Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Drew on November 20, 2008, 10:44:00 AM
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While spending the last month bowhunting whitetails, I've had plenty of time for thinking..which is dangerous in my case! I've hit that point where I'm wanting an adventure somewhere hunting, but the budget is stopping me from a full guided hunt.
I'd like to hear some ideas about "budget" hunts, no guides, no fancy lodges...just camping and hunting (maybe some fishing)on a low dime.
I did a few searches and didn't come up with much.
So hears my idea, got to be driveable from MI, I'm guessing public land with a reasonable non resident tag cost. If i remember some people have said hogs and/or antelope would be a good idea?
So what's your thoughts or experiences?!
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Sent you a PM...
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I've done 3 elk hunts out west that were relatively inexpensive. Cost of the tag and gas were 95 percent of the expense. We hunted elk in NE Montana this past year. Tags were about $600 and I split gas with a partner. Everything was under a thousand. Not bad for 3 weeks elk hunting. PM me if you want more details. dino
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Everything out here (the west) you can do cheap, deer and antelope are real easy to do. Lots of animals and you have a real good chance at getting a shot a a PY animal it helps having millions of acres of public!.
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Great idea for a thread Drew. I have been thinking the same thing as of late. It would be great to venture out and experience more than the whitetail and small game. Not that I dont have a blast doing it!!
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Thanks for the ideas guys, keep them coming!
Tim, well I know who I can ask to go once I get some good ideas and do some research! ROAD TRIP!
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You know it buddy!! The truck is gased up and ready to roll!! :thumbsup:
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What about a Hunting trip for a none-resident living in British Columbia, :( cant seem to find any thing as its all guilded hunts and thats not what you want when your 20 and trying to get your self an education and paying for visas.
The best iv got so far is 3 Grouse with my slingshot and stone. And it dose not take long to eat your way throught 3 grouse, ;)
any advice would be great.
James
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Great idea, I went on a bear hunt last year, guided but still not that expensive. It was a lot of fun to try something new in a different place.
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Drew,
Get out of the cold. Come to Texas. It's getting late in the season for this place, but the Amistad NRA is a great place to bowhunt some exotics and you can fish there too. The cost to bowhunt the Amistad NRA is a $20 permit. Here's the direct link to the hunting part of the Amistad. This place is located near Del Rio, Texas on the Mexican border.
http://www.nps.gov/amis/planyourvisit/hunting.htm
One of my kayak fishing buddies has done this hunt a few times and he loves it. He's going in December. He's on a kayak fishing board, but if you want to talk with him, I think I can get you his phone number.
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Hey Drew, you and I must be on the same wavelength. I too am looking for something to do next fall. I'm leaning towards an antelope DIY. You interested in joining up?
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Nightwing that's nice chunk of info there, thank you!
James, are you talking in BC or coming to the states...if you mean coming to the states maybe we can put something together!
Brent I'll drop you a PM.
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As stated previously, "go west young man". Lots of public land. The deer hunting may or may not be an improvement over where you are but elk and antelope are worth a trip. Goat(antelope)tags are easy to come by and in Wyo you can usually get additional doe tags. One of the most thrilling bowhunting experiences you can have is bugling, cow-calling elk in the Sept rut.
If I had time I'd pursue a "trade-hunt" with someone in the mid-west or up north as I'd like to bowhunt whitetails. But...as usual, no time.
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It's probably less of an option for people further north but don't forget the south.
Many places are over run with pigs and you won't see a flake of snow.
If I were in a frozen place then louisiana hog hunting in january would sound pretty good. I think its less than $150 total for a week long archery only hog hunt. Thousands of acres of public land. Fifty degree days and moss draped oaks.
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Swamp Pyg,
That sounds pretty good today...20 degrees with 20mph wind. One of these days I will have to give the deep south a try.
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Evan,
That does sound inviting. January here usually consists of horizontal snow and sub-zero chill factors.
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Swamp that sounds great...but I woundn't even know where to start with hog hunting! Other than what I've seen on DVDs and read. But that's another good thing about a road trip hunt, trying new things!
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Drew,
Good post. I've been thinking about trip myself maybe to ND grasslands for Muley on public land. There are some pretty good suggestions so far on other places as well. South might be nice to get out of the cold for a week or so.
Any luck this year over by St. Johns?
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Thats one good thing about hogs. They are a great training animal. For hunting at all but it accepts all skill levels.
The bigger boars are like hunting deer. They are hard to find, scary, live in thickets, bark like a 200lb pitt bull, and pretty elusive. It's about as hard to take a big pig as a big deer.
But then you've got the "sounders" or groups of feeding females. Usually under 100lbs. In groups of 5-10. They can be wary but not usually. They are greedy and get into a feeding competition and ignore snapping sticks and beginners errors. They are great for taking young teens. It's exciting because they are a semi-dangerous animal, there are high populations so you get to have a few chances, and they are easy enough to find.
When you look for pigs its not like looking for deer. I don't bother with an area unless it's literally damaged. Signs to look for are obvious. Poo all over the ground, mud puddles, saplings caked in mud up to waist height, and mostly that the area looks like someone learned how to work a tractor for the first time. Overturned grasses and the like.
Not to mention if you're coming for a winter escape by that time the pigs have worn highways into the woods. Once the frosts kill the vegetation the pigs make it look like a 4wheeler track in the highly used areas. The prints on top of prints make the mud look like they have tire treds in them. Winter is nice too because the mosquitos, alligators, snakes, and ticks are gone.
