I’m the largest Osceola and Grand Slam outfitter, I was the first to finish a self guided super slam, I have 114 personal grand slams and have helped countless others achieve their own, I have Osceola’s in my back yard and I eat sleep and breathe turkeys. Because I’m such an avid Turkey hunter myself I would bet that I take it more seriously than anyone else because I’ve been on horrible hunts in other states that I wasn’t in control of.  Because of those bad experiences, I make sure that everybody that hunts with me has the best experience ever.

Yes!  The NWTF’s map shows the line going from the northeast where Jacksonville is running Southwest at a 45 to Crystal River. I however don’t ever hunt any Osceolas north of Orlando because I want to ensure that my birds are true Osceolas.

A non-refundable $1000 to lock in your dates, $1000 in November and the balance of your hunt will be due at the end of January.

I do guarantee my birds, but to be very clear when you take a shot at any time whether he flops or flies, that’s your bird.  To elaborate on that, we have a seven week Osceola season. If you need to reschedule, it will be this year as I don’t move hunts to the next year. Unless you didn’t get a shot when you first came down. Which hardly ever happens. If you shoot and hit a bird and we are unable to retrieve it, your hunt will be over. I will allow you to keep hunting because your goal was to come down and get an Osceola to complete your grand slam, and I’m very adamant that you do that, but it’s not fair to me that I have to pay for your wounded bird.  So what I will do is let you hunt for nothing until you pull the trigger again, then you will pay for a half price bird.

No I don’t. All hunters stay in hotels and eat out because I have properties from Labelle to St. Cloud and Vero to Bartow. Therefore one Central Lodge is logistically impossible.

I tell everybody three days, but I don’t book any property back to back. So there’s always the ability to stay an extra day or two if you need. That being said, I don’t know that I’ve ever had anybody stay until the fourth day.

I have several properties throughout south and central Florida that range from 5 acres to 5000 acres. From one bird off of a ranch to 15 birds off of a ranch. My job is to place all hunters on properties suitable for their needs likes or dislikes but nonetheless, to make sure that they don’t leave without their Tom.

I have several that help me out the first two weeks of the central zone season as that’s when I do the majority of my hunts. We all know the properties very well and will give you all the intel necessary for you to connect with a Tom. Most of our hunters want to hunt by themselves, but myself and of the other guides are more than willing and able to jump in to help you close the deal.

I’ve never had an instance with a rattlesnake or a water moccasin with any of my hunters.

I always have a list going as my phone never stops ringing for next year, that being said my priority is the current year’s Turkey hunters so I wait until July to start collecting deposits for the following spring.

As of 2022, Jeff Budz has 110 Grand Slams registered with the NWTF and over 500 total birds to date.

(Source: NWTF.org Grand Slam records)

According to the NWTF website:

The Grand Slam is the most popular of the NWTF’s recognized wild turkey slams.

To achieve a Grand Slam, a hunter must harvest and register the four most common subspecies of wild turkey, the Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam’s and Osceola (Florida) turkeys.

According to the NWTF website:

The US Super Slam is considered the most difficult of the slams. A hunter must harvest and register a turkey from all 49 states with established turkey hunting seasons. This includes all the states within the Lower 48 as well as Hawaii. Alaska does not have a legal hunting season for turkeys.

After harvesting a tremendous Merriam’s from Arizona in 2015, Jeff Budz became only the 4^th person in documented history to complete the US Super Slam.

Final tom for Jeff’s US Super Slam, taken in Arizona.