Fly or drive?

[CMF]

We're taking the full two weeks off to have the weekends to make the 30 hr drive from MS. It will give us 10 days to hunt. If I only had 10-12 days, I'd definitely look at flying. We've made 17-25hr trips to NM and CO, but we're going to plan a night of rest on the way to MT.
We set up our expedition with a spot in the back to sleep and switch out drivers.

 

[eshunt]

Fly if you are in need of time. I have had great experiences with both Southwest and Alaska Airlines when flying for hunts. I have flown back east for a 4-day whitetail hunt and brought back several coolers of meat. Also flown down to Tucson several times for Jan archery hunts. And the biggest one was a trip up to AK for moose and caribou. We paid the extra luggage fees and brought home 450lbs of meat along with all of our gear for three weeks on a river in AK. We filled up the entire back of F150 with all the boxes of meat and bags of gear and antlers. It was pretty comical to see us arriving at the airport in Fairbanks. All in all, flying is very doable.

But I will admit that I usually drive to most of my elk hunts. I do like having a few extra camp comforts along for the elk hunts. And my drive up to MT this Fall will probably be about 15-16hrs.

 

[Spence14]

I've flown the last few years from VA to my western hunting destination. A buddy's bag got lost once, and southwest paid for him to go to cabelas and replace the stuff he lost.

I've also reserved a car for the ride back in case our kills were too much to carry back on the plane. Hotwire has free cancellations on rental cars.

 

[Next Ridge]

You should probably have this plan before you apply...

 

[hutty]

Congrats on the tag ! I live in Maryland and have been doing Wyoming over the course of the last 5 years. Have done both fly and drive (drive takes us 26-30 hours). Are you hunting DIY or with a guide? How much gear do you need to bring?

The drive is a GRIND and knocks you a bit. Usually took any of us a full day to get our bearings straight after all that time on the road. When doing DIY we have driven.

Two years ago did archery elk hunt (with a guide) and flew. Was a joy to save all that time, wear and tear. Get off the plane, drive to camp, and start hunting the next day without being wiped out. Didn't have any issues with airline. Have had breakdowns with vehicles on the ride out in the past.

 

[Mdfowlman2]

You should probably have this plan before you apply...

Why’s that? Does not having exact travel plans change anything? Does it mean my tag will go to waste? Not exactly sure why one would need to have travel figured out 5 months in advance before even drawing the tag!!
But thanks for the Help!!

 

[kipper09]

I’m with a couple of the other guys here. I usually fly out to save time and it’s easier. Haven’t had much issue losing gear so I been lucky I guess. I always rent a vehicle and when I do kill I just drive home. 20-30 hours coming home with an elk isn’t too bad in my experiences. If I’m not successful I just fly back home. Totally my preference but I’ve done it several times from Wv to various states in the west.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Spence14]

I’m with a couple of the other guys here. I usually fly out to save time and it’s easier. Haven’t had much issue losing gear so I been lucky I guess. I always rent a vehicle and when I do kill I just drive home. 20-30 hours coming home with an elk isn’t too bad in my experiences. If I’m not successful I just fly back home. Totally my preference but I’ve done it several times from Wv to various states in the west.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same here!

 

[Next Ridge]

Why’s that? Does not having exact travel plans change anything? Does it mean my tag will go to waste? Not exactly sure why one would need to have travel figured out 5 months in advance before even drawing the tag!!
But thanks for the Help!!

The pros vs cons of flying vs driving dont really change and are well discussed. Apply without a plan if you choose...

 

[Mdfowlman2]

The pros vs cons of flying vs driving dont really change and are well discussed. Apply without a plan if you choose...

Again not sure what your point is. I have 5 months to formulate a plan, doesn’t change anything at this point.
I assume you have every detail of every trip for every tag you apply for done prior to applying. Your a hero to all

 

[Clovis]

I have had really good luck flying from the east coast to Montana to hunt. Wake up early in New York, camped a couple miles back in Montana wilderness that afternoon local time. You have to be a bit more disciplined about packing and have a plan for picking up your bear spray, stove canisters or anything else you can't fly with, but all in all a good experience multiple times. Add in the travel costs and wear on your vehicle and the marginal cost of flying can start to look pretty good. Never had any issue flying with weapons/odd gear. Feels great to have a loaded backpack and gun/bow case come out of cargo at the destination, grab a rental and go.

