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

fittohunt

FNG
Joined
Mar 25, 2017
Messages
53
Location
WA
If I've got 15-20k of discretionary funds, what the most fun/rewarding hunt/adventure you can go on? For reference, I'm 42, in good shape, and I've killed a hand full of elk/deer in the western USA, and I've never done a guided hunt. I also lean heavily on archery equipment. I certainly will hunt with a rifle, but its simply not as fun for me.

For this question, I'd also like to hear some ideas on mulit-species type hunts. Or possibly some kind of cool fishing add ons..

My first few options are roughly;

-DIY Alaska moose, fly in , drop off
-Guided BC moose
-Alaska Caribou
-Something in NZ.. Stag, Tahr, ect
_Argentina stag, birds, fishing...

Any other cool ideas, experiences...
 

Mojave

WKR
Joined
Jun 13, 2019
Messages
2,325
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.
 

Olympics777

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 16, 2014
Messages
182
Location
Moscow ID
I mean personally I’d take the summer off and do a thru hike with 20k but since you are asking about hunting, I think NZ Tahr would be so sick. I haven’t hunted moose but if the moose in BC are like the moose in Idaho then they just kinda stand around asking to be shot…
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2012
Messages
311
Location
Ferndale, WA
I would say you could easily make two DIY AK trips out of your $20k. Caribou first because it is by far the easier physically and mentally…then once you’ve learned a little bit about AK and experienced the logistics and difficulties of hunting up there start planning a DIY swamp donkey hunt!
 

Extrapale

WKR
Joined
Aug 29, 2012
Messages
426
Brooks range fly in caribou, and whatever else you can add within your budget


Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Dec 13, 2023
Messages
438
$20,000 in discretionary funds?
First, I'd buy a buttload of gold!

On the OTHER side of the coin, I'd like to take a fishing boat that has living quarters and fish all the way around Kodiak Island.
Start at Chiniak Bay and work my way southwest, stopping at the small villages along the coast to rest and spend a day or so.
Start in mid July. I think you could make it back by mid to late August!

YMMV!
 
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