Hunting Trip

[foxhunter]

Hi guys first time on this forum. I'm from Ireland and interested in taking a hunting trip to the States. What I hunt hasnt really been decided yet, just wanted to know what was out there and where ? Don't have a huge budget so really the cheaper the better.
Thanks Thomas Fox

[Wapitibill]

Hello and welcome to the Huntamerica fourm.

That's quite a question you're asking! Many books have been written describing the wide variety of hunting oppertunities available in the USA. We have everything from squirrels to moose, doves to geese. Let me answer your question by asking a few of my own. What sort of hunting are you interested in? Are you a rifleman or shotgunner? Do you want to try your hand at bowhunting? Are you interested in seeing a certain part of the US? North, South, East and West - each part of our country has its own distinct hunting culture and opportunities. A whitetailed deer hunt in the eastern US gives you one kind of experience chasing mule deer out west gives you a totally different one. I ask about interest in seeing the US because if it's deer you want to hunt there there are plenty of deer hunting (oops, stalking) opportunities available in the UK. And then there is the issue of budget. How much money and time to you plan on spending? There's a wide variety of game that can be hunted for next to nothing - varmints, predators and hogs. Or you can spend $20,000+ to shoot a trophy elk. You can hunt on your own or go with a guide.

The possibilities are endless.

If you can give us a better idea of what sort of hunt you'd like to do I'm sure somebody here will be able to give you some suggestions and directions.

[foxhunter]

Thanks for the reply. I have plenty of deer stalking her in IRELAND ( we are not in the UK :cool1: ) I would be more interested in some cheaper varmint huntin. Have plenty of experiance with rifles, unfortrunately our retarded government limits us to nothing bigger than .308/7.62, I use a 6.5x55 myself. I really wanted to see a bit of america and hopefully kill something while Im over there :wink:
If someone was willing to help me out with a trip over there id be glad to return the favour here where we have red, fallow, sika stalking, plenty of foxes, and hunting rabbits with lurchers 1
Cheers Thomas

[GF.]

Maybe you should plan a tour around coyotes - you can find people wanting to be rid of them everywhere you find them, so that probably narrows it down to elevations between sea level and 13,000 feet or so within the lower 48 and Alaska. Not that rifles are necessarily permitted everywhere in the US, but even the states with a shotgun mandate for deer hunting will often allow centerfire rifles for varmints....

You'll rarely (if ever) run up against a closed season on them and there are probably as many ways to hunt coyotes as you can imagine; some will call them in; others might use a road-killed deer carcass as an impromptu baiting station; some run them with dogs on foot, others follow the hounds on horseback - whether they're riding 'western' on cow ponies or English style on blue-blooded jumpers, -and still others will use dogs as decoys, using the coyotes' territorial and predatory instincts to reel them in.

If you'll be shooting them, your Swede is close to perfect; I don't think a coyote round gets much better than a light-weight 6.5 bullet pushed a bit past the 3,000 fps mark. And if you can find someone to host you for free, there are probably a good number of guide/outfitting services willing to take clients fairly inexpensively just to provide some income outside of the big game seasons.

Though, come to think of it.... If a coyote hunt isn't what you had in mind, you could always restrict yourself to the southern half of the US and shoot a truckload of feral pigs.

[LeeInSC]

For something quite different than stalking deer in the hills of Ireland, but not expensive....

1. Black bear hunt in Maine, Virginia or North Carolina.
2. Wild turkey hunt in South Carolina or Alabama
3. Wild hog hunt in the cypress swamps or mountains of South Carolina or the hills of middle Tennessee behind dogs.
4. Public land pronghorn hunt in Wyoming or South Dakota. Throw in some prairie dog shooting and some pheasant and chukar wingshooting.

[foxhunter]

Thanks again for the replies.
GF - coyote definitely sounds interseting, friend of mine was in Cheyenne few years back hunting them with dogs, looked like o fun place to be. Also feral pigs sounds just up my street, like I said I wanna see some of america and kill something, after that I'n not fussy:wink:

Lee-InSC - How expensive is not expensive....? they all sound like something i'd love to do so please fill me in...?

Thanks again Thomas Fox

[LeeInSC]

I have mostly hunted black bear, pronghorn and turkey without guides, but I do know what a lot of the lodges charge, and I have hunted on or near some of them.

Black bear in Maine is going to be probably $1,600 to $2,000 hunting from a lodge with meals and a guide for 5 or six days.
http://www.maineguides.org/

Hunting in North Carolina could be less expensive, because it is not as well-known. The eastern coastal swamps are usually by dog, and have huge bears. The mountains have lots of bears, also big. $1,000 for 3 days, to $1,600 for 5 days would probably get you a good guide. Bear hunts in the East and South, and Midwest, are in the fall. A bear hunt in Western NC would put you close to some real wild boar hunting in the mountains of NC, SC and Tennessee. The ones in NC and SC have more of the original German boar genetics from the ones stocked there in the 1880s on fenced estates.