 

[Steve from GA]

Again not sure what your point is. I have 5 months to formulate a plan, doesn’t change anything at this point.

Gotta agree with you. Life is short. If you know you have a fair amount of flexibility, then draw first, and work out the details later. If you waited to have all of your details worked out ahead of time, you may never draw a tag.

 

[HalfmanB]

I make the drive yearly from Michigan. Little shorter drive for us for sure but still around 28 hours. I think it makes things a lot easier. I’ve had buddy’s who flew and about pooped their pants when it was time to figure out how to get meat home. Luckily we drove out the following week and brought it for him lol. Drive sucks but gives you freedom I think.

 

[elkyinzer]

My thought generally is drive if it will not cut into hunting days or logistics too severly. With work and a family the hunting time takes a big hit dedicating 3-4 days just to get there and back. I've done both and the drive sucks. Flying is a logistics pain and more expensive usually. Another option is to fly out and drive a rental home if successful, that is generally my plan moving forward until I have the luxury of taking 3 or 4 weeks to make the trip.

 

[Jacack]

I go solo yearly from south fl, drive every time. Bring more than I need and no worries about getting meat home.

I have flown on alot of hunts too but not diy where you need lots of gear.

Flew to hunt in Oregon once and my gun and clothes got to the airport the day I was leaving for home 4 days after I arrived. total pain in the ass. Bought some gear from a store and borrowed a gun from navy buddy 2hrs away

 

[Blackstorm]

I do the drive out west for hunting at least twice a year and have for many years and I prefer it over flying. I love the convenience of having exactly what I need, exactly when I need it, especially our weapons. I hunt both big game and upland and my plans always have a freezer/ cooler in the truck for bringing back game. For upland I travel with a custom 6 hole trailer that has a lot of extra storage and is a breeze to pull. I have done the trip with the dogs without the trailer but they take up too much space under the cap. last years trip to Colorado was very unique in that we tagged 5 elk and needed two freezers and a couple roto molded coolers to bring it all back, plus fit a couple racks under the cap. Driving for most of the trip was uneventful until we hit Wyoming and the winds pushed us around pretty good. I also judge AKC Field Trials for the AKC and the CKC around this country and Canada, again I prefer to drive, there is so much to see and experience, that just can't happen when you fly. I have a lot of miles on the current rig, and I'm thinking of getting another one but the current one has been almost perfect for long drives for the last 9 years.

 

[cgasner1]

How are you planning on hunting if it’s back pack I’d probably fly if your running a base camp I’d drive and bring everything you’d ever want for comfort and throw a couple chest freezers in drive him with no worries of spoiling meat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[digger]

Drive,,,see this country. At the end of the year you won’t notice a couple days lost work.2 days driving are always gonna 2 days on a hunting adventure.
Drive

 

[Elkhntr08]

To add to my response, guess it’s really up to you. I’ve never been eaten by a shark and never had my luggage lost. Wife did and I’d rather faced the shark. Have a new suitcase destroyed on a return trip, packing clothes in a plastic bag at the airport.
Wife is a travel agent now and I can tell you that airlines are FUBAR right now. I flew out of Indy to Pittsburgh for training a couple years ago. With all the delays, the flight saved me 20 minutes over driving and that was lost at the car rental desk. It much worse now.
I still prefer driving. Beg and plead for a extra day or two off.
Good luck, be safe and above all, have fun.

 

[dhoshauer]

If you like to eat elk meat , already have a 4x4 truck that can take on all the rough roads ect, and want no hassles with getting your horns/cape home, I would drive. I drive 34hrs the last 2 years. It's really nice to have some extra gear and the ability to get around rough 4x4 roads with your own vehicle. Also I love elk meat. Flying might save you a day... you will still have to quit hunting and drive to the airport in time for your flight ect. That means u won't be packing an elk out the day before most likely. I have drove and flown to elk hunt. I prefer the drive