What's the most fun a guy can have with $20,000

[180ls1]

$5K towards a bunch of kids and undeserved youth hunt/camp

$15K towards Africa

 

[chanson_roland]

Stick it in a well balanced index fund and blow 1-2k a year on DIY out of state hunts. Do it right and it'll never disappear

Frame this answer. This is the "Highlander" of answers: There can be only one.

 

[Trvl2hunt]

Several good options mentioned above I support: I would look into an archery focused multi species trip. Go to one of larger wilder spots in Africa for a week or two. Buffalo hunts are still reasonable and buffalo cull hunts are very price friendly and just as dangerous for a fraction of the price. Add a bowhunting focused outfitter in South Africa for a week and really up the body count. Greenland is another great option where you can get 1 or 2 muskox or muskox / caribou plus fishing and rabbit shooting to fill in the rest of your time. Europe is very nice but spendy. Both Spain and Hungary are Bow Friendly. Australia Buffalo and Boar is fun and high success. If you really want a moose that would eat all your budget and not that great odds of success for $$$. BC is magnificient and worth seeing but you can do a spot and stalk bear hunt for a fraction of the cost of Moose and catch a lot of fish and/or shoot grouse in down time. Do it sooner than later and figure out how to do more in the future!

 

[dgl503]

Thailand for a month and live like a God.

This....or South America.

 

[Beendare]

An Australian hunt would qualify

 

[grfox92]

I would take a fall/winter off and travel the US hunting whatever I wanted and where I wanted.

This. I would rent an RV and do a public land tour, through a few states that have OTC tags.

Sent from my SM-G990U2 using Tapatalk

 

[fittohunt]

Couple options.

1. Fairly mid-sized African safari. $2000 in airfare (just saw you are in Seattle so) $2500 in airfare. $12,000 in the safari and trophy fees on a bowhunting place for 10 days that is shooting a lot of stuff. 10-15 animals. $3000 in shipping and some light taxidermy for the "one or two" that you decide you need mounted beyond a skull mount. Go someplace like Botswana in the Tuli block or South Africa in Limpopo and you'll have really nice blinds, and good wild animals. Pick a place that caters to bowhunters.

2. New Zeland won't give you much unless it is 100% free range. You could probably do a tahr, a stag and the flights and return with taxidermy for both animals. You could do it on your own, if you could manage a couple weeks off and hunt hard.

3. I think you can bowhunt Greenland. If you can a reindeer/caribou muskox combo and taxidermy would fit that bill. But do not book through an American agent. It will be twice as expensive.

4. You can bowhunt in Spain, Bulgaria and a few other European countries. If you have not travelled Europe that is always a nice option. You could do quite a bit of damage here, Spanish ibex, chamois, stags, fallow, wildboar. Lots of ways to make that work. If you need a European agent let me know.

Thanks for the reply. I never considered Europe or Greenland, I'll look into that a little more. My wife and I have often talked about a long family vaction in New Zealand. Bring the kids, rent an RV, and squeeze in a couple hunts for me. Although, based on my research 20k is probably not enough to do it "right".

For whatever reason, I've never really been that attracted to hunting Africa. Not 100% sure why, it just doesn't get me all that excited.

Further more, I'm not all that excited about any hunts that seem to "easy". But of course, I don't want to pay for anything either that's low odds.. There in lies my conundrum with pay to play hunts in general.

You seem pretty knowlegable about this subject. What do you know about Asia and/or Mongolia/

 

[fittohunt]

BC Mt Goat

Have you done it?

 

[fittohunt]

Used Corvette and go have fun

I have an extra 20K that I want to use spefically for a hunt. A hunt that I don't already do regularly.

 

[fittohunt]

Stick it in a well balanced index fund and blow 1-2k a year on DIY out of state hunts. Do it right and it'll never disappear

C'mon Ian, that's way too financially conservative of an answer. LOL. Besides, I'm already doing a bunch of DIY out of state hunts as it is. I'm looking for something extra. This is Tony btw, hows it going brother!

 

[chizelhead]

Have you done it?

No. I've done SE Ak. The BC hunts are typically cheaper and within that budget for hunt+travel+tip.

You could also stretch your budget a little bit for an elk NM landowner tag + guide.

You could probably do an Asian Ibex hunt with that budget.

Alberta mule deer would fit as well.

 

[fittohunt]

Stretch the budget a little bit and try and get an elk land owner tag+guide in NM.

I love elk, but I've killed plenty and wouldn't pay to play with elk.

 

[fittohunt]

No. I've done SE Ak. The BC hunts are typically cheaper and within that budget for hunt+travel+tip.

Is it a fun hunt?

 

[fittohunt]

Several good options mentioned above I support: I would look into an archery focused multi species trip. Go to one of larger wilder spots in Africa for a week or two. Buffalo hunts are still reasonable and buffalo cull hunts are very price friendly and just as dangerous for a fraction of the price. Add a bowhunting focused outfitter in South Africa for a week and really up the body count. Greenland is another great option where you can get 1 or 2 muskox or muskox / caribou plus fishing and rabbit shooting to fill in the rest of your time. Europe is very nice but spendy. Both Spain and Hungary are Bow Friendly. Australia Buffalo and Boar is fun and high success. If you really want a moose that would eat all your budget and not that great odds of success for $$$. BC is magnificient and worth seeing but you can do a spot and stalk bear hunt for a fraction of the cost of Moose and catch a lot of fish and/or shoot grouse in down time. Do it sooner than later and figure out how to do more in the future!

Have you bowhunted in Africa? It doesn't seem to appeal to me, but that's just because I really don't know much about it. Only seen those hunting shows where fat guys drive around in 4x4s, get out, walk 50 yards and shoot something with a giant rifle. But perhaps that's not a fair represntatiion of the whole...

 

[chizelhead]

You could probably do an asian Ibex hunt with that budget. I think that would be more rifle.

I love elk, but I've killed plenty and wouldn't pay to play with elk.

I've killed plenty as well in the PNW, but NM and AZ for me is next level. No worries though.

 

[fittohunt]

You could probably do an asian Ibex hunt with that budget. I think that would be more rifle.


I've killed plenty as well in the PNW, but NM and AZ for me is next level. No worries though.

Agreed

 

[chizelhead]

Is it a fun hunt?

That's what my wife asks me about hunting. Some are but I wouldn't call it fun, rather it was a challenging and satisfying hunt. PM me and I can provide details. It might fit your budget.

 

[MallardSX2]

I would put it in a ROTH IRA and retire 2 years early.

 

[Scottf270]

Figure out what animals or areas "trip your trigger". I have hunted Kodiak bear and A-Y moose and quite honestly, there are few animals that excite me anymore.
I'm currently trying to find a good elk hunt ( for a 300+ bull) and never really have killed a true giant tom cougar. Those will probably be my last guided hunts.

 

[Maxhunter]

Save a little more and go on a brown bear hunt. You could also shoot a lot of animals in Africa.