Dream hunting season schedule
General Topic
Contributors to this thread:
My wife and I are to the point in our lives where we like to collect experiences rather than things. For the last several years we have taken several months a year to travel and basically enjoy life while we are still healthy and have this freedom. We have done things like tour Europe, drive our motorcycle from Pruhdoe Bay to Ushuaia, and we have plans to explore Asia this winter.
While sitting on the bear bait yesterday I thought it would be fun to do a dream bow hunting season and take several months just chasing animals. We are on a budget so would prefer diy, public land hunts using mostly over the counter tags in the US.
So far I have a very basic idea and would like your input on what states to hit for what species. Mid Aug - Dall Sheep, AK Late Aug - Caribou, AK Late Aug/ early Sept - spot n stalk black bears, AK Early Sept - Moose, AK Mid/ late Sept - Elk, CO Early Oct- pronghorn? Mid Oct - Brown Bear, AK Late Oct/ mid Nov - whitetails, ?? Lat Nov - Mulies, CO Dec - ??
Where would you go and what would you chase?
January-Coues deer AZ February-Pigs/Predators anywhere Mar-Apr-May I would hunt turkeys all over the Midwest. June-Spring bear somewhere in Canada August-Pronghorn WY September-Elk, depends on where I could draw, CO as a fall back plan Late September-Mule Deer October-December-Whitetails, midwest
Looks like you will have July to shoot your bow Brotsky.
Blacktails in Oregon in late November
"Looks like you will have July to shoot your bow Brotsky."
That's when I argue about mech/fixed and TV hunters on Bowsite. :)
I would add in a Mountain Lion hunt in late winter.
I would take out the Fall Black Bear- they are for the spring May/June season! and add another elk hunt or mule deer since its a lot easier to get a tag then. That would also allow the Columbia blacktail hunt in Nov...
Then of course the Dec/Jan coues and javelina combo is a must.
One time I did a 3 state antelope hunt - that was a lot of fun. It would be fun to spend a season in multiple states or provinces hunting a certain species which would also make gear selection easier.
I think a spring bear hunt across Canada would be awesome.
Wildwilderness, I would have to move the bears back into the fall. May/June is when I'm putting in food plots! I guess I could hire it done, and do the bears in the spring so I could go after moose in Ak. again in Sept.
Scoot & brotsky, sight me up with ya on the Coues and javis, just not in November. I'm kinda busy then.
I am thinking of scratching the Moose hunt since I already do that almost every year and doing 3 or 4 weeks chasing elk instead.
The fall black bear hunt is just a filler. It is usually a day hunt or a weekend hunt when they are on the berries. Black Bears are Alaska's version of a raccoon. In most of the areas I hunt as a resident you can get 3 a year.
The Mountain Lion hunt has always intrigued me but I don't have dogs and I don't think I could chase one down myself.
It's fun dreaming about doing something like this. Keep it coming.
Nevada has 1 or 2 December mule deer hunts that aren't too tough to draw. Some are top end and difficult, others, not so much.
You can hunt elk in early October. Get a WY general tag or a tag in MT and you can hunt right through Sept to Oct if you don't fill. You'll be hunting with the pumpkin squad, but you can do it - just get off the road a bit and they'll drive em right to you :)
There's a host of rifle tags in October you could hunt with a bow.
Coues deer in AZ, Blacktail deer and Roosevelt elk in Oregon both OTC.
Ok, for me this year it will be CO pronghorn, WY elk, then back to CO for elk and bear if I have time, then plains muley season starts October 1 and after that season ends or I kill one I can go to NE for whitetails until I leave for AZ for Coues. Could hunt cats with a buddy in winter too, if the mood strikes, That is my "Dream Season", all DIY, solo.
Good to have the whole season available and an understanding, supportive wife. A tour of Europe would be like a tour of hell for me if there was anything to hunt or fish for back here. If that's what floats your boat, good for you.
This year I can basically hunt big game nonstop, DIY, from mid-August until I fill my last tag or go upside down on I-10 at 70 mph and total my truck and camp like I did returning from the Coues hunt this past January.
:-O
You've already successfully done the I-10 upside down thing Lou.
I'd stick to Plan "A"
Jan- Arizona / Alabama deer! Feb- pigs OK /Texas March gators / turkeys - Florida April - turkeys May-June black bears over bait- Idaho July- blacktail - Ca August pronghorn/ muledeer Nevada/ CO Sept- Elk- Montana/ Wyoming October - deer- Montana Nov- Deer- Nebraska / Montana Dec - mountain lion - Montana . Throw in some steelhead and bowfishing and that's my season!! Hunt
January kick the year off with some ice fishing at home, February head down to Arizona and kill whatever they've got to shoot there March/April head over to Australia and New Zealand do red deer roar, maybe try and swing through Africa for a cape buffalo hunt and some deep sea fishing on my way home do a cage dive with the great whites, May get my bear baits ready and slide an arrow through a gobbler , June is Manitoba (home) black bear hunting, July and August enjoy the prairie summer and fishing, September elk, early oct moose, late Oct Alberta mule deer, November whitetails in Sask and Manitoba, December some early season Ice fishing and Christmas and then the year is already over!