Toby Benoit

Pronounced “on-doo-ee,” Andouille sausage has been the backbone of many meals I've enjoyed throughout the whole of my life. You see, my momma, was a seventh generation, Florida Cracker, but my daddy, as he used to say, was a “full bleed, south Louisiana Coonass.” That is to say, my daddy was a Cajun and his love affair with Cajun food significantly impacted our diets. So, any time there was a hog killing, whether wild or one we'd raised, daddy'd get busy grinding, mixing and casing large quantities of andouille. And friends, it sure is good!

Florida is less than a week into its 2025 Black Bear Hunt, but we still don’t know how many bears have been harvested. I’m aware of two, according to successful […]

Merry Christmas, all of my friends. I do hope Santa Claus was kind to you and left some cool new hunting gear under the tree. And I wonder how many of you will be taking some time to spend in the woods? A beautiful way for families to make memories.

This weekend will be the Youth Spring Gobbler Season. It's a weekend set aside by our Florida Wildlife Commission to give the kids an opportunity to hunt these big, beautiful Osceola turkeys. This way, they can hunt without being in competition with more experienced

This past weekend was set aside by our Florida Wildlife Commission to allow youth hunters to get a head start on Spring Turkey Season. It lets the youngsters get out ahead of the adult crowd so that they aren't hunting in competition with the old veterans of the Spring. My top guide, Scott Geoghagen and I were happy to assist two wonderful young men for the occasion.

I love hearing from each of you, especially when you write to share a hunting story of your own. And this week, I got a really sweet story from a very kind lady, whose family I've known for years and greatly admire. She wanted to share with you all, a special hunt which took place over the youth weekend hunt for Spring Gobbler Season and her youngest son's first turkey. Here it is, as told to us by his Momma, Melissa Jones Tuttle …

This week has surely been a tough one on me as a turkey guide. The turkeys had begun to exhibit a decline in activity by the opening day of our general turkey season in some portions of our county. Their annual spring mating rituals started very early this year due to uncommon weather patterns. Remember that long stretch of very cold weather we experienced during the early days of January? It tripped their triggers and once we returned to 80-degree daytime temperatures, the birds were tricked into believing spring had then sprung and began to flock up and breed.

Well, folks, spring gobbler season is continuing and is at about the halfway mark, as it runs right on through till April 26th. But for me, it's already over, and I've postponed all of my remaining clients to dates during the 2027 season. With the turkeys having begun breeding during the last bit of January, the flocks are just done — the usual excited activity the spring usually carries for the turkeys has wrapped up early. So, now what?

Well friends, Spring Gobbler Season 2026 is coming to a close this weekend. The last day is Sunday, April 26th and it officially ends at the end of the day when those big beautiful birds fly up to roost.

The documentary The Python Hunt received an exclusive preview screening on February 28 at the Brooksville Beacon Theaters, hosted by the Hernando Sun. The event was attended by several individuals featured in the film, including local guide and Hernando Sun writer Toby Benoit and fellow python hunter Jimbo McCartney and the film's director and producer, Xander Robin. Following the screening, Benoit, McCartney, and Robin participated in a Q&A session with the audience.