Barriers for new hunters? (Poll)

[Tl15]

Pretty much exactly how i was going to respond.

Even that is not that simple or cheap for a non-local hunter. For example, say I want to hunt Montana. Round trip from Texas to Billings for one is around $700. Now you add another say, $400-600 depending on what you take to fly rifle and gear and you’re already at $1,100-1,300 just to show up. Now I need the truck/jeep at what, about $80/day? So there is another $500. If I’m successful, I need to get that meat back home, so there’s another what, $400-500. Just a guess, never had to but sounds reasonable. Gotta get the rack back and that’s not a carry on item, so there’s more money. Add provisions and there’s no way I’m out for under $2,500 and more realistically $3k. Point being, in SOME of our situations, even a bare bones hunt isn’t exactly cheap, or easy to put together unless you know a local.

 

[Tl15]

I don’t want the community expanded.
It’s already hard enough to get access and tags.

I can understand that. I get pissed at people bringing all their friends to the ranches around me and shooting everything that walks, but Texas is a private land state and you pretty much just have to accept it. But, it’s still the wrong point of view in my opinion.

 

[Lytro]

Even that is not that simple or cheap for a non-local hunter. For example, say I want to hunt Montana. Round trip from Texas to Billings for one is around $700. Now you add another say, $400-600 depending on what you take to fly rifle and gear and you’re already at $1,100-1,300 just to show up. Now I need the truck/jeep at what, about $80/day? So there is another $500. If I’m successful, I need to get that meat back home, so there’s another what, $400-500. Just a guess, never had to but sounds reasonable. Gotta get the rack back and that’s not a carry on item, so there’s more money. Add provisions and there’s no way I’m out for under $2,500 and more realistically $3k. Point being, in SOME of our situations, even a bare bones hunt isn’t exactly cheap, or easy.

This is basically a fabricated excuse based on assumptions. $600 for baggage? $500 to get meat home?

You could find a way to do it for a lot less. For example, picking a different location would be an easy way to do that. Not going solo and driving cuts the cost significantly.

 

[Tl15]

Seems there might be a few states closer than montana. Also with 2 or 3 guys splitting the cost of gas, whats it cost to drive out there?

I’ve been trying to get a group together for years, it’s 100% the way to go. Unfortunately, the guys I know that would love to go are oilfield, and it’s been way slow in the Eagle Ford for a while now and money is tight for a lot of folks. Damn government for you, but that’s a whole different can of worms…

 

[Tl15]

This is basically a fabricated excuse based on assumptions. $600 for baggage? $500 to get meat home?

You could find a way to do it for a lot less. For example, picking a different location would be an easy way to do that. Not going solo and driving cuts the cost significantly.

Well, tell me what it actually costs then. I legit joined this community to learn.

 

[Lytro]

Well, tell me what it actually costs then. I legit joined this community to learn.

I'm not a travel agent. You'll have to do your own research on that if you're actually interested in going and for some reason need to fly.

Why wouldn't you just drive though? It eliminates every expense you mentioned. CO is a guaranteed tag and a hell of a lot closer to you than MT. NM is even closer if you get lucky enough in the draw. You could do a western hunt every year for less than $1,500 if you planned it right.

 

[Jethro]

Well, tell me what it actually costs then. I legit joined this community to learn.

Get lucky in NM draw $100
Gas from TX and back $300
Tag $800
Camp on NF land $0
Or find 1 other person and splurge on an airbnb $2,000. Split gas and lodging fees.
Tack on $400 for incidentals and either scenario you're still under $2500.

Little more to drive to CO or WY but not much $ difference.

 

[SDHNTR]

That’s the heart of my dilemma as a Texan that dreams of a great elk hunt. Where do I get one of these mentors? Then there are tag draws that limit access. Sure, you can get OTC tags in some places, but what if your mentor doesn’t hunt there? You’re kinda screwed at that point. Like I said, realistically, unless you’re, “from ‘round here.” as we’d say here, it’s just not really practical. That’s how we ended up with the canned hunt industry. For most of us, we’ll get there once, maybe twice in our lives if you’re relying on a draw. It’s human nature to want to walk away with a filled tag.

It sucks, but that’s just how my personal calculus comes up. I could be wrong, and if I am, I’d love to be shown an alternative so I don’t have to wait until I’m 55 to finally get there.

You don’t need a mentor. You need desire, a pair of boots and a pair of… get after it.

 

[wapitibob]

Load up the truck, bring a buddy, OTC unit, throw a dart at the map and go have an adventure. You dont need to hike 18 miles back into the brush to kill an animal.

Worse case scenario, you are going to see some neat country and have a good time. Maybe you only kill a 12 pack or maybe a grouse. Who cares. At least you got your feet wet, and will have a better idea on what to do next time.

^^^ this right here
This is exactly how me and some friends did it 50 years ago in our home state. Grab a buddy and get out there. As mentioned, no need to back pack in 5 miles, hunt from the truck, be mobile, and have fun.

 

[COLD SMOKE]

I’m an adult hunter who is learning

Woodsmanship and marksmanship.

I hunt a popular OTC in my state, use older outdated gear and enjoy hunting my units. There’s tons to learn & lots of easily achievable milestones and goals.

i think think id like to have better gear, and access to better terrain..

