Hesitation, Optimism, and Future Hunts

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

We love hearing about stories past, and most people have concrete plans for the coming season.

But what stirs your imagination? What are the options you've mulled over? Dreamed about? Halfway planned out, yet haven't dropped the string on?    :rolleyes:  

These are the ones within your means, that sound crazy and fun, but you really don't know if you are up to the challenge.

I'll start. I want to take a mule deer buck here in Montana. A big one (think 24-26" wide, and tall. No little guys need worry on this hunt). I want to do it from a spike camp, high altitude, way back. The numbers in the area I'm considering are low. The area is huge, and the weather can break you like a twig.  
 

The only thing holding me back is the last year of school that needs finishing.

Think big here. Outside the box. Keep it reasonable on the funds (or don't). Just throw the ideas out there. You just might inspire someone!
 

[centaur]

Mountain lion. Since I spend some winter months in Arizona, I am thinking about a lion hunt there. Still have to be in shape to chase dogs around the desert, but I wouldn't have to wade through butt deep snow. Sounding more appealing by the day.

[aim small...release]

This mat not sound like a big one, but for me it would be dream to hunt where big whitetails live during those cold nov mornings in ohio. Thw deer dont get big where i live here in michigan and to be able to hunt where theres a chance at a bruiser makes my heart rate sky rocket i am a whitetail freak lol

[Archie]

I'd love to take a backcountry hunt into goat country and get a mountain goat.  I have health problems that make me wish I'd tried it when I was younger, and this hunt is probably just a dream. But it's a nice dream!

[RIng]

It's Sika Deer for me . I have been working hard finding places to hunt . Going down this coming week end to meet some people and look over some marsh . I hope to spend time in Maryland at least once a month from now on . I will turkey hunt there opining week and see how that goes . I bought my first new bow in over 25 years (A&H) , and hope to arrow a turkey be for I get a Sika or whitetail .

May the simplest things bring you the greatest pleasures

[ARCHER2]

I want to take a bull elk with recurve or longbow, as well as big whitetail buck up north.
Spike camp, no guide, public land.

[CDorton]

My entire hunting career has been guided by my father. He's hunted here since the seventies, and through his experience have come a few "honey holes". I've seen some impressive deer in those spots, but I'm in my mid 20s now and I'm trying to do things my own way. I'm trying to forget about all the spots I've traditionally hunted and find my own "honey holes". My goal this year is to take at least a P&Y buck from one of my own spots. It may be hard to stay away from the traditional spots when November comes, but then again, I think we all get satisfaction from making things more difficult, and succeeding. I only hunt public land, BTW.

I would also like to hunt out west, and Canada. I would also like to make it to Alaska someday. I really want to take a bear with a bow. Maybe someday when time and money allow...

[pamike]

Moose last year in Newfoundland

Also booking a muskox hunt in 2016 - really looking forward to that one!!

[Sixby]

I think a cariboo hunt would be great.

As too your muley hunt go for it but up the sights to a 30 in plus buck to make it real interesting. Then shoot one of them little guys if you have too.        

God bless, Steve

[Ibow]

I can't say I've done a lot of "out of the ordinary" hunts but I've been blessed in my hunting career for sure. I've done the "basics" ... whitetails, moose, turkeys and bears. I've just never had a big hanker'in to do much else. Don't know why, just never have.

Whitetails were the bread and butter.
The moose – very exciting. Not much can compare to a bull coming in hard to a cow call.
Turkeys are fun – a diversion and a reason to be out there in the early spring after a long winter.

Looking back at close to 4 decades of bowhunting, other than the times spent hunting with my kids, my best memories and favorite animals hunted have been the bears. I love watching them, the bear camp experience (relaxed), the places and people where I've hunted them and of course nothing beats being within that trad bow hunting zone with a mature bear.

Future plans, Lord willing, will always include involvement in spring bear hunting, one way or the other.

[Bear Heart]

I would just like to share a camp with a bunch of tradgang guys.  
Any elk with my bow would make my decade.

[Prairie Drifter]

Originally posted by Sixby:
I think a cariboo hunt would be great.

As too your muley hunt go for it but up the sights to a 30 in plus buck to make it real interesting. Then shoot one of them little guys if you have too.        

God bless, Steve

30" would be stretch now a days. In 20yrs of doing taxidermy in Montana, I've only seen a handful of honest 30" bucks.

[goingoldskool]

I'm going bear hunting in Ontario with a good buddy from church who is going to try it with trad gear this year as well......  The big bonus is that we are both taking our boys with us to see if they like it enough to want to join us in 2 years when they are old enough to hunt there as well!  It should be a hoot and I can't wait to see my son's face should a bear come in!   :eek:  

Rodd

[VictoryHunter]

Moving back to California next year and since the deer hunting is terrible there I'm planning a trip to Oregon for an elk hunt. My wife and I are also considering moving to Alaska for a few years just to experience it and so that we can hunt mainly sheep but also the other great opportunities that state provides.

[Bowwild]

I've had an Alberta Moose hunt planned since January, 2013.  The hunt was supposed to be this past early October (2013). My buddy got cancer.  Thank God he was cured even if only a week before our hunt.

The hunt was postponed until this coming late Sept/early October, 2014.

This is the one that is about to happen after 45 years of  wondering if I would ever do it.

[Fattony77]

My "possibly doable" hunt for the near future is hogs and/or javies in Texas. Trying to put something together with a co-worker/buddy here in OK and a buddy that lives near Dallas. I just think it'd be cool! And it might just be possible in the next year or 2.....

[NittanyRider]

Two I've had in mind for fall 2014 are:

1) "Backcountry"/backpack whitetail hunt in my local state forest.  I know it doesn't sound too exotic, but it is very doable and will also help me gain experience for doing a real backcountry trip someday for elk.  I got this idea from an elk thread I read on TradGang.  Gil Verway was the gentleman's name who posted the thread and one of the things he wrote that stuck with me was that you don't have to go to Alaska or the Rocky Mountains to have an adventure.  

2) Sika deer hunt.  The Chesapeake Bay is close enough to make this a very doable long weekend hunt.  I don't know the first thing about hunting Sika deer, so the learning process will be half the fun.

David

p.s. Great idea for a thread, Malachi!  I feel like these plans are a little more official now that I've written them down.

[Homey88]

Great idea NittanyRider,
I have always wanted to take a whitetail in the mountains near our cabin in central pa. I hunted there as a child and never as much as seen a deer. You are right you don't have to go out of state or spend a bunch of money to have an adventure!

[DaveT1963]

mine is kind of simple, after years of military and moving I just don't have any hunting partners that shoot trad.  I would love to get connected with a few trad shooters and start planning and taking some hjunting adventures - I don't care of it guided, DIY or getting a lease..... at this stage in life looking for some brothers in arms to share some hunts together.  The part of Texas I live in does not lead itself to much hunting as it is all private and hard to find a good lease.

[GreyGoose]

Camp and hunt in a desert. Whatever regarding quarry.