from this Chinese brand because they have high cost performance, high clarity, light weight, strong durability and other characteristics.

In the following article, I will describe in detail our hunting process and experience, including how we prepared equipment and food, how we chose hunting locations and times, what animals and difficulties we encountered, and how we used wildguarder infrared binoculars to improve our hunting efficiency and safety. I hope you can feel our adventurous spirit and fun by reading this article, maybe you will also want to try such an activity.

In the first paragraph of this article, I will introduce the history and geographical features of Myakka River State Park, so that you can better understand why we chose this place as our hunting location.

Myakka River State Park is located in the southeast of Sarasota County and Manatee County in Florida, nine miles from Interstate 75, belonging to the Atlantic Coastal Plain region. It is one of the oldest and largest parks in Florida, covering 37,000 acres, with rich wildlife and diverse natural landscapes. It is the first river in Florida to be designated as a wild and scenic river, flowing through a pristine wetland, prairie, forest and pine forest. It is not only a good place for hunting, but also a good place for various activities such as sightseeing, hiking, cycling, boating, aerial trails and so on.

The history of Myakka River State Park can be traced back to the 1930s, when Florida’s first mayor A.B. Edwards and four members of the Sarasota Freshwater Fish and Wildlife Conservation Association proposed the idea of setting up a nature reserve to the Florida Internal Improvement Fund. In 1934, the fund bought more than 17,000 acres of land from A.C. Honore Palmer Estate at a price of 37.5 cents per acre, and donated 1,920 acres of it as a memorial to Bertha Palmer to the state. In order to make this land of more than 26,000 acres available for people to use, the government sent the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to carry out development and construction.

The CCC was one of the federal relief agencies established in President Roosevelt’s New Deal program. It was mainly composed of young people between 18 and 25 years old who were physically healthy and recommended by national relief agencies. Under the guidance of C.H. Schaeffer, the CCC began to build roads, bridges and cabins, dig drainage ditches, cut down trees and shrubs and so on. They used local materials to build various facilities and make them harmonious with the natural environment. For example, the sides of the buildings were made of palm trunks, the roofs were cut from cypress blocks, and the fireplaces were built with stones from Manatee County. They also planted more than 100,000 tree seedlings to beautify the environment.

For many CCC members, working at Myakka River State Park meant regular meals, medical check-ups and eight-hour workdays, which were good for their physical and mental health. They could also learn some basic courses or participate in some recreational activities, such as playing billiards, playing piano, boxing and wrestling, in their spare time. Of course, they could also swim, fish and hike in the park.

Myakka River State Park is not only a nature reserve, but also a good place for leisure and entertainment. Whether you like to enjoy the scenery, explore the wildlife, or experience the exciting adventure, there are suitable projects for you. Here are some of the attractions and activities we recommend:

Aerial trail: This is a trail made of planks and ropes, which spans across the canopy of palm trees and oak trees, allowing you to enjoy the beauty of the park from a high place. The highest point of the trail is a 22-meter-high observation tower, from where you can see the distant lakes, rivers and prairies.

Lake cruise: If you want to experience the charm of the park on the water, you can take one of the two large hovercrafts, “Gator Girl” or “Gator Gal”, for a guided tour on Myakka Lake. In this process, you may see various aquatic animals, including alligators, manatees, egrets, pelicans and so on.

Bicycle lane: If you like cycling, you can rent a bicycle in the park and enjoy a relaxing and pleasant ride on the 7-mile-long bicycle lane. The bicycle lane runs along the edge of the river and lake, through the forest and prairie, allowing you to observe the natural environment and wildlife of the park closely.

Birdwatching platform: If you are interested in observing and photographing birds, you can go to one of the two birdwatching platforms in the park, located near Myakka Lake and Upper Myakka Lake. There, you can use binoculars or cameras to capture various beautiful and rare birds, such as roseate spoonbills, bald eagles, black-necked swans and so on.

Pink Gator Cafe: If you are tired of playing in the park, or want to try some local delicacies, you can go to Pink Gator Cafe for a sit. This is a small cabin-style restaurant located on the shore of Myakka Lake. It offers a variety of simple and delicious food, such as burgers, sandwiches, salads and so on. The most special thing is that it also offers a dish called “fried alligator tail”, which is a snack made of alligator meat. It has a crispy and juicy texture, a bit like chicken. If you want to try this unique flavor, you can order one here or buy some to take home.

In the third paragraph of this article, I will describe in detail our hunting process and experience, including how we prepared equipment and food, how we chose hunting locations and times, what animals and difficulties we encountered, and how we used wildguarder infrared binoculars to improve our hunting efficiency and safety.

Our hunting trip was on a weekend last month. We booked a campsite in the park in advance so that we could hunt at night. We drove to the park after work on Friday afternoon, which took about an hour and a half. After arriving at the park, we went to Pink Gator Cafe for dinner, and then went to our campsite to set up tents and fire. We brought some simple food, such as bread, canned food, fruits, chocolate, etc., as well as some drinks, such as water, beer, coffee, etc. We also brought some essential equipment, such as sleeping bags, flashlights, knives, first aid kits, etc. Of course, the most important thing was our hunting equipment, including guns, bullets, infrared binoculars, gloves, hats, etc.

We chose to hunt on Saturday night because the moon was brighter and the animals were more active. We started preparing to leave at around four o’clock in the afternoon. We first went to the park’s visitor center and registered our hunting plan with the staff and got their permission and advice. They told us which places we could hunt and which places we couldn’t hunt, as well as which animals we could kill and which animals we couldn’t kill. They also told us to pay attention to safety and not to approach the edge of the river or lake to avoid being attacked by alligators or other dangerous animals. They also reminded us to respect nature and not waste or pollute resources or damage or destroy vegetation or facilities.

After getting the guidance of the staff, we drove to a place not far from the camping site, which is an open grassland suitable for hunting. We pulled over and got out with our gear. We each wore wildguarder infrared binoculars, which allowed us to clearly see animal silhouettes and movements in the dark. It also has a zoom function and a video function, allowing us to better observe and record animals. It is very lightweight and durable, and can adapt to all weathers and environments.

We walked slowly along the edge of the prairie, stopping from time to time to see if there was any movement around us. We scan the surroundings with infrared binoculars for possible targets. After about half an hour, we spotted a herd of deer grazing on the prairie. We approached them stealthily, and chose one of the largest stags as our quarry. We pointed infrared binoculars at its head and took turns shooting. Our first shot missed, but made it jump in fright. Our second shot also missed, but wounded it. Our third shot finally caught it in the heart and it fell to the ground. We happily ran over to check its condition and confirmed that it was dead. We cut off its head and fur with a knife as our souvenir. We save the rest of the meat for other animals.

Our hunting trip was an unforgettable experience. We not only enjoyed the fun of being close to nature and animals, but also tested our courage and skills. We saw many beautiful and strange scenery and creatures in the park, and we also tasted some local food and culture outside the park. We think Myakka River State Park is a place worth visiting. It is not only suitable for hunting, but also for other activities. We hope to have the opportunity to come here again and explore more secrets and surprises.

We are also very satisfied with wildguarder infrared binoculars, which brought us a lot of help and convenience for our hunting. It allows us to clearly see the position and movement of animals in the dark, thereby improving our hit rate and safety. It also allows us to zoom in and record animals, thus increasing our observation and recording fun. It is very light and durable, and can adapt to various weather and environment. We think it is a high cost-effective, high clarity, light weight, strong durability infrared binoculars.

This is the story of how we enjoyed a memorable hunting experience at Myakka River State Park. We hope you can feel our adventurous spirit and fun by reading this article. Maybe you will also want to try such an activity.