Some states in the North and West have a fall turkey season, but in the South, it is a Spring season. $300 a day in South Carolina or Florida, to $450 in Alabama. The key is to get in on the first of the season, where the turkeys are plentiful, and a good guide will call one up the first day. Better to pay $500 or so for that than $1,000 for 3 days, unless you just like the experience. I would recommend South Carolina, South Georgia, and Florida for turkey.

If you are going to do a Spring turkey hunt, you might be able to couple it with a plane ride to the West for a spot and stalk spring bear hunt. If you want more information, I know a lot of people who have hunted with guides for all the above in those states.

You would need an American hunting partner to help you hunt public land for pronghorn antelope, so a reasonable guided hunt in South Dakota or Wyoming is probably a better idea. Some who have hunted out there recently could point you to good areas and guides.

[foxhunter]

I must say the pronghorn with praire dogs thrown in definitely sounds appealing :wink: As much as I'd love to go bear hunting, not sure how the budget would stretch at the moment, but you never know !! How does it work for visitors coming over to shoot in the states ...?

[LeeInSC]

I am not sure what you are asking about with, "How does it work for visitors coming over to shoot in the States?"
You can bring your rifle, and 6.5x55mm would have a range of light handloads that would work well for prairie dogs.

Another possibility would be a hunt on a large ranch in west Texas, which has mule deer, pronghorn, Barbary Sheep, and lots of coyotes and bobcats. You could shoot several bobcats and coyotes, with a guide calling them in for you.

Look at the other forums here on the West, like the ones on Pronghorns and Mule Deer, and put a question in there, maybe directing them back to this thread.

[foxhunter]

What I meant by how does it work in the states was what is the process involved for me to bring a rifle into the country and hunt with it there ? Or would it be simpler to find somewhere that provides me with one ...? Will post my question on the other forum like you suggested,

Many thanks, Thomas Fox

[GF.]

I think you'll find that it's ridiculously easy (by European standards) to bring your rifle to the states, and you may well have a harder time getting it back into Ireland. I've never attempted it going either way, but unless your equipment looks so brand new that they think you're planning to sell it while you're here, I'd wager that US Customs will ask you if it's loaded and send you on your way.

Probably your best bet is to first figure out what time of year you can arrange to be here, as that is going to drive your options for which species you can hunt and where. Then, depending on budget and - more importantly - how comfortable you are in the field under the weather conditions you can expect, you could elect to go guided, 'outfitted', or self-propelled. We've got a lot of great country here, but a lot of it will kill you if you're not sure what you're getting into...

And as Lee mentioned - beyond nuisance hogs, coyotes and prairie dogs, there are a lot of operations which have year-round opportunities on exotics, and some of the larger ones in TX might actually feel like honest hunting, if you can afford it. (Unfortunately, we also have plenty of sorry b@stards who will cheerfully take your money and allow you to shoot an animal in what amounts to a slightly glorified petting zoo).


BTW, Lee...


The ones in NC and SC have more of the original German boar genetics from the ones stocked there in the 1880s on fenced estates.

Fenced? Yeah, riiiiiiiiiiiiiight - that'll stop 'em! :rofl:

[foxhunter]

Cheers GF

I'm sure you're right about it being easier than the EU, here we have a European Firearms Pass, Which you would imagine would allow you to travel in the EU unhindered ??? No bloody way !! Each country has its own different licencing system, Ireland being one of the most retrictive thanks to the IRA !! The EFC by itself is a useless bit of paper, but something all countries require you have before they issue you with a visitors Licence. I think France is the only one that takes it on it's merit !! Even our own Guards ( Irish Cops ) are ignorant to the extreme, my local " firearms officer" asked me when applying for my 6.5x55 " would that be bigger than a .22 then? "
I hve too much hassle a airports so I'm very wary at traveling with guns as you might imagine.

I havnt decided on a time of year yet as I have no idea when your different seasons open or close ?! Not to pushed about big trophy animals, just wanna see bit of the US, meet some likeminded folks and kill something I havnt shot before !! So if you know of somewhere to start looking for varmint hunting any help would be great !!

Thanks again, Thomas Fox

[GF.]

On seasons...

