question for travelled hunters: where would you start if…

[Sierra Hunter]

It's also the last expedition style hunt in the world that I'm aware of. You have an entourage of guides (sherpas), porters, cooks, pack horses, etc trekking you through the mountains, You're trekking and not riding horses. We did about 15 miles and 3 passes in one day. You spend time in Katmandu. You get flown in a helicopter from Katmandu and see amazing sites that you couldn't see otherwise. It's a true adventure.

Exactly. It would be a step into the past. I don’t think there’s anything else close. I did the Tajik ibex and that was incredible but this has to be a whole other level.

 

[Newk]

Go buy some real estate.

my brother and I always talk about going in on some Iowa white tail land… they ain’t making any more of it!

 

[Goodelife]

Hi all,

Question: where would you start in terms of international, as well as domestic hunts, if you were in your early 20s? Given the following.

- unfortunately my mom passed last year and left me with some money, and i know that she’d want me to use some on a hunt
- i am physically very fit, scholarship athlete. zero physical limitations in terms of hunts id feel comfortable doing. limitations would be my shooting skills lol but i guess id have some time to dial in

I’m looking to book a big hunt for the next say 2-4 years. I want to do something, for lack of a better term, really f-ing cool.

Guess I’m just asking some more experienced hunters what their favorite trips or guided hunts have been, and where’d they start if they got to do it all again. (I’m not looking for financial advice, so please respect that)

Africa for sure

 

[Nickziegler]

my brother and I always talk about going in on some Iowa white tail land… they ain’t making any more of it!

Thats not a bad idea. Or buy something closer to home you can really enjoy. My wife and I have been looking for land for a few year and when we buy my out of state hunts will most likely end and ill focus on our property. My brother bought a very nice 4 seasons cabin 900sq ft with 40 acres in northern WI right before covid. That land has tripled in price. However I think you really do need to experience other places. The world is full of beauty. Go to the mountain into places where you have to ask yourself "what the hell am i doing here" and when your done say you will never do something like that again just to try to get back to it a few months later.

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[BCDJR]

Here’s my 2 cents. I’ve hunted in 6 countries and shot Marco Polo and 5 other sheep. Done Africa and New Zealand which have been mentioned here. Did the moose and grizzly in Alaska, goats and stone sheep in BC. Western US game. Been at it for 40 years. At this point in your life you are young and strong so as some others have mentioned you can do a lot of these hunts later in life as they are not tough. My suggestion is to book a backcountry hunt. Chose a good outfitter with a good pack string of mules and horses and an excellent reputation. In addition to having fun you will learn a lot, see alot of country and will ramp up your hunting experience. Book this type of trip and you also will need to do some physical training and brush up on basic survival and navigation skills. You can do this in a lot of states, BC and Alaska. As you get older you will want better creature comforts and you can do Africa or NZ. In all my back country hunts I learned something that helped me later.

 

[Brejas]

I grew up bowhunting whitetail in the northeast and didn't go on my first big hunt until 2021, which was an Alaskan moose hunt. Totally opened my eyes to the adventure and joy and possibilities available. Personally, I really enjoy longer, remote experiences in the wildest places, and that's where I'd steer you while you're young and fit and have the financial resources to make it happen. A river paddle moose hunt in Alaska is where I'd start. Peninsula brown bear is hard to beat. Mountain goat in BC. Anything elk. Once you've gone around the horn with the rifle or muzzleloader, then I'd take another circuit with the bow!

 

[TheGrayRider]

should’ve clarified, for me, exotic landscapes, unique experience. Difficult

Bongo, forest buffalo, and forest sitatunga in the African equatorial jungles of Cameroon, CAR, or the Congo.

 

[bkjastrebsky]

Ive only been international once and that was Greenland, while not a wildly crazy hard hunt it was an amazing trip and the locals were awesome to spend a week with. If I go international again it would be a mid asian ibex hunt or a blue sheep hunt in Mongolia. The possibilities are endless though.

 

[Jon Boy]

If it were me I’d find a way to do multiple hunts. Multiple diy ak moose, caribou, Sitka bt hunts, or multiple landowner tags in New Mexico or Colorado. And I would pay for a buddy to go with me.

More than any of that, I’d move to a western state and buy a house and carve a life out here. If youre looking for rugged adventure there’s opportunity that pins the fun meter in most states.

 

[Rich M]

Thats not a bad idea. Or buy something closer to home you can really enjoy. My wife and I have been looking for land for a few year and when we buy my out of state hunts will most likely end and ill focus on our property. My brother bought a very nice 4 seasons cabin 900sq ft with 40 acres in northern WI right before covid. That land has tripled in price. However I think you really do need to experience other places. The world is full of beauty. Go to the mountain into places where you have to ask yourself "what the hell am i doing here" and when your done say you will never do something like that again just to try to get back to it a few months later.

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Took my wife and i about 20 yrs to find a lot we’d buy and seller wouldnt take the list price. A lil while later found the place we did buy and are building a camp. Hope to retire there. Shot first buck off it last year, neat feeling.

Ive had 2 antelope and 1 mule deer hunt. Had fun. Feel both of those are easier than FL whitetails. Got 1 more western hunt maybe on the list but may swap it in for AK fishing if that doesnt get too depleted.

OP has to do at least one once-in-a-lifetime hunt. But land is a good call after that.

