Any western rifle hunts in August?

[SDHNTR]

I second the New Mexico antelope, if you draw then you have a great time. If not then you can go back a little later and kill buckets of blue quail!! Win win

Is there a minimum age for big game in NM?

 

[Azone]

There's plenty of public ground on the coast side of the 110 South Unit that does not get to 100 plus degrees on a daily basis during the rifle season outhere. You might have to deal with some weirdo hippies that smoked a little too much weed from time to time but its nothing too crazy. A trip to an area where success is hard to come by makes those trips so much better when a tag is punched, it is definitely earned.
Killing crap off a corn pile in Texas would be a good way to ruin a kid in my opinion. Then it becomes too easy and kids can form a sense of entitlement thinking they deserve to kill something everytime they go out. Definitely not trying to tell you how to raise your kids, but a tough hunt is a good thing for kids in my opinion, it will build character and be a good gauge to see if the kid wants to hunt or just go somewhere to shoot something. Best of luck and hopefully you guys get some meat on the ground.

 

[Team4LongGun]

Unreal. A man wants a few ideas and it turns sideways real fast with middle school personal attacks. Some need to grow the F up.

OP-Hope you find some good ideas. My kids aren’t ready to hunt with dad yet, but we do get to watch deer in our field which is a fun time for them, and a good way to teach them about deer behavior.

 

[JNDEER]

Family vaca anytime during the kiddos summer... $$$ not an issue... plenty of game needed to make the experience super fun... HI would be my suggestion for you SD.

 

[Billy Goat]

Why not a small game hunt?

Maybe you already do. Should be more target opportunity, if need to cut the trip short it isn't a big deal with money spent on tags.

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

A youth Caribou hunt with the 40 mile herd or Nelchina herd wouldn’t be too hardcore for a 12 year old. I’m actually planning on taking the soon to be 9 year old up this August to try it out. She had been trying to get me out bird hunting the last couple months so I figure she’s ready to see the beginning process of a big game hunt. She’s already seen and helped with the processing part of it! With that being said, it can be a zoo up there and having a machine to get away from everything would really help. I do know you’re looking at a couple grand to rent a SxS for a week, plus airfare and tags might push that out of the price range you have in mind.
A benefit is that most small game opens up in August as well so you can bring a .22 to go after ptarmigan which is a great little accuracy test and it’s delicious.

 

[SDHNTR]

Family vaca anytime during the kiddos summer... $$$ not an issue... plenty of game needed to make the experience super fun... HI would be my suggestion for you SD.

Yep. I’ve hunted HI several times. Lots of fun. It’s on the radar for the kids.

 

[AK Troutbum]

There is absolutely nothing hardcore about a Aug. Brooks Range caribou hunt, other than the fact that it can get a little spendy the further out you fly. If you can afford it, IMO it’s the perfect introduction into big game hunting. Very easy hiking around, very, very target rich environment, and if you’re fortunate enough to have decent weather, it can be a very pleasant camping experience in one of the most remote places in North America. My sons first big game hunt was caribou (not the Brooks Range), when he was 10 and although we didn’t find the bull we were looking for, it was still a great intro and a very fun hunt. Since then he’s been fortunate enough to kill his first Sitka black tail buck and mountain goat on Kodiak when he was 12, first moose when he was 14, and first dall sheep when he was 15. He absolutely loves hunting and I’m sure he’ll be doing it as long as he lives, and is able to. Not everything is hardcore in Alaska, and a caribou hunt can be one of the furthest things from hardcore when it comes to hunting.


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[SDHNTR]

There is absolutely nothing hardcore about a Aug. Brooks Range caribou hunt, other than the fact that it can get a little spendy the further out you fly. If you can afford it, IMO it’s the perfect introduction into big game hunting. Very easy hiking around, very, very target rich environment, and if you’re fortunate enough to have decent weather, it can be a very pleasant camping experience in one of the most remote places in North America. My sons first big game hunt was caribou (not the Brooks Range), when he was 10 and although we didn’t find the bull we were looking for, it was still a great intro and a very fun hunt. Since then he’s been fortunate enough to kill his first Sitka black tail buck and mountain goat on Kodiak when he was 12, first moose when he was 14, and first dall sheep when he was 15. He absolutely loves hunting and I’m sure he’ll be doing it as long as he lives, and is able to. Not everything is hardcore in Alaska, and a caribou hunt can be one of the furthest things from hardcore when it comes to hunting.


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I hear ya, I’ve hunted Alaska five times. I want this to be a family affair, though and mama ain’t doing Bush planes, mosquitoes and bears. That’s a father/son hunt to do in a few years. With the girls along, I need a more comfortable and controlled setting.

