Affordable North American trips for the up-and-coming hunter
By Mike Schoby
Hunting shouldn’t always be about putting food on the table or a memory on the wall. It should regularly include an element of reckless adventure and even real danger. The sweat in your eyes, the hair bristling on the back of your neck, goose bumps on the arms, and a level of excitement that etches the experience into your psyche are what we live for as outdoorsmen.
They say adventure is where you find it. True, but some hunts are much more adventurous than others. Take whitetails—I will get slammed for saying this about America’s sweetheart—there is nothing truly daring about sitting in a ground blind in a 40 acre woodlot waiting for one to appear, save for possibly falling asleep from boredom and toppling off your stool and choking on a Little Debbie. Many other species offer way more peril than happenstance confection-induced airway obstruction.
There are some obvious low hanging fruit: the African big five plus hippo and croc will provide an adrenaline dump like no other. Brown bears on Kodiak Island in the thick alders are a good North American substitute. Giant Russian boars in any shithole Muslim country are a good third option. But what if the budget, time constraints, and family commitments push these obvious quests into the category of “sometime down the road”?
There are still plenty of adventures to be had closer to home and often on a shoestring budget. Here are some ideas to get the wheels turning.
Alaska black bears
You can hunt black bears in roughly half of the states in our great nation. But there are black bears and then there are black bears. The difference is marked—shooting a critter the size of a large Labrador retriever from a treestand while his head is in a bait bucket to blackies that rival a grizzly bear in size—plus the entire undertaking is a battle royale with Mother Nature from start to finish.
Enter Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. This rain-drenched green Hell of Southeast Alaska sits a short ferry boat ride or bush plane flight away from the town of Ketchikan. Encompassing around two million acres of the Tongass National Forest, it is home to Sitka blacktails, wolves, mountain goats, and arguably some of the largest black bears found anywhere in the world. Bears topping 500 pounds and measuring over 8 feet from snout to tail are a real possibility. While a six-footer is considered a shooter almost anywhere in the lower 48, you will want to hold fire here and wait for bigger.
There are multiple ways to hunt this portion of the Alaskan panhandle. Rent a vehicle to run the numerous old logging roads crisscrossing the island. Either camp out or grab one of the few hotel rooms in the village of Craig. Another sleeping option is to reserve a Forest Service cabin and hunt on foot or by kayak. These cabins are numerous, cheap, and offer the most classic experience.
The pursuit is active and engaging, not sitting on a bait pile. Lots of hiking, then glassing clear cuts when the tide is in and coastal grass flats when it goes out.
This is a spring event and requires a draw tag, so plan ahead and be prepared to wait a few years to draw, but it is a great chance to kill a huge blackie on the cheap and absorb more rain and sport than most people have a right to. Good news? There are no grizzlies on the island, so you get just the right amount of risk without a mauling.
Season: April-June
Non-Resident Tag: $450
Overall Cost: $2,500—$3,500 flight, lodging, meals, and transport depending on how you do it and where you call home.
Perfect Boomstick: Model 70 Extreme Weather SS in 338 Win Mag. Top with a Leupold 6HD 2-12 x 42X and be prepared to shoot upwards of 400 yards.
Pro Tip: Get the best rainwear money can buy – Kuiu is great, but still top with something rubber for really wet days. It can rain over 200 inches a year here—so much so that it makes Seattle look hot and dusty. Bring plenty of Ballistol as well.
Western Wolves
Many western hunters bemoaned the reintroduction of wolves to the greater Yellowstone basin—and, in some instances, for good reason. As predicted, they are hammering many traditional western big game species, but the silver lining is it has now created an opportunity that was unthinkable 30 years ago—the chance to kill a wolf in the lower 48.
One of the hardest and least successful hunts possible, it is still worth it for the experience and the chance at an extremely rare trophy. Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming all offer liberal wolf seasons and reasonably priced non-resident tags. Yes, you read correctly, tags not tag—you can buy multiple (in some cases unlimited), and it is not a bad idea to have at least two as they are cheap and wolves, well, run in packs. Wait until after the general rifle season for elk and deer is finished. The woods will be devoid of people and boned out elk carcasses (bait) will be plentiful. The only problem: where there are wolves in abundance, so are grizzlies. Both are eating the same carcasses before winter seriously sets in. But you came for the adventure, right?