 

[buffybr]

Here’s my 2 cents. I’ve hunted in 6 countries and shot Marco Polo and 5 other sheep. Done Africa and New Zealand which have been mentioned here. Did the moose and grizzly in Alaska, goats and stone sheep in BC. Western US game. Been at it for 40 years. At this point in your life you are young and strong so as some others have mentioned you can do a lot of these hunts later in life as they are not tough. My suggestion is to book a backcountry hunt. Chose a good outfitter with a good pack string of mules and horses and an excellent reputation. In addition to having fun you will learn a lot, see alot of country and will ramp up your hunting experience. Book this type of trip and you also will need to do some physical training and brush up on basic survival and navigation skills. You can do this in a lot of states, BC and Alaska. As you get older you will want better creature comforts and you can do Africa or NZ. In all my back country hunts I learned something that helped me later.

I agree 100%. I haven't shot a Marco Polo ram, but I have done most of the other hunts that @BCDJR listed but I have also been at it for 20 more years than he has.

I was 29 when I moved to Montana in 1975 and in the next 10-15 years I was lucky enough to have drawn multiple tags for all of Montana's special animals. I was 71 when I went on my Tajikistan Dagestan Tur hunt, and it was way more physical than any of my Montana or Canada sheep, moose or goat hunts that I had done in my 30s to 50s.

My favorite hunts are the high alpine hunts like sheep and goats, but those are best done when youpre young. Right now I could afford to go on a Marco Polo hunt, but I don't know if my 80 year old body could do it. I've also hunted in New Zealand and done multiple hunts in 3 African countries, and physically I wouldn't have any problem doing any of those hunts now.

We all have our favorite animals to hunt and to dream of hunting. My advise is to do the physically hardest hunts when you're young and at your physical best.

 

[RockAndSage]

Man, OP, you are getting some really great thoughts on this, from lifetimes of seasoned hunters.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

Newk, I'd go to an Eastern European country of your choosing and hunt split-tail for a couple of weeks.

Then, I'd take some money and buy land in Wyoming, move there if your career choice allows/makes sense.

Then, I'd take your trophy Eastern European split-tail on whatever hunting adventures you'd like. But warning, that Eastern European split-tail will cost you a lot more in the long run.

 

[bushwhacker1975]

I would do a black bear hunt for sure it's beyound reasonable price. Moose hunt is up there and pick a unique animal like a kodiak hunt.
i know a bear and moose guide in canada if you want to have a blast

 

[Nickziegler]

Newk, I'd go to an Eastern European country of your choosing and hunt split-tail for a couple of weeks.

Then, I'd take some money and buy land in Wyoming, move there if your career choice allows/makes sense.

Then, I'd take your trophy Eastern European split-tail on whatever hunting adventures you'd like. But warning, that Eastern European split-tail will cost you a lot more in the long run.

What's a split tail?

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[realunlucky]

What's a split tail?

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It's a pretty derogatory way to describe women. In fact I'd never recommend using it in their presence.

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[Sierra Hunter]

I’m waiting for Azerbaijan to reopen for Tur. Looks to hit my adventure to cost value,
or at least it did. Those mountains look proper steep!

 

[cardiac5]

Growing up in the Midwest I was a diehard whitetail bowhunter and turkey/waterfowl hunter. The year after I graduated college I went to CO and elk hunted at like 22yrs old. Did it yearly until I found Alaska like 4 years later. Used to go to AK 2-3x a year until I had a kid. Once I found Alaska I didn’t really care about deer or elk anymore. We joke about being prepared to sit in our blinds or hang ons after packing meat out now. I get my pp for out west but Alaska is always my go to. I only missed one year up there and I still have yearly options to go with friends. If you have a close hunting buddy you trust out in the wilderness I’d do diy AK. Between moose, bear, and caribou hunts I’ve never spent more than 7k a piece. Moose being the most expensive due to bush pilot costs. I don’t have the same passion for the rut after going to AK. The experience and comradery is unmatched. It’s not just about the harvest it’s the planning and delays and running around to all the outdoor stores in Anchorage for last minute stuff and the people you meet along the way. I’ve met some awesome people from here up there. Shoutout to [mention]Thinhorn_ak [/mention] for hooking us up with jetboil fuel and a tool for our rafts and hosting us last year. Super awesome guy. As far as investing look within an hour of suburbs for growth to invest in land. With 6+ figures you’ll get better returns in the market vs rentals/land. 10% return in the market will easily pay for yearly hunts.


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[mother_plucker]

Hi all,

Question: where would you start in terms of international, as well as domestic hunts, if you were in your early 20s? Given the following.

- unfortunately my mom passed last year and left me with some money, and i know that she’d want me to use some on a hunt
- i am physically very fit, scholarship athlete. zero physical limitations in terms of hunts id feel comfortable doing. limitations would be my shooting skills lol but i guess id have some time to dial in

I’m looking to book a big hunt for the next say 2-4 years. I want to do something, for lack of a better term, really f-ing cool.

Guess I’m just asking some more experienced hunters what their favorite trips or guided hunts have been, and where’d they start if they got to do it all again. (I’m not looking for financial advice, so please respect that)

I would always say got to Africa. South Africa is awesome, tons of different animals to hunt, and if you blow a stalk on one animal, another is just around the next bend. I have heard Namibia is great, and Mozambique as well. I have my second hunt in Africa coming up in May, and plan on going back at least a few more times!