Tourism and hunting

[WestKentucky]

I moved about 2 years ago and I no longer have a good place to chase critters. I miss that freedom as much as I miss the experience, but one solution comes with a 6 figure price tag and property taxes where the other comes with a couple vacation days and a 4 digit price tag.

I have a buddy who guides a private ranch in Texas for Aodad, whitetail, hogs, and turkeys, but I have a couple trophy-ish whitetail under my belt and want something else native and new. Same goes for the fat chickens, no interest and a few under my belt.

So, looking at the various critters and hunting styles, what would you all suggest for hunting trips? The things I know I want to go after are all of the antlered American game, pronghorn, gator, and the major species of bear and cat, but I’m absolutely open to other suggestions. Probably looking at a trip every 2 to 5 years depending on cost. Meanwhile I do have a place to chase squirrels, and that minimally satisfies me, it’s public ground that is overran with hunters come deer season though so I won’t touch it.

 

[Patocazador]

Free-range aoudad are supposed to be very tough to hunt with a poor success rate. However, the high-fenced areas provide almost a sure thing.
If you want native game, try a do-it-yourself elk hunt. That will be challenging too. Mule deer, moose, cougar, and black bear all provide a good challenge. With moose in the lower 48, the hardest part is drawing a tag.

 

[Robert]

I've been hunting elk for a few years here in Colorado with a very seasoned Hunter and friend of mine. We haven't seen anything the last two trips. Right now I am banking points for a solid area in two years. We'll do an over the counter trash unit this year, might get lucky, but it is just nice to get in the mountains.

 

[SoonerMedic]

Aoudad for sure. Amazing animals and you can hunt them cheap in Texas anytime of year.

 

[horsey300]

I moved about 2 years ago and I no longer have a good place to chase critters. I miss that freedom as much as I miss the experience, but one solution comes with a 6 figure price tag and property taxes where the other comes with a couple vacation days and a 4 digit price tag.

I have a buddy who guides a private ranch in Texas for Aodad, whitetail, hogs, and turkeys, but I have a couple trophy-ish whitetail under my belt and want something else native and new. Same goes for the fat chickens, no interest and a few under my belt.

So, looking at the various critters and hunting styles, what would you all suggest for hunting trips? The things I know I want to go after are all of the antlered American game, pronghorn, gator, and the major species of bear and cat, but I’m absolutely open to other suggestions. Probably looking at a trip every 2 to 5 years depending on cost. Meanwhile I do have a place to chase squirrels, and that minimally satisfies me, it’s public ground that is overran with hunters come deer season though so I won’t touch it.

Draw a pronghorn tag out in Nebraska and I'll show you where to go to shoot em, pm me for more info, after that, Idaho black bear (out of state tags $25 for the real mountain areas where nobody wants to go) elk, Alaska moose, browns, reindeer, musk ox. All listed in order, then after that's done, start eating exotic

 

[H&Hhunter]

Draw a pronghorn tag out in Nebraska and I'll show you where to go to shoot em, pm me for more info, after that, Idaho black bear (out of state tags $25 for the real mountain areas where nobody wants to go) elk, Alaska moose, browns, reindeer, musk ox. All listed in order, then after that's done, start eating exotic

Where are you hunting “reindeer” in AK? There is an island way out in the Aleutians that has reindeer are there any free range reindeer anywhere else?

 

[horsey300]

Where are you hunting “reindeer” in AK? There is an island way out in the Aleutians that has reindeer are there any free range reindeer anywhere else?

There's an outfit advertising to be in the northwest, around Kotzebue iirc, with barren ground caribou to hunt fair chase along with their bear, moose, and wolf hunts. Personally, I'd like to go for a Kodiak, but I'm always drawn further north, even in WY and nw NE I'm drawn to Mt and ID, and if I lived there, I'd be gazing at Canada and AK even harder lol.

 

[H&Hhunter]

There's an outfit advertising to be in the northwest, around Kotzebue iirc, with barren ground caribou to hunt fair chase along with their bear, moose, and wolf hunts. Personally, I'd like to go for a Kodiak, but I'm always drawn further north, even in WY and nw NE I'm drawn to Mt and ID, and if I lived there, I'd be gazing at Canada and AK even harder lol.

That makes sense. When I was living in a Kotzebue 25 years ago there were several commercial reindeer ranchers down in the Deering/Buckland areas.

 

[horsey300]

That makes sense. When I was living in a Kotzebue 25 years ago there were several commercial reindeer ranchers down in the Deering/Buckland areas.

I was looking for them again, and found their Web page.
http://www.weguidealaska.com/hunting.html

 

[Armored farmer]

We had a great time hunting hogs in Tx. It was pretty cheap, and we brought home some good meat.
Success is nearly guaranteed.

 

[George P]

If you come down to FL to hunt gators, you'll be best suited with a guide. Most hunts are done at night from airboats and then you have to get them IN the boat after snaring them and hitting them with a bang stick - not something for a novice. Last few friends pulled out were in the 10-13" range and weighed a LOT. Tail meat and hide can be very valuable.

 

[H&Hhunter]

If you come down to FL to hunt gators, you'll be best suited with a guide. Most hunts are done at night from airboats and then you have to get them IN the boat after snaring them and hitting them with a bang stick - not something for a novice. Last few friends pulled out were in the 10-13" range and weighed a LOT. Tail meat and hide can be very valuable.

Snaring a gator doesn’t really appeal to me from a hunting stand point. But I think it would be a really neat experience overall. I’d like to hunt a gator African croc style, but realize that is not the best practice on gators.

That said I think I’d really enjoy being out on an airboat in the swamps at night and taking in the environment. Snaring a big gator would be exciting I’m sure.

 

[Patocazador]

I’d like to hunt a gator African croc style, but realize that is not the best practice on gators.

That said I think I’d really enjoy being out on an airboat in the swamps at night and taking in the environment.

Shooting is not legal in Florida except with a bangstick. Most are hooked with a saltwater rig, harpooned, or shot with a bow then brought to the boat. Baiting is also illegal.

Riding on the airboat is fine, just don't stop unless you are loaded up with DEET.

 

[George P]

And don't fall in the water; all those other hundreds of red eyes you'll see are his buddies.............just waiting

 

[buck460XVR]

When hunting becomes bland for me, I can;t see hunting any animal, exotic or not, behind a high fence as being more exciting than what I already have. Because of financial and time restraints, many times when get bored with what I'm hunting, I don't change what I'm hunting, but how I hunt them. Bow hunting and still hunting for deer with a handgun has become the norm for me as opposed to just sittin' in a blind/stand and blasting one @ 150 yards with the ol' ought-six. Now that turkeys have become easy with the scattergun, I now hunt them with my bow/crossbow. To me, it isn't the animal in the hunt, it's the hunt itself. I've also found that by taking new hunters to the field the first time and watching them have success is more fun than hunting myself.