Then a realize I can hunt resident black tails, migratory mulies, black bears, up to 5 turkeys a year and have decent access to mtns, ocean and freshwater.

easily can hunt/fish year round.
The limiting factor is time and $

Also I enjoy a lot of activities, hunting is just one of them, parsing out how much time I want to spend hunting (vs family, fishing, biking, boating, sports, or doing domestic projects is real )

If I just devoted all my energy and free $ to hunting I could pay for semi guided hunts in other states or private land ,buy new rifles, newer bows, high end optics and so on. I’m okay with being diversified with my interests though.

 

[Tl15]

Get lucky in NM draw $100
Gas from TX and back $300
Tag $800
Camp on NF land $0
Or find 1 other person and splurge on an airbnb $2,000. Split gas and lodging fees.
Tack on $400 for incidentals and either scenario you're still under $2500.

Little more to drive to CO or WY but not much $ difference.

I looked at New Mexico a couple of years ago when I met a guy at work from NM that told me about hunting there. I just really don’t know anything about the country and units. We’ve also got a wild elk population here in Texas, but most of the range is private from what I understand. It does seem like it’s a lot more financially do-able than I thought.

 

[Ehunter]

I think one of things is understanding the regs and point systems. It's doable by calling the departments. In Oregon the regs can be tough to fully understand. It helps to have mentors. It helps to know someone who has hunted out state as well.

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

This may shock you, but not everyone lives in the West.

And, I don't mean that as snarky as it sounds.

But… the thread says “out west”

 

[FairWeatherFisher]

I should have added: and so the underlying reason for what’s stopping them has more to do with the question as to why are they doing it in the first place.

I’m one of these new adult hunters, and I quite agree with you in that the “why?” really is a sticking point for me. Why does everyone want to hunt “the west”?

I have no idea why people fetishize this “western” hunting so much, especially elk. Why is it held in any higher regard than hunting whitetail by sitting in a tree stand in NY, or shooting hogs from a ground blind in TX? It just seems like a weird ego thing to me. I also think it’s odd how when people talk about “western” hunting they’re not even talking about the west coast. Maybe that’s just because I’m in Oregon, but when I see stuff about western hunting it’s not reflective at all of the hunting I do & see in western Oregon.

I don’t know much about anything, but it seems to me one should master hunting their own “backyard” first and foremost before looking to anywhere else. That’s why I don’t get into “western” hunting, to answer the OP’s question, it has no practical purpose in my life.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I voted other.

Just like everything else now days there's a problem with lack of initiative. If somebody wants to pick up hunting all it takes is a little initiative. Lots of people say they want to do all sorts of things and never bother to try.

 

[elkyinzer]

Non-hunters becoming hunters? I've mentored a few cityfolk so I can speak pretty clearly to this one.

Lack of woodsmanship is a huge struggle and most just lack the time to properly get knocked around to learn from experience. Those I've taken on with some level of baseline woodsmanship/outdoorsyness (hikers, fisherman, etc) have historically done pretty well. Those with no baseline woodsmanship whatsoever, good luck. That's a real project.

Dedicating time to hunt not realizing you need to dedicate like 2-10x that amount just to scout and learn habitats and animal behavior. A couple of my mentees have expected me to be their guide for life and do their legwork and they be triggerman. That kind of hunting doesn't fly with me.

Also along the lines of not having reasonable expectations which I blame the media, social and otherwise, a lot for. Oh yeah, free range organic meat is everywhere for the taking, you just have to go get it. Sure, buddy!

Location, location, location. Those with access to cherry spots usually do stumble into some success sooner or later. Those that have to do the public grind usually give up.

 

[Gobbler36]

I said other
i believe out west its success, with overcrowding and ever decreasing lower success trying to keep a 10 year interested in hiking their ass off and seeing very little game is getting harder to do. With young hunters success and seeing game is a huge aspect i believe in keeping them interested

 

[Lytro]

Why is it held in any higher regard than hunting whitetail by sitting in a tree stand in NY, or shooting hogs from a ground blind in TX? I

Growing up where whitetail hunting was basically the only big game option, I think it's the most monotonous and boring hunting there is. Even more so on landscapes that are so dense in vegetation that the only realistic hunting option is sitting in a tree stand or ground blind.

Imagine sitting on your ass every year just waiting for a whitetail to come within range on a 40 acre section of hardwoods or cedar swamp. Or even worse, in a blind in front of a feeder, There's no adventure in either of those scenarios. I've been fortunate to live in the west for the past 10 years, and there's no way I could ever go back to stand hunting for whitetails.

 

[vanhoorn]

I agree with Lytto’s point. I currently live in Wisconsin and my primary big game experience to date is Whitetail hunting. Although I enjoy it, success is primarily driven by luck and not as engaging as my western hunt experiences. After my first western hunt experience, I kind of lost a taste for stand based hunting although I’ve gotten back into it after sitting out a year or 2.

 

[Oakman]

When we started white tail hunt in Michigan, my kids used to ruin the hunt because they are fed up with the waiting game, then nagging on and on to do stealth walk and hunt as we go, it was fun and 30% of the time successful, I hate to say that. now they wanna go west for an elk hunt because of ll the excitement and no wait and see.
I agree with Lytro & Vanhoorn. whitetail hunt is predictable, I know where they are, I know what tree to climb, even if i dont feel like climbing, there is always a place to sit and wait.
We'll see what the western hunt brings to the table.