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Sounds like Trad Heaven, Just to far South for me, :(
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ND = deer
SD = deer, pheasant, antelope(not sure on this one it was good when I was a kid not sure what the SD antelope populations are now)
WY = deer, antelope, elk
MT = deer, antelope, elk
Canada (Ontario/Manitoba) = guided bear, maybe good white tail too don't know for sure.
You could always try and find some one on here from the above listed areas who wants to "host a hunter" or "trade a hunt" too.
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A couple of guys I work with have been doing long weekends in Ohio on public land. They have taken some super bucks in the last couple of years and compared to Michigan they say the pressure is alot less.
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Drew...im in if you have room and come up with something........
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Steve, I'll drop you a PM.
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Drew, thanks for a great thread. After the season I've had I really need to be somewhere else next season, on a budget! Expensive hunts are all going to my daughters tuition.
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This past September 3 of us drove from PA to SW Colorado, rented 2 llamas, packed into the Weminuche for 8 full hunting days with either sex tags for a little over 1100.00 each. Gas was our biggest expense.
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Well as of now the hunt will be Antelope in Wyoming next fall. (If tags are drawn)
Just checking in to all the specifics, and printed a mountain of reading off the Fish and Game website.
I've talked to a few people from there, and they've been super helpful!
Now to start working on the details.
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Drew, not sure how close you are to the U.P. but I was up there in Oct. grouse hunting and I think if I lived closer I'd be chasing the bears around up there,it's cheap and miles of public hunting.The place we stayed was in Rapid River and the owner of the cabins shot a nice bear when we there.
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I'm planning a May 1-10 D.I.Y., public land Merriams hunt,in Crawford Nebraska. I'm renting a 7 passenger minivan, & driving 1400 miles each way. I'll sleep in the van @ Ft. Robinson state park. There are shower/laundry facilities there. I'll be hunting public land in the surrounding area. I've spoken w/ biologists in the area, & have been pointed to areas to scout.I have good maps of the area also. I'll have 2 days on each end of the trip for the drive, w/ 5 days to hunt. Total cost of everything is about $1770.
That's my first "dream hunt", & i can't wait. I'm starting my overtime Next month to finance the adventure.
Total van rental $ 860
Estimated gas $ 450
Estimated food $ 300
License $ 100
Campsite $ 60
Total $ 1770
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wvtradbow, Your right we do live close to the U.P. but drawing a bear tag in Michigan is easier said than done. My wife has grandparents that live in Rapid River and your right it is a beautiful area up there. Glad to hear you enjoyed our state.
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Ask this fella about a budget hunt- 495 bucks for a 3 day hog hunt...I think he had a great time!
All you have to do is get here...3 great meals a day, lodging and game skinning butchering included- all you have to do is show up and HUNT!
Hot showers, warm cozy beds, sitting by the fire at night talking bowhunting..and beautiful southern swamps to hunt in.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/rayhammond123/Danshog.jpg)
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Every other year a friend and I head to Colorado to hunt deer.
Since I work in the agriculture field I was able to meet some local farmers who let us hunt some of there river bottom ground.
Truely awesome hunting.
We pitch a tent near a irrigation pond. Cook all our own food. Cost for us is usaully around $500 a piece.
Tag = $250
Gas = $200
Food = $50
There are some great opportunities out there in this great country. Just takes some hard work and a little luck.
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Montyc - check out www.scenicbadlandscabin.com. (http://www.scenicbadlandscabin.com.) Looks like a deal for a small group. Walk to mule deer hunting and whitetails close by - as they tell me.
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Originally posted by waiting4fall:
I'm planning a May 1-10 D.I.Y., public land Merriams hunt,in Crawford Nebraska. I'm renting a 7 passenger minivan, & driving 1400 miles each way. I'll sleep in the van @ Ft. Robinson state park. There are shower/laundry facilities there. I'll be hunting public land in the surrounding area. I've spoken w/ biologists in the area, & have been pointed to areas to scout.I have good maps of the area also. I'll have 2 days on each end of the trip for the drive, w/ 5 days to hunt. Total cost of everything is about $1770.
That's my first "dream hunt", & i can't wait. I'm starting my overtime Next month to finance the adventure.
Total van rental $ 860
Estimated gas $ 450
Estimated food $ 300
License $ 100
Campsite $ 60
Total $ 1770
Waiting4Fall, I hunted muleys around Crawford this year, and we stayed at Fort Robinson. We rented a cabin right at the park for right around $100/night. They are really nice cabins too.
My suggestion for the turkey. Head to Pine Ridge. I could have shot turkeys everyday no problem, and I was deer hunting. They seriously are every where in that area. You can shoot me an email and I will let you know exactly what roads to take to where we saw alot of turks at. We did the entire hunt for 3 of us for under $600 a person including everything from PA.
my email is [email protected]
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Originally posted by Ray Hammond:
Ask this fella about a budget hunt- 495 bucks for a 3 day hog hunt...I think he had a great time!
All you have to do is get here...all meals, lodging and game skinning butchering included- all you have to do is show up and HUNT!
Hot showers, warm cozy beds, sitting by the fire at night talking bowhunting..and beautiful southern swamps to hunt in.
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e322/rayhammond123/Danshog.jpg)
So where is this place? Would like a link if one is available.
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http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=48;t=000589
on the border of South Carolina and Georgia.
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Great thread! Ray's place seems to be quiet a bargain, especially with gas prices coming down.
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If I was a fella trying to get out of the cold and do some super pig hunting I would give Ray a call fellas or if I lived where you could only deer hunt fall and winter with nothing but shooting fish and small game a summertime pig hunt would be the ticket.RC