DIY hunting in the USA, suggestions where to go?

[PrechtlM98]

Hello,

I'm just at the beginning of my next plan, but
within the next five years, I'd like to ship my 4x4 camper for one year to the states.

As far as I figured out, it is not that complicated to get tags for hunting on
public land as a foreigner.

In general it should be one year off for overlanding, with the possibility to hunt
from time to time, with some breaks for fishing ;-).
As far as I have learned you have pretty short hunting seasons
for most mammals, so maybe the trip should be planed by hunting season (I think Maine has
other seasons than Florida or Colorado?).

What would you suggest where to go and what to hunt and when? Arriving at the eastcost, time for one year!
Could it be a problem to travel with a weapon in some states (Gunsave is installed), maybe better to skip some
states?

Best regards

PM

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Welcome aboard!

Quick planning notes for you;
1. Almost all USA big game seasons fall within September through December. There is however spring gobbler seasons for male turkeys. Very sporting!
2. In USA game belongs to the people of each state and is managed by states' departments of natural resources or fish and game . One needs a hunting license for each state. Further, tags for big game such as bear and elk may be drawn by lottery system. Much research and planning will be helpful to you!
3. Most sporting rifles are legal throughout the continental USA. Firearm license are only required in very large cities. For a tourist visa, there may be some restrictions...
Semi automatic rifles and magazines more than five rounds are sometimes restricted. Same for bottle neck cartridges like a .30-06 used for big game near urban areas or in very flat terrain. The 450 Bushmaster class cartridges are legal in those areas and are good for at least 150 yard clean kills.
4. Summer shooting of prairie dogs in the Midwest or woodchucks in the east was always one of my favorites.
5. Most if not all states require hunters education although probably less than in Europe. Bring proof of hunting and safety training. Worse case, bring prior hunting licenses.
6. Some states have much public lands and others have little. Look for national forests , state forests, state game lands, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands and so on.

The above is but a guide. Others will provide much more information...

PS: Make sure your 4x4 camper is legal in the USA. It may be less expensive to lease a truck and camper here for a year.

 

[JimP]

You would be a lot better off by forgetting the hunting part and just enjoy traveling around visiting the National Parks that are here.

As was mentioned most hunting is restricted to the fall months and while a number of states offer over the counter licenses and tags finding the animals can be quite difficult. Where I live in Colorado even seasoned hunters go home empty handed.

If you do still want to experience hunting here in the US, I suggest that you decided on what animals you want to hunt. Then figure out what states offer the best chances for these animals and take a look at their licensing system and tag allotments before committing to a large financial outlay.

 

[Field28]

Couple of trips I've been thinking about.
Black Hills turkey hunt.
One of my sisters has a place that borders Deschutes National forest in Oregon.
That would be either a blacktail/ fly fishing trip or turkey/fly fishing trip.

One trip that I will do in the next couple of years is a fly fishing trip to Outlaw Canyon in Wyoming. Very remote, said to be some of the most voracious trout in the world.
Added perk of the trip is that you get to see the caves that Butch and Sundance hid out in.

 

[skydiver386]

Hunting is different depending on whether you are east or west of the Mississippi river.

Although there are huge public lands in the Western States, drawing a tag for a specific species can be difficult. It often takes years to build up bonus points toward drawing a big game tag of any sort.

In the Eastern States, most tags can be purchased at retail outlets or online at the same time you purchase your hunting license. There are places to hunt and camp on public land, but they can be over hunted. Yes, the seasons can be short, but if you hunt with a bow or crossbow, the season can be from September till the end of January. Feral hogs are considered a nuisance and can be hunted year round in many states.

The biggest question is what species do you want to hunt? Once you've answered that you can plan accordingly.

 

[WildWill]

First remember you will need a hunting license and tag for every state you intend on hunting. Many are over the counter but certain hunts especially in the western US and some more sought after like moose in the east are draw hunts.

Few questions?

1:Are you only interested in big game or is bird and small game on the menu?
2: Is fishing something you'd be interested in?
3: Are backpack wilderness type hunts something you're interested in or more day trip type hunts?
4: Do you bowhunt?
5: Whats your budget for tags and license? I ask because some hunts like pronghorn are not very easy to get OTC (unless archery) but landowner tags are but not cheap.
6: When do you plan on starting the trip?


If it were me I'd come over in let's say June. Cruise down the east coast fishing saltwater all the way to Florida then over to the gulf in Texas. Around August I'd head towards the rockies shooting a pronghorn in NM if the money was there. I would spend most of September in Colorado and Wyoming in the mountains listening to elk bugle even if I didn't have a tag always lots of grouse to hunt. October is when your options really start to open up and from then till December there's too many options to name. I would highly recommend if you want a true US hunting experience find some where to hunt whitetail deer from late Oct to late Nov. If planned accordingly you could probably rifle hunt public lanf across the south or Midwest with a rifle or muzzleloader for most of the fall. In December I'd do some duck hunting while working my way to the SW. I'd spend January and February going from the big bend country in west Texas to the grand canyon in Arizona and back. There's a possibility of a javelina tag in AZ but involves a draw system. Again if I had the money I'd end my trip in west Texas with a Auodad hunt (javelina would be cheaper) but these will be private guided or semi guided hunts. I'd spend March hunting pigs in Oklahoma (my home state) or a state further SE. Then spend all of April and May chasing turkeys. Again too many OTC options to go into but I'd focus around TN,KY,NC area. It's a gorgeous area part of our Appalachian trail has lots of public and OTC tags. Maybe head up towards Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire to chase birds in May to get that new England experience.



Sounds like a hell of an adventure. If you end up in Oklahoma I can help point you to some pretty good deer, turkey, hog, and duck hunting on public land.