Pre-planning for my midlife crisis (driven hunt/black bear/ Swedish moose??)

[SimpleSimon]

I'm turning 40 in a couple of years and beginning to plan in advance for my midlife crisis...

I'd like to save some money with the intention of treating myself to a special hunting experience of some sort. Nothing ridiculously expensive or exotic, but something memorable and different.

Ideas so far are:
Driven hunting somewhere in Europe
Traditional Swedish moose hunt with a dog
Spot and stalk black bear hunting in Canada
Something else?

I know some people will say "Africa!" - I'm not really nterested in that, so save your typing fingers

Just looking for feedback/info/advice/insights on any of the above. Recommendations or warnings, top tips, contacts, stories of your own adventures to inspire me, etc, etc, etc...

 

[WalkedUp]

I investigated a black bear trip to Canada and found it to be incredibly expensive, that is excluding flights. I have been to Africa and loved it. I am 40 next year so was in a similar position to you, however my trip funds have been used up. Wherever you go have a great time and make sure you write it up here for us

 

[Stalker62]

I'm turning 40 in a couple of years and beginning to plan in advance for my midlife crisis...

I know some people will say "Africa!" - I'm not really nterested in that, so save your typing fingers

@SimpleSimon


You are wise to stay away from Africa.

It is a long way away, difficult and expensive to get to.

It is also a dangerous place to wander about.

Pretty much every thing you come across is trying to kill you, infect, poison or eat you.

Once you go, you simply have to go back. You will try not to, but what you will have failed to notice on your first trip, is that you were bitten, and now you are infected. There is no cure.

You can only manage the symptoms, until such time as you can return.

You will see things, hear things, smell things, that are incomprehensible to you, when you are sat in your two-up two-down in the Home Counties.





Every day, you will long to be back there.

Every single day.





Every day you will wonder how you are going to pay for that next 'fix'.

You will take (only a few) photographs, and they will become priceless.

They will remind you of the adventures of a lifetime; and the pals with whom you have shared an incredible time.




You will be at a loss about how to fund your next trip...





Yes, you are wise to stay away from Africa.

However....








If you go (and you will go) remember this; Africa always wins.

It is how it should be.

 

[Jagare]

The population and number of shot Swedish moose has been steadily declining for a number of years. Worth going for the experience and you may get lucky and shoot one. Boar we have plenty of but the Swedish bear cull is limited numbers.

 

[lochty]

My mid life crisis present to myself.

 

[Dunwaters]

I'm turning 40 in a couple of years and beginning to plan in advance for my midlife crisis...

I'd like to save some money with the intention of treating myself to a special hunting experience of some sort. Nothing ridiculously expensive or exotic, but something memorable and different.

Ideas so far are:
Driven hunting somewhere in Europe
Traditional Swedish moose hunt with a dog
Spot and stalk black bear hunting in Canada
Something else?

I know some people will say "Africa!" - I'm not really nterested in that, so save your typing fingers

Just looking for feedback/info/advice/insights on any of the above. Recommendations or warnings, top tips, contacts, stories of your own adventures to inspire me, etc, etc, etc...

What do you have on the bucket list?
I’m trying to complete my ambition to shoot one of each of Europe’s deer. I think I only have reindeer to go but I’m not sure if Axis should be included.
How about a helicopter hunt in Norway for reindeer and then some grouse over good pointing dogs?
Big game only can get a bit intense, you need a plan (B) for when you fire one shot at dawn on day 1 of a ten day trip and you’re finished.

 

[Stalker62]

Big game only can get a bit intense, you need a plan (B) for when you fire one shot at dawn on day 1 of a ten day trip and you’re finished.

@dunwater

 

[norsk]

Why not take a trip to NZ and shoot some deer for free on public land?

 

[SimpleSimon]

Why not take a trip to NZ and shoot some deer for free on public land?

Because it's miles away!

 

[SimpleSimon]

... You need a plan (B) for when you fire one shot at dawn on day 1 of a ten day trip and you’re finished.

That's something I've wondered about before. What sounds like a good deal for X number of days hunting suddenly feels expensive if you get lucky early on and don't actually get much hunting done. I'd rather hunt for 5 days and not succeed than hunt for half a day and then spend 4 days just waiting to go home. I want an experience, not just to shoot something.

 

[Stalker62]

I'd rather hunt for 5 days and not succeed than hunt for half a day and then spend 4 days just waiting to go home. I want an experience, not just to shoot something.

@SimpleSimon

It's really not that difficult.

If you book a Hunt and make a 'kill' on the first day, then you can either add on 'Plains Game' (modest fee), or just go out and 'hunt' without actually pulling the trigger - you get to experience the whole thing, without the noise of firing a round.

 

[norsk]

Because it's miles away!

Wild places are generally thus

 

[Basil H]

The OP's initial ideas involve visiting other countries. Visiting Africa is like going to another planet. From the sky overhead to the dirt beneath your feet it is novel. However, if you reduce to "just shooting" then so be it.

 

[Dunwaters]

@dunwater

View attachment 432356View attachment 432357View attachment 432358

I can do that at sundown, after a days hunting.
Doing it for breakfast more than once gets me the hairy eyeball and in line for a liver transplant
A bit of fishing or bird shooting gives me something to talk about around the fire.
I’ve been seriously scolded for dropping the rifle and taking up a shotgun, but it was worth every minute of it. I always wanted
to shoot sand grouse…now I have.



And doves too.
Don’t ask how many shells, but it was PFM for twenty minutes or so.

 

[wildfowler.250]

All I can add into black bear looking into Canada a reasonable amount is that

1) spot and stalk was mainly done in BC and this was the most expensive. If I remember correctly about $9k-$10k for one tag.
2) most other provinces are shot over bait, depending on how you feel about that. Much cheaper , about $3k for the tag. Some places have 2 bear areas per hunter. Some areas have more colour phase.

Some places do a hound hunt which might be a happy medium if BC is too expensive and bait isn’t your thing.

 

[3xspringer]

@SimpleSimon


You are wise to stay away from Africa.

It is a long way away, difficult and expensive to get to.

It is also a dangerous place to wander about.

Pretty much every thing you come across is trying to kill you, infect, poison or eat you.

Once you go, you simply have to go back. You will try not to, but what you will have failed to notice on your first trip, is that you were bitten, and now you are infected. There is no cure.

You can only manage the symptoms, until such time as you can return.

You will see things, hear things, smell things, that are incomprehensible to you, when you are sat in your two-up two-down in the Home Counties.
View attachment 432312




Every day, you will long to be back there.

Every single day.

View attachment 432317

View attachment 432314

Every day you will wonder how you are going to pay for that next 'fix'.

You will take (only a few) photographs, and they will become priceless.

They will remind you of the adventures of a lifetime; and the pals with whom you have shared an incredible time.

View attachment 432315


You will be at a loss about how to fund your next trip...
View attachment 432316




Yes, you are wise to stay away from Africa.

However....








If you go (and you will go) remember this; Africa always wins.

It is how it should be.

Been 3 times s/a fantastic place and great hunting.

 

[3xspringer]

My 70th this year and going tuna fishing for a treat!

 

[BigT]

Can’t offer any useful in-site in to what you want to try except that when I had a brief look at what it would cost to shoot a moose in Canada I had to have a lie down afterwards.

My mid life crisis goal is driven boar of some sort. So I shall watch this with interest.

Had enough of Africa for one lifetime thank you

 

[NoIDeer]

A crack at a mcnab could scratch an itch like that or a sheep/goat in the asian mountains.

 

[tackb]

be a man about your midlife crisis and get a porsche 911 and a divorce , the proper way...................