Author Topic: Hunting holiday - America/Canada somewhere - ideas anyone? (Read 6253 times)

mikekeswick · « **on:** December 01, 2011, 07:35:28 am »

Hi guys, i'm thinking of a trip 'over the pond' to go hunting as it is illegal here in England. The problem is I have no idea of the laws/requirements of the different states etc..or even a good place to head to. I'm still in the early planning stages (obviously!) so any ideas would be welcome. I've been to Colorado before on a climbing trip and really liked the area/climate etc...ideally I could combine my trip with a bit of climbing so some cliffs/mountains nearby would be good as well!
Thanks

Pappy · « **Reply #1 on:** December 01, 2011, 10:32:45 am »

Depends on what you want to hunt? the regulations are pretty laid back in the US at least in most states,in Tennessee it would be the same as an out of state hunter. I have had some folks from Germany and England before,they just needed out of stat license,that was about it.

Pappy

adb · « **Reply #2 on:** December 01, 2011, 12:43:41 pm »

Like Pappy said, what do you want to hunt? If you want a big whitetail, the current world record typical WT was shot 20 minutes from my home. Decide your preference, and go from there.

Justin Snyder · « **Reply #3 on:** December 01, 2011, 01:12:33 pm »

I would go to Tennessee and visit Pappy. In fact I am going to try to next year. He is a great guy and I am sure he would hook you up with an opportunity to shoot some arrows.

The hunting is great in the West US. To us a 200" mule deer is a very nice deer, but not huge. Trophy elk are 370" and bigger. It is however a lot harder to get a tag and you would be limited to shooting one deer, elk pronghorn, mountain lion etc. If you go to the Eastern States you have potential to shoot a buck and a doe the same day and more the next day, depending on where you go. If you decide you want to hunt in the Utah, Nevada or Arizona you can shoot some huge stuff, but you have to put in for a drawing and it will probably take a few years to draw a tag. If you decide to go that way, and get a tag, I would be happy to scout the area and find the game before you come.

For a special trip like yours I would go East where the numbers are higher and opportunity to shoot more game is good, even if you donate the meat to a shelter.

gstoneberg · « **Reply #4 on:** December 01, 2011, 04:14:28 pm »

You also might want to consider going to Texas for hogs in the spring if lots of shooting is what you want. The exotics tag is only $45 for 5 days and there are tons of day lease hog hunts available many which include lodging, saving you hotel costs. If the hogs are coming to my lease I would take you for sure. Pappy's is probably a better bet for deer though, it's too expensive down here. We got zip for mountains, some hills but that's about it.

Sounds like a grand adventure to me.

George

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #5 on:** December 02, 2011, 01:37:42 pm »

Define climbing for me. Do you mean hiking and scrambling up a mountainside trail or a combination wedge and smear on a 5.11b with serious exposure?

We have some of the finest techie rock climbing in the world here in the Black Hills of South Dakota (think Mount Rushmore), plus plenty of deer and turkey, plus the antelope population is recovering on the prairies. If you really want challenges with your bow we can always go after grouse and pheasant. Out of state hunting licenses are probably less expensive here than most places.

TurtleCreek · « **Reply #6 on:** December 11, 2011, 03:34:12 am »

Tennessee or Texas would be my choice, I have always wanted to make a trip to chase some hogs

mikekeswick · « **Reply #7 on:** December 15, 2011, 05:45:05 am »

Thanks for the ideas fellas. So 'out east' looks to be the best option. I suppose I would mainly like to shoot deer. From what i've seen it seems like a lot of Americans hunt from tree stands (maybe i'm wrong there?) but I would prefer to try some stalking on the ground.
JW_Halverson - I meant the latter! The more exposure the better! We don't have too much big stuff here, last time I was in America we went to Red Rocks which was really cool...apart from the cactus and running out of water 1000ft up a 2000ft route....

Pappy · « **Reply #8 on:** December 15, 2011, 09:00:17 am »

Ya stalking would be fun, altho not very productive,good luck with that on eastern Turkey or eastern white tail deer.

It sounds very cool to talk about but if you only have a few day and want to actually kill something it isn't the best option at least not in the east. jmo.

Pappy

Justin Snyder · « **Reply #9 on:** December 15, 2011, 11:43:30 am »

If you want to spot and stock you should come out west. Those eastern fellers like to sit in a tree like a bird and wait.

Spot and stock is almost all I do, and all of the guys I have hunted with are the same way. Our open terrain lends itself well to glassing with binoculars until the deer bed down for the day. Then we plan our attack and start sneaking. If you take your time you can get within 10 feet. I have probably only sat in a blind 2 times in my life and never hunted from a tree.

We have some great climbing here also. I would be happy to take you hunting, then I could dust off my climbing gear and we could hit the rock.

Pappy · « **Reply #10 on:** December 16, 2011, 08:43:36 am »

Ya Justin Bird of prey.

Pappy

youngbowyer · « **Reply #11 on:** December 23, 2011, 12:10:05 am »

Quote from: mikekeswick on December 15, 2011, 05:45:05 am

Thanks for the ideas fellas. So 'out east' looks to be the best option. I suppose I would mainly like to shoot deer. From what i've seen it seems like a lot of Americans hunt from tree stands (maybe i'm wrong there?) but I would prefer to try some stalking on the ground.
JW_Halverson - I meant the latter! The more exposure the better! We don't have too much big stuff here, last time I was in America we went to Red Rocks which was really cool...apart from the cactus and running out of water 1000ft up a 2000ft route....

Tree stand would probably be the best choice if you have never hunted before. I've only been hunting for a few months but trust me on this, stalking deer is hard! If I were you I would go to Pappy's place. I have never been there but I would love to.

mikekeswick · « **Reply #12 on:** February 17, 2012, 05:26:55 am »

I get what you guys are saying about tree stands. I have hunted pretty much all my life - just not with a bow. I'm not worried about actually getting any deer (it would be nice!), I just want to be able to go roaming with my bow! I quite often take my camera into the woods and try to get close to deer. I've got a few good shots! My best encounter was being sat, back to a tree and watching a young roe deer walk to with 10 feet of me. Eyeball to eyeball. We looked at each other for 10 minutes then it decided something wasn't right and high tailed it off.
So it's looking like July/August is going to be the best time for me. I'm looking at staying over for around 1 month. Ideally i'd like to take minimal supplies and just head out into the middle of nowhere ,don't worry i've done plenty of this sort of thing and can look after myself!
Really i'm still stuck on deciding where to go???

gstoneberg · « **Reply #13 on:** February 17, 2012, 09:12:17 am »

July./Aug is too early for deer hunting most places over here. You could hunt exotics in Texas but it will be brutally hot. Most archery deer seasons open in October, a few open in September. So. Carolina opens in mid-August but again it is very hot then. Maybe there are antelope possibilities in the west early. Those guys will have to weigh in.

I hope you have a great time. I still say it sounds like a grand adventure.

George

Pappy · « **Reply #14 on:** February 17, 2012, 09:14:52 am »

If you want to wander for days,out west is the place to go.

Plus not hunting open in most of the east in July/August.

Pappy

Primitive Archer