 

[Milestone522]

40 years ago my father would take me and my brother on backpacking trips in the summer and on spring break. We went into the Yolla Bolly, and all thru the Sierras from Modoc to Mono up to small lakes to fish and camp. Those trips were also to teach us basic skills for cooking, fire making, gathering edibles, land nav, and game tracking with ID of tracks and scat. In the fall he would pull us out of school to hunt up in an X zone for a week long deer hunt, sometimes with friends who brought pack horses. Really a great learning experience and memories.

My suggestion would be to take the entire family on a backpack trip into the Sierras is August when it is cooler up high. Use the experience to teach your kids the outdoor skills and watch them put them to work. Go out at 0500 and hike up and glass for the practice. Get them used to looking for sign and being patient to watch for game. You can still catch some trout for dinner with the entire family if that is something that appeals to you.

But to be successful and get a chance at game in A zone there is some work involved, and unfortunately it terribly hot and dry In August. If it were me August would be a family event but also a learning event at a higher and cooler altitude. Then pull the kid out of school for a few extra days in the fall and hunt B, C, or D.

 

[Huckleberry Hound]

I hear ya, I’ve hunted Alaska five times. I want this to be a family affair, though and mama ain’t doing Bush planes, mosquitoes and bears. That’s a father/son hunt to do in a few years. With the girls along, I need a more comfortable and controlled setting.

Set up a comfortable camp near huckleberries. Let the girls pick berries near camp while the boys go out and hunt bears.

 

[SDHNTR]

40 years ago my father would take me and my brother on backpacking trips in the summer and on spring break. We went into the Yolla Bolly, and all thru the Sierras from Modoc to Mono up to small lakes to fish and camp. Those trips were also to teach us basic skills for cooking, fire making, gathering edibles, land nav, and game tracking with ID of tracks and scat. In the fall he would pull us out of school to hunt up in an X zone for a week long deer hunt, sometimes with friends who brought pack horses. Really a great learning experience and memories.

My suggestion would be to take the entire family on a backpack trip into the Sierras is August when it is cooler up high. Use the experience to teach your kids the outdoor skills and watch them put them to work. Go out at 0500 and hike up and glass for the practice. Get them used to looking for sign and being patient to watch for game. You can still catch some trout for dinner with the entire family if that is something that appeals to you.

But to be successful and get a chance at game in A zone there is some work involved, and unfortunately it terribly hot and dry In August. If it were me August would be a family event but also a learning event at a higher and cooler altitude. Then pull the kid out of school for a few extra days in the fall and hunt B, C, or D.

That’s good advice. I have similar memories. I pretty much grew up in Bridgeport and we spend a week up there every summer.

 

[Milestone522]

That’s good advice. I have similar memories. I pretty much grew up in Bridgeport and we spend a week up there every summer.

That backside of the Sierras between Bridgeport and Bishop is the closest thing to God’s country in CA, and a perfect training ground in summer for a fall hunt.

 

[lif]

Antelope seems like the obvious answer for your particular criteria. Maybe a better approach would be to do some research on your own and come up with ideas and then run the ideas by the forum for feed back. Seems like you’ve been around a little and your family has very specific criteria. Dont forget that people are taking there time to come on here and post ideas for you. No reason to get snippy. Good Luck.

 

[SDHNTR]

Snippy? I sure didn’t mean to. At least not against anyone who is genuinely offering help, rather than judgement.

I do greatly appreciate the helpful suggestions that were presented here.

 

[Downeaster]

Seems like an honest and straight forward question. Mind blowing level of D-baggery on here lately. I know a lot of seasons are over already, but get a hobby.
Sorry OP, nothing comes to mind that hasnt been mentioned already.
Best of luck.

 

[willfrye027]

When I read A zone deer I thought it was a joke. Could be the worst possible hunt to take a kid on. Poison oak, illegal pot farms, hot, thick brush, and few deer.

What about WY antelope? Depending on when school starts that would be a perfect kiddo and Mrs hunt IMO. Especially if you can find an Air BNB to stay.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

When I read A zone deer I thought it was a joke. Could be the worst possible hunt to take a kid on. Poison oak, illegal pot farms, hot, thick brush, and few deer.

Yet another one left behind... Good. Please keep thinking that that is how all 27 million acres of A zone is. Please spread the word.

 

[mooretitan]

Well I wrote something but then decided to delete it. So I will leave it at this

We often under estimate how much entertainment value kids get from just being in the mountains and spending time with us.

I also think we typical sell kids short on how much they can handle.

I am sure you will enjoy whatever hunt you decide to take them on. The last thing I would be concerned about is missing school. They will learn more about life with you than a week sitting at a desk

 

[Grundy53]

Well I wrote something but then decided to delete it. So I will leave it at this

We often under estimate how much entertainment value kids get from just being in the mountains and spending time with us.

I also think we typical sell kids short on how much they can handle.

I am sure you will enjoy whatever hunt you decide to take them on. The last thing I would be concerned about is missing school. They will learn more about life with you than a week sitting at a desk

Well said

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