That all depends on where you go and what you want to hunt with. You can hunt one variety of deer or another (from whitetails to moose) at any time between the last weekend in August and the end of January, generally earlier in the north/at higher elevations and later in the south, all due to breeding habits; high-country Elk rut in September, southern whitetails in January. Typically, though, there are relatively few modern firearms seasons opening before 1 Nov. The exceptions would be the high elevation states where Elk & mule deer seasons start in October, before the animals migrate out of the high country.

Many states time their deer/Elk & bear seasons together, especially those in which baiting and/or hound hunting have been outlawed; mountain lion seasons tend to be after deer & Elk seasons have closed so that the hounds don't interfere with hunting the herbivores, so that makes for a lot of cold & snow. An exception might be Texas, where (last I knew) mountain lions (aka puma, cougar, catamount, painter) were on the unprotected 'varmint' list.

So those are the prime months in the US, apart from varmints & exotics...

[foxhunter]

Thanks GF, all very useful information. As for varmints, do they have an all year open season like we do here is it closed...?

[GF.]

That will vary by species, of course, but I believe feral hogs are unprotected everywhere that they occur. Coyotes as a rule are open year-round, but some exceptions may apply, particularly during pupping season or spring turkey hunts, as a well-camo'd turkey hunter can get killed that way.

Woodchucks (aka ground hogs) and some of our prairie dogs - the white-tailed variety which occurs at higher elevations - are hibernators, so you'd need to do some homework on before making plans for prairie dogs, especially.

And any marketable furbearers are going to be protected, with licenses required as well as seasons and limits.

And that pretty well exhausts my knowledge on all of that - you might check in via our varmint hunting page, though....

[Sidekick]

I'll agree with everything GF told you. Most of your hunting opportunities will be in the fall or early winter. And if you're used to really restrictive laws and rules on firearms and hunting, well...the US will blow your mind. There are places here where you can buy a tank of gas, a few groceries, maybe a haircut and almost anything that goes "boom". All under the same roof.

[foxhunter]

Sidekick - Don't make me jealous m!! you wouldn't believe the hassle we have to go through just to get a shotgun and a .22 - "Sure what would ya be needing two guns for ?" has been heard many a time:banghead: We even have to registered to buy tanks of acetyline or even oxygen as they are considered projectiles by our bloody government, who are now in partnership with the Green Party (Antis) who are trying there best to ban all our fun sports !! Not good times !!

GF - Thank you very much for your insight, you've been a fountain of good knowledge and have definitely set me up on the right path !!

Thanks again Thomas Fox

[Sidekick]

You should visit a gunshow. Not a lot of (or any) paperwork unless you're buying new and all kinds of horsetrading in the aisles and parking lot. If you aren't interested in a trophy or meat then a varmint hunt is probably what you are looking for. Although I can't help but think a spring turkey hunt might be worthwhile too. You could at least eat it. And while busting coyotes is fun a 24 pound bird full of lust and anger makes for a pretty good morning. And they are fairly plentiful in most states. Most seasons are in April and May.

[foxhunter]

I've seen videos of turkey hunts on the net, not sure if its my cup of tea, it all seems too easy, bit like shooting fish in a barrel !! Or maybe it's just no-one posts the videos where they dont get anthing ? but I'm willing to try anything....?

[GF.]

I'll agree with everything GF told you. Most of your hunting opportunities will be in the fall or early winter. And if you're used to really restrictive laws and rules on firearms and hunting, well...the US will blow your mind. There are places here where you can buy a tank of gas, a few groceries, maybe a haircut and almost anything that goes "boom". All under the same roof.


You forgot beer and live bait :D

[GF.]

I've seen videos of turkey hunts on the net, not sure if its my cup of tea, it all seems too easy, bit like shooting fish in a barrel !! Or maybe it's just no-one posts the videos where they dont get anthing ? but I'm willing to try anything....?

But you do realize that watching 'hunting' videos to see what hunting is like is about on par with watching low-budget pornography to learn great tactics for meeting intelligent women....

Step 1: Get a job as pizza delivery guy.
Step 2: Cultivate a massive crop of acne.
Step 3: Arrive in a rusted out AMC Gremlin with duct tape for a bumper
Step 4: Ring bell......

[Sidekick]

Occasionally turkey hunting will seem ridiculously easy (every hunt has days like that) but I think you'll find the opposite to be true.

Beer and bait. Yeah I suppose if you can buy gas and groceries, get a trim and pick up another shotgun beer and bait isn't out of the question. Actually I think it's required. I bought my last rifle sitting in a barbers chair.

[LeeInSC]

I agree with buyng a used rifle, using it, and selling it before you leave.
Plan B would be to do a hunt swap with someone here, and use their rifles here.
Then they come to Ireland and use your rifle or bring theirs.

As for turkey hunting looking easy, the TV info-mmercials make a 10-day mountain goat archery hunt in British Columbia look easy, when they cut it to 15 minutes of hunt, 5 minutes of talk, and 10 minutes of sponsors and endorsements for the outfitter, firearms, ammunition, gear, trucks, airlines, etc.

[foxhunter]

Plan B would definitely be what I was hoping for, like I said I'm not looking for big trophy kills, just wana see bit of States and shoot something different !! So if anyone is interested please let me know ?!

I'm sure turkey hunting isnt as easy as it seems, mind you this mornig as I was locking the gate behind me into my stalking ground a doe popped out grazing the lane 100 yds away. Quick shot off the sticks and I'm driving back out the gate a happy man having only just come in 15 mins earlier !! doesnt get much easier than that !!

[postoak]

Isn't there a 3 day waiting period for purchasing a rifle?

[Bushman]

Not in WI. Maybe three minutes of paper work when I picked up my Cooper shipped in to Gander Mountain. Less than that when I bought my M99 Savage at a gun show. Pistols have a few days waiting time, but not long guns that I know of here.

[GF.]

Reminds me of when all you needed to buy a handgun over the counter in WY was a Wyoming driver's license, which would've taken me all of 15 minutes to go and get...

I was checking out a Ruger SP in the local sporting goods shop one afternoon, and there was a lovely lady from the UK who wandered in and was visibly freaked out at seeing 'some guy' - me, looking ever so sinister, as usual - standing there passing pistols back an forth across the counter. The counter of course, was just the glass top of a display case with a dozen or more other choices.... First she asked him what was required in order to purchase one, and she actually pulled out her video camera and asked the clerk to repeat what he had just told her so she could get it on tape. Wanted to show her friends back home just how 'crazy' things were out there in the Wild, Wild West, I suppose.

Never mind that the crime rate was no doubt a lot higher in London than Laramie, of course.....

CT - 20-some years later - is a lot more uptight, of course, but if you have a hunting license, you can walk in and walk out with a long gun, or wait 2-3 weeks without the license. Not surprisingly, you can always buy a hunting license right over the counter there at the gun shop..... at least if you have a hunter ed. cert. The only catch is that you can't take it out of the shop without a lock on the trigger.... :banghead:

I have no idea how long they tie things up on a handgun purchase - 3 weeks at least, I'd imagine - unless you gave a concealed carry permit, of course... Then they just write down your number and you can stick it in your waistband and walk out. More people here have CCW permits than in most states, because you must have one if you want to take your piece off of your own property - even just to the range for a practice session - and 'your own property may even mean only inside your home....

Anyway, I guess on the whole our gun laws are such a patchwork system that I'm sure some folks would happily take one set of slightly tighter regulations in exchange for the box o' chocolates we have now.....

[Sidekick]

Missouri is pretty lax compared to some of you. Walk in and buy whatever you want. Do the instant check over the phone and walk out. Your vehicle is considered an extension of your home and you are allowed to carry concealed and use deadly force to protect yourself there the same as your home. You are also protected from lawsuits. It's called the Castle Doctrine and it's a good thing.

No duty to retreat if in the home. Extends to any building, inhabitable structure, or conveyance of any kind, whether the building, inhabitable structure, or conveyance is temporary or permanent, mobile or immobile (e.g., a camper, RV or mobile home), which has a roof over it, including a tent, and is designed to be occupied by people lodging therein at night, whether the person is residing there temporarily, permanently or visiting (e.g., a hotel or motel), and any vehicle. The defense against civil suits is absolute and includes the award of attorney's fees, court costs, and all reasonable expenses incurred by the defendant in defense of any civil action brought by a plaintiff.)

http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutes/C500-599/5630000031.HTM

[GF.]

Damn..... How's your crime rate down there?


I haven't looked into it specifically, but I'm pretty certain that our 'on your own property' would never extend the way yours does, considering I've seen people written up on 'weapons' violations when cops have found items like baseball bats, axe handles, pocket knives, air pistols and so forth in the car during a traffic stop. A buddy of mine works part-time as a cop in NJ and he told me that a good-sized (1.75" diameter X 3 feet) hunk of bamboo was prosecutable as a 'weapon' on his side of the Hudson. I don't know what the laws in NYC look like, but I sure don't wanna find out the hard way....

I tell ya, though, after the headcase I ran into yesterday on my drive in, I'm more ready than ever to take that pistol class....

[Sidekick]

I don't know about the crime rate but when you consider that anyone who can legally own a firearm and drive can carry loaded in their vehicle without a permit, well....It behooves you to knock first. A city near here had a spat of home invasions recently. Until they broke into the wrong house. One intruder was killed and the other seriously wounded. The homeowner wasn't charged and the invasions stopped that day.