Fly into any decent sized western town: Jackson, Bozeman, Missoula, Sheridan, etc. Rent a four-wheel drive vehicle and book a cabin or VRBO outside of town (don’t ask if skinning a wolf in the garage is against their policy). Many of these ski/vacation towns also offer ATV, snowmachine, and tracked vehicle rentals. Depending upon the time of year, you may need it. Hunt public land in the form of national forest or BLM that abuts large ranches with cattle and offers winter range for deer and elk.
Season: Varies by state; best time: Nov-Feb
Non-Resident Tag: $31-$187, depending upon state
Overall Cost: $2,000-$3,000 (lodging, airlines, license/tags, and transport)
Perfect Boomstick: Gunwerks Magnus in 6.5 PRC with Nightforce NX8 2.5-20X. Pair with Revic ballistic range-finding binoculars. It is a rare wolf that is shot close. Be ready to shoot across canyons—so expect long range and howling wind.
Pro Tip: Bring extreme cold weather clothing. It will likely be frigid and windy. Also, bring a balaclava and goggles as the blowing snow and cold temps will quickly induce frostbite and limit visibility. Kuiu Super Down PRO Glassing GloMitts are also a must.
New Mexico – Ibex, oryx, and aoudad
Looking for something exotic within the United States to scratch the international itch but don’t find high fence Texas options sporting? Then head west to New Mexico. Free range, fair chase, ibex, aoudad (barbary sheep), and oryx are all available by draw (and some very limited over the counter tags). Due to the ruggedness of the country, exotic nature of the species, and tough conditions, all three species provide an amazing challenge.
How the hell did these African and Middle East species get in the land of Breaking Bad you may ask? Back when game departments (and some private ranches) had hunter opportunities in mind over preserving a natural indigenous population of flora and fauna, all sorts of transplanting took place. Possibly the most notable and impactful for hunters was New Mexico’s introduction of free-range oryx from the Kalahari Desert and Southern Africa, aoudad from Northern Africa, and ibex from Iran. Over the last half century these animals have flourished in New Mexico and offer opportunities to take otherwise expensive or unobtainable-in-their-original-habitat species.
White Sands Missile Range is the go-to place for oryx. Aoudad can be found over much of the state on public and private lands with top draw units such as unit 28 being extremely difficult to draw. The best Ibex hunting is in the Florida Mountain Range (unit 25) in the southwestern portion of the state. This tag is available by draw only. Over-the-counter tags are available outside of the Florida Mountains in an attempt to keep the ibex population within the Floridas.
Season: September through March, depending upon species and method of take
Non-Resident Tag: $400 (aoudad), $1600 (Ibex and oryx)
Overall Cost: $2,000 to $3,500 (flights, rental car, license, and tags)
Perfect Boomstick: Browning X Bolt Max LR in 7 PRC. Top with a Leica ER LRS 6.5 – 26x and the Geovid Pro 10×42. Often shots are long in windy conditions with steep angles. Practice long shots in difficult field positions to capitalize on limited shot opportunities.
Pro Tip: If you haven’t hunted any of these exotic species before, look at lots of photos online to judge a mature animal.
Florida Gators
Unlike African crocs, seldom are gators dangerous, but attacks happen often enough to make this hunt exciting. And just floating around in the mangroves and swamps with a half-drunk Floridian at night, mosquitoes buzzing in your ears, and the occasional crash of a gator coming off the bank somewhere in the inky blackness adds to the rush.
If you want to do it truly on your own, tags can be drawn, and public water is available. Methods of take include snagging with treble hooks, using a wooden dowel in bait, harpoon, or archery or even firearms in some cases. While a totally doable DIY hunt, this is the limited case where going with a guide on private land may be actually cheaper and more productive. Depending upon the operation and their license, seasons are longer and method of take, and style of pursuit can be more liberal.
Either is fun, but the private option likely increases accessibility and requires less gear. Techniques range from spotlighting at night with a bow to calling during night or day and shooting with a rifle on dry land. Of all methods, I prefer the latter. There is something prehistorical about watching a large gator slither out of the mire and stalk you like the apex predator he is.
Season: Aug-Nov
Non Resident Tag: $1,200
Overall Cost: $3,500 unguided (airlines, transportation, tag, and lodging)
Perfect Boomstick: Taurus Raging Hunter with Aimpoint. Shots are close so an accurate handgun is more than adequate, plus a chest rig leaves your hand free to peel a pesky water moccasin off your leg. If opting for archery gear, a Tenpoint Nitro 505 at only 6.5 inches wide is more than enough, and its narrow profile is easy to maneuver around in a boat.
Pro Tip: Wear a full bug suit, plus a Thermacell strapped to the belt and snake